Notably, 64 of these came from actors with no previous connection to the mining industry, which means 52% of the total number of incoming innovations / SMEs were introduced to the Swedish mining eco system for the first time. On average, each challenge attracted 7 innovations.
The SME Network was an experiment, to create an innovation arena between the major mining companies and SMEs across the country, designed to address a key issue in the minerals and metals industry: A lack of infrastructure and forums for SMEs and other players to interact, which slowed down innovation.
By helping companies to formulate their challenges and create clear packages, and then presenting these to the network, not only did the companies find new, innovative solutions. At the same time, the SME companies had a unique opportunity to connect with, and create business opportunities with, the major mining-related companies. These two perspectives formed the basis for generating interest and a willingness to participate from both SMEs and the larger players. If there was a functioning meeting arena, there was also the potential to build an SME network over time. A win-win solution, quite simply.
The network was led by Erik Hagenrud, Swedish Mining Innovation. Erik had nearly 20 years of experience in export and business development of SME companies in northern Sweden, and the last ten years were largely focused on sub-contractors to mining companies.
Erik Hagenrud
What kind of companies could join the SME network?
The SME network was open to all potential suppliers of solutions and innovations that could solve the challenges of the mining industry. A supplier could be a company that had already supplied mining customers, but it could equally be a supplier of solutions that was not in the traditional mining industry and that might never have seen a mining company as a potential customer. The challenges might be in what we traditionally saw as part of the Swedish mining industry, but could just as easily be in areas such as AI, e-mobility or be about sustainability. The network was thus open to all Swedish SME companies that currently saw themselves as suppliers or potential suppliers to the mining industry, who might have solutions or innovations that solved future or current challenges to other sectors of the industry.
What did it mean to join the network?
The purpose of the network was to create a meeting arena between SME companies and the major players in the Swedish mining industry. We published cases or challenges coming from the major players in the mining industry and by joining the network you had access to all the challenges and info about them, so nothing risked getting lost. The SME also had access to other business relevant information through newsletters and social media from Swedish Mining Innovation. The idea was also for the network to include other channels and opportunities to meet and in this way also build relationships between the larger and smaller players and really create a meeting arena.
What was the role of the SME network towards the six companies?
The role of the SME network and Swedish Mining Innovation towards the six major participating mining-related companies was to help them formulate their challenges and create clear packages, and then present these to the network so that not only did the companies find new, innovative solutions but also that the SME companies at the same time got a unique chance to get in touch with, and create and build relationships with the major mining-related companies. The designated role of Swedish Mining Innovations and the SME network from the six major participating mining-related companies was also to be the interface during the initial phases of the work, and to ensure that this gateway worked so that the information coming in from the potential innovative solutions was in a comparable format, and that the interested SME companies were just that, SMEs as defined by the European Union. EU definition, with a maximum turnover of 500 MSEK and a maximum of 249 employees, and with a Swedish company registration number.
What is the step forward today and how did we see a continuation and further development for the challenge driven innovations?
The project was finished by 261231, and we are working towards a solution and continuation within the new innovation program Swedish Metals& Minerals. The steps forward is therefore to transfer and build on the established ways of working, maintain the connection between the challenges of the companies and the sustainable and innovative solutions of the SMEs, and ensure that the meeting arena will continue as part of Swedish Metals& Minerals.
