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| Newsletter 8 November 2003 Download Archive |
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| NEWS & EVENTS | |
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| Attributes of the Region The number of companies in the manufacturing industry is some 6,400. The car and vehicle industry dominates the Region and accounts for 50% of Sweden's employment in this sector. The subcontractors for cars and trucks are found all around the Region while the assembly plants are located in Goteborg, Trollhattan, Boras and Uddevalla. The petrochemical centre of Sweden and Scandinavia is situated in Stenungsund. Refineries are also located in Goteborg and Lysekil. The food industry is comprehensive and the agricultural companies in the region account for 20% of food production in Sweden. Space, IT and the electronic industry are internationally competitive and fast growing. This is also true of the pharmaceutical industry. These industrial sectors have a close interaction with research and development at the Goteborg University and Chalmers University of Technology. These older universities have in recent years been supplemented by university colleges in Boras, Trollhattan/Uddevalla and Skovde. Several national industrial research institutes are located in Vastra Gotaland. Among these are: Swedish Institute for Fibre and Polymer Research (IFP); Swedish Institute of Production Engineering Research (IVF); Swedish Ceramic Institute (SCI); Swedish Institute of Food and Biotechnology (SIK) and Swedish National Testing and Research Institute (SP). The Regional Council has decided on a Regional Development Strategy (RDS). It contains comprehensive targets within areas such as trade and industry, tourism and internationalisation. One conclusion is, that Vastra Gotaland Region is becoming gradually more dependent on the world at large from an economic, intellectual and cultural point of view. Internationalisation affects all sectors and activities. The region should therefore play an active role in the process of internationlisation and use the opportunities offered by the EU's funds and programmes for transnational projects. Networks and alliances with European regions should be established and support given to co-operation and exchange programmes. The Region also participates in the on-going RITTS-Project (RITTS Western Sweden) as a strong co-financier and member of the Steering Committee and Management Unit. The RITTS-Project is managed by the Swedish Institute of Production Engineering Research (IVF). The RITTS Western Sweden is to be completed by the turn of the year. IVF is also co-ordinator for Innovation Relay Centre (IRC) for Western and Southern Sweden. The Region co-finances development projects/programmes on both regional and sub-regional levels, and also co-finances activities with the SPD. These different actions are carried out in close co-operation with both public and private actors. The Region is also responsible for specific public funding to individual SMEs. The Region is a part owner of ALMI Vast Ltd (a public company offering advice, business development and finance to SMEs in the region). Stage 1 of RITTS Western Sweden has pointed out that Vastra Gotaland Region has a good potential for new and growing innovative companies. This potential is not fully realised. Among the reasons for that are a risk-avoiding behaviour in many SMEs, need of a stronger entrepeneurship, too low commercialisation from R&D, low international awareness in many SMEs, support organizations who are not acting as a coherent system, few existing incubators/science parks with qualified support organization, and lack of seed capital. There is therefore a need to draw up and implement a post-RITTS Regional Innovation Strategy for Vastra Gotaland. The Region intends to carry out such a strategy in 2001. |
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