The building company Skanska is developing, The Loop, a meeting place for future driven researchers, companies and organisations. Its main purpose is to connect science and business in order to gain commercial benefits from the building’s unique location in the heart of Science Village in Lund, Southern Scandinavia.

To achieve their goals and to realise the true potential of the Loop, Skanska are engaging with as many people and organizations as possible in an open process, one of them our CEO Anna Stenstam. In this article more or less everything that we believe in is mentioned. Read it and learn what drives us, what matters to us. 

My point is that knowledge can only contribute to change if we let it. As with penicillin, scientific breakthroughs seldom create any change by themselves. They have to be retrieved from where they were produced, disseminated to others, and put together with other kinds of insights. And this is what characterizes the innovation process. No matter how revolutionary research results may be, individual research or researchers seldom save the world.

Imagine scientists as oil and business people as vinegar. For them to mix, you have to add work, you have to shake vigorously. And to ensure the mixture hold together for a longer period, also some form of emulsifier is necessary. For oil and vinegar, mustard or honey will do the job perfectly. For scientists and business people, a professional resource from the outside is often a good idea – e.g. my own company CR Competence.

Alas, it is all about mixing oil (scientists) and vinegar (business people) with honey or mustard (CR) and put that energy in, put in the work. If we do, we will create sustainable dressings (!) to make the world a better place… Emulsions FTW!