The City of Malmö has decided to establish the Malmö Startup District at Universitetsholmen. "That benefits us greatly," says Charlotte Ahlgren Moritz, Pro-Vice-Chancellor at Malmö University.

A start-up district is a cluster of actors from different areas of business, research, idea creators and public actors which together create a breeding ground for innovation.

”For Malmö University, it is very positive that the City of Malmö has taken this initiative.  Innovation is something that the current government wants Swedish universities to invest more in, so this benefits us greatly," says Charlotte Ahlgren Moritz, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Collaboration and Innovation at Malmö University and Chair of Mau Holding, whose mission is to identify and invest in commercially viable and research-based ideas.

The City of Malmö believes that the geographical location of Universitetsholmen has all the conditions required for a successful start-up district in the form of infrastructure, physical assets and proximity to the University in particular and the entrepreneurial environments in the city centre.

”A start-up district will make it easier for our research-based start-up companies to enter an innovative environment. But it is also beneficial for our students and the University as a whole, as it leads to new areas of collaboration where our research can be used in society," says Charlotte Ahlgren Moritz.

A start-up district will make it easier for our research-based start-up companies to enter an innovative environment.

Charlotte Ahlgren Moritz

 

Katrin Stjernfeldt Jammeh, Chair of the City Council, commented: "Malmö has a strong business community, with many new companies starting up every day. By establishing a startup district in central Malmö and utilising the city's green and sustainable profile, we can further develop the city and the business community, and create a breeding ground for both more companies and more jobs."

According to the City of Malmö, the next steps will be to engage and involve stakeholders, explore funding opportunities, formulate a conceptual idea for the district and continue to explore the proposed site at Universitetsholmen.

Ahlgren Moritz is looking forward to a close and fruitful collaboration with all innovation actors: "We have a meeting booked already in May where we will meet Micael Nord, the business director of the City of Malmö, and discuss how we can deepen our cooperation with a focus on this very district and what we can achieve together in the future.”

Text: Magnus Erlandsson

 

Text: Communications Department