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RESEARCH INNOVATION GROWTH 

No 1 2011 

Competition 

drives 

innovation 

OECD praises Sweden for its 

capacity to find innovative 

forms of collaboration in its 

regional growth work 

Brainpower 

Swedish research behind early treatment 

for Alzheimer's disease 

THE ULTIMATE 

TESTING GROUND 

Sweden garners international attention 

COLLABORATION FOR SUCCESS CHINESE RESEARCH IN SWEDEN

EDITORIAL 

Strength by 

innovation 

and renewal 

Innovation is increasingly 

recognised as a key determinant 

of competitiveness, prosperity 

and sustainable development. 

Sweden is frequently ranked among 

the most innovative countries in 

the world and is also home to many 

large and successful multinationals. 

As a proportion of gdp, 

Sweden is also a world 

leader for investing in 

research and development. 

The challenge for 

S weden and other countries 

is to ensure that these 

significant investments 

in research and development lead to 

new products, services and processes. 

In turn, these should increase 

competitiveness, address societal and 

environmental challenges and create 

prosperity. 

This magazine presents some 

examples of research and innovation 

conducted in Sweden with 

the support of vinnova 

and other research funding 

agencies. We hope it will 

be of interest to innovation 

actors around the world. 

Pleasant reading! 

Charlotte Brogren, GD för VINNOVA 

CONTENTS 

04 COLLABORATION FOR SUCCESS 

When industry, universities and the public sector 

cooperate, the result is growth and innovation 

– one example is Triple Steelix, a project that 

has created new vitality in a region that relies on 

steel. Current research also shows that a company 

that fosters its employees’ ability to cooperate in 

groups increases its competitiveness. 

09 TESTBEDS AND DEMONSTRATORS 

Sweden’s future as an innovative nation depends 

on environments where companies can test, certify 

and demonstrate products and services. Currently 

Sweden has successful testbeds for the automotive, 

it and pharmaceutical sectors. A good example 

of the latter is Berzelius Clinical Research Centre, 

which is spearheading the hunt for a more efficient 

way to test and evaluate new substances. 

14 MODERN COMMUNICATIONS 

TECHNOLOGY 

Chinese telecommunications company Huawei 

started up one of its research and development 

centres in Sweden because of the country’s leadership 

in pioneering research and innovation. Now 

universities and companies in both countries are 

jointly conducting research and development for 

future mobile systems. 

REDAKTIONEN: 

Publisher Charlotte Brogren, VINNOVA 

Editors Sanna Berg, VINNOVA Anders 

Nordner and Linas Alsenas, Appelberg 

Art Directors Ersan Curuklu and 

Markus Ljungblom, Appelberg 

Print Edita Västra Aros 

Paper Arctic Volume 

Cover photo Leif Milling 

Adress www.VINNOVA.se 

Phone +46 8 473 30 00 

ISSN 1650 – 3120 

Translation Jonathan Dellar 

19 FOR A BETTER LIFE 

Cardiac arrhythmia, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, 

als and cancer are all diseases fought by Swedish 

researchers in cooperation with international 

research institutes. To improve quality-of-life 

services for various groups, Halmstad Living Lab 

relies on direct feedback. 

2 VINNOVA-CUTTING EDGE No 1 2011

VINNOVA 

- a key actor in innovation 

PHOTO: ISTOCKPHOTO 

FAMOUS SWEDISH INNOVATORS 

Innovation is essential in meeting economic and social challenges 

and ensuring prosperity and quality of life. vinnova, the Swedish 

Governmental Agency for Innovation Systems, is investing in research 

to strengthen Sweden’s innovative capacity for competitiveness, sustainable 

development and growth. 

Vinnova’s efforts range from programmes 

for r&d projects in small 

companies and universities, to longterm 

development of strong research 

and innovation environments that attract r&d 

investment and expertise from around the world. 

Most of these efforts are based on co-financing 

with industry, academia and the public 

sector to ensure maximum relevance and impact. 

Thus, vinnova works closely with companies, 

research environments and public actors as key 

drivers of innovation. Programmes are primarily 

within the following fields: Production and Working 

life, Transport and Environment, Services 

and ict, and Health. Global cooperation for success 

vinnova’s opportunities for contributing 

to sustainable growth in Sweden are increasingly 

dependent on advanced international collaboration. 

A unique collaboration with China has 

been initiated in regard to future mobile systems 

and vinnova has a bilateral programme with 

China’s Ministry of Science and Technology. 

Elsewhere, efforts are underway in India within 

the health field and there is collaboration with 

the us on traffic safety research and with Japan 

on multidisciplinary biotechnology. These are 

just a few examples. vinnova has also been 

commissioned by the government to promote 

Swedish participation in r&d projects under the 

eu’s Framework Programmes. 

TO ENSURE THE QUALITY of its endeavours, 

vinnova systematically evaluates and analyses its 

efforts to ensure that they are making an impact 

and generating significant socio-economic value. 

