Inaugural innovation summit garnered international attention
50 people from 15 countries gathered in Stockholm for the inaugural KTH Innovation Readiness Level Summit last week.
In 2021, KTH Innovation made the KTH Innovation Readiness LevelTM available under license. Since then, over 1500 organizations have adopted the model. Now, it was time for some of them to come together to exchange experiences, network and enjoy Stockholm in summer.
Used across the globe
The KTH Innovation Readiness Level is a method, visual tool, and resource library guiding the development from early stage idea to innovation on the market. It is based on NASA’s Technology Readiness Level (TRL), but adds five more dimensions relevant for business development. Today the IRL-model is used by large corporations, and innovation support organizations across the globe.
"It was really inspiring to meet so many engaged innovation professionals for two days of networking and knowledge sharing”, says Donnie SC Lygonis, Business Coach at KTH Innovation, who organized the Summit
Travelled 10 000 kilometers
Carlos Alberto Gurgel Verashe from Brazil travelled over 10 000 kilometers to join the event. He is Director of the Science and Technology Park, PCTec-UnB at the University of Brasilia, and has been using the KTH Innovation Readiness Level for a while.
The event featured knowledge sharing sessions, information about coming updates to the Business Readiness Level and Funding Readiness Level and case studies, one being how the framework is used for the Global Change Award, the world’s largest innovation competition for fashion and textile run by H&M Foundation in collaboration with KTH, Accenture and The Mills Fabrica.
"It has been amazing meeting so many different people"
Julia Schumacher participated from Innovate UK, the UK’s innovation agency. Julia is an Innovation Lead for Innovation Management within IUK’s Business Growth team, helping 10,000 UK business a year manage their innovation more effectively and commercialise ideas more rapidly.
"A key highlight of the summit for me was learning how the KTH IRL framework has the potential to enhance our service offer to SMEs, particularly for early stage start-ups and university spin outs, driving them closer and faster to growth at scale, she says. It has been amazing to meet so many different people from all over the world and understand how they are supporting early stage businesses in their own ecosystems”
"Lisa Ericsson, Head of KTH Innovation, highlighted the breadth of organizations represented at the summit. The participants came from universities, industry, science parks and VC firms. It’s great to see the adaptability of the model, and how it’s been implemented across industries. We are already looking forward to next year!"