author: Jessica Jewell

In early October, I joined the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences’ (IVA) Royal Technology Mission with H.M. King Carl XVI Gustaf, as a representative of the Swedish Young Academy. The delegation of about 40 was led by IVA chair Marcus Wallenberg and IVA president Sylvia Schwaag Serger. It brought together business leaders, public authorities and researchers to visit innovation environments in Zurich, Munich and Stuttgart. IVA has organised these missions at the King’s initiative since 1984. This year’s focused on European value chains, technological resilience and industrial transformation.

My research asks how fast new energy technologies can grow and scale, so it was fascinating to get a first close look at Europe’s space, automotive and materials innovation ecosystems. The trip was both hopeful and sobering. It was hopeful because we met so many young people working on some of Europe’s hardest technology problems. It was sobering because Europe has such a long way to go to catch up with its peers.

Take space. Before the trip I didn’t realise how crucial the space industry is to communication, defence and security. Yet of the roughly 330 orbital launch attempts worldwide in 2025, SpaceX made 170 and China 92. Europe made eight. Without sovereign access to space, we are vulnerable.

Our visits to ETH Zurich and the Technical University of Munich also made me rethink how Sweden organises research. These world-leading universities concentrate resources so that their faculty can work at the cutting edge. In Sweden, we tend to spread small grants thinly across the country. That is not how you reach the frontier.

I’m grateful to IVA and His Majesty for the invitation, to our hosts in Switzerland and Germany for their generous welcome, and to all the inspiring members of the delegation.