According to Chairman Kåre Gustafsson of Ericsson Radio the government initially seemed positive to the proposal. However, no financial commitment has been made to meet the ambitious plan.
The Puls programme put forward by VI would require nearly SEK0.5bn ($50m) annually for ten years. It is comparable to Swedish research efforts in microelectronics and IT during the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. However, the Puls programme focuses solely on production and associated areas. The aim is to double Swedish electronics export from today's SEK140bn ($14bn) to SEK280bn.
Commenting on VI's proposal, Sven-Ingmar Ragnarsson at the Swedish funding agency for industrial research, Vinnova, tells Elektroniktidningen that he is doubtful that the programme can be implemented in its entirety. However, he admits that at the moment production is the area within the electronics sector that has the best chance of receiving extra funding from the Swedish government.
Gittan Cedervall