For example, impact analyses have shown that public 

investment in traffic safety research saves thousands 

of lives and billions of us dollars annually. 

At the same time, it has also strengthened the 

Swedish automotive industry. The knowledge 

gained through this and other impact analyses 

provides a basis for policy efforts and a foundation 

for directing new investment towards areas where it 

will have the greatest impact. • 

ALFRED NOBEL – DYNAMITE 

Dynamite was invented by Swedish 

chemist and engineer Alfred Nobel, 

and patented in 1867. It quickly 

replaced gunpowder and nitroglycerin in the 

mining and quarrying businesses. The Nobel 

Prize was established at the end of the 19th 

century on the wishes of Nobel. The prize soon 

acquired a status as the world’s most prestigious 

academic prize. 

SVEN WINGQVIST – BALL BEARING 

Sven Wingqvist invented the multirow 

self-aligning radial ball bearing 

in 1907, the same year Svenska 

Kullagerfabriken, SKF, was established. To 

this day, SKF is the leading manufacturer of 

bearings. 

NILS BOHLIN 

– THREE-POINT SEAT BELT 

Swedish inventor Nils Bohlin 

invented the three-point seat belt, 

now a standard safety feature in all cars. Bohlin's 

lap-and-shoulder belt was introduced by Volvo in 

1959. Bohlin’s invention paved the way for Autoliv, 

the world’s leading developer, manufacturer 

and supplier of automotive safety systems. 

NIKLAS ZENNSTRÖM – SKYPE 

Zennström is a Swedish entrepreneur 

whose most notable success 

is Skype, the Internet telephone 

company that he co-founded in 2003. Currently 

Zennström runs Atomico, an investment group 

focused on early-stage investment in Europe. 

VINNOVA-CUTTING EDGE No 1 2011 

3

COLLABORATION FOR SUCCESS // 

Competitiveness 

requires cooperation TEXT YLVA CARLSSON PHOTO ISTOCKPHOTO 


Many modern companies invest in individual staff development 

through progress reviews and competence surveys. However, few 

put major resources into examining the importance of better group 

cooperation and developing employees’ collective competence. 

Acompany that fosters its employees’ 

ability to cooperate in groups 

increases its competitiveness. So say 

lecturer Andreas Werr and doctoral 

student Philip Runsten at the Stockholm School 

of Economics, who have been studying collaboration 

in knowledge-intensive companies under 

the auspices of vinnova’s research programme 

“The Competent Workplace.” 

Werr and Runsten have produced a tool to 

measure collective group capability. This measurement 

enables companies to see how they compare 

with the average for similar working groups. 

Despite the relative prevalence of working 

groups in Sweden, Werr and Runsten’s research 

shows that group cooperation there is often characterised 

by a wait-and-see attitude. Successful 

group work requires participants to manage 

social relationships and apply themselves to the 

task in hand. More effective groups manage their 

relationships more efficiently, leaving room for 

greater emphasis on the task. In less efficient 

groups the emphasis is largely placed on “not 

making mistakes,” rather than “doing it right.” 

“Many companies are unaware of this,” says 

Werr. “If we’re to break this trend, we need to 

create more confidence-inspiring environments 

in which employees feel comfortable and dare to 

be open with each other.” 

WERR AND RUNSTEN’S research shows that big 

changes can be made with relatively modest funds. 

First of all, it’s important to establish a clear framework. 

Groups that schedule time for reflection 

and feedback are more effective than those that do 

not. Another important success factor is the use of 

mutually understood terms and expressions. 

“They may sound obvious, but if these issues aren’t 

brought up, they are easily forgotten,” says Werr. 

One consequence of the increasing number 

of companies working in flat organisations with 

fewer managers is that it becomes much more 

important for employees to be able to cooperate. 

Research shows that a group’s capabilities often 

exceed those of an average individual working 

alone, but not the capabilities of the highest 

performing members of the group. 

There are currently no studies on how the 

ability to collaborate affects corporate profitability; 

Werr’s next project is to investigate whether 

there is a correlation. • 

COMPETENT WORKPLACE 

The purpose of the Competent Workplace 

research programme is to broaden the discussion 

of competence development from the 

individual to the group level. According to VIN- 

NOVA, the current approach (in which competence 

is considered to be primarily individual) 

may be underserving many organisations. 

Since the programme started in 2007, funds 

have been granted to 19 R&D projects. 



OECD give props to 

Sweden’s regional 

ECONOMIC GROWTH 

Conditions in Sweden for creating regional economic growth 

are better than in many other countries, according to a recent 

evaluation by the oecd. The vinnväxt programme, in 

particular, was commended for its role. 

TEXT YLVA CARLSSON 

In its Territorial Review: Sweden, the 

Organisation for Economic Co-operation 

and Development (oecd) highlights how 

Sweden has developed a successful welfare 

model, and ranks the nation with the highest gdp 

per capita and the most rapid growth rate over 

the past decade amongst oecd countries. This is 

the first time the oecd has conducted a territorial 

evaluation of the conditions for regional growth 

in Sweden. 

