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TOWARDS THE FUTURE Key measures are required at various levels to achieve long-term growth. In order to know where these measures should be taken we need analyses of future needs and strategies. These may relate to education, research, innovation and interplay between actors. VINNOVA (the Swedish Governmental Agency for Innovation Systems) has identified a number of areas in which such key measures can promote growth in Sweden. One example is Sweden’s national strategy for security research, which includes a plan for making better use of knowledge and skills to produce products, processes and services. Another example is the national innovation and research strategy for biotechnology. This strategy focuses on areas where there are good prospects of high growth and international competitiveness. Structures are identified in industry and in clusters of biotechnology, pharmaceutical and medical technology companies in various Swedish regions. A third example is wood manufacturing. Swedish sawmills, construction companies and researchers are collaborating on the development of rational wood processing. And they are well on the way to success. Here follows a more detailed presentation of the above three examples of how research stimulates growth in Sweden. Security research creates growth Sweden needs a programme for security research. This would enhance preparedness for all kinds of threats and disasters and promote Swedish exports of security products. Many Swedish ideas about security solutions are more advanced than those in the USA, says Svante Bergh, director at Ericsson Microwave Systems. THE MAIN THREAT today is not an invasion by a foreign power. Nowadays, the threats and risks that we must watch out for are the spread of serious infection, acts of terrorism, natural disasters that put essential infrastructure out of action and technical breakdowns in power, telecom and IT systems. According to the study ‘Knowledge for Safety’s Sake. Proposals for a national security research strategy’, which was conducted by VINNOVA, strategic changes are needed. Several members of the study group speak in terms of transformation from a society that is capable of meeting military threats alone to a society that can deal with all types of threats. – We must build a system in which our response is geared to the needs, regardless of whether this involves sending combat units to other countries or dealing with power failures in different parts of the country. In some cases the armed forces can operate under police command, while in others a fireman could be the key person, says Svante Bergh, the Confederation of Swedish Enterprise representative. According to the authors of the study, about 300 companies and institutes in Sweden may benefit from research programmes in order to develop new civil security products. The main sectors are complex IT systems, simulation and IT security, followed by mobile solutions, sensor technology, physical transports, NBC technology and the arms industry. – Sweden is already in the forefront in many areas, both in research and in the SWEDISH SECURITY RESEARCH STRATEGY VINNOVA presents the following proposals: • Invest 15,5–20,7 million euro per year on security research. • Make the Swedish Emergency Management Agency responsible for coordinating security research. • Set up a four-year national R&D programme to promote research in the EU. • Facilitate participation in US security research programmes. corporate sector. This gives us an excellent starting-point in the nascent international market for civil security products, says Head of Department Eva Lindencrona at VINNOVA, who led the study team. But there is no time to lose. The European Commission plans to improve protection against terrorism, serious organized crime and natural disasters in the EU. The EU is to spend 375 million euro on space and security research during the period 2007‒2013. – We must be on that train, and preferably among the leaders, says Svante Bergh. He also says that many Swedish ideas about security solutions are more advanced than those in the USA, despite the fact that America spends vast sums on research into civil security. • Create innovative capacity for the security sector by enhancing public authorities’ purchasing capacity and developing common technical standards. The group included representatives of VINNOVA, the Swedish Emergency Management Agency, the Swedish Armed Forces, the Defence Materiel Administration, the Swedish Defence Research Agency, the Swedish National Defence College and the Confederation of Swedish Enterprise. 1 6 | V I N N O V A M A G A Z I N E
STRATEGIES FOR THE FUTURE Wood Manufacturing – a high-tech sunrise industry Wood is beautiful, practical and strong, and it has more uses than people realize. In addition, it has such good environmental properties that using more wood instead of other materials would lower atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations. A beautiful air control tower in Skellefteå, in the north of Sweden. The facade is made of glulam panel and is assembled in whole lengths. WE ARE NOT TALKING about a magic new material, but about ordinary wood, albeit subjected to high-tech processes in which its functional, aesthetic and environmental properties are improved in order to produce higher-value products. Nowadays wood research is conducted at most universities of technology, often in close cooperation with the timber industry and wood research institutes such as SP Trätek. VINNOVA has identified wood manufacturing as a fast-growing industry and contributes research funding to it. Two sectors that are considered to have growth potential are the interior industry and woodbased construction. Martinsons is a family firm that was founded in 1939. In those days it was just an ordinary sawmill. Laminated wood (glulam) was the first processed wood material. Nowadays it is often used for structural beams in many different types of buildings. Another processed product on the market is called solidwood. It consists of crossglued laminated timber that can be used for beams and other load-bearing structures. The technology ensures a strong, dimensionally stable and very light material. Solidwood can have a free span of up to 12 metres, but is only a quarter the weight of concrete. Martinsons, a company in the village of Bygdsiljum in northern Sweden, has conducted intensive research in order to develop the new products glulam and solidwood. – We have laid a good foundation for a successful business with excellent export opportunities, says Lars Martinson, the managing director. – The new products are important, but at the moment we are concentrating on developing effective and efficient system solutions. So we are designing standard modules that can be used in flexible applications. Building a wooden house should not be any more difficult than building one with Lego, says Lars Martinson. Martinson is very keen on the idea of building large apartment blocks of wood. A long-term research project has been started to produce finished modules with all the installations made at the factory. The buildings could then easily be assembled on the building-site. Five six-storey apartment blocks of wood with a total of 96 apartments have just been completed in Sundsvall, a seaside town in the north of Sweden. All those involved in the project were pleasantly surprised by the result. A SUNRISE INDUSTRY – We were worried that noise might be a problem in these buildings, says Lars Martinson. But our newly developed patented sound-absorption system works better than we expected. The residents agree that the buildings are quiet. The sounds that can be heard are soft and less invasive than in a building built of hard materials. Japan is the company’s largest export market at present. There is such great demand for glulam that a new production line has been built to meet it. One of the reasons why glulam is so popular nowadays is that it is both stronger and lighter than steel. The company’s Japanese customers have realized that wooden buildings offer a better chance of surviving an earthquake. V I N N O V A M A G A Z I N E | 1 7
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