Region Västra Götaland Continues Financing of Medier & demokrati

Region Västra Götaland – VGR – is and has been the key financier of Medier & demokrati. In part, the Region provided funding for the pilot study period that crystallized and solidified the direction of the initiative. The Region has also financed Medier & demokrati since the platform's formal start. That was on July 1, 2017 and since then Medier & demokrati has had strong development with the following main areas of focus:

• To lead and stimulate experimental research and innovation projects in which media providers, academia, public institutions and private citizens collaborate.

• To establish a cross-fertilising spread of knowledge within media innovation and social research.

• To – with both a national and international profile – further develop the platform not lastly in order to further contribute to strengthening media' innovative strength in connection with democratic perspectives.

- Medier & democrati is an important research and innovation programme that is now in a very exciting development phase. For Lindholmen Science Park as a collaboration area and innovative environment, the programme has a catalytic function in a rapidly growing network. In a number of ways, the program also builds bridges and collaborations in connection with other programme activities, says Hermansson.

"We are of course delighted"
VGR is funded by the Culture Committee and the Regional Development Committee for Medier & demokrati. The latter has approved funding up to and including June 2023, the former has also approved funding, but makes decisions per calendar year. The total financing is expected to be SEK 2,500,000 per twelve-month period.
- We are of course delighted with Region Västra Götaland's decision, and for that response Medier & democrati has gotten and gets, above all, from media providers and academia. Media development with a democratic perspective is becoming increasingly relevant and stimulating value-creating collaborations as neutral participant  is a very stimulating role", says Martin Holmberg, head of the programme for Medier & demokrati.
- The fact that the platform has Lindholmen Science Park as its home is also an asset which continuously opens up for new opportunities and perspectives.

Here are some milestones in the development of Medier & demokrati:

• 2014: The initiative is born. Current Swedish media research is surveyed.

• 2015: Open workshops between the media industry and academia.

• 2016-2017: Pilot study period financed by Region Västra Götaland.

• 2017: Medier & demokrati is established as a programme.

• 2018: The first research and innovation projects are carried out.

• 2019: Medier & demokrati becomes a platform for a national AI initiative financed by Vinnova and the media companies Hall Media, Stampen and Sveriges Television.

• 2020: Borås Magazine has been appointed as editorial office of the year and the Medier & demokrati projects Beta Borås 1 and Beta Borås 2 are regarded as two contributing initiatives.

• 2020: Region Västra Götaland continues to fund the platform.

ABC about Medier & demokrati

• Medier & demokrati's goal is the strengthen media's innovative strength, journalism, the public discourse and democracy. 

• A priority area is media-related AI innovation.

• Medier & demokrati is financed by Region Västra Götaland, the National Bank's Jubilee Fund, Vinnova and media groups participating in the pilot initiative 'The Media Industry and AI'.

• The initiative is also supported by, among others, Tidningsutgivarna  (TU), the public service companies Sveriges Television and Sveriges Radio and Sweden's leading media academics. The initiative also enjoys the support of international players such as Global Alliance for Media Innovation.