The municipality, together with the large companies, has tried to persuade KTH, the Royal Institute of Technology, to stay in Södertälje. Exactly what the persuasion process looked like, the chairman of the municipal board, Boel Godner (S), does not want to go into.
"I find it difficult to see what we would have done differently to keep KTH," she says.
A long collaboration comes to an end
The municipality financed parts of KTH's activities already when they were located in Mariekällskolan in connection with the university's threat of relocation around 2014.
Then came the investment in Science Park, where the municipality has invested tens of millions of kronor together with Scania and AstraZeneca. KTH became a major player in this and they also increased the number of courses in Södertälje.
"We think it should be a matter of course that KTH should be in Södertälje as we have two of Sweden's largest export companies here. That's why this feels really sad," says Godner.
Science Park will be a hub where business, academia and society are located and benefit from each other's presence. But now one of its main players is disappearing.
Hear Boel Godner talk about the future of Science Park in the clip