{"id":5118,"date":"2026-09-15T08:56:41","date_gmt":"2026-09-15T06:56:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lead.se\/sommarmatchen-turns-20-a-success-story-that-has-attracted-international-attention\/"},"modified":"2026-09-15T11:53:21","modified_gmt":"2026-09-15T09:53:21","slug":"sommarmatchen-turns-20-a-success-story-that-has-attracted-international-attention","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lead.se\/en\/sommarmatchen-turns-20-a-success-story-that-has-attracted-international-attention\/","title":{"rendered":"SommarMatchen Turns 20 \u2013 A Success Story That Has Attracted International Attention"},"content":{"rendered":"
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For 20 years, SommarMatchen has given LiU students the opportunity to work with research findings and explore their potential for commercialization. Since its inception, approximately 340 students and 225 research cases have participated in the program, which is run in collaboration between LEAD, Unitalent, and Link\u00f6ping University. <\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u2013 The reason it started was that there was a shortage of entrepreneurs in the region. They are needed to take the university\u2019s research findings further, with the aim of creating products and services that benefit society. <\/p>\n

This is according to Arne Jacobsson<\/strong>, a patent advisor and business developer at LiU Innovation, who helped develop the program at the former student incubator Venture Zone.<\/p>\n

In addition, more research findings needed to be evaluated based on their commercial potential.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo a summer program was launched to pair students with researchers. At that time, there was nothing like it in Sweden,\u201d says Arne Jacobsson. <\/p>\n

In the SommarMatchen program, students work in pairs for five weeks during the summer with a selection of researchers and their research findings to investigate whether there is market potential. The program attracts many applicants every summer\u2014up to 300 students compete for about 20 spots. <\/p>\n

\u201cSommarMatchen has truly produced many great results. Several of the ideas that were part of SommarMatchen are now companies, and some of the participating students have chosen an entrepreneurial path after graduation,\u201d says Catharina Sandberg<\/strong>, CEO of LEAD. <\/p>\n

Today, similar programs exist at several universities across the country, and SommarMatchen has also inspired other countries.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cThe positive results from our investment in SommarMatchen have, over the years, also inspired other university-affiliated holding companies and innovation offices, even outside Sweden, which is very gratifying,\u201d says Johan Lilliecreutz<\/strong>, CEO of LiU Holding.<\/p>\n

Today, the program is run by LEAD and continues to focus on helping researchers understand the market and the potential of their ideas, with the help of students.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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An idea with potential<\/b><\/p>\n

One of this year\u2019s cases in the SommarMatchen competition focused on a new technology for quickly detecting bacteria in wounds. The research findings come from Professor Daniel Aili<\/strong> and Associate Professor Johan Junker<\/strong> at Link\u00f6ping University. While current laboratory analyses can take two to three days, the goal is for the new technology to provide results in just a few minutes. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cIt was very inspiring to work on a research finding that could potentially influence how we use antibiotics, both in Sweden and around the world,\u201d says student Arvid Kylberg<\/strong>, who worked on the case alongside his program partner Emma Huynh<\/strong>, who is also a student at Link\u00f6ping University.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Nearly 60 interviews<\/b><\/p>\n

So how do you determine whether there is actually a need and a demand for a research finding? For Arvid and Emma, this involved conducting nearly 60 interviews with, among others, wound care nurses and doctors\u2014an effort that was appreciated by researcher Daniel Aili. <\/p>\n

\u201cAs researchers, we find it very difficult to set aside time to call around and talk to lots of people to get a sense of how commercially viable the idea is. Arvid and Emma have done a fantastic job of reaching out to people on their own and digging deeper,\u201d he says. <\/p>\n

He also believes that the results are valuable regardless of whether they lead to commercialization or not. Daniel has had several research projects in the SommarMatchen program, and in a previous project, the conclusion was to abandon the commercial track. <\/p>\n

\u2013 It\u2019s just as important to get feedback on whether it\u2019s worth moving forward or not.<\/p>\n

He also says that the results provide a solid foundation for future pitches and funding applications when building a company.<\/p>\n

\u2013 Instead of spending several hundred thousand kronor on a consultant, SommarMatchen is a great way to get an initial sense of an idea. You can get feedback from the market, start putting together your pitch materials, and gather supporting documentation when you\u2019re seeking funding. It\u2019s invaluable. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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A Different Kind of Summer Job<\/b><\/b><\/p>\n

For Arvid Kylberg, it wasn\u2019t just the research idea that made the summer special. SommarMatchen gave him the opportunity to influence the direction of the project himself, and he also got to work with other students who shared his interest in innovation. <\/p>\n

\u2013 The best part was being able to run a project with so much freedom and having a say in the direction it took. It really gave me a taste for life as an entrepreneur. Plus, we students had a fantastic time together\u2014everyone wanted to help each other, which contributed to a creative work environment with an open, supportive atmosphere. <\/p>\n

Catharina Sandberg, CEO of LEAD, believes that the program serves the same purpose today as it did when it was launched twenty years ago.<\/p>\n

\u2013 We\u2019re always looking for entrepreneurs who can take research ideas from the lab to the market. SommarMatchen, along with our trainee program Entrepreneurs in Residence, is a major part of that effort. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Students Arvid Kylberg and Emma Huynh, along with researchers Johan Junker and Daniel Ali<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For 20 years, SommarMatchen has given LiU students the opportunity to work with research findings and explore their potential for commercialization. Since its inception, approximately 340 students and 225 research cases have participated in the program, which is run in collaboration between LEAD, Unitalent, and Link\u00f6ping University. \u2013 The reason it started was that there […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5118","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-okategoriserad"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nSommarMatchen Turns 20 \u2013 A Success Story That Has Attracted International Attention - LEAD<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/lead.se\/en\/sommarmatchen-turns-20-a-success-story-that-has-attracted-international-attention\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"SommarMatchen Turns 20 \u2013 A Success Story That Has Attracted International Attention\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"For 20 years, SommarMatchen has given LiU students the opportunity to work with research findings and explore their potential for commercialization. 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