Innovation in The Railway Town© – the “småländska” innovation miracle

Innovation in The Railway Town© – the “småländska” innovation miracle

Sitting on the train back from a fantastic event arranged by the Business Development Nässjö Sweden. I had the opportunity to give a speech on innovation management for +100 entrepreneurs in their own home town, the Railway City of Europe Nässjö. It was a fantastic opportunity and great fun, and I learned some important things such as that Nässjö have EU- copyrighted the name “The Railway City”. At first a bit surprising, but after a seconed thought is perfect describing the feeling I got with me back home. Noting is impossible, there are no obstacles. Why cannot Nässjö be the Railway City of Europe when President Kennedy decided to go to the moon? I love The Railway Town and would like to take the opportunity to in publicum celebrate on of all the people working hard putting  a small Swedish town on the world map of innovation and entrepreneurship – Holger Jonasson at Business Development Nässjö Sweden

From the speach at the Railway town.

To all folks in the Railway town, all entreprenues, innovators and all of you with strong drive and dreams, I like to quote President John F. Kennedy’s speach, May the 25^th,  1961.

“I believe we should go to the Moon. But I think every citizen of this country as well as the Members of the Congress should consider the matter carefully in making their judgment, to which we have given attention over many weeks and months, because it is a heavy burden, and there is no sense in agreeing or desiring that the United States take an affirmative position in outer space, unless we are prepared to do the work and bear the burdens to make it successful. If we are not, we should decide today and this year.

This decision demands a major national commitment of scientific and technical manpower, material and facilities, and the possibility of their diversion from other important activities where they are already thinly spread. It means a degree of dedication, organization and discipline which have not always characterized our research and development efforts. It means we cannot afford undue work stoppages, inflated costs of material or talent, wasteful interagency rivalries, or a high turnover of key personnel.

New objectives and new money cannot solve these problems. The could in fact, aggravate them further–unless every scientist, every engineer, every serviceman, every technician, contractor, and civil servant gives his personal pledge that this nation will move forward, with the full speed of freedom, in the exciting adventure of space.”