News about: Trade and industry group

Martin Moses – A Feast for the Eyes

Published by Pauline Pontois 3 July, 2020 in Destination, Tourism, Trade and industry group, Uncategorised.

An otherwise unremarkable door in a workshop next to Gothenburg’s fishing harbour and auction market has attracted many elite chefs. Although they ensure that all the ingredients are lovingly prepared and refined, having the right plate is of the greatest importance. So thinks the 2019 Chef of the Year.

We shall begin at the beginning, starting down at the fishing dock. Due to the corona situation, we’ll skip the actual fish auction and move on to Västergården, where the plates are made on which Chef of the Year Martin Moses serves his creations at SK Mat & Människor.

Mia Martinius, the potter who makes more than one hundred plates and bowls every day in her own raw, personal style, has become something of a favourite among style-conscious chefs – not only in Gothenburg and Stockholm, but also as far afield as in Dubai!

She is self-taught, and she loves the pottery workshop and store that she runs together with her three children. Martin Moses has a stack of ceramic plates with him from the Michelin-starred restaurant in Gothenburg. He wonders whether Mia would be able to patch up the plates that have sustained minor damage from the various servings – and he wants the ‘camouflaging’ to be visible. In Japan, such blemishes are often covered with gold, in order to demonstrate the opposite of today’s disposable culture.

Many of those who visit Mia’s store have previously dined at SK Mat & Människor and been enchanted – not just by the food but also by the crockery on which it is served.

“The two things go together”, says Martin Moses. “Serving the right food on the right kind of plate makes all the difference. We eat with our eyes, that’s the way it is.”

In the Instagram age, it is not without importance to have photo-chic plates, or that each dish is served on its own style of plate. Martin and Mia discuss the use of different surfaces for different dishes or ingredients. The next day, the 2020 Dish of the Year is to be announced – a dish that the Chef of the Year gets to design, and that will hopefully become a new classic among the general public.

Standing 196 cm tall, it is difficult for Martin Moses to move around unnoticed in the pottery workshop. Sometimes he cannot resist the temptation to pass a heated plate to his diners, with hands that are accustomed to such heat. Office workers’ hands, however, get a bit of a shock, he says with a smile. So there’s a certain amount of mischief in him. But he is also surprisingly honest about the vulnerability experienced by chefs. Cooking involves sharing a part of yourself – exposing yourself to both praise and criticism.

Martin Moses almost bangs his head on the roof timber in the pottery workshop where he has signed his name. He has added his name to the signatures of other star chefs who use Mia’s plates and bowls.

“I have been really fortunate in that the chefs recommend me to others. I couldn’t wish for a better kind of advertisement”, laughs Mia, contentedly.

The fact that Sweden’s biggest fish auction, where fish wholesalers place bids on fish and shellfish, lies just next door is of course significant. It perhaps also helps that the door to the workshop and store is so anonymous – we take the wrong door, even though Martin has been here many times before.

After Martin has discussed the colours and surfaces that are the best match for his Dish of the Year (which will be crispy cod steaks, served with coarsely mashed white root vegetables, lemon-pickled vegetables and a frothy, creamy dill sauce), we move on to SK Mat & Människor. Evidence of the Michelin star is discreetly on show behind the ‘chef’s counter’. Here, curious diners can follow the craftsmanship of the chefs as they chop and sauté, and pass torches across the backs of freshly caught ocean crayfish.

The runner-up in the latest Chef of the Year competition was Martin Moses’ then colleague Ola Wallin, who is now head chef at Upper House Dining in Gothenburg. Either by some kind of magic or perhaps by simple mentorship, a special culture has been created at SK Mat & Människor. Stefan Karlsson, who owns the Götaplats Group of which SK Mat & Människor is part (together with Toso, Mr. P, Bar Himmel and at Park in Gothenburg), was named Chef of the Year back in 1995. He is now chair of the jury. Sweden’s Prince Carl Philip is among the other judges. When this year’s Young Chef of the Year was held, it was won by none other than 23-year-old Anton Kardell, who also works at SK Mat & Människor, with his dish of duck and pike-perch.

