SHIFT-R Paves the Way for New International Collaborations at Society Expo

Earlier in April, Skellefteå welcomed representatives from Portugal as part of the European cooperation project SHIFT-R. The visit offered a promising preview of the international exchange that will take place during Society Expo 2026, when representatives from the participating cities in the project will gather in Skellefteå for the first time to share experiences, build networks, and explore new paths for innovation-driven community development.

A key starting point is the experience gained in Fundão, Portugal, which has spent several years building strong innovation ecosystems in smaller towns and communities. Now, together with seven other cities, they will explore what can be applied in their own local contexts.

For Skellefteå, this involves, among other things, how the municipality can strengthen the innovative capacity of smaller towns such as Burträsk, Boliden, Byske, Jörn, and Lövånger.

“We’re doing an incredible amount of good work in Skellefteå. The question is how we can extend more of that work to our smaller towns while also learning from experiences in other parts of Europe. Even during this first visit from Portugal, we identified areas for collaboration we hadn’t considered before,” says Anders Lindgren, International Partnership Lead at Society Expo.

With Society Expo as a springboard

During Society Expo, SHIFT-R is part of the program through a two-day conference featuring international guests, networking, and study visits. Participants will learn about Skellefteå’s social transformation, meet representatives from other European collaborations, and visit Jörn, where several local initiatives demonstrate how entrepreneurship and collaboration can generate new momentum for development.

The hope is that this will create new partnerships, new funding opportunities, and concrete approaches that can strengthen Skellefteå’s service centers over time.

– This is so much more than a two-day conference. It’s the start of several important collaborations where we’re already seeing concrete benefits in the form of new ideas, contacts, and potential projects.

He describes Society Expo as an enabler for Skellefteå’s role in SHIFT-R. Through Society Expo 2026, Skellefteå gains an international stage to both showcase its experiences and invite others to contribute their perspectives.

– If it weren’t for Society Expo, it wouldn’t have been possible to host this conference in Skellefteå in the same way. All participating countries are showing great interest in Skellefteå and the experience we’ve gained from a comprehensive societal transformation. SHIFT-R and Society Expo are helping us build long-term partnerships in Europe.

Read more about SHIFT-R on the project page.