Johanna Davidsson, economist and former participant in LEAD’s trainee program Entrepreneurs in Residence, has been awarded the SEB Innovation Scholarship 2026. She receives the grant for further developing and bringing to market a new type of measuring instrument for lung and respiratory function: Sprio Spiro.
SEB’s Innovation Scholarship is awarded annually to promising entrepreneurs with innovative ideas and strong commercial potential. Each scholarship recipient is awarded SEK 200,000 to work full-time with their company and take the step from research to a finished product on the market. This year there was great interest, with over 40 applicants, of which only ten were awarded the scholarship.
– It feels fantastic. The scholarship gives me as an entrepreneur the opportunity to work on the business idea full time and build the foundation of the company, says Johanna Davidsson.
Sprio Spiro is a new type of lung and airway function measurement device. Unlike traditional solutions, the technology allows for easy measurement of airflow during normal breathing, meaning it does not require instructions for forced breathing. The innovation opens up for wider use, where both small children and larger animals can be easily examined.
Sprio Spiro is the result of a collaboration between innovator Anders Brodin, Barbro Eriksson and researchers Matts Karlsson and Magnus Andersson at Linköping University.
– Thanks to the grant, we can accelerate the development of the technology in the right direction, in line with market needs, by establishing partnerships and future customer contacts,” says Johanna Davidsson.
Johanna Davidsson is a trained economist and came into contact with Sprio Spiro through the business incubator LEAD’s trainee program Entrepreneurs in Residence 2025-2026. She applied to the program with a long-term ambition to run a company.
– Through the scholarship, Johanna now has the opportunity to accelerate the work of taking Sprio Spiro from innovation to commercial product, with the goal of improving diagnostics and monitoring of lung function in both healthcare and other application areas, says Johan Lilliecreutz, CEO of LiU Holding.
– “Johanna has shown in a short time that she can combine business acumen with a strong commitment to innovation. We are pleased to be able to pair innovations from research with young, driven entrepreneurs through our trainee program – an important step in getting more research ideas to the market, says Catharina Sandberg, CEO of LEAD.
