Joonas Leppänen

Senior Innovation Officer, Nordic Innovation, Nordic Council of Ministers

Joonas Leppänen is a Senior Innovation Officer at Nordic Innovation, the Nordic countries’ collaborative institution for innovation. He works to strengthen the Nordic region’s innovation capacity and international competitiveness through cross-border cooperation. His work focuses particularly on innovation policy, artificial intelligence (AI), the intersection of democracy and technology, and the development of Nordic innovation ecosystems.

With a PhD in Political Science, he brings broad experience spanning democracy, public policy, and social innovation. From a perspective that connects technology with social systems, he explores how trust, shared values, and regional cooperation can translate into tangible innovation and competitiveness. He is particularly interested in policy and collaborative models that enable AI and democracy to contribute to addressing societal challenges and advancing sustainable development.