Semiconductors and Power Electronics

Stepping out of the lab and into the cleanroom

1 October 2026

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3 min read

Two researchers working in a dimly lit scientific laboratory bathed in blue light. In the foreground, a woman wearing safety glasses and gloves operates an Empyrean X-ray diffractometer. In the background, a colleague sits at a computer workstation displaying measurement data. Radiation warning symbols are visible on the equipment.

A new report from Kista Limitless and Ymner, Steget ut ur labbet, examines a well-known challenge in Sweden’s innovation system: turning research breakthroughs into commercial reality. Fragmented infrastructure, short-term funding and an abrupt step out of academia are among the barriers.

Why semiconductors raise the stakes

The report notes that too many innovations never make it beyond the research stage. This is not unique to semiconductors, but the consequences are particularly significant in the sector. The research is world-class and the potential is enormous. Without the right support structures, breakthroughs risk getting stuck in the lab or, worse, being developed further in another market.

In semiconductors, that gap between research and industrialisation is not only a question of growth. It is also a matter of national strategic capability. If research and innovation do not translate into industrial investment at home, we risk seeing the next generation of advanced technology companies grow elsewhere.

Stockholm’s semiconductor ecosystem

Stockholm already offers examples of research making the move into industry. Silex Microsystems started as a doctoral research project in the Electrum Laboratory at KTH. Today, it’s the world’s number one MEMS foundry, recently listed on the Stockholm Stock Exchange with a valuation of nearly nine billion Swedish kronor. Excillum is another KTH spin-off that has become a world leader in X-ray technology for semiconductor manufacturing.

These are just two of many companies rooted in the same research environment that have grown into international players.

But there are obstacles on that journey. For many innovators and early-stage companies, the first barrier is not getting out of the lab. It is getting in. Access to advanced semiconductor infrastructure is extraordinarily expensive, and for most startups and researchers, building that capacity independently is simply not an option.

The Electrum Laboratory addresses this access barrier directly. It gives small companies and researchers access to one of Europe’s most advanced semiconductor facilities, including unique infrastructure for prototyping and early-stage validation. There, they can develop their technology in a real industrial environment. Once that foundation is in place, the next step is turning research into a scalable, market-ready product.

“Getting started in the cleanroom is far easier than the advanced equipment might suggest,” says Carina Zaring, director of the Electrum laboratory. “We welcome researchers and entrepreneurs from every discipline, and you do not need to make the journey alone. Our equipment and support staff on site removes the practical barriers, so you can focus on what matters most: developing the applications of the future.”

Beyond Electrum, semiconductor innovators can turn to other parts of Stockholm’s ecosystem. RISE brings expertise in industrialisation and in taking technology from prototype to production. Sting offers one of Sweden’s strongest networks for deeptech funding and business development. Major players such as Scania, ABB, Ericsson, Axis and Mycronic are driving the next generation of semiconductor technology through their demand.

Connecting the pieces

Semiconductor Arena builds on this outstanding ecosystem and offers companies and innovators a way both into and out of the lab. By connecting the capabilities already present in Stockholm, the initiative makes the journey from semiconductor research to market shorter, safer and more successful.

“The report gets to the heart of Swedish innovation and shows why too many great solutions get stuck in researchers’ heads or desk drawers. Fixing that would do more for Swedish growth than almost anything. My recipe is to let researchers take leave from academia to test their breakthroughs in practice. If it fails, they keep their research post. If it succeeds, we all gain a better society.” Raoul Stubbe, Deep tech business coach at Sting.

Sweden is not short of research or ideas. The harder part is what comes next. Turning breakthroughs into businesses requires a more continuous path from research to commercialisation, and Stockholm already has many of the capabilities that path depends on. The task now is to make them easier to access and better connected, so that more semiconductor innovation can reach the market.

Semiconductor Arena is an initiative led by Kista Science City in collaboration with KTH, RISE and Sting, co-funded by the European Union and Region Stockholm.