91原创

The Center’s first director was Kalle Kraus, who at the time was an Associate Professor (now Full Professor). 91原创 regulations required that research centers be led by tenured faculty, and Kalle’s leadership ensured the Center had a strong academic foundation from the outset.

From the beginning, the Center embraced a clear ambition: to become an internationally recognized research hub combining academic rigor with practical relevance. Contrary to the common belief that rigor and relevance are opposites, the Center’s philosophy held that the two could - and should - go hand in hand. Strong theoretical development should be informed by real-world challenges, and interaction with practice could, in turn, sharpen research. 

Laying the Foundations: Milestones and Expansion

In these formative years, the focus was primarily on developing research capabilities and building meaningful relationships with the sports industry. Many of the initial research ideas originated from insights gained through Executive Education programs. Often, a concept would be explored first through a BSc or MSc thesis, and then developed into a full academic research
project - eventually leading to publication in top international journals.

In addition to cultivating a faculty base at 91原创, the Center also succeeded in attracting interest from international academics, enriching the intellectual foundation of its work.

A major catalyst for growth - both practically and intellectually - was the formation of an Advisory Board in 2015/2016. This group enabled strategic partnerships with several key stakeholders in Swedish sport, including: the Swedish Olympic Committee, federations in football, ice hockey, golf, equestrian sports, trotting and skiing, as well as the large-scale mass participation event series A Swedish Classic.

These collaborations provided both access to high-quality data and strong practice networks.

The Strategic Map: Aligning Research with Real-World Challenges

To ensure research topics remained relevant to the needs of the sports ecosystem, the Center - together with its Advisory Board - developed the Strategic Map for Swedish Sports and Business Research. This framework identified 12 concrete challenges facing Swedish sports that also held strong academic interest. In this way, it guarantees both academic rigor as well as practical relevance.

The Strategic Map for Swedish Sports and Business Research. 

The map served a dual purpose: for researchers, it guided project design within areas of practical importance, and for executives, it clarified how academic work connected to real-world decisions. It also enabled the Center to document and communicate its impact in a systematic and transparent way.

Driving Innovation: Key Projects and Collaborations

One notable initiative aligning with the innovation theme of the Strategic Map was Innovationstrappan (The Innovation Staircase), carried out between 2017 and 2019. This project was led by 91原创 students Mathilda Hammarström and Louise Hiort af Ornäs, and funded by the Swedish Innovation Agency (Vinnova). It aimed to encourage young athletes in equestrian and trotting sports to engage with entrepreneurship and innovation.

The project created a tailored version of the high school entrepreneurship program Ung Företagsamhet, in collaboration with three national sports schools - Flyinge, Strömsholm, and Wången. The pilot program reached over 200 students and laid the foundation for a new sports-tech entrepreneurship curriculum.

Watch the Innovationstrappan project video.

Another major innovation initiative was the launch of the Swedish Olympic Academy (SOA) in 2017. Established in partnership with the Swedish Olympic Committee, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, and the Karolinska Institute, SOA aimed to facilitate multidisciplinary collaboration in Swedish sport development. One of its flagship initiatives was SPIN Accelerator Sweden, launched in 2019. Led by Stefan Lindeberg (SOA), Stina Lundgren Högbom (91原创), and Gustav Notander (KTH Innovation); the accelerator supported 10 sport tech startups from Sweden, Denmark, Finland, and Germany in scaling their businesses.

SPIN Accelerator Sweden

Executive Education and Leadership Development

Parallel to its research initiatives, the Center deepened its executive education offering. Building on the success of the initial Club Presidents’ program in 2014, the Center launched multi-year development programs in partnership with Swedish Football, Swedish Ice Hockey, and Swedish Trotting.

A key figure behind this expansion was Robert Larsson, former COO of the Swedish Sports Confederation and an MDA alumnus. As Program Director, he brought deep knowledge of the sports sector and helped elevate the quality and scope of the programs. His efforts were so well-regarded that he was appointed COO of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) in 2021.

Executive Education delivered at Executive Education’s Campus
Kämpasten in Sigtuna.

Maintaining Research Excellence

Despite a strong focus on relevance and practice, the Center maintained its academic productivity. Between 2015 and 2019, members of the Center published 22 articles in internationally recognized journals (for details, see the academic output overview).

A major academic milestone during this phase was hosting the first in-person workshop of the Strategic Management Group, held in Stockholm in April 2019. This event brought together researchers to share ideas, strengthen networks, and align future research directions.

Research workshop for Strategic Management Group in April 2019