2024
The Swedish AKIS system is broad and includes numerous private and public actors. The SWOT analysis, developed as the foundation for the CAP Strategic Plan (SP) 2023-2027, highlights the need for increased cooperation among AKIS actors in Sweden. Additionally, addressing the compilation and dissemination of knowledge, advisor training, and bridging the gap between research and practice are essential to strengthening Swedish AKIS. Finally, as advisory services in Sweden largely rely on private advisors, it is crucial to ensure they have the support and resources needed to offer market-based advice and access up-to-date knowledge through robust back-office functions.
In this context, digital knowledge hubs serve as a powerful resource for integrating data and information from ongoing research and innovation projects (including databases and repositories) with the latest publications, capacity-building initiatives, networking activities, social media communications, and research outcomes. By facilitating these connections, digital hubs can foster effective knowledge flows among stakeholders and help bridge the gap between research and practice.
In 2023, a series of national Swedish knowledge hubs was established to bridge the gap between research and practice by consolidating and disseminating information, enhancing collaboration among AKIS actors, and integrating advisors more effectively within the AKIS framework. These include a knowledge hub for animal production and one focused on climate and environment, both now funded nationally, with the latter previously supported by CAP funds. Two additional hubs were introduced to support business management and entrepreneurship (established in 2023) and digitalization of agriculture (launched in March 2024). These two hubs are CAP-funded pilot projects with an initial two- year period, after which they will be evaluated. Together, these knowledge hubs aim to strengthen Sweden’s agricultural knowledge and innovation systems, promoting sustainable productivity growth and fostering innovation across the sector.
The knowledge hubs for digitalization of agriculture and business management and entrepreneurship are funded through the interventions for knowledge exchange and cooperation, partly from the Swedish Rural Development Program (RDP) 2014-2022 and from the CAP Strategic Plan (SP) 2023-2027. Calls for tenders were used in order to select the most appropriate organizations as hosts for the knowledge hubs. Before initiating the calls for tender, studies were carried out in order to deeper investigate the need for knowledge hubs and pin point how they should operate in order to be fit for purpose. The studies brought about important aspects which lay the basis for the calls for tender.
Box 1 : Knowledge hub for digitalization
The Knowledge hub for digitalization of agriculture is led by Linköping University.
The main aim is to highlight the opportunities of digitalization for Swedish agriculture. The main actors involved in the hub are:
- A Management team.
- An Expert network: consisting of 14 organizations associated with the hub.
- A Reference network: consisting of, among others, technology companies, advisors, knowledge organizations, active farmers.
- A Steering group.
- An Independent evaluators.
The hub's mission can be summarised in the following five blocks:
- Block 1: Business intelligence (Analysis of the business intelligence; best practice and practice analysis; analysis of scientific research).
- Block 2: Needs analysis (Identify needs for digital technology through workshops, surveys and interview; analyzing problems related to existing digital technologies; feeding back the results of the scans through seminars, meetings and training courses; analysis of scientific research).
- Block 3: Cooperation and dialogue (Regular meetings will take place with all expert organizations as well as with the reference groups and the Swedish Board of Agriculture).
- Block 4: Test and evaluate (Testing digital tools and digital services and evaluate them)
- Block 5: Packetize: providing in-depth reports analyzing (In-depth reports; Simple reports and training materials; Social media and newsletters).
Source: https://liu.se/en/research/knowledge-hub-for-the-digitalization-of-agriculture
Box 2 : Knowledge hub for business management and entrepreneurship
The Knowledge hub for business management and entrepreneurship main goal is to increase knowledge and strengthen collaboration within business management and entrepreneurship in the green industries and thereby strengthen the competitiveness of primary production. The end goal is to create effects among those active in agricultural enterprises.
It is led by the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. In February 2024 it offered travel grants to expand Sweden's international exchange of knowledge and research in agricultural business management. The grants were intended for short-term active participation abroad in international congresses, symposia, workshops and courses for entrepreneurs, students, advisers or researchers who work with or study agricultural business management.
The two newly established knowledge hubs are supported with significant funding to enhance Sweden's agricultural innovation systems. The Digitalization Knowledge Hub is allocated approximately 2 million euros, with activities planned over nearly three years to advance digital integration in agriculture. Meanwhile, the Business Management Knowledge Hub has a budget of approximately 1.2 million euros and will run for a two-year period, focusing on fostering business acumen and entrepreneurship among agricultural stakeholders. These investments are intended to pilot innovative approaches and provide valuable insights into the impact of specialized knowledge hubs on Sweden’s agricultural sector.