Fish and shellfish are particularly close to Martin’s heart. His grandmother in Karlskrona would often serve up meals of fried cod, in all its simplicity. Martin continues this tradition with his own children, although he serves it with stewed spinach. Once you’ve experienced Martin’s touch with fish and ocean crayfish, you are left wanting more. Every year, Martin Moses and his twin brother travel to Lofoten in order to go fishing, although that 50 kg Atlantic halibut has so far eluded them. They never talk about food, however – according to Martin’s brother, the sole purpose of food is to fill one’s stomach. Even so, it was his brother who, at an early stage, kick-started Martin’s competitive nature. They spent their childhoods competing in everything.

Achieving second place in the 2018 Chef of the Year contest was therefore hard for Martin Moses to accept. While on holiday after the competition, he was able to take a step back from his frustration of having ‘lost’ by such a small margin (just one point separated him from the winner), and it was then that he began to plan his entry for the next year. Encouraged by his wife, it was clear that he should seek revenge! The winning dish – ocean crayfish with buckwheat, spruce tips, and grated cured egg yolks – began to take shape in his head. And then came his idea for the dessert – a variation on the ice-cream sandwich, with white mould cheese, malt loaf and apple jelly.

“A normal person would probably have given up after having put in all that work only to lose by just one point. But I can never be satisfied – I know that there will always be a better way of doing things. And, with hindsight, it’s clear that it’s by facing these challenges that you learn new things about yourself. This is something that has made me stronger.”

Although SK Mat & Människor has been KRAV-certified for the past four years, this is not something that features heavily in the restaurant’s marketing.

“Quality is always the most important consideration, and this is our priority. The tastes and experiences we provide are the proof of our commitment and passion in our work, rather than the recognition from any labels or distinctions”, explains Martin. “Having children aged 4 and 7, you care about the state of the world and the effect our consumption has on it.”

According to Martin, the attention that chefs receive nowadays, with their increased public profile, enables them to act as trend-setters. This is something he himself is happy to do thanks to his sustainable approach to local produce, and by taking the bus to and from work each day.

“Sustainability and quality are inseparable from each other. Vegetables that are in season are the best you can get. We really look forward to the asparagus in the spring, and the first strawberries in June – this is when they’re at their very best.”

Martin Moses thinks that it should be possible to charge a little extra when, as during last summer for example, the carrots were extraordinarily sweet and tasty thanks to the warm weather – rather than paying more for organic produce imported from Spain.

Martin believes that Sweden – and Gothenburg, in particular – has a rich larder with ingredients of fabulous quality. He thinks that freshly caught fish and shellfish form an obvious part of Gothenburg’s own larder.

“If we run out of fish in the middle of serving lunch, we just need to make a phone call and we can get more straight away.”

When you work with food, it’s really important to be able to have confidence in your suppliers.

“I think we have found the producers that provide us with the very best. Taste these prawns, for example, that were fresh today”, says Martin as he hands over a plate. “Fresh and juicy – always with the same quality. You always know what you’re getting.”

He also highlights the access to exotic mushrooms, and being able to get newly harvested champignons every day from Östragärde Gård in Sätila.

“The champignons from there are amazing. They’re the size of tennis balls, and with a wonderful texture. Or the herbs from Stenungssund, and the cucumbers from Varberg.”

Almost all the producers Martin works with have their own farm stores, just like Mia who makes her own pots and sells them from her workshop, where customers can linger as long as they like and dream of composing their own culinary creations.

This article was originally published in Magasin Göteborg 2020. Read the whole magazine in Swedish here. Magasin Göteborg is published by the Trade and Industry Group at Göteborg & Co and Business Region Göteborg. The theme of Magasin Göteborg 2020 is ”Sustainable growth – for everyone”.

Text by Ulrica Segersten. Translation by Språkservice. Photos by Samuel Unéus.

A true fisherman’s tale

Published by Pauline Pontois 26 June, 2020 in Destination, Tourism, Trade and industry group.

We were already doing this in the eleventh century – farming carp on land in combination with growing vegetables. “There’s not really anything new or nerdy about what we’re doing in Floda”, say Matts Johansson and Karin Forsberg from Garveriet.

