New innovation office to boost innovation in the arts

On behalf of the Swedish government, a joint innovation office for the arts higher education institutions in Stockholm will be established at the Royal College of Music. The steering group for the innovation office comprises the vice-chancellors of the four arts higher education institutions, with the vice-chancellor of the Royal College of Music acting as chair. In October 2025, the steering group commissioned a working group, together with a project manager, to carry out a feasibility study. The findings of the preliminary study were compiled into a final report, which was submitted to the steering group on 15 June 2026.

Among other things, the report highlights that the concept of innovation is broad and sometimes unclear, particularly in an artistic context, and therefore it emphasises the need for an open and inclusive definition. The concept encompasses not only commercialisation, but also, for example, social entrepreneurship, interdisciplinary collaborations and artist-led community development.

The proposed innovation office is to function as a strategic hub and a centre of expertise that both drives and facilitates discussions on what innovation can entail within the arts. The office will be established in stages, with operations commencing as early as autumn 2026, the organisation and funding fully in place by 2028, and an increasing focus on research funding and expertise in intellectual property law.

At the same time, the report emphasises that the work must be dynamic and exploratory, with scope to continuously develop both operations and the organisation in line with new experiences and needs.

The working group for the preliminary study

Henrik Frisk, Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Professor of Music, KMH

Jenny Althoff, Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Education and Collaboration, Senior Lecturer in Design, Konstfack

Axel Andersson, Vice-Rector for Research, Assistant Professor in Art History, KKH

Alisan Funk, head of subject for Circus, assistant professor in Circus, SKH

The project leaders are Emilie Lidgard, collaboration manager at KMH, and Thomas Arctaedius, adjunct professor of entrepreneurship at KMH, who serves as an expert adviser.