The analysis focuses chiefly on differences 

between regional conditions and development 

patterns. Unlike many other countries, Sweden 

has long had a national programme of regional 

innovation work. The review devotes particular 

attention to Region Västra Götaland, where local 

universities, companies and research centres 

work closely together, and where there is wellfunctioning 

overall regional leadership. Amongst 

other benefits, this has had a positive influence on 

entrepreneurship and creation of new enterprise. 

The oecd also highlights the government’s 

2008 Research Bill and its proposal to increase 

the subsidy between 2009 and 2012; money is 

also being earmarked for special measures in 

the research infrastructure. Sustainable rural 

development efforts were also mentioned as a 

success factor. 

Sweden was praised for its capacity to find 

innovative forms of collaboration in its regional 

growth work – for which, according to oecd, 

vinnväxt has played a major role. • 

VINNVÄXT IN A NUTSHELL 

VINNVÄXT, started in 2001, is a competition 

for regions. Its aim is to promote sustainable 

growth by developing and supporting research 

and innovation environments which can compete 

in an international market. 

Winning submissions receive 10 years’ funding 

of up to SEK 10 million per year, helping them 

become internationally competitive within their 

respective areas. VINNVÄXT’s objective is to 

create the conditions for enhanced collaboration 

and to develop ideas for increased growth. 

Five factors are considered particularly important 

to the success of VINNVÄXT: 

• The project focuses on regions’ strengths 

and competitive advantages rather than their 

problems. 

• The work is guided by a cross-sectoral 

perspective that facilitates collaboration 

between different disciplines. 

• The competition process is open, transparent 

and led by experts within and outside 

VINNOVA. 

• The project is future-oriented and longterm, 

from an economic perspective. 

• Process support is prioritised over emergency 

“cash injections.” 

PHOTO: SWEDEN.SE 


5


DEVELOPING NEW BUSINESS 

Bracke Systems is one of several companies 

that has gained a new business niche thanks to 

the jointly-owned development company Peak 

Innovation. The company has specialised in the 

development of a forestry positioning system 

but has now produced a program to facilitate 

the planning of work for piste machines. 

“We’ve helped them find a development area 

within the tourist sector where they haven’t actually 

had any prior experience. SkiStar, which 

operates a number of skiing establishments, 

is now using the technology because it allows 

piste machines to work more efficiently and 

thereby use less fuel. As well as the sustainability 

perspective, it also provides an opportunity 

to prepare the slopes better so that the season 

can be longer,” says Lasse Lindqvist, Process 

Manager at Peak Innovation.

STRONG 

REGIONS 

SUCCEEDING THROUGH COLLABORATION 

If Sweden is to continue its solid economic growth, then its regions must utilise 

and develop their areas of strength. This means everyone must come together 

to mobilise around a common strategy. 

TEXT PER WESTERGÅRD 

PHOTO GÖRAN STRAND 


Sweden’s regions have distinct traditions 

and situations which have made regional 

industries develop in different directions. 

These differences do not pose an obstacle 

and can be utilised to bring about strong economic 

growth throughout the country. 

The steel industry in Bergslagen is a clear 

example of how the unique conditions in an area 

can create wealth. Based on the steel industry, a 

cluster of companies has grown up around steel 

production, engineering mechanics, processing 

and knowledge-based services. Universities 

and other public actors are also active in further 

developing the region’s strengths. 

Five years ago, vinnova chose Bergslagen 

as one of the regions to be included in the 

vinnväxt programme. The 720 steel-based 

companies in the region joined with local and 

regional authorities and universities to form 

Triple Steelix. 

“Our vision is that based on steel, we will 

increase the growth of companies as well as the 

attractiveness of the region,” says Maria Engholm, 

Process Manager of Triple Steelix. 

“If we want to go on being successful in the 

long-term, the whole of society must be involved 

in the transformation. A functioning innovation 

system cannot be created without political involvement. 

Everything from childcare to housing 

must work if the region is to be an interesting 

alternative for those already living here as well 

as those we want to attract. We’re meant to be 

creating new strength and vitality for the region, 

not fencing in existing activities.” 

Now that the 10-year programme has reached 

its halfway mark, companies involved in Triple 

Steelix have a total of 22,000 employees. Of 

these, 8,000 will retire within the next few years 

and there is a great need to attract new workers 

to the steel sector. 

“Our operation isn’t a project, but we are 

busy creating a process which will go on long 

after Triple Steelix in its current form has 

finished. However, we are involved in about 100 

projects which are jointly driving the process 

onwards; everything from service development 

to strengthen the industry’s subcontractors to 

manufacturing wind turbine components and 

new steel roller skis which are better than current 

alternatives.” 

MICHAEL LINDGREN has been involved in various 

Triple Steelix projects. His special expertise is in 

roll-forming sheet steel, a gentle process in which 

sections are formed by passing the sheet through 

a series of moulding rollers. 

