Meet Our HEROES Friend: Anna Petersson – Connecting Innovation Across Borders

Innovation happens when people, ideas and organisations come together. For Anna Petersson, that principle is at the heart of everything she does.

As Innovation Manager at HighFive, one of Sweden’s leading innovation hubs closely connected to Halmstad University, Anna works at the intersection of academia, business and society. Her focus is on creating environments where collaboration leads to practical solutions, helping research, entrepreneurship and industry generate real value for society.

This commitment to collaboration is also what brought  HighFive into the HEROES Alliance as a HEROES Friend.

Building bridges for innovation

Since joining the HEROES community, HighFive has actively contributed to strengthening collaboration between universities, innovation ecosystems and external stakeholders. With expertise in human-centred artificial intelligence, entrepreneurship and sustainable innovation, the organisation brings a valuable applied perspective to the Alliance.

As Anna says, the greatest strength of HEROES lies in its ability to connect people who share a common ambition to create positive change:

“The value of HEROES goes beyond projects and funding. It is a community of forward-thinking organisations that exchange ideas, inspire one another, and explore new ways of creating impact. In a rapidly changing world, strong European partnerships are not only beneficial, they are essential for driving innovation and shaping a more sustainable future.”

A shared vision for Europe’s future

HighFive‘s engagement demonstrates how associated partners enrich the HEROES Alliance by connecting higher education with regional innovation ecosystems and industry. Through these partnerships, new opportunities emerge for joint projects, knowledge exchange and solutions that address real societal challenges.

For Anna, collaboration across borders is not simply about expanding networks, it is about creating lasting relationships that enable innovation to flourish.

The HEROES Alliance continues to grow, and partners like HighFive play an important role in ensuring that education, research and innovation remain closely connected to the needs of society.

We are proud to have Anna Petersson and the HighFive team as part of our growing HEROES Community. Together, we are demonstrating that meaningful partnerships are the foundation for innovation with lasting impact.

❓Interested in becoming a HEROES Friend? Join our growing community of organisations working together to strengthen education, innovation and regional resilience across Europe: HEROESfriends – Heroes