RESEARCH AND development is global. High technology industries choose location where they can find skilled personnel, infrastructure and resources. The individual world class researcher also chooses his location based on resources and a creative environment. In order for Sweden to compete internationally and keep the research elite and industry in our country, we need a dedicated strategy.
WE NEED:
- Long term national research and innovation strategy
- Strong and independent universities
- Investments in a few elite universities to compete with the international top tier in their respective areas
BUT INVESTMENTS and ambitious strategies are not enough. To make this an incentive for social progress, politicians need to grasp new knowledge and use it.
ALL OVER THE WORLD, there are examples of what happens when decision makers ignore knowledge in the global science society. It is very upsetting and discouraging the way HIV/aids have been dealt with in certain African regions. The climate question is another area where experts have been fighting against strong political forces.
I AM VERY CONVINCED that people who work daily with finding and creating new knowledge, have to take charge of more than what can be achieved in lecture rooms and laboratories. A modern university is working in the midst of society. It is not just about training tomorrow’s leaders and pursuing top level research. It should also gather innovations in different sections of society and transfer this knowledge into new innovations and enterprise benefitting everybody – nationally and globally.
Source: The Swedish Globalisation Council