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SWEDISH RESEARCH IS THE KEY TO GROWTH
It is no longer merely a question of statistics.
More and more examples show
that funds allocated to research and
development stimulate growth in society
as a whole. Research is a growth factor
of strategic importance to industry. But
smooth cooperation between academia
and industry is also an important factor
for the development of society as a
whole.
The Whiplash research carried out
at Chalmers University of Technology
in Gothenburg is one example of how
basic research – conducted in cooperation
with industry and public actors
– saves many millions of euros in
public spending.
The shift towards sustainable development
is one of the great challenges
of our time. It could prove a powerful
driver of growth, either by boosting environmental
engineering or by encouraging
energy conservation. The ProcessIT
project is a good example of this. Better
process monitoring, integration of IT
systems and a number of other functions
create economic growth.
The project has built up a world-class research
and innovation environment that
is based on close interaction between
academia, industry and public actors.
The solutions it produces will be used in
a variety of sectors, such as the chemical
industry, paper manufacturing and
engineering industries. One successful
subproject is concerned with optimizing
mining infrastructure, which should
save millions of euros every year.
Innovation, entrepreneurship and
generation of new knowledge are important
factors for growth. Sweden is
among the biggest investors in research
and development and is also one of the
countries with the highest innovative
capacity. The aim of these investments is
to create new products and companies.
The road to success usually starts with
research strategies that focus on the
interaction between academia and industry.
One example is S-SENCE, the Swedish
Sensor Centre in Linköping. This
centre represents one of the first Swedish
efforts to establish a strong research environment
in which industry’s needs and
interests play an important part.
Here follows a more detailed presentation
of the above three examples
of how research stimulates growth in
Sweden.
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