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More state funding, better planning and a more strategic focus are necessary if Swedish electronics research institutes are to reach an international level. Today, institutes are battling to gain a critical mass.
Sweden spends a higher proportion of its GDP on research and development than any other country in the world. However, the Swedish electronics research institutes are not on a par with their international counterparts, writes Elektroniktidningen in a feature article.
The main reason for this is that only three per cent of the Swedish government's R&D spending goes to industrial research institutes. This is a lot less than the EU average of 24 per cent. In total, electronics research at the Swedish institutes Acreo, Imego and IVF turn over about SEK200m and involve less than 260 researchers. This is almost negligible compared with Belgian Imec with a turnover of SEK1.1bn and some 1,100 employees, and the huge German Fraunhofer institution with a turnover of SEK8bn and 11,000 employees.
After speaking to several experts within and outside the Swedish institutes, Elektroniktidningen draws the conclusion that these generally do a good job. However, more state funding together with better and more focused planning would improve their standards and their contribution to Swedish R&D. Lately, signals from the government indicate that such additional funding might be on the way.
The main reason for this is that only three per cent of the Swedish government's R&D spending goes to industrial research institutes. This is a lot less than the EU average of 24 per cent. In total, electronics research at the Swedish institutes Acreo, Imego and IVF turn over about SEK200m and involve less than 260 researchers. This is almost negligible compared with Belgian Imec with a turnover of SEK1.1bn and some 1,100 employees, and the huge German Fraunhofer institution with a turnover of SEK8bn and 11,000 employees.
After speaking to several experts within and outside the Swedish institutes, Elektroniktidningen draws the conclusion that these generally do a good job. However, more state funding together with better and more focused planning would improve their standards and their contribution to Swedish R&D. Lately, signals from the government indicate that such additional funding might be on the way.
Gittan Cedervall