When the food entrepreneur Matts Johansson first began roasting his own coffee and serving sourdough bread 25 years ago, he experienced several ‘Aha!’ moments with regard to what sustainable food production actually involves.

“From a sustainability perspective, fair and environmentally friendly coffee cultivation is not enough – not if it involves the planned economy. The quality aspect and social sustainability – i.e. that the economic model also works – are also necessary preconditions”, says Matts.

“I think we need to be prepared to pay 10 times as much for our coffee if we are to help coffee production to be both organic and financially viable in the long term.”

Matts needed to understand for himself what the sustainable production of coffee and food really involves, and how this can be communicated without slipping into pedestrian or clichéd sales arguments. Over the years, he has seen how many farmers and cultivators have had to struggle – not least those who try to do things the right way.

“We have many strange expectations of our food: what it should look like, what it should cost, and how it impacts the soil in which it grows. Ideally, we would like to have small dairies producing local cheeses, and small-scale meat farms. But it has become quite clear that much of our knowledge of cultivation, meat cutting and small-scale dairy production is being lost – there is a lack of knowledge-management. At Jernbruket, where we have a local slaughterhouse and the meat is cut (none of the animal is wasted), we need to import the necessary skills and knowledge from Poland and Ukraine.

Matts Johansson is stubborn. Having met with South American coffee growers, local farmers and artisan food producers, who are all struggling to swim against the tide at the same time as there is more and more talk about sustainable production, it is clear that there is a failing somewhere in the system.

“I became really interested in this systemic failure – such as consumers demanding organic tomatoes but not caring that they are imported from Spain. Just 10-20% of our vegetables are produced in Sweden. This is something that will eventually become more apparent when we are no longer able to import vegetables from southern Europe, as a consequence of the coronavirus.”

With regard to vegetables, our level of self-sufficiency is extremely low. As part of its food strategy, the Swedish government has taken the decision to increase small-scale food production. There is, however, a big difference between words on a piece of paper and reality; procurement rules are one thing, but a local lamb producer, whose sheep spend their time grazing outdoors so that they do not need antibiotics, must also be able to support themselves.

“When did you last see a live pig?” Matts Johansson runs his fingers through his greying red beard.

Karin Forsberg finds it strange that, as a mother of three children, she knew so little about the food they were eating at home – that is, until she met Matts.

“I think we have a very blinkered view, and place a huge amount of faith in supermarkets and the state. Do you know how much time a Swedish calf gets to spend with his mother? Two hours!”

“Our cows spend a year in grazing pastures before they are slaughtered”, adds Matts. “There’s a mini-revolution taking place in how we view our food.” Sustainability in how we interact and eat must not be allowed to be a large wet blanket that is draped across people’s lives. According to Matts, we have to begin with the small things. It is easy to lose enthusiasm if we don’t have an in-depth understanding of what we are actually trying to achieve. Both Matts and Karin believe that so-called ‘nudging’ (giving people a gentle push to help them make more sustainable decisions) is the best way to change consumer behaviour.

One example of using nudging to raise awareness is Garveriet’s own courses in sourdough baking, which are held for children and adults.

We need to understand where the flour comes from, and that the way in which we grow our wheat can represent a risk both to nutrient levels and to the very soil in which our food is grown.

As Matts explains, “Monoculture requires the addition of artificial fertilisers and nitrogen, as well as spraying. Around 70 years ago, we chose cereal crops that were best suited to the local area; 20-40 farmers would then take their grain, which had different genetic traits, to the village mill. Each farmer would then leave some of their own seed variety behind. In this way, we developed resistant varieties by a process of natural selection. Monoculture, on the other hand, makes us vulnerable.”

“We need to return to some form of crop rotation. Even cattle can help to rescue our climate, as their grazing disturbs the soil, which is extremely important for bacterial flora and the creation of beneficial conditions for the ecosystems in the soil – the basis of all life. Without worms, the cultivatable layer of soil will become thinner and thinner. Once we’re down to a thickness of 12 cm, we’ll have passed the point of no return”, explains Karin. “The cultivation of oranges in USA, Spain and Portugal has already created so-called salted earth.”