“Triple Steelix has given me the opportunity 

to do research at Högskolan Dalarna, but above 

all I’ve gained a network which has enabled me 

to start a company within research, training and 

consultancy aimed at roll-forming companies.” 

The future for roll-forming technology looks 

bright; it is a highly cost-effective production 

method, particularly suited to shaping the high 

tensile and ultra-high tensile steel whose use has 

increased in recent years. The knowledge that has 

emerged within Triple Steelix is strengthening 

the competitiveness of the region’s steel companies 

in this field. 

Investment in the vinnväxt regions continues. 

One of them, added after the last call, 

includes the municipalities of Östersund, Åre 

and Krokom. In partnership with Mid Sweden 

University, sports organisations, industry and authorities, 

they will use the jointly-owned company 

Peak Innovation to develop the region’s basic 

industries of tourism, sports and outdoor pursuits. 

Their vision is that by 2016, the area will be the 

leading European environment for research and 

business development within this field. 

“In our region, the industry comprises a 

number of small companies which can’t drive 

development issues or get involved in innovation 

systems on their own,” says Lasse Lindqvist, 

Process Manager at Peak Innovation. 

“For this reason there’s no natural explicit 

demand for our activity, nor any tradition of commercialising 

research conducted at the university. 

Our biggest task is to demonstrate the advantages 

of cross-fertilising research and commercial 

development. 

THERE ARE CURRENTLY three research environments 

in Östersund, concentrating on sports, 

tourism and outdoor pursuits. One of these is the 

Swedish Winter Sports Research Centre, also 

known as the Gold Lab. This is an internationally 

renowned arena for research relating to winter 

sports and its contributions have included the 

great success of Swedish skiers in recent years, 

not least of all at the Vancouver Winter Olympics. 

Peak Innovation is now working to create 

a corresponding operation for Alpine sports and 

a branch at Åre with up to 1,000 students. 

“If we can match up companies and research, it 

will give impetus to the entire region. Growth happens 

in companies, but official involvement is vital in 

preparing the ground,” concludes Lasse Lindqvist. • 


7

IN SHORT 

PACKAGED 

PARTNERSHIP 

Swedish origami moves to Japan. Dai Nippon Printing 

has acquired the first Japanese license for a disc-packaging 

concept developed by Swedish company Jakebox. 

Jakebox’s eco-friendly, pop-up packaging concept has 

been used by, among others, the Rolling Stones. 

Jakebox is one of several companies and organisations 

that has established a partnership with Dai Nippon 

Printing. Others include the food container company 

MicVac and The Packaging Arena, a forum for consumer-driven 

packaging development. 

• Focusing on a number of areas in which Swedes are strong 

– such as materials science, renewable materials, intelligent 

packaging solutions, printed electronics and packaging design 

– several Swedish paper and packaging companies have established 

a partnership with Japan’s Dai Nippon Printing, one of 

the world’s largest packaging companies. 

It all began five years ago following an initiative by Region 

Värmland, whose regional profile areas are paper and packaging. 

The region asked Invest in Sweden Agency (ISA) to begin looking 

into opportunities for international collaboration on research and 

innovation. A number of regions and some companies expressed 

interest in its search; these included Region Skåne with 

its packaging and food industry, Västernorrland with its paper 

companies and Norrköping with its printed electronics. 

ISA and its partners prioritised countries with major business 

potential and greatest potential for added value: Japan, China, India 

and Korea. Invited by ISA, several companies and researchers 

from these countries have visited Sweden. 

“Our visitors come away impressed that Sweden, with such 

a small population, can deliver world-leading solutions in so 

many areas,” says Anders Eliasson, Head of Materials Science 

at Invest in Sweden Agency. “The innovativeness of Swedish 

companies has made an incredibly strong impression. Our guests 

are surprised that companies and universities are jointly driving 

the development onward, despite several companies being in 

competition with each other.” 

PORTAL 

SUPPORTS 

EQUALITY WORK 

• Are women more concerned with water issues than men? How 

does equality-focused sightseeing work? What methods are there 

for increasing equality in the workplace? Answers to these and 

many other questions can be found on a newly launched portal offering 

support with day-to-day equality issues at work. The website 

includes research results, informative examples and interactive 

tools. A search function allows users to find examples of development 

work in their counties, their fields of activity or amongst 

companies and organisations resembling their own. 

The portal is still under construction, and the aim is to provide 

a forum for those interested in equality issues to bring their own 

ideas and tips for successful projects. 

A “GREEN APPROACH” TO AVIATION 

• Partner to companies such as General Electric, Airbus, Qatar Airlines and SAS, 

Avtech is one of the world’s largest companies developing products and services 

to reduce greenhouse gas and noise emissions by aircraft. For example, Avtech 

is one of the companies behind “green approaches,” which can reduce half a 

tonne of carbon dioxide per flight. The approach project is part of the European 

Commission’s MINT project, and it is being funded by EUROCONTROL’s SESAR programme, 

which is working to define and implement a pan-European air traffic management system. 



