Åsa Wallin

Area of expertise

Life Science, innovation, research, quadruple helix, internationalisation

Contact details

070-0850510, +1 (650)374-7903, asa.wallin@liu.se

Experiences

What experiences did you take with you from Silicon Valley?

Silicon Valley is an international innovation hub and a melting pot in terms of interests, skills and cultural backgrounds. Behind the immediate impression of tech giants, top-ranked universities and start-ups, one finds the people, the energy and the "pay it forward" culture that form the foundation of the unique environment that the area offers. Experiences I take home with me is how important and central it is to value and cultivate personal relationships with people. Whether it's a short meeting in an Uber or a traditional job meeting with clear objective. Silicon Valley is a place of the future where anything can happen and above all it can happen very quickly. I Sverige we need to get better at sharing and opening up, to dare to be a little crazy and to take the risk of failure. That is the path to innovation.

Based on your experiences, what would you like to contribute to the Swedish innovation system?

To open up for and be an accelerator for more dynamic, international collaborations within life science above all but also other areas. Silicon Valley and the USA also have lessons to learn from the Swedish ecosystem where, for example, we have come a long way in the area of sustainability, which permeates all sectors and industries today. In addition, I want to contribute with a concrete knowledge of how to deal with Silicon Valley as a company, university, public organization or family and thereby contribute to the "pay it forward" culture being able to take hold in Sweden.