Sweden
Axel Josefsson
592,000 (2018)
Jonas Kinnander, Maria Stromberg
Improve resident outcomes
Improve internal government operations
Anticipate and manage future challenges
Improve and attract partnerships with various industries
Support the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
Dedicated innovation team
Culture of innovation in city
Support from outside city administration
Leadership from Mayor
As part of an EU-funded project, the Fossil-Free Energy Districts (FED) aims to reduce the city of Gothenburg’s energy consumption and dependence on fossil fuels by leveraging technologies such as photovoltaics, heat-pumps, and wind energy. Together with nine other partners, this innovative effort also builds a unique local market for electricity, district heating and cooling. FED has solidified Gothenburg’s leading role in developing energy solutions. With a total budget of €5.8 million, FED has benefited about 15.000 end-users and continues to be active beyond the project’s official conclusion in 2019.
Along with 50% of cities surveyed, Gothenburg has an explicit innovation strategy. Similar to more than half of cities surveyed, Gothenburg approaches innovation capacity both from a holistic/macro level, as well as in specific policy areas.
Social inclusion and equity: On a strategic level, Gothenburg's Program for an Equal City works hand-in-hand with their Program for Innovation (especially process and method innovation). The executive co-ordination group for an Equal City Program meets on a regular basis to implement and support long-term cross-sectoral innovative processes, which sometimes involve city residents. Another example of method innovation is "The City Where We Read for Our Children" project designed to encourage reading with and for children in their early age.
Transport/Mobility: Together with the industry, academia, research institutes and and other public companies, Gothenburg works to create new fossil free energy solutions for public transport, goods transport and construction equipment. The city also creates "one door in concept" for companies to use Gothenburg as a testbed for solutions. After testing electrified vehicles and charging technologies, the goal is now to have a completely fossil free fleet of vehicles owned by the City in 2023 and the whole transport system in Gothenburg in 2030.
Gothenburg’s innovation work is sprinkled throughout the municipality. The Clusters & Innovation Department of Business Region Gothenburg has over 25 staff dedicated to innovation, working together with the industry and research institutes.
Taking risks or testing new ideas
Data-driven analytics/public data management
Engaging residents in new ways
Developing new solutions based on digital technologies
Organizational change within the municipality
Human-centered design
Rethinking your city’s approach to financing partnerships
Like 81% of cities surveyed, Gothenburg has dedicated funding to support innovation capacity.
Similar to 61% of participating cities in the 2020 survey, Gothenburg's funding for innovation capacity is also directed towards training staff and building capacity*.
*"Training staff and building capacity" is not an option in the 2018 survey, while "Launching or sustaining a project" is not an option in the 2020 survey.
Gothenburg has developed partnerships to promote innovation capacity with other public agencies, private firms, not-for-profit organizations, and city residents/resident associations.
To improve data use, the city has also developed data partnerships with the private sector, academia and think tanks, to collect and analyze data, as well as with other cities.