BizMaker’s approach to working with startups, entrepreneurship, and sustainable innovation is attracting international interest. This week, a delegation from Thailand returned to Västernorrland to gain a deeper understanding of working methods that could now influence developments at 19 universities in Thailand.
Two years ago, representatives from 19 universities in Thailand traveled around Europe to learn more about how different countries approach innovation, entrepreneurship, and the commercialization of research. One of their stops was BizMaker in Västernorrland.
They came back this week.
And this time, BizMaker was the only organization they wanted to return to in order to delve deeper into working methods, processes, and experiences related to building strong innovation ecosystems and fostering entrepreneurship linked to academia and research.
What made a particularly strong impression on the delegation was how BizMaker operates as part of a larger regional innovation ecosystem where the business community, academia, startups, and the public sector collaborate to drive development and create new opportunities for the region. They also highlighted the value of BizMaker’s long-term approach and its lack of profit motive in the companies, which fosters a working culture characterized by trust, transparency, and shared development. The focus on sustainability and the work on innovations that drive societal progress also generated significant interest during the visit.
The delegation also highlighted BizMaker’s relationship-driven approach as something that aligns well with Thai culture and core values, particularly the emphasis on trust, collaboration, and sustainable development.
– This visit is about more than just sharing experiences. It’s about building long-term relationships between people and innovation systems. We see great value in connecting research, entrepreneurship, and international perspectives to jointly create new opportunities and solutions to global societal challenges. For us, it’s also confirmation that the work being done in Västernorrland is generating international interest,” says Regina Duymaz, Incubator Manager at BizMaker.
Behind this visit lies a common challenge facing many countries: how to create better conditions so that research, ideas, and innovations can actually lead to new solutions, businesses, and social progress.
A smaller group of four people from the original delegation has now been tasked with developing working methods and processes to be used at the 19 universities, which will become an important part of Thailand’s innovation ecosystem moving forward.
During the week, the delegation not only had the opportunity to gain an in-depth understanding of BizMaker’s processes and methods, but also to meet the people and organizations that are helping to build the innovative capacity of Västernorrland. These included startups and scaleups from our programs, Mid Sweden University, and RISE Processum.
In addition to providing valuable insights into the Asian market, the visit has also strengthened relationships and connections in Thailand, which could eventually serve as an important gateway for startups and scaleups from the region looking to explore the Asian market.
For us, it’s about continuing to build bridges between Västernorrland and the world—and between the world and Västernorrland.