TESTBEDS AND DEMONSTRATORS // 

SET FOR 

SUCCESS 

Testbeds to test, certify and demonstrate 

products and services are crucial to Sweden’s 

competitive future as an r&d nation. 

TEXT ANDREAS NILSSON 

PHOTO ESRANGE, ISTOCK, ANDREAS CONRADT, LEIF MILLING 

An effective, well-functioning innovation 

system provides a basis for new 

companies and continued development 

of existing ones, generating 

export revenues and economic growth. However 

if an innovation system is to work, there must 

be opportunities to test and certify products, 

services and technologies. 

“Often, the emphasis ends up on the initial or 

early stages of an innovation process – the r&d,” 

says Charlotte Brogren, Director General of 

vinnova. “If new products and services are to go 

all the way, the process has to be efficient; a chain 

is only as strong as its weakest link.” 

>


Global attraction: The winter testing facilities in northern Sweden attract vehicle manufacturers from around the world. 

Sweden has a long and successful tradition of 

testbeds in various forms, but in the face of stiff 

competition and globalisation, standards are increasing 

rapidly. Within the automotive industry 

that is so crucial to Sweden, more countries can 

now produce whole vehicle systems. This number 

is expected to rise with the addition of countries 

such as Russia and Brazil. 

“Sweden today has good prospects for testing 

and certification, but if we want to keep our 

prominent international position we have to 

invest yet more,” says Jan-Eric Sundgren, Senior 

Vice President Public and Environmental Affairs 

of ab volvo. To a degree, the bigger companies 

manage the process of testing and certifying products 

through internal resources. However larger 

units and systems are also required, especially 

when it comes to systems such as the transport, 

energy and it sectors. 

Sweden already has successful testbeds in 

the automotive and it sectors and the pharmaceutical 

sector with its clinical trials. According 

to Per Eriksson, Vice Chancellor of Lund 

University, this is a matter for joint research. 

“You can’t do everything, but Sweden has 

a number of strong clusters, which make a 

good basis for successful testbeds,” Eriksson 

says. “Without the potential for testing and 

certification on home ground, there’s a risk that 

r&d will suffer.” 

Apart from their role in the national innovation 

system, testbeds can also generate their own 

jobs and growth. 

Examples include the exhaustive winter 

testing of tyres and vehicles in northern Sweden. 

Testbed activity is best conducted in a partnership 

between academia, industry and government 

agencies plus other public bodies. vinnova 

plays an active role in the work of strengthening 

and developing testbeds in Sweden by co-financing 

various projects such as Test Site Sweden 

and Acreo. • 

TESTBEDS IN A NUTSHELL 

• A testbed is a meeting point or environment 

for further development and verification of new 

business concepts, services, products and supporting 

technology. 

• Testbeds may involve existing environments 

or infrastructure such as a mobile or broadband 

network. 

• Testbeds may also comprise a limited market. 

For instance, Sweden may be considered a 

testbed for biofuels and how they will work on a 

larger scale. 

• Testbeds are often jointly funded and run 

between industry, government agencies and 

academia. In general, they are open to everyone 

and run on a commercial footing. 



ABOUT TEST SITE SWEDEN 

• Test Site Sweden (TSS) started in 2006 and 

is run as a national programme within Lindholmen 

Science Park in Gothenburg. Its task is to 

develop testing and provide a demonstration 

environment in Sweden to support the development 

of sustainable transport systems. Funded 

by VINNOVA, TSS offers a common meeting 

point to players in industry, academia and public 

organisations. Projects that have started up under 

TSS include: ASTA (Active Safety Test Area, 

currently being funded), a new driving simulator 

in Gothenburg, an infrastructure project for 

charging stations for electric cars and a carpool 

project for electric cars. 

Collaboration and 

timing aid competitiveness 

Sweden already has a good testing and demonstration infrastructure 

within the transport sector. The rapid development of the 

industry is helping to establish Sweden as a leading test nation. 

TEXT: JAN LINDROTH 

From an international perspective the Swedish 

automotive industry occupies a very strong position, 

especially considering Sweden’s small domestic 

market. An important factor in building on this 

strength is for Sweden to maintain its capacity to 

develop new vehicles from start to finish. Sweden 

is one of the few countries in the world that can 

do this and one of an even smaller number with 

competence in both light and heavy vehicles. 

“The entire transport industry is now 

entering a phase in which we’re seeing major 

changes in drivelines towards electric and hybrid 

vehicles as well as within communication,” 

says Peter Öhman, Project Leader at Test Site 

Sweden. “In both cases, vehicles are increasingly 

becoming one part of a complex system.” 

The Swedish infrastructure for testing and 

demonstrations within the transport sector is 

already world-class, with clusters such as the winter 

testing facilities in northern Sweden. The area 

is already renowned worldwide for winter testing, 

with a turnover exceeding half a million Swedish 

kronor. Other important elements are driving 

simulators in Linköping and Gothenburg, the 

electronics and communications testing installation 

at Borås and the considerable corporate 

in-house resources, including test tracks, wind 

tunnels and crash test laboratories. 

