There are actually few places that are better suited than a science park, if you want to manifest the magic equation of 1+1>2. Exploiting thoughts and ideas that take humanity to new insights and knowledge about our world, is an expression for collaboration in an almost philosophical sense. It becomes even more significant when you, at the same time, let a whole park full of students, researchers and employees in the private and public sectors, develop into a place where you don’t just come, but where you forever after are from. A place that, when you leave, you are so inspired by, with unexpected thoughts, new acquaintances and groundbreaking opportunities, that you can’t wait to share the experience.
Science Village is about to emerge in place with an extraordinarily rich history. In it there are reasons and leads enough to shape its glorious future. The fertile farmland has fed people for almost 6000 years. Archeological findings have revealed remains of burial sites, farms and, by ancient standards, large scale food production.
The image shows a reconstruction of what the landscape around Science Village could have looked like around 3500 B.C.
For more than 1000 years however, the power hub was 10 km to the southwest, in Uppåkra, but the farms on the hills of Brunnshög had a close exchange. When Lund was founded around 990 AD, it developed a strong position as an episcopate. During the Reformation in the 16th century Lund lost its status and stagnated for a couple of centuries, although they could pride themselves with founding their own university and also of being the home to the Swedish government between 1716-1718. It was not until the 19th century that the area continued to develop, with the railroad and industrial revolution sweeping through.
During the 20th century, Lund has evolved with several research-based industrial companies like Tetra Pak, Alfa Laval, Gambro and Ericsson. So when Oatly recently chose to establish their global science and innovation centre in Science Village, it was merely 6.000 years ago since the area around Science Village was world leading in food science. With ESS and Max IV we can now analyse DNA from a 5.800-year-old barley grain to let one plus one become more than two as today’s research takes us to new pioneering health and climate solutions.
The yellow area shows the central parts of Science Village, where the many stakeholders plan to establish new institutions. Photo: Perry Nordeng.
But how may we manifest the idea of 1+1>2 in a technology park that is not yet built? Even if Science Village shares initials with the world’s most renowned place for groundbreaking innovation, its ecosystem has a long way until it emerges from the fertile context. Theoretically the conditions could hardly be better. We have two world leading facilities for materials research that will contribute to solving global challenges, several high-ranking universities, multinational companies and a fun city in a fast region. These are fantastic resources to create places with. But we need many stakeholders and activities to make the ecosystem come alive.
As a self-appointed citizen in Science Village you will have an opportunity to contribute. By making it easy and cheap to test new ideas and formats, the potential failure becomes less deterring. You make it good enough to get to do it again, but not better than that it will be fun to improve.
You will also always get something to take away. Something that you want to share with the world and that you are prepared to return to for more. A feeling, an idea, an experience, an atmosphere. Something that has been planted into you and that you bring with you out into the world, wherever you go.
We know that a citizen-driven ecosystem is the key to turning all the investments in Science Village into a living place. We have seen it happen at STUDIO in Malmö and we see it happen at Lund City Hall and at The Loop in Lund already before the buildings have opened.
In The Loop and Science Village, 1+1>2 means that the creative collaborations are always at the centre of things, that there is always room for one more at the table or in the room. To meetings and events there might be a standing invitation to yet another competence, stakeholder or point of view. In the restaurants and concert halls you get the chance to spend a lunch, conference or concert with a guest if you choose the standing offer “+1”. On the trams, the value of your own ticket increases when you buy “+1” to bring someone along. The extra chair or video screen in the meeting room is always open to an expert or unexpected user across the globe. In Science Village you always get something extra. It is a technology park with a twist! That is what you will talk about when you come from here.
Visionary illustration of Science Village. From the foreground: ESS, Science Village, MAX IV, Central Brunnshög and Lund. The red line shows the tram line.
But the main point is that everyone that is inspired by the idea and contributes to building trust in this place, are welcome to come up with and test their formats and ideas of how our future research – and the world that is going to benefit from it – can be even more “+1”.
What ideas would you like to test in The Loop and Science Village?