Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research Activity Report 2006

34 – The Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research • Activity Report 2006SSF’s “Future Research Leaders”provides insight into research and innovation in ChinaHenryk WosThe first “Future Research Leaders” programmearoused a great deal of interest and was well receivedby researchers and universities. With this positive experience,the Governing Board of the Swedish Foundationfor Strategic Research (SSF) decided in its meetingof 11 February 2003 that a new programme wouldbe established and funds allocated for the purpose.Further, resources for a leadership training programmesimilar to that offered to the previous group of FutureResearch Leaders were established. In December 2004,SSF awarded grants to 18 young scientists expectedto become Future Research Leaders in academia andindustry. The grantees were selected from among 403applicants on the basis of their scientific ability aswell as their leadership abilities and initiative. Eachresearcher received a total grant of SEK 6 million fora period of four years. Additional funding for anothertwo years would be considered for some of the granteesfollowing an evaluation.The leadership training programme is headed byProfessor Sune Svanberg, LTH, assisted by a ProgrammeCommittee with the following members: BengtKasemo, chairman; Bertil Daneholt, Professor KI; AstridGräslund, Professor SU, Maris Hartmanis, GambroAB; Ingalill Holmberg, Professor HH; IngemarLundström, Professor LiU. The unique feature of theleadership programme is that it consists of three parts:first two-day seminars called “training camps”, seconda practical mentor programme, and finally a study trip.In the autumn of 2005 the group began preliminarydiscussions regarding the study trip. After a fewmonths of collecting ideas a proposal emerged withaims and preferred destinations. Finally the majority ofthe “Future Research Leaders” Bild group 4 chose China asthe destination for a study trip in competition with otherdestinations such as Japan and the USA. The mainreasons cited for visiting China were the country’s fasteconomic growth and the interesting development ofits research system. A further important reason wasthat China is expected to have a high impact on bothinternational competition and collaboration in thefuture. From a Swedish perspective it is important notonly to develop business contacts with China but alsoto establish networks in research.In recent years SSF has cooperated with ITPS(Swedish Institute for Growth Policy Studies) to arrange,for example, a successful study trip to Japan in 2003. Asa result of this positive experience, SSF chose ITPS tohelp arrange this study trip. ITPS came up with a uniqueitinerary and relevant support, which was consideredvery valuable. This included insights into China andachieved many important aims, such as:• making it possible to create contacts between the“Future Research Leaders” and Chinese counterpartsin order to establish contacts for futureexchange• providing greater knowledge and understanding ofChina’s research and innovation system, includinginformation about major academic institutions andorganisations