JOHANNEBERG SCIENCE PARK AB

Their core work

Johanneberg Science Park is a Gothenburg-based innovation hub that bridges research institutions, businesses, and city authorities to accelerate sustainable urban development. They specialize in facilitating co-creation processes for smart city solutions — connecting SMEs with urban innovation challenges around energy, mobility, and circular economy. Their work focuses on translating academic research into practical business models and support services that help small and medium enterprises adopt sustainable practices.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

JSP's early H2020 work (2017-2019) centered on technical urban infrastructure — renewable energy, energy storage, electric mobility, and smart city platform integration through the large IRIS project. From 2019 onward, their focus shifted markedly toward business model innovation and SME support, with projects like RBM (recycling business models) and P4SME (sustainability support for SMEs). The trajectory shows a move from technology-driven smart city demonstration toward softer innovation facilitation — helping businesses, especially SMEs, adopt sustainable and circular practices.

JSP is moving from urban technology demonstration toward becoming an innovation intermediary that helps SMEs integrate sustainability into their business models.

How they like to work

JSP operates exclusively as a participant, never as coordinator, suggesting they contribute facilitation and innovation management expertise rather than driving the research agenda. With 60 unique partners across 11 countries from just 3 projects, they work in large, diverse consortia — typical of smart city lighthouse projects. This makes them a well-connected, low-risk partner who brings local testbed access and business-research bridging capabilities without competing for project leadership.

Despite only 3 projects, JSP has built a network of 60 partners across 11 countries, largely thanks to the large IRIS smart cities consortium. Their network is pan-European with likely strength in Northern and Western Europe given Gothenburg's position in Scandinavian innovation ecosystems.

What sets them apart

JSP sits at the intersection of city government, academia, and SMEs in Gothenburg — one of Europe's leading cities for sustainable urban development. Unlike pure research institutes, they act as an innovation intermediary: they don't generate the technology, but they create the conditions for businesses and researchers to co-develop and test solutions in a real urban environment. For consortium builders, JSP offers access to the Gothenburg urban testbed and a proven ability to engage local SMEs and citizens in demonstration projects.

Highlights from their portfolio

• IRIS
  Flagship smart cities project (2017-2023) with EUR 557K funding to JSP, covering energy, mobility, and citizen co-creation across a large 60-partner consortium.
• P4SME
  Represents JSP's strategic pivot toward direct SME sustainability support, combining social innovation with environmental and economic goals.