“The need for infrastructure is increasing greatly, 

and there is an opportunity here to move the positions 

forward,” says Öhman. “However, Sweden is 

not alone, and it’s a case of moving quickly enough. 

We sometimes have problems deciding on these 

kinds of investments quickly enough. Timing is 

important.” 

THE MISSION OF TEST Site Sweden is to 

strengthen the demonstration and testing section 

of the development chain and ensure that good 

projects within testing operations come to fruition. 

“Something that’s become clear with Test Site 

Sweden is the need for common resources such 

as test labs and testbeds,” says Niklas Wahlberg, 

ceo of Lindholmen Science Park where Test 

Site Sweden operates. “There is also a major 

realisation of the benefit of sharing resources, 

and the need is constantly growing, due to the 

market and technological developments we’re 

seeing in the transport area.” 

When it comes to looking at new projects and 

their opportunities, Wahlberg believes one of the 

most important aspects is clearly examining the 

total benefit of an establishment. 

“It has to be useful to various different 

players and create genuine commercial benefit,” 

says Wahlberg. • 


11


The Berzelius Clinical Research Center 

(bcrc) in Linköping, Sweden, is spearheading 

the hunt for a more efficient way 

to test and evaluate new substances. This 

will be a major benefit for the Swedish pharma and 

biotech industry. 

bcrc operates in early clinical trials (clinical tests on 

humans at phases 0/i/iia), the pharmaceutical industry’s 

equivalent of testbeds. Many of the major pharma and 

biotech companies have their own resources for testing 

new substances, but even these feel the pressures of time 

and high costs. 

“It’s become much more expensive to produce drugs 

because, in part, poor drug candidates aren’t being 

stopped soon enough,” says Stig Blom, ceo of bcrc. 

“Having to shut down a project in phase iii or later can 

be very costly, as several million Swedish kronor have 

already been invested.” 

bcrc was started in 2003 and is wholly owned by Östergötland 

County Council. It has 16 employees and a 

turnover of sek 20–30 million. With a new venture into 

12 VINNOVA-CUTTING EDGE No 1 2011 

Clinical 

testing 

– the sooner, the better 

Researching new drugs and getting them 

approved and launched into the market is a 

cost-intensive process. A Swedish method 

may help cut the costs considerably. 

TEXT JAN LINDROTH 

” We’re pretty much the only ones with this method, and for Swedish companies I think there’s 

a clear competitive advantage in having close access to these kinds of tests.” 

PHOTO OSKAR LÜREN 

a novel clinical method – microdosing and microdialysis 

– Blom hopes to double the scale of the operation 

within a couple of years. The method is now being calibrated 

and finished with financial support from vinnova. 

With microdialysis, pharmaceutical companies can 

determine whether a substance is effective earlier in the 

clinical development process . They accomplish this by 

inserting a small dose of the drug being tested into the 

body using a tiny catheter introduced under the skin. 

“It can significantly reduce cost and risk because 

inferior projects can be closed down much sooner than 

[they are] currently,” says Blom. Blom believes that access 

to a clinical testing centre such as bcrc in Sweden 

is strengthening the domestic and pharma and biotech 

industry by offering advanced tests locally as well as 

attracting clinical trials internationally. 

“We’re pretty much the only ones with this method, 

and for Swedish companies I think there’s a clear competitive 

advantage in having close access to these kinds 

of tests,” says Blom. “It also helps keep competence 

within this country.” • 

TESTBEDS 

IN SWEDEN 

There are many testbeds, test installations, 

test environemtns and test 

labs in Sweden. A number of these 

are open, but many are internal resources 

for companies and in some 

cases government agencies. The following 

is a selection of some of the 

better-known testbeds in Sweden: 

Acreo: An R&D centre running such 

programmes as the national broadband 

testbed. 

Berzelius Clinical Research Center: 

Clinical trials for the biotech and 

pharma industry. 

ASTA: National test centre for active 

safety, under construction. 

Driving simulator Gothenburg: One of 

the world’s largest driving simulators 

for vehicles. It is scheduled to open 

in Gothenburg in the autumn of 2010 

and is operated by VTI (the Swedish 

National Road and Transport 

Research Institute). 

Winter testing in northern Sweden: 

World-leading cluster of facilities for 

winter testing of vehicles in northern 

Sweden. Turnover is in excess of SEK 

500,000 per year. 

SP Technical Research Institute of 

Sweden: A state research company 

with several test establishments in 

areas such as environment, electronics, 

construction, foods and fire 

safety. 

Open Living Labs: A network of test 

envrionments for technology and 

related services in a range of areas 

such as broadband, mobility, elderly 

care and transport. 

VTI, the Swedish National Road and 

Transport Research Institute: In addition 

to driving simulators, VTI has a 

number of other laboratories and test 

installations for such things as crash 

safety and road materials. 

