What happens when the next crisis hits – and who does what?
The Prepare Sweden initiative aims to strengthen society's preparedness.
The concept: common approaches, clearer responsibilities. And the technical ability to act quickly.
When the pandemic hit, the Swedish healthcare system was suddenly left without protective equipment. Companies had to adjust production, pop-up factories were quickly set up and help arrived – but initially without a clear plan, structure or division of responsibilities.
Since then, the situation has only become more complex, with a changing security environment and wars in Europe, and the issue of preparedness has become central.
National initiative to gather experience from the pandemic
Against this background, Prepare Sweden has been launched – a national initiative where RISE gathers experiences from the pandemic and other crises in order to translate them into concrete working methods for the future.
"Prepare Sweden is a concept that we are developing, and we have started a dialogue with other actors – authorities, industry, research – in the ecosystem that shapes Sweden's preparedness. It's about increasing the resilience of society's supply systems, both at system level and among individual actors," says Christina Jönsson, Marketing Manager at RISE.
"The focus is on strengthening supply preparedness for critical goods and services such as medical supplies, electricity, food and technical components.
"During the pandemic, we saw that it was possible to switch production – from vacuum cleaner bags to face masks, for example. Swedish companies and authorities made a fantastic effort, and we organised ourselves spontaneously. Based on this experience, we need to build a long-term structure," says Christina Jönsson.
A framework for strengthening preparedness
Prepare Sweden is intended to serve as a framework for improving society's preparedness by increasing industry's ability to adjust production, while at the same time giving the authorities a better understanding of the industry's conditions.
"Achieving improved preparedness places completely new demands on the interaction between societal actors," says Christina Jönsson.
"It is about identifying vulnerabilities, creating common approaches and ensuring that both authorities and industry know how to adapt when the crisis comes.
"Many companies also need to understand that they can be critical to the functioning of society. This is where the initiative can help create awareness," says Christina Jönsson.
"In the long term, it's not just a question of increasing capacity, but also of having a common approach that is linked to requirements and the fulfilment of agreements between actors – and perhaps, in the long term, a certifiable readiness.
Achieving better preparedness places new demands on the interaction between societal actors.
Neutral actor bringing together actors who would not otherwise meet
Within Prepare Sweden, RISE can act as a neutral actor – with a broad overview of industry, research and the public sector – and bring together actors who would otherwise rarely meet.
Among other things, by creating the conditions for the authorities to have good order expertise.
"It is also important to link crisis management, continuity planning and innovation with practical changes in production and material flows," says Christina Jönsson.
"RISE is also a technical enabler in this respect - for example, in situations where production changes require rapid verification, customised requirements or support to test a solution in practice.
It may be to ensure that a newly manufactured protective device really works, or that a critical component for the power system is up to scratch, even when traditional standards cannot be applied.
"We have industry networks, understanding of the value chain, test and demo environments, and expertise in everything from materials engineering to logistics. We can help identify vulnerabilities, develop specifications, test solutions and act as a liaison between parties," says Christina Jönsson.
The goal: increased resilience and preparedness
Prepare Sweden is still in its infancy. The next step is to further develop the concept in practical cooperation with various stakeholders – while exploring opportunities for a common approach and long-term sustainability.
"The goal is clear: to strengthen society's resilience and preparedness.
"This is capacity-building work, not one-off measures," says Christina Jönsson.
