Opening event for U-GOT KIES Centre about Creative Destruction

Watch the film from the Opening event on YouTube.

Torbjörn Lundh, professor specializing in biomathematics, and Deputy Vice-Chancellor responsible for outreach and cooperation, at the University of Gothenburg made the opening remarks, together with Maureen McKelvey, professor in Industrial Economics and Management and director of U-GOT KIES centre.

- One of the tasks I have as Deputy Vice-Chancellor is to ensure that innovation and utilization is simplified and made more efficient at the university, as to reach societal impact. To have a research centre focusing on these questions is of great importance for the University of Gothenburg and I look forward to U-GOT KIES's continued work in the future, says Torbjörn Lundh.

Professor McKelvey is pleased that the centre’s opening event lead to such rich discussions. In reflecting on the event, she states

- The university as an organization plays an important long-term role in the innovation ecosystem by maintaining academic values and critical thinking as well as by the more immediate and direct interactions with stakeholders. U-GOT KIES offers many possibilities to develop activities, and thus will make a great contribution to further enhance our roles in society.

Panel discussions on Creative Destruction

During the opening event, the U-GOT KIES centre initiated a dialogue on how, why, and when innovation, entrepreneurship, and science may promote economic and societal change through creative destruction in different sectors of society. Creative destruction can be defined as a dynamic process by which obsolete economic and technical structures are replaced by new ones, including experimentation whereby existing resources are repurposed for new uses. Magnus Aronsson, Esbri (Entrepreneurship and Small Business Research Institute), moderated the discussion, which was divided into two panels.

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The first panel Knowledge-intensive Innovation Ecosystem: Large companies’ perspectives consisted of Anna Sandström, AstraZeneca; Guido Buenstorf, University of Kassel, Germany and visiting professor; Stefan Christiernin, Volvo Cars; and Nathalie Lazaric, Université Côte d’Azur Sophia Antipolis, France and visiting professor. The panellists discussed the various roles of large established multinational firms can play in the innovation ecosystem, including attracting talent globally; stimulating innovation in smaller firms through innovation hubs and as suppliers; as well as interacting with universities and stakeholders through relevant projects such as Green City Zone Gothenburg for future societal goals.

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The second panel Knowledge-intensive Innovation Ecosystem: Entrepreneurship consisted of José González, musician & songwriter; Rögnvaldur Saemundsson, University of Iceland and visiting professor; Artur Aira, BICO Group; and Astrid Heidemann Lassen, Aalborg University, Denmark and visiting professor. The panellists discussed the processes of innovation and growth within knowledge-intensive entrepreneurial firms in different sectors, where for example the music industry and medical technology make somewhat different demands upon creativity, science and growth.

Excellence in the area of innovation and entrepreneurship

The opening ceremony ended with concluding remarks from Olof Zaring, Head of the Department of Economy and Society (Host Department) and Per Cramér, Dean, School of Business, Economics and Law. Per Cramér stressed the long-term nature of the School's commitment as well as reliance upon external resources to building up excellence in the area of innovation and entrepreneurship, which in turn has been vital to the launching of the new U-GOT KIES centre.

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