PHOTO: ISTOCKPHOTO PHOTO: NICLAS KINDAHL

IN SHORT 

SWEDEN 

TOPS THE 

LIST FORIT 

• According to the Connectivity Scorecard 

2010 survey, Sweden is the most innovative 

country in the world when it comes 

to information technology (IT). This is the 

first time that Sweden has surpassed the 

United States in the rankings. 

Connectivity Scorecard measures, 

among other things, how and to what extent 

information technology is used by companies, 

public authorities and consumers 

in 50 countries around the world. It also 

studies investments in infrastructure and 

broadband ventures. 

Sweden received high scores for its broadband 

penetration and its population’s 

widespread use of internet banks and 

electronic commerce. Sweden also performed 

better in combining development 

work within IT with investments in human 

resources. ARM, CSR, Ericsson, Huawei, 

Intel, Motorola, Oracle, Symantec, ZTE 

and many similar companies are active in 

research and development in Sweden. 

Connectivity Scorecard is conducted 

by Nokia Siemens Network on behalf of 

Haskayne School of Business at the University 

of Calgary and Law & Economic 

Consulting Group. In this year’s ranking 

Sweden and the United States are followed 

by Denmark, the Netherlands and 

Finland. Read more at www.connectivityscorecard.org. 

Kista Science Tower has 

become a symbol of Sweden's 

IT industry. 


PHOTO: INNVENTIA.SE 

Nanocellulose 

scales up 

• Stockholm boasts the world’s first pilot production 

unit for nanocellulose, a completely recyclable 

material extracted from wood fibre that is as strong 

as light-weight Kevlar. Nanocellulose can be used 

for an astonishing variety of applications, from 

body parts to food additives. Research company 

Innventia’s energy-efficient manufacturing process 

represents a huge leap towards industrialisation of 

the new material. 

Feeding pulping waste to fish 

• In partnership with the biotech company Cewatech, 

Nordic Paper has found a profitable way to 

use spent sulphite liquor, a waste product from 

the paper-making process. The companies are 

converting hemicellulose in the sulphite liquor into 

a nutritious, environmentally friendly base for fish 

feed in pisciculture. 

Together, the companies have started up a pilot 

plant to refine a fungal biomass from the spent sulphite 

liquor which can be sold to fish feed manufacturers. If 

the trial turns out well, the winners include the world’s 

oceans, since this could be a means of alleviating fish 

depletion. Ordinary fish feeds are made from other 

fish, and the nutrients from 5-6 fish are required to 

rear one fish. Furthermore, this practice contributes to 

an accumulation of environmental toxins. 

Tests have shown that fish are healthier when 

given feed based on spent sulphite liquor, because 

it reduces the need for antibiotics during breeding. 

Additionally, the feed only dissolves in the fish’s stomach, 

so any food left uneaten does not contribute 

to eutrophication. 



13

MODERN COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY // 

China’s largest networking and 

telecoms equipment company 

Huawei is becoming more and 

more internationalised. One 

of the company’s R&D centres 

is located in Sweden, a leading 

ICT nation and a frontrunner 

within R&D and innovation. 

According to Yang Chaobin, 

Huawei’s country manager, 

the company moved to 

Sweden for its IT leadership 

and pioneering research 

and innovation. 

SUCCESS BREEDS SUCCESS 

Text Anna Matzinger Photo Getty Images 

The first-generation mobile network, Nordic Mobile Telephony (NMT), was introduced in 1981. We are currently on the third 

generation of mobile telephony, 3G, and are about to enter the fourth generation. Here is a glimpse of the various peripheral services 

that have grown up in the wake of the mobile network’s rapid development. 

1981 NMT – 1G 1991 GSM – 2G 

Nordic Mobile Telephony (NMT) was the 

first wireless telephone communication 

network, starting up in 1981 as a common 

standard for the Nordic countries. 

By the end of 1989 about 330,000 

customers were connected to NMT, 

which only carried voice services, and the 

system was exported to countries like 

Saudi Arabia, Switzerland and the 

Netherlands. These were good years for 

the distributors who installed the equipment, 

like Eriksson’s 4-kg HotLine 450, 

and fitted aerials on cars. When the NMT 

900 came out in 1986, the phones were 

made smaller and weighed about 500 g. 

Global System for The Global System for 

Mobile Communication (GSM), a European 

digital mobile telephony system, was introduced 

in Sweden in 1992. Very gradually, GSM 

was also adopted in Asia and the US. The phones 

had evolved, and could now do things like 

send and receive texts. SMSs were quite 

simple, but they led to a range of peripheral 

services such as directory enquiries by text and 

owner information enquiries from the central 

vehicle register. Another example was healthcare 

companies that began sending texts to 

remind patients of their appointments, which 

they believed offered major efficiency savings. 

The phones became more and more advanced, 

and other actors became linked to the development, 

such as camera manufacturers. 



