Day 1

10.00–12.30: Site visit (Optional)

Participants already in Linköping in the morning of Day 1 will have the opportunity to join a multi-site visit around the city.

When you buy a new car, open the map app on your smartphone, or launch Netflix, you will be using hardware and software developed in Linköping. How is this possible? Join this site visit and discover the strategies and partnerships enabling a thriving environment for innovation. We will explore how Linköping has built an innovation ecosystem for different stakeholders to work together and drive innovation and societal development – tech with a purpose. You will see some of the most significant environments in Linköping and meet the key players who make it all happen on the ground.

12.30–14.00: Arrival and lunch

A light lunch will be served at the conference centre where the event is taking place.

Companies' abilities to attract and retain international talent
14:00–14:30: Welcome to Linköping, Europe's most innovative city
Brief introduction and presentation of the City of Linköping and Linköping Municipality

• Mikael Sanfridson, Mayor
• Erik Åqvist, Head of Economic Development
• Lena Miranda, CEO of Linköping Science Park

14.30–15.00: Switch to Sweden. Strengthening companies' capacity to attract and retain international talent

• Anna Broeders, Talent Attraction and Internationalisation, Linköping Science Park

The municipally-owned company Linköping Science Park has the mission to support the tech sector in the city. One of the biggest challenges to companies' growth today is the lack of talent. This presentation will focus on the "Switch to Sweden" programme launched in 2022 to facilitate the matching of qualified international talent with Swedish employers, including the guidance developed to support international talents, jobseekers, and companies.

15.00–16.00: Interactive workshop

Participants will divide into smaller groups to jointly identify challenges and opportunities, share good practices, and discuss the role of their city in talent attraction/retention with the help of the key guiding questions:

• What are the main challenges companies in your city face when trying to attract and retain international talent?
• How are companies currently supported in developing their talent attraction capacity?
• What role do you see for cities or regional governments in strengthening companies’ employer attractiveness?
• Are there any successful initiatives or models from your city that could be shared or scaled up?
• What kind of support or collaboration would help you move forward on this issue?
• Which city departments or areas of responsibility are relevant or impacted when it comes to attracting and retaining international talent?

16.00–16.30: Coffee break

16.30–17.00: Interactive workshop - Conclusion

A representative from each panel will join an informal panel to summarise the outcome of the workshop group discussions in an interactive way.

17.00–17.30: Closing talk - Companies’ willingness and ability to attract and retain talent

• Sandra Slotte, Senior Policy Advisor for Internationalisation, Arcada University of Applied Sciences

The leader of Arcada’s work within Finland’s national Talent Boost programme, Sandra will share her perspectives and bring together the main findings to offer a summary of Day 1.

19.00–21.30: Dinner

Day 1 will conclude with a dinner hosted by the City of Linköping (venue to be confirmed soon).