It is not only with regard to vegetables that our self-sufficiency is low. Of the 12 kg of fish that the average Swede eats in one year, 6% comes from Swedish-farmed fish. We import 74% of the fish we eat, and this is mainly from fisheries that are more or less unsustainable. In fish farming on land, which combines vegetable cultivation in a circular system, the farmed fish provide nutrients for the vegetables, and vegetable waste returns nutrients back to the plant-eating fish. The roots of the plants also oxygenate the water.

“What we are doing with Pond Fish & Greens here at Floda is utilising old knowledge. We were already farming carp in combination with growing vegetables back in the Viking Age. And land-farmed fish in combination with rice cultivation has being performed in Asia for a very long time”, explains Matts.

According to Matts, there are great benefits to be gained. The seas must have the chance to recover, and we know that land-farmed fish do not contain any antibiotics or other toxins. It also eliminates the need for transportation, and the fish can be cooked when still fresh. Because they are not predatory, the clarias catfish, which are farmed in large tanks at Garveriet, are well-suited for land-farming.

“It’s clear that sustainability efforts in food production have barely begun. We have realised that we must take a different approach, but we haven’t really decided quite how, and we have certainly not yet begun to take action – apart from the small steps we are taking here in Floda”, says Karin.

“We all have a responsibility to gain as much knowledge as possible. With Garveriet – both the restaurant and the bakery, together with our meetings – we aim to become a forum for knowledge and produce more Aha! moments with regard to sustainability.”

Business models often often lag behind, according to Matts.

“We would love to be able to openly share our knowledge of how we can progress with the business models. Our goal for the future is that Garveriet shall have increased links with research, becoming a centre for sustainability where new solutions for problems can be developed and discussed.”

Having spent a long time checking out various fish stores, and having realised that much of what is being sold is not sustainable, Matts Johansson has taken action and opened a sustainable fish store in Floda. As he says, there’s a mini-revolution taking place.

Text by Ulrica Segersten. Translation by Språkservice. Photos by Samuel Unéus.

Job Fair Skarpt Läge: a match that is needed for many industries

Published by Pauline Pontois 30 April, 2020 in Trade and industry group.

Results from this year’s job fair Skarpt Läge are now official. Two months after the job fair and despite the current situation affecting many industries, 318 interviews and 73 jobs were created during the three-hour job fair that broke a new record with its 1 658 participants.

This year’s job fair was held this year at the Chalmers Conference Center in Johanneberg, on the 21^st of February. The seventh edition set a record number of participants with 1 658 visitors, with an average age of 21 years old and from all the districts of Gothenburg.

During three hours, over 1 200 positions were offered from 40 exhibitors in various industries. 318 interviews were conducted during the fair, which is in line with the other years. However, the result of this year’s fair was characterized by the prevailing situation in the world with the sanitary crisis. Despite this, 73 jobs were created during the fair, of which 29 in healthcare service still in need for staff.

Skarpt Läge is a collaboration between the Trade and and Industry Group at Gothenburg & Co, the Employment Service, Visita, the City of Gothenburg’s Labor Market and Adult Education, Chalmers, the County Administrative Board of Västra Götaland County, Hvitfeldtska and Partille Gymnasium.

Icebug wins Gothenburg & Co Prize

Published by Pauline Pontois in Trade and industry group.

The Gothenburg-based company Icebug is the world’s first climate-positive manufacturer of outdoor shoes. They are now also the winner of the Gothenburg & Co Prize 2019, which is delivered by the Trade and Industry Group at Gothenburg & Co. Despite the ongoing corona crisis in the world, Icebug continues to pursue its climate fight.

“It is a really nice prize to win, because the criteria for the prize match the goals we have”, says David Ekelund, founder and CEO of Icebug.

Since the company was founded in 2001 by David and his mother, sustainability and public health have been important. The company’s goal is to get people out into the wild during all seasons. This is even more accurate and important right now.

“The winner of the Gothenburg & Co Prize 2019, Icebug, has developed a unique grip technology for outdoor shoes and works exemplary with sustainability in all dimensions. They dare stick out their chin and challenge their industry”, says Kristin Mari Riera, project manager for Gothenburg & Co Prize at the Trade and Business Group.

