Building and managing an innovation hub : A case study of the challenges and opportunities faced by a Northern Swedish innovation hub

Sammanfattning: The concept of innovation hubs are increasingly being adopted by different sectors as a means to accelerate innovation. Previous research on innovation hubs have focused on large-scale and trans-regional hubs on its managerial practices instead of its geographical situation. This paper studies an innovation hub in the Northern Swedish city of Skellefteå, in a region historically relying on heavy industry trying to transform into a high technology economy. The study aims to answer the research question: “what are the challenges and opportunities in building and managing an innovation hub to foster innovation in a geographically isolated region with a relatively small population?” To answer this question, interviews with stakeholders in the innovation hub has been conducted as part of a qualitative case study. The results indicate that the region’s large heavy industry companies provide a fertile ecosystem for startups in the digital industry by enabling the necessary supporting industries and infrastructure. Meanwhile, the lack of certain important elements needed in the startup process, most prominently private funding in the form of angel investors and venture capital, pose challenges to the development of the digital startup community in the region.