UNFOLD Värmland – reflections on an innovation ecosystem unfolding

Author: Lina Svensberg

The final panel of Unfold Värmland, a three-day unconference in Karlstad that brought together hundreds of participants and more than 40 events, centred on an important shift: from talking about innovation systems to focusing on innovation ecosystems – from institutions to relationships, from structures to life conditions. What does it take to create the conditions for innovation?

The panel explored how Värmland’s ecosystem holds some unique qualities: an entrepreneurial mindset, a strong sense of community, and a collaborative spirit that we can build on to create a more sustainable and attractive region – for everyone

As I look back on these three days, it’s clear to me that UNFOLD Värmland wasn’t just about innovation ecosystem development – it was innovation ecosystem development. A living, breathing example of the very ecosystem and life conditions the closing panel described. Of course, this is just one perspective – my own reflection. There are many other stories from these days, shaped by different conversations, sessions, and connections. And that’s part of what makes UNFOLD Värmland what it is.

For me, the story goes back to 2023, when we realised that the annual Tjänsteinnovationsdagen, Service Innovation Day, hosted by, Centrum för tjänsteforskning (CTF) vid Karlstads universitet, had ended up scheduled on the same day as the DigitalWell Award, our yearly celebration at DigitalWell Arena. At first, it felt like an unfortunate clash. But then we thought – maybe it’s not such a bad thing? Perhaps some of the CTF event participants would swing by in the evening, grab a beer, and hang out with us. Sometimes good things start with a bit of overlap – though not necessarily planned in advance.

Then in 2024, we decided to lean into it and intentionally scheduled both annual events on the same day – June 13. That decision sparked even more momentum. Karlstads kommun chose to use the occasion to launch their new strategy for digitalisation and innovation, Smarta Hållbara Karlstad, along with a new innovation website, Smarta Karlstad.

And then, by coincidence, a few people just happened to be nearby.

Jason Potts, professor in economics at RMIT University in Australia and the mind behind the concept of Innovation Commons – and a big inspiration to us – was in Sweden and dropped by. So did Anders Jonsson, Head of the Innovation Policy Section at UNECE – United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, based in Geneva, and Kjell Håkan Närfelt, Chief Strategy Advisor at Vinnova. Suddenly, what was supposed to be one day of events became two full days of activity.

Not because of some grand plan – but because we caught the opportunities that emerged. It just kind of happened. And it was a lot of fun.

This year, the emerging innovation festival finally got a name: UNFOLD Värmland. More stakeholders joined in, and activities were planned across three days – May 26–28. More than 40 “official” workshops, presentations, and panel sessions took place. But there were also informal meetups, internal gatherings, and spontaneous conversations. Hundreds of people participated, many from other parts of Sweden, each bringing their own piece to the puzzle. And to me, it’s becoming clear that UNFOLD Värmland isn’t just an unconference. It’s a manifestation of what it looks like when the life conditions for innovation are present – where entrepreneurship, cross-organisational coordination, and a shared sense of community can thrive across boundaries.

It also embodies complexity – that feeling of not quite knowing who’s in charge, or what the plan actually is. But that’s part of the point. In many ways, UNFOLD Värmland became an opportunity to practise ecosystem development in real time – a kind of system demonstrator in itself.

There are many stories from these three days in Karlstad – and this is mine:

On Monday afternoon, I hosted a half-day workshop together with Jakob Trischler from Centrum för tjänsteforskning (CTF) vid Karlstads universitet.You’ve probably heard the term innovation-friendly procurement. But what about flipping it around – procurement-friendly innovation?

That was our theme for the day.

My Tuesday kicked off with a workshop I co-led together with Jakob Lindvall, exploring the role of cities in the twin transition.

We opened with a fireside chat featuring a range of perspectives: Henrik Søndergaard from Viable Cities, Maria Natonska and Mats Jensen from Karlstads kommun Kjell Håkan Närfelt from Vinnova, and Maisa Young from the Swedish Procurement Agency, Upphandlingsmyndigheten. Each brought their own angle on the challenges and opportunities in navigating the green and digital transitions.

The conversation set the tone for the workshop that followed, where participants explored the twin transition through three different lenses: public procurement, resilience, and sustainable digitalisation. Among the participants were representatives from Bron Innovation, OpenTech , Ignite Sweden, Region Dalarna, RISE Research Institutes of Sweden, Lunds universitet and many others.