Due to the current situation, the company has new priorities. Many events that the company organizes to create a sense of community are resettled. Icebug has also developed a system to support local retailers who have been forced to close their stores.

“Many things are uncertain and change quickly. It is important to maintain a clear internal compass. For us it is to be able to keep two things in mind at the same time: to cope with the crisis we are in right now and at the same time not stop working on the carbon dioxide emissions problem “, says David Ekelund.

Facts about Gothenburg & Co Prize:

• Every year, the Trade and Industry group at Gothenburg & Co delivers the Gothenburg & Co Prize to successful companies that are run and developed in the Gothenburg region.

• The price consists of 25 000 SEK and a silver figurine.

• Since the prize was founded in 1994, it’s been awarded to approximately 60 companies.

Geely is the new member of the Trade and Industry Group

Published by Pauline Pontois 20 April, 2020 in Trade and industry group.

It is now official that the automotive giant Geely joins and becomes the newest member of the Trade and Industry Group at Gothenburg & Co.

Geely’s new innovation center Uni3 at Lindholmen

– Geely wants to get involved in the Trade and Industry Group because it is a good way for us to become more involved in the local business community in Gothenburg. The Trade and Industry Group has a broad program that allows us to sync with the other companies already in the group and benefit jointly from being a gathering force in sponsorship and CSR work in the region, says Stefan Lundin, head of communications for Geely in Sweden.

Geely Sweden Holdings is a subsidiary of the Chinese Geely Group and is in Sweden a holding company for, among others, Volvo Cars, Polestar, Lynk & Co and Geely’s new innovation center Uni3 at Lindholmen and others. With more than 10 years of presence in Gothenburg, Geely now wants to take greater responsibility as a group and get more involved in the city’s development.

– We are very pleased that Geely has chosen to get involved in the Trade and Industry Group and we warmly welcome them, says Lennart Johansson, Head of the Trade and Industry Group at Gothenburg & Co. Geely is the perfect puzzle piece that powerfully complements our platform. Together with 21 other large companies in different areas, the Trade and Industry Group works to strengthen and develop Gothenburg’s competitiveness and attractiveness.

Digital cultural meetings where music meets innovation

Published by Pauline Pontois 16 April, 2020 in Trade and industry group.

On the 14^th to the 17^th of April, a creative workshop was conducted with the support of the Trade and Industry Group. Together with creative students from Yrgo and the Media Institute, Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra has worked on finding new, creative, digital ways to create cultural meetings and raise interest for Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra’s music.

The participants from Yrgo and the Media Institute, together with the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, worked on finding creative digital ways to create cultural meetings. Photo: Gothenburg Symphonics.

The participants of the workshop are creative students from Yrgo and the Media Institute who, when their opportunities for an internship at the city’s advertising agencies disappeared because of the Corona pandemic, started two own advertising agencies. The workshop is led by Christer Hedberg from &friends. The aim of this week commissioned by Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra and the Trade and Industry Group was to make music accessible to more people by using innovative digital solutions. Together we show the strength and effects of culture meeting innovation and the benefits of digital cultural meetings.

– Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra has long been at the forefront when it comes to high quality recordings in our own studio. Through GSOplay, our digital concert hall, GSO’s music reaches over 170 000 visitors each month. Digital options like GSOplay increase accessibility, lower thresholds and make it easy to explore classical music even outside the Concert Hall, says Eva Essvik, business developer at Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra.

Now that digital solutions are more up-to-date than ever, it is important to build up even more content in the digital concert hall to put Gothenburg on the map as an innovative role model where culture and business go hand in hand to build an attractive, prosperous and growing region.

Over 7,000 people hacked into the fight against Covid-19

Published by Pauline Pontois 9 April, 2020 in Trade and industry group.

On 3^rd to 6^th of April, Hack the Crisis was organized all over Sweden. Over 7 000 participants contributed with more than 500 innovative ideas in the fight against the Corona crisis. The purpose of what became one of Europe’s largest digital hackathon was to develop sustainable solutions for Sweden to overcome the current situation.

– In the special times we are in, it is important that many people engage and contribute with their skills and with innovative ideas and initiatives, says Lennart Johansson, head of the Business and Industry group at Gothenburg & Co.

