ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the history of Swedish innovation policy is described in order to deepen our understanding of the long-term emergence of projectified politics. Much in line with the argument put forward in the introduction to this volume, the need to delegate lies behind the tendency to projectify innovation policy, but, the author argues, this does not signify a de-politicisation of the policy area but rather a political use of projects. First, organising cross-sectorial projects represents unresolvable tensions between different sectorial interests, for instance regarding the financing of innovations. Second, project investments are politically legitimate (and legal according to the EU competition regulation) reactions to perceived crises within different industrial sectors. Third, in modern innovation policy, actors such as regions, universities, and firms are also politically responsibilised through projects, as they make themselves visible instruments for strategic purposes and signals that they actively perform a political agenda according to collaborative scripts such as triple helix and regional innovation systems.
