Yesterday, Thursday, October 30th, the Innovation Fund Kría, Business Iceland (Íslandsstofa), the Icelandic Intellectual Property Office (Hugverkastofan), and Rannís hosted the Innovation Congress, which was well attended and also streamed online.
The main topic of discussion was what Iceland has to offer in innovation on the international stage, and how unexpected developments in global affairs can affect the efforts of Icelandic innovation companies abroad.
Hrönn Greipsdóttir, CEO of the Innovation Fund Kría, opened the event and welcomed all guests, then handed the floor to Frey Eyjólfsson, who moderated the conference with his usual brilliance.
Daði Már Kristófersson, Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs, formally opened the Iceland Innovation Congress 2025, discussing, among other things, Iceland’s achievements on the international stage.
Svanhildur Hólm, Iceland’s Ambassador to the United States, was the keynote speaker. She discussed the importance of the United States as a trading partner, with particular emphasis on customs and tariff issues, which have been at the forefront of international discussions. She also talked about Iceland’s image abroad and what matters most when Icelandic companies are looking to market themselves in the U.S. and elsewhere.
After that, Borghildur Erlingsdóttir, Director General of the Icelandic Intellectual Property Office, presented a newly published report on patent applications from Icelandic and Nordic companies over the past 20 years. The report shows, among other findings, that Iceland ranks last among the Nordic countries in the number of patent applications per capita.
The Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs then presented the Icelandic Innovation Award 2025 to the company Hefring Marine. A short presentation video about Hefring Marine was shown, followed by Karl Birgir Björnsson, Magnús Þór Jónsson, and Björn Jónsson, the founders of the company, receiving the award. The prize itself is a statue of the fertility god Freyr, created by sculptor Hallsteinn Sigurðsson.
At the end of the congress, a panel discussion was held with Svanhildur Hólm, Tanya Zarov (Deputy CEO of Alvotech), Erla Skúladóttir (Chairwoman of Lauf Cycles), Sveinn Sölvason (CEO of Embla Medical), and Lóa Fatou Einarsdóttir (COO of Good Good), who discussed with Freyr the conditions in international markets and the outlook for the future.
After the formal program, light refreshments were served.
Here you can see photos from the 2025 Innovation Congress, taken by photographer Sigurjón Ragnar.