About 7 439 participants, from their home or office across Sweden, contributed with ideas and solutions in the fight against Covid-19 and made Hack the Crisis Sweden one of Europe’s largest virtual hackathon. Focusing on the three main tracks Save Life, Save Communities, Save Businesses, 530 ideas and solutions were delivered.

A jury consisting of 95 people including Peter Grönberg, CEO of Gothenburg & Co, rewarded two winners in each category. Read about the winners and other suggestions here.

A reward of 150 000 SEK was divided to the winners who now have the opportunity to implement their idea and solution in collaboration with committed partners and authorities

The Trade and Industry group is a proud partner to Openhack, which together with DIGG (the Swedish Digital Agency), the Government Offices, Hack for Sweden and AI Innovation of Sweden were the initiators of Hack the Crisis.

Drones can help save lives at sea

Published by Stefan Gadd 29 January, 2020 in Trade and industry group.

The Swedish Sea Rescue Society, SSRS, thought they could work more efficiently in an offshore accident if they had access to a fleet of autonomous drones. But how to make it work – technically and legally? In a project, developed in collaboration between Ericsson Garage in Gothenburg and SSRS, a solution has been found.

Jonas Wilhelmsson, head of Innovation and Sustainability at Ericsson, Gothenburg

Jonas Wilhelmsson, head of Innovation and Sustainability at Ericson Gothenburg has been a part of the project from the start. He shows a picture listing all the obstacles concerning the drone project. It is a long list, but Jonas Wilhelmsson proudly claims that the project has found a way to overcome them all.

– We have recently demonstrated a solution, and we think our system is ready for commercial use.

The idea of using autonomous drones during sea rescue missions was initiated from SSRS. The initiator has a friend who works at Ericsson, Lindholmen and was present at the opening of Ericsson Garage in Gothenburg a couple of years ago. He got an opportunity to pitch his idea – and it turned out to be a perfect match for Ericsson Garage.

Ericsson Garage is meant to be a practical and creative place for innovation. A place where idea owners can spend time outside their normal responsibilities to focus on an innovation project.

Should there be opportunities to commercialize and scale the idea globally, the project moves to Ericsson One – Ericsson’s global incubation and acceleration unit. This happens to be Jonas Wilhelmsson’s responsibility as well, to qualify early stage ideas and projects for global markets at One. The drone solution is a good example.

Rendered photo from the Swedish Sea Rescue Society

– It’s truly amazing to see how we can combine fast-moving grass-root innovation with the resources of a global accelerator unit. Intrapreneurs get the chance to realize their dreams within Ericsson.

The dream that brought Ericsson Garage and SSRS together was the challenge in how to handle a fleet of autonomous drones spread all over the Swedish coastline, with only a couple of pilots available. That meant that a system that enables one person to manage a whole fleet of autonomous drones over the mobile network, beyond visual line of sight had to be developed. At the same time the project had to find a way of how to receive necessary permissions and send moving pictures to the rescuing crew. All in all – a really complex task.

Ericsson Garage is a pragmatic environment where Ericsson’s assets are explored and further developed to address a real problem – typically in collaboration with eco system partners. There are projects in different areas and industries, also outside Ericsson’s current core business. A key driver is the potential for ICT solutions to disrupt or make a difference.

– Ericsson Garage at Lindholmen is very active and committed. We are fortunate enough to operate in a dynamic environment with 24,000 engineers and more than 375 companies just around the corner and a diverse pool of talented and curious colleagues in the house. There is no shortage of ideas, Jonas Wilhelmsson says.

The ability to develop an idea from opportunity into a commercial offering is an exciting possibility and a vital part for Ericsson in general to stay competitive. Around 2,000 people work at Ericsson Gothenburg. It is a cross-section of the company where all the expertise at Ericsson comes together.

– We work in a fantastic place of creativity where we are able to take advantage of all the knowledge and technology within Ericsson. Besides that, we have our own 5G-network, a high-tech test site and close access to all the collaboration areas in Lindholmen Science Park at our doorstep. It is a fantastic possibility, Jonas Wilhelmsson says.

