Annual Report 2008 - IVA

division meetings
on innovation
Div.VII on 5 February:
Changing places is creative
creativity is fostered by greater mobility between leaders in industry and the public sector.
This was the opinion voiced by many at a meeting held on february 5 by division vii:
Basic and interdisciplinary engineering, about leaders who switch tracks during their
career. By changing a few rules, such as public access to job openings in the public
sector, we could boost mobility between the two sectors. changing work responsibilities
within an organisation and promoting alternative career paths may also lead to a
more creative environment.
Div. V on 22 April:
Basic industries’ contribution
to innovation in society
Basic industries in
sweden are still
successful across
the board, from
mining to steel and
paper production.
This proves that
the basic industries
have managed to
deliver innovations
to the market, according to ivA’s division v:
mining and materials, which arranged a meeting
on 22 April to look at innovation within
the basic industries. how do the innovation
systems in basic industry differ from those
in other areas? The aim of the meeting was,
among other things, to see what different basic
industries can learn from each other and
from other technology fields, and to discuss
what an innovation system for basic industry
should look like.
Div. IV on 14 February:
Research and development in the chemical industry
Trends in the european chemical industry provided the theme for a division meeting on 14 february
held by division iv: chemical engineering. Research director at BAsf, stefan marcinowski, described
how his company is building up its R&d to handle the competition in the globalised chemical industry,
which is already the arena for european companies. Representatives from swedish chemical companies
participated in a discussion led by gunnar svedberg, chairman of division iv.
Div. III on 5 November:
Innovations – Why do some
succeed while others don’t?
is it possible to
organise the
introduction of new
ideas, and are there
strategies that make
people accept a
new work method
or a new technology
that becomes
available? should we
take radical steps or small ones in consultation
with users? These questions were addressed
at a meeting held by division iii: Building and
construction, on 5 november. one goal for
the meeting was to promote better communication
between academia and industry
to give the research community’s innovative
ideas a greater chance of becoming successful
products. As a starting point for discussion,
examples were used from areas such as
mobile iT use and construction planning.
15
Div. I on 11 November:
Design for success – Innovative
develop ment of products and services
design improves
functionality of
goods and services.
But it can do more
than that. if successful,
a good design
can create “magical
moments” that generate
enthusiasm
among customers
and exceed their expectations. This opens the
door for breakthroughs in new technology. At
the meeting arranged by division i: mechanical
engineering a series of skilled industrial designers
explained the significance of design for
how innovations are received by users. Apart
from functionality, it is also important to send
the right message about a product and a supplier.
The choice of materials is a key issue for
the designer; a choice that is greatly important
for function ality, appearance and durability.