Increased focus on policy development

During the Drive Sweden Forum Anna Fridén, principal secretary for KOMET, the committee for technological innovation and ethics, showed us their views on innovation and what is needed in order for it to contribute to Agenda 2030 in the best way possible. The committee, that gathers an extraordinary wide base of competence, from the archbishop to CEOs and legal experts, has the mission to continuously deliver policy proposals to the government.

Their main objective is to promote policy development that makes innovation successful by creating favorable conditions for both competitiveness and an inclusive, secure and safe use of new technological solutions. This demands trust, a wide collaboration, a society open to new technology and services – and active policy making.

– The idea is to deliver in several different ways. So, we are working to increase the knowledge around technological innovation, its ethical challenges and needs of policy development, while at the same time we encourage wide cooperation in society and new ways of working, says Anna Fridén and pinpoints the public sector as a prioritized target group.

– We also see to where existing policies, or lack thereof, restrains or hinders innovation and we have the mandate to write legislative proposals or propose new investigations.

KOMET’s line of work is in many ways connected to Drive Sweden’s policy lab that you will soon be able to get more information about on drivesweden.net and Anna Fridén sees several benefits of working together with the lab.

– We have a mutual understanding for the challenges and the policy lab provides a platform with actors and the right prerequisites. And if this produces pilots or trials we may be able to find new knowledge for us and the society, Anna Fridén says and elaborates on what KOMET can add to the policy lab.

– We can act as the channel to the legislators and have the tools to propose new legislature. We can also contribute to the dialogue through insights from different sectors and of course the ethical perspective of it all.