Reflecting over how all this is made possible Jonas Wilhelmsson comments:

– When it comes to innovation, collaboration, openness and sustainability, Gothenburg is a perfect place. The city is big enough to be attractive to global companies, students and skilled professionals – yet small enough to create a good climate for innovation. People know people in different companies, in the city’s various departments, science parks and research facilities at the universities. There are co-working areas, areas where we can come together and use our different expertise to develop ideas. Ideas like the drone project that actually can help save peoples’ lives.

International guest researchers visit AI Innovation of Sweden

Published by Pauline Pontois 20 December, 2019 in Trade and industry group.

As part of the project Go Science, guest researchers from the University of Gothenburg and Chalmers got to visit and learn more about the new national center for AI research, AI Innovation of Sweden.

AI Innovation of Sweden is a national center for applied AI research and innovation, with the aim to strengthen the competitiveness of the Swedish industry and welfare. AI Innovation of Sweden is a national and neutral initiative, functioning as an engine in the Swedish AI ecosystem. The focus is on accelerating the implementation of AI through sharing knowledge and data and collaborative projects.

For one afternoon, 24 guest researchers were invited to listen to an inspirational lecture and attend a workshop to learn more about AI research in Sweden with the aim of using AI as a tool in their daily work.

Adrian Bumann (Chalmers) and Aram Karimi (University of Gothenburg) attended the lecture and workshop at AI Innovation of Sweden with Go Science.

Adrian Bumann is a PhD student in the Department of Entrepreneurship and Strategy, at the Department of Technology Economics and Organization. He researches information systems and digital transformation with a focus on innovation processes in the maritime and marine sectors where he uses AI as a tool.

– I’m involved in one of the data factories at AI Innovation of Sweden. I think it’s a great organization to bring people together from different areas. It’s great to have one place to go to if we have a question or looking for certain contacts to provide you with specific content and knowledge. Lots of people here have very different experiences with AI.

Aram Karimi, who is researching Natural Language Processing at the University of Gothenburg at the Department of Philosophy, Linguistics and Theory of Science, also uses AI in her daily work to understand semantics for text in Natural Language Understanding. She has been to several Go Science activities during the fall and appreciates it.

– Go Science is very good for international researchers. I would also like to have more meetings with companies and industries from the business community. We researchers need to understand and solve problems that help people in real working life.

From January 2020, the projects Student Gothenburg and Go Science will merge to form Unimeet Gothenburg. The purpose of the platform is to increase the collaboration between the University of Gothenburg, Chalmers University of Technology and the trade and industry. The new platform does not mean a major change and will continue with welcoming activities, however with an increased focus on collaboration between Gothenburg University, Chalmers and the business community. Together, we want to make Gothenburg an even better city for international students and guest researchers and show what the city has to offer in terms of business and competence.

Record number of JA companies in 2019

Published by Pauline Pontois 16 December, 2019 in Trade and industry group.

2,921 high school students run JA companies in the Gothenburg region. Photo: Junior Achievement.

The 2019/2020 academic year beats all records. Marking an increase of seven percent over the previous year, 33,706 high school students will run a Junior Achievement company this year, 2,921 of which are based in the Gothenburg region, where 807 JA companies were set up.

Gothenburg has a total of 46 JA schools, of which Polhem high school on Lindholmen leads the way, with over 200 JA students. The students who run JA companies come from many different vocational programmes, with the majority studying economics, technology and commerce. During the year there was also a rise in the number of students from the social science and electrical and energy programmes.

Since the start, in 1980, more than 450,000 students have run their own JA companies.

On 2 March there will be a big JA exhibition and JA companies will have a chance to exhibit at the Swedish Exhibition & Congress Centre to present and sell their products and services. This is an opportunity not to be missed!

School students will become Future Ambassadors

Published by Pauline Pontois 9 December, 2019 in Gothenburg 400 years 2021, Trade and industry group.

The Future Ambassadors initiative has begun! More school students will leave compulsory school with passing grades. Students will also test the power of digitalisation to find new ways of learning.

School students will be educated in ways that are smart, sustainable and inclusive, guided by school requirements, the learning environments of the Universeum Science Centre and the global goals of Agenda 2030. The objective is to improve skills, promote equality and ultimately ensure that school students achieve higher goals. The project will also give heads of schools assistance with developing school resources and enhancing digital skills.

