Latest news with #SwedishInstitute
Iraqi News
12 hours ago
- Business
- Iraqi News
Sweden adds Iraq to eligible countries for prestigious SI Master's scholarship program
Stockholm, Sweden ( – The Swedish Institute has officially added Iraq to its list of eligible countries for the prestigious SI Scholarship for Global Professionals, opening a major opportunity for Iraqis to pursue fully funded Master's degree programs in Sweden. The announcement was made by the Embassy of the Republic of Iraq in Sweden. Dr. Mohammed Adnan, Iraq's Chargé d'Affaires in Sweden, welcomed the decision, telling SWED 24 it represents the culmination of efforts by the Iraqi Foreign Ministry and the embassy to enhance bilateral relations in scientific and cultural fields. Dr. Adnan urged interested Iraqi students seeking to develop their skills to apply, highlighting the high academic standards of Swedish universities. The scholarship program is a key part of Sweden's international development cooperation. According to the Swedish Institute's official website, the application period for the 2026-2027 academic year is scheduled to open in the autumn of 2025. This inclusion marks a significant step in strengthening academic and cultural ties between Iraq and Sweden.
Local Sweden
02-05-2025
- Business
- Local Sweden
EXPLAINED: How Sweden's national brand is 'relatively weak' in India
Sweden has a 'relatively weak brand' in India, and to the extent that it is known at all, the country is not associated with having a stable economy or being a good place to study, visit, invest or do business, a new report from the Swedish Institute has found. Advertisement The 2025 report on Sweden's national brand found that Sweden was viewed considerably less favourably in India than in Brazil, China, the UK, the US, Japan or Germany. Sweden's brand was only weaker in one of the other eight major markets studied – Saudi Arabia. "Sweden is not that well-known and is seen as not being strong in the areas that generate positive opinions of other countries, such as having a strong and stable economy, products and brands in high demand, as well as being easy to do business with," the report, which is based on data from the Global Soft Power Index, reported on Indian perceptions. "There is a lot of potential here for Sweden to strengthen its brand to increase the attraction of Sweden as a business partner." Advertisement Sweden's trade minister Benjamin Dousa, speaking at an event held to launch Sweden's new branding strategy, said that Sweden needed to reinforce its image internationally as being an "open and freedom-loving country", pushing to lower tariffs and make trade easier at a time when other countries were pushing in the opposite direction. "A strong image of Sweden is essential for the competitiveness of Swedish companies and to combat misleading information about Sweden," he said in a press release. "Our message to the world should be clear: with Sweden what you get is a reliable and innovative partner which is good at cooperating." Where does Sweden fall behind in India? The biggest difference between Sweden's image in India compared to that of other countries was precisely in the perception of "reliability", which Dousa wanted to foreground and which is a quality on which Sweden and Swedish products are generally highly rated in other key markets such as the US, UK and Germany. Indians, though, rank Sweden only 31 in terms of reliability, whereas on average globally the country is ranked a much more impressive 3. It's a similar case with issues around corruption and good governance. Whereas Sweden is ranked 3 on average globally for having "high ethical standards and low corruption", in India the country scores a much worse 17. Globally it is ranked on average 2 on being "politically stable and well-governed" but in India it scores a lacklustre 36. While Sweden is widely praised for the quality of its education system, receiving a mark of 5 on average globally, in India, Sweden's education system is rated a middling 27. Sweden even falls behind on lifestyle issues in Indians' perception. Whereas the good work-life balance Sweden offers brings it a top-level ranking of 2 of for "attractive lifestyle" globally, in India it scores just 22. IN STATS: Advertisement Sweden and India have both attempted to strengthen their ties in recent years. With more than 280 Swedish companies active in India, Swedish exports to India last year amounted to 22 billion kronor, an increase of 17 percent compared to 2023. In the same period, Sweden imports from India increased 16 percent to 13 billion kronor. And all is not totally lost. On some qualities, such as "being influential in culture and entertainment" and "having products and brand the world loves", the appraisal of Indians, while still lower than the global average, is at least close to normal (19, compared to a global 16). Sweden is also on average seen slightly more favourably by Indians than Denmark and Finland, and only slightly worse than Norway. It is also slightly better known than the other Nordics. Why do you think Sweden has a relatively weak brand in India? Is Sweden's poor image justified? Tell us what you think in the comments below.
Local Sweden
30-04-2025
- Business
- Local Sweden
Sweden 'would be totally up for inviting in 40,000 Hungarian gays'
Swedish trade minister Benjamin Dousa has called for Sweden to strengthen its image as an "open and freedom-loving country" which welcomes foreigners who want to start businesses or develop their careers, throwing out a welcome mat to victims of Hungary's Pride ban. Advertisement During a panel discussion held as part of the publication of the Swedish Institute's new strategy to boost Sweden's image, he burst out: "We'd be totally up for inviting in 40,000 Hungarian gays". "It's just this idea about Sweden as an open country," he told QX magazine of the joke, a nod to a famous prank call mounted by the comedian Fredrik Lindström during Sweden's EU membership referendum campaign. "There are several countries that are moving in a more authoritarian direction. There are more countries that are raising tariffs and shutting themselves off," he continued. "It's not a development that an open and freedom-loving country like Sweden wants to see. We are open to people coming here regardless of whether they want to work here, start a business here, raise a family here, or invest in Sweden." The Swedish Institute on Tuesday reported the results of a national drive it has led on the orders of the government to "strengthen Sweden's international competitiveness, create trust and increase resilience against misleading information about Sweden". As part of the drive, more than 300 organisations – including business, higher education, government agencies, and civil society groups – have provided suggestions on how to boost the image of Sweden internationally. The result is a strategy that builds on Sweden's existing image of a well-governed country with a strong welfare state. Advertisement "People across the world associate our country with equality, high quality of life and the green transition," the report reads. "Let's demonstrate the value of freedom, equality, and cooperation at a time when worryingly many others are pushing in the other direction, and at the same time boost Sweden's competitiveness." The new strategy, which Dousa was attending the launch of, aims to sell Sweden as a country that "gives room to grow", with a strong democracy providing the foundation for a culture based around "reliability" and "creativity" and a "willingness to cooperate", which in turn leads to a business and social environment where people and companies can grow, leading in turn to an innovative society. Sweden did not want to just recruit people from countries like Hungary, where the government in March banned LGBT Pride marches, Dousa said, but also from the US, where the worsening climate for business, immigrants and academic freedom could produce opportunities for Sweden. "The same applies to the US," he said. "40,000 top talents from tech companies and universities are welcome to come to Sweden. We are working very intensively to attract that type of immigration to Sweden. We have reduced the processing times from around 100 days to just over two weeks." Dousa said that Lars Strannegård, President of the Stockholm School of Economics, had told him that he believed Sweden was in a good position to attract promising researchers from the US who were near the start of their careers. Advertisement "Those who have perhaps just completed their doctorate," he said. "What Sweden offers is a combination of academic excellence and an innovative business community together with the softer values associated with being one of the most innovative, tolerant countries in the world." READ ALSO: 'Never waste a good crisis': How Sweden wants to attract US talent fleeing Trump
