“IoT Sweden is a well-functioning programme”
During the year, IoT Sweden underwent a nine-year evaluation. The evaluation shows that the programme has contributed to development in everything from welfare technology and the built environment to matters related to procurement, IoT infrastructure and knowledge dissemination.
IoT Sweden is one of six strategic innovation programmes that underwent a nine-year evaluation in 2023. Evaluations are carried out every three years and are intended to lead to learning and the development of each individual programme.
The strategic innovation programmes shall contribute to creating conditions for sustainable solutions to global societal challenges and increased international competitiveness. IoT Sweden has designed a strategic innovation agenda to steer towards these overarching goals. The evaluators write the following in brief about IoT Sweden:
“The overall conclusion of the evaluators is that IoT Sweden is a well-functioning programme that has an appropriate strategic innovation agenda with a clear IoT system perspective and a relevant outcome logic. The programme contributes to creating collaboration between new actor constellations with a clear focus on IoT with societal benefits.”
Confirmation and guidance for the future
Catrin Ditz, Programme Manager for IoT Sweden since last autumn, is happy and proud of the evaluation. She considers it proof that the programme is on the right track.
“This evaluation confirms that we are doing many good things. Not least that our projects together contribute to increased knowledge and development regarding the use of IoT in the public sector. The evaluation also shows that we have many things left to work on,” she says.
One of those things is to find ways and strategies for the last three years. As a strategic innovation programme, IoT will come to an end in 2026. An important task in the coming years will be to reflect on how the accumulated knowledge about IoT in the public sector can continue even after the programme has ended.
Contributed to increased competence
The evaluators also find that IoT Sweden has contributed to steering development in areas such as welfare technology, the built environment, IoT infrastructure, procurement, climate and the environment. The evaluators write the following about IoT Sweden’s work:
“The programme contributes to strengthening development through means such as national guidance, standards and reference architecture. One challenge for the programme has been to get public sector need owners and suppliers to meet and learn from each other outside of concrete procurement situations. Driving innovation through public procurement is of great importance to enable the application and development of IoT technology. The programme has contributed valuable initiatives to increase competence in innovation-promoting procurement among both purchasers and suppliers.”
The nine-year evaluation was carried out by Sweco on behalf of the strategic innovation programme funding bodies – Vinnova, the Swedish Energy Agency and Formas.
