On the 20 September 2007, Dr. Sven Gunnar Edlund, Director and Head of Innovation Actors Division, VINNOVA (Swedish Agency for Innovation Systems) and his colleagues, Mrs. Marit Werner, Project Manager, Innovation Actors Division, and Ms. Asa Minoz, were welcomed to AIT to make a presentation titled "The Swedish Innovation System and VINNOVA".
The presentation highlighted the Swedish National Innovation System Characteristics, such as VINNOVA's mission to promote sustainable growth by funding strategic research. Also noted was how it addresses the needs of industry and society by developing efficient innovation systems. The presentation pointed out how National Research and Innovation System Programs and three models have been successful in Sweden. Reference was also made to Competency Centers as a key component for strong research and innovation environments, enabling regional growth through an innovations system approach. Professionalizing universities to cooperate with industry and society, and the commercialization of research, were also themes explored.
In a separate meeting with Professor S. K. Rakshit, Vice President for Research, the visitors discussed the possibility of a series of workshops at AIT on the topic "Putting ideas to work - strategies for innovation-led sustainable growth". The delegation would like AIT to partner them in these regional activities, far beyond the first set planned in the coming months. The AIT administration and VINNOVA delegation also held joint meetings with officials from the Technology Management Center, NSTDA and Chula Unisearch, Chulalongkorn University.