Remote lab - a distance working co-creation knowledge hub in Region of Jämtland Härjedalen
About this good practice
The Remote Lab was initiated by two entrepreneurs who had started a coworking place, Gomorron, in Jämtland in 2017. The reason was that they wanted to live and work in this sparsely populated region, and they also desired interesting jobs. One of the big challenges identified was competence and capacity to support SMEs. And remote working was identified as a success factor to attract both talent and jobs to the region. The Region of Jämtland Härjedalen supported the initiative in 2018 as it was considered to be in line with the regional Smart Specialisation strategy. The Region has since then also given financial aid to different projects run by the organization.
Since industrialization, the norm of working in the physical office has been extremely strong. Remote work has however been a global trend for many years, and during the Covid-19 pandemic, a full 43% of the Swedish workforce worked remotely. But there is little research in the area. The Remote Lab is a knowledge and development node helping organizations facilitate this transition. They work to stimulate more knowledge through collaborations with research environments, and by practical experience running coworking places. The collected knowledge is packaged into services for companies and organizations that are the main beneficiaries. Mid Sweden University has since April 2021 had an agreement of cooperation with The Remote Lab to finance research in this field with up to 100 000 Euro/year.
Resources needed
The Region of Jämtland Härjedalen has given project financing to The Remote Lab, 665 000 SEK (2021), and to its parent company Gomorron, 360 000 SEK (2018-2020). Mid Sweden University: 1 MSEK annually 2021-2023. Total turnover of The Remote Lab: 4-5 MSEK annually 50% is payment for services.
Evidence of success
So far, one research article has been published, two reports have been written, and five conference papers have been presented, discussing findings from the research performed by The Remote Lab. There has also been considerable knowledge transfer via the COST action program that The Remote Lab participates in (CA18214), as well as in the research program FAIRTRANS, in which The Remote Lab collaborates with four Swedish universities and a number of other partners (see fairtrans.nu).
Potential for learning or transfer
Today there are around 100 companies and 250 people working in the coworking area of Gomorron, using the knowledge generated by The Remote Lab. The results show that coworking spaces do play a role in rural development, as they act as a landing space for people moving to the region. They are attractive workspaces which lead to established companies using them as starting points when establishing subsidiaries.
Based on knowledge generated, Mid Sweden University will in 2024 establish a remote campus for distance students and researchers, who have a need to connect and tap into the local environment. Many remote areas in Europe have the same challenges as Region Jämtland Härjedalen, and to combine research with practical experiences in the area of remote work (and learning) is often very successful.
Further information
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Good practice owner
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