One of the communities I’m leading – a learning network focused on innovation commons and ecosystem development – currently gathers around 40 people, all with a shared interest in complexity, systems theory, and how we work in uncertainty. As part of UNFOLD Värmland, one of our members, David Hanley, offered to lead a workshop exploring the Cynefin Framework and key concepts in complexity theory – using LEGO. It turned out to be a thought-provoking, entertaining, and genuinely fun session.

If you ever get the chance to join a workshop with David – don’t miss it.

About a month ago, during a conversation with Kjell Håkan Närfelt, he mentioned that the Innovation Ecosystem Playbook – a collaboration between DDC – Dansk Design Center Ramboll Management Consulting, and Vinnova – was set to be finalised in mid-May. Naturally, that sparked an idea: why not launch the playbook during UNFOLD Värmland, right here in Karlstad? And since this was a topic of international relevance, we reached out to the UN-ECE Transformative Innovation Network (ETIN) – a network that both Kjell-Håkan and I are actively involved in – to co-host a special hybrid edition of the Innovation Circle seminar series, connecting Geneva and Karlstad.

The session was introduced by Anders Jonsson, UNECE – United Nations Economic Commission for Europe this time joining us online from Geneva. Anna Edwall (Ramboll Management Consulting), Julie Hjort (Danish Design Centre), and Kjell Håkan Närfelt presented the playbook, followed by a roundtable discussion with Håkan Spjuth (Karlstads universitet), Angelica Jacobo (Region Värmland), and Jakob Lindvall Angland Lindvall Development AB (ALDAB)). The audience – both in the room and online – joined in with thoughtful questions and reflections. The launch was followed by a hands-on workshop the next day, led by Theresa Ebling Ilsted Lauritsen from the Danish Design Centre.

After the Innovation Circle session, we headed straight to Olssons Bazaar for the official UNFOLD mingle and the DigitalWell Awards. A great evening – full of energy, familiar faces, and new connections. It was not just a chance to catch up with friends and colleagues, but even better: to connect them with each other.

The DigitalWell Awards were handed out in four categories this year, and one of the winners – in the category of service development and commercialization – was my dear colleague Karin Frejsjö from Karlstads kommun. (Karin and I aren’t technically colleagues – I work at Compare – but we collaborate so closely that it certainly feels like it!)

Karin is a procurement leader and a committed member of the Demand Acceleration Community. She has taught me – and many others – so much about how public contracts can be designed to truly stimulate innovation, and how important it is to create incentives for development during the contracted period of service delivery. A very well-deserved award!

After receiving the award, Karin reflected on what makes the work meaningful. She said that the way we learn from each other in the Demand Acceleration Community might be one of the reasons she enjoys working with innovation and procurement – especially the sense of figuring things out together.

“Maybe it wouldn’t even be this much fun if it were just a project I had to be part of. Now it feels like something I do for fun – because I enjoy it!”

Wednesday started with a masterclass led by the brilliant Ia Modin (GOZZO Advokater) who used a card game to explain the fundamental information management structures needed for innovation and collaboration. I will never look at legal documents the same way again!

UNFOLD Värmland wrapped up with a panel discussion on the future of the Värmland innovation ecosystem – bringing us full circle, back to where we started.

To me, UNFOLD Värmland – and my experience over these days – is a story of exactly that: an ecosystem in motion, built through relationships and knowledge-sharing between individuals and organisations. It’s about creating the life conditions that allow curious and entrepreneurial people – like the above mentioned Stefan Skoglund, Thomas Wernerheim, Mari Banck, Marie Granander, Karin Frejsjö Jonas Matthing and many, many others – to learn, grow, and co-develop. And in doing so, open up opportunities for many more.

There are so many stories from these days. Nearly 40 activities I didn’t attend – everything from DigitalWell Ventures startups showcasing their solutions, to a workshop a participant later described as “partly Buddha, partly data-flow diagrams.”

This year’s version of UNFOLD Värmland didn’t come from top-down planning. It emerged through interactions, relationships, and shared curiosity – between hundreds of people. And isn’t that exactly what complex adaptive systems are all about? You can’t predict success. You can only experience it.

Over and out.