The first concept, entitled Sustainable Seas, began at the end of November with around 150 students in years 4–6 from six different classes around the city. The work is divided into various sessions guided by teachers, with preparations and finishing off in the classroom, as well as visits to the Universeum Science Centre where the students explore new learning environments and gain new tools to enhance learning. Based on the foundations of biology and global goal 14 Life Below Water the students will use problem-based learning and mixed learning environments as tools to understand the contemporary world.

During the 2019/2020 academic year the project will be extended to 16 new classes and two further concepts: the Body and Health (years 1–3), and Space (years 6–9). More concepts will be developed for introduction in the 2020/2021 academic year. The intention is that the Future Ambassadors will develop from a project into a method that can be applied on a wider scale.

The project is part of the Knowledge and Enlightenment focus theme in the run-up to Gothenburg’s 400-year anniversary in 2021.

Gothenburg solution facilitates climate-smart food choices

Published by Stefan Gadd 3 December, 2019 in Trade and industry group.

With the smart service CarbonAte consumers are able to make climate smart food choices. The idea – developed at the FoodTech startup CarbonCloud in Gothenbrug – is now spreading through Sweden.
“Foodstuffs make up one quarter of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. If we are serious about reaching our climate goals, this is one of the areas where we can act,” says David Bryngelsson, CEO and co-founder of CarbonCloud.

David Bryngelsson with part of the team at CarbonCloud.

Imagine a lunch menu with these options: meat 1.2kg CO2e, fish 0.82 or veggie 0.55. Several Gothenburg restaurants now offer guests the possibility to pick their lunch based on the climate impact of each specific dish. The innovation is the result of several years of Chalmers-based research by David Bryngelsson and some of his colleagues. A technical physicist, he has a background in climate mitigation research, one focus area being foodstuffs. This gave rise to the idea to develop a product that would make it easier for consumers and producers to make climate smart food choices and reduce their climate impact. The goal is that all food we consume should carry a climate label, with a clear indication of its climate footprint.

The company initially developed a service for restaurants, enabling staff and guests to see the climate footprint of each individual dish. The service was tested at Chalmers Conference and Restaurants, and the weekly lunch menu on the company’s website includes information about the climate footprint of each course. The same information can be seen on displays inside the university restaurants. Very well received, the service – called CarbonAte – is now available in some 40 restaurants throughout Sweden.

The amount of interest in their service has further fuelled CarbonCloud’s ambitions. Its researchers, climate strategists and web developers are currently working on the company’s next major endeavour, CarbonData, which is geared towards the food industry. It is based on the same principle as the restaurant service – to make it easier for consumers to make climate smart choices and for producers to reduce their climate footprint.

“Our business idea is to package an advanced system for life-cycle analysis into a user-friendly web-service that the clients can easily manage. This will not only make the information easily accessible but also ensure that it is current and updated, which can otherwise be a problem for companies when performing business-related life-cycle analyses. Once you are done, the information may rapidly become outdated,” says David Bryngelsson.

The Chalmers-based startup is currently expanding, in the hope that their services will find a wider customer-base. David Bryngelsson is convinced there is an interest in services such as theirs.

“The food industry has a lot to gain from measuring their climate footprint. Consumers are becoming increasingly environmentally conscious, wanting to know the impact of the products they buy. The number of government regulations will also increase in the years to come. Keeping track of and being transparent about your emissions is a simple way to reduce your risk-taking, ensure customer loyalty and save money,” says David Bryngelsson.

Having a location in the vicinity of Chalmers in Gothenburg has been a key success factor to CarbonCloud. This enables a research-related business and makes it easier to secure the right talent. Another vital facilitator has been the existing institutional support framework in the area.

“It’s absolutely fantastic. As a startup company you depend on funding from authorities and organisations who support innovative initiatives for the future; players who will make sure that you succeed without looking to gain from it themselves. That is very stimulating,” says David Bryngelsson.

Facts: CarbonCloud
Gothenburg-based startup company which has developed services to measure the climate footprint of foodstuffs.
More information about CarbonCloud

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