Mapping public innovation and entrepreneurship support via Intermediaries in the Stockholm Region

Public support for innovation and entrepreneurship is distributed through a large number of organizations, including incubators, science parks, and accelerators. But how does this system work as a whole?

About the project

This project maps publicly funded innovation and entrepreneurship support in the Stockholm region to identify potential overlaps, gaps, and inefficiencies.

Why this matters

Individual support programs may each have a clear purpose, while the overall system can still become difficult to navigate.

Understanding how public resources move through intermediary organizations is therefore important for assessing whether support reaches the right organizations and whether different initiatives complement or duplicate one another.

Research question

How is public innovation and entrepreneurship support organized in advanced regional ecosystems, and what efficiency losses may arise from fragmentation, overlaps, or gaps?

Research design

The project has assembled data covering EU programs and public national research foundations between 2020 and 2024.

The initial dataset contains more than 1,200 projects and more than 300 organizations. Preliminary mapping suggests that approximately 50 organizations act as intermediaries, primarily nonprofit organizations.

The next phase will:

  • Expand the mapping to local and municipal support.
  • Classify intermediaries receiving public support.
  • Analyze overlaps, gaps, and patterns in how resources are allocated.

Status

The literature review and conceptual framework are complete. Mapping of public funding flows is ongoing, with analysis and synthesis planned during 2026.

Research team