DEVELOPING FUTURE 

WIRELESS TECHNOLOGY 

IN SWEDEN 


PHOTO THRON ULLBERG 

Huawei’s products are 

deployed in over 100 

countries, serving 

well over a billion 

users worldwide. The company 

has established 14 r&d centres 

around the world including Silicon 

Valley, Moscow and Bangalore to 

guarantee world-class r&d with 

outstanding people. One of the first 

centres was in Kista Science City, 

the Swedish “Wireless Valley”. 

Yang Chaobin is director of the 

Huawei Sweden r&d centre, with 

its emphasis on next-generation 

wireless technology. 

Why did Huawei locate one 

of its global R&D centres in 

Sweden? 

“Sweden and the Nordic region is a 

strategically important market for 

Huawei. The telecommunications 

environment is highly innovative, 

and Sweden and the other Nordic 

countries are recognised for their 

high levels of expertise and experience. 

To better understand and 

serve the European operators and 

consumers, Huawei needed an r&d 

team located in Europe. Through 

our local r&d team, we can provide 

products and services which incorporate 

European/Scandinavian 

requirements and thus ensure that 

we are globally competitive.” 

How have operations in 

Sweden developed? 

“Our Nordic r&d centre in 

Stockholm opened in 2001 and now 

has over 250 employees; a development 

we’re proud of. Currently, 

95 percent of the local experts have 

over ten years' experience from the 

telecoms sector. Huawei’s research 

and development focuses chiefly on 

radio technology; gsm, umts and 

lte. In 2009, Huawei also opened 

an r&d centre in Gothenburg 

in southern Sweden focusing on 

microwaves, base stations and ipbased 

core networks.” 

What opportunities are there for 

R&D collaboration in Sweden? 

“Huawei believes in cooperating 

with its peers to jointly create a 

favourable environment. Within 

r&d, we have global partnerships 

with industry-leading players 

through joint labs and cooperation. 

In Sweden specifically, we are 

currently working with partners in 

local industry as well as academia. 

We are strongly committed to the 

Nordic market and have a longstanding 

commitment to continue 

development across the region. 

2001 3G 2008 4G 

The third generation mobile telephony provided 

considerably higher transfer rates. GPS achieved 

massive penetration – not merely in providing 

users directions, but in receiving messages 

when passing by a favourite store, or 

searching for houses on sale in the vicinity. 

Transport companies are beginning to offer 

mobile tickets, and the market for services such 

as Bambuser is opening up, enabling people to 

send live video from their mobile phone. The 

mobile network can also be used to pay parking 

fees and read electricity meters. 

For a system to be called 4G requires average 

speeds of 100 Mbit/s for mobile users and 

1 Gbit/s for stationary users. 4G will primarily 

be intended for mobile data traffic, and it will 

place a greater focus on business users. In 

principle 4G will enable users to do everything 

they can do on a fixed network, but mobile. 

By linking up healthcare equipment and 

cameras, this system may allow surgeons to 

start operating in the ambulance, for 

example, and onshore technicians to repair 

broken equipment on oil rigs. 

VINNOVA-CUTTING EDGE EDGE NOVEMBER No 1 2010 2011 15


Stiff competition 

– THE INNOVATOR’S BEST FRIEND 

With serious foreign competitors entering Sweden, 

Ericsson revitalises to defend its turf. 

TEXT: MATTIAS ANDERSSON 

“Competition keeps companies on their toes, 

and naturally that goes for Ericsson, too,” says 

Sören Sjölander, Professor of Innovation Engineering 

at Chalmers University of Technology 

in Gothenburg. He’s referring to the Chinese 

company Huawei, one of Ericsson’s biggest challengers. 

“It might seem convenient for a company to 

have a monopoly, but it can be ruinous to innovation,” 

Sjölander continues. “Smart competitors 

are a vital driver of innovation, especially for a 

market leader. If we take a classic example within 

vehicle manufacturing, I believe the competition 

between Scania and Volvo Trucks has been 

crucial to their ability to compete successfully on 

the world market.” 

Sven Lindmark, a telecom researcher, agrees. 

“Huawei first made its entry as an obvious 

low-cost challenger. This made Ericsson review 

its own costs and develop its offering in that segment. 

Since then, the Chinese have grown and 

developed into a high-level technical competitor. 

To meet this competition and defend its position, 

Ericsson must get even better at pushing development,” 

he says. 

The price of failure is high. Nokia, which for 

many years dominated the mobile phone market, 

is now threatened from several directions – 

especially by the Apple iPhone and the variety of 

phones tailored for Google’s Android software. 

“Nokia is facing stiffer challenges than Ericsson,” 

says Lindmark. “Hard and determined 

development work is needed if Nokia is to recoup 

and maintain its lead.” 

ALTHOUGH THE MAJORITY of companies pay lip 

service to “creative destruction” – the theory that 

companies which don’t keep up get pushed out – 

there are a lot of grey areas. 

Lindmark says, “Of course, states or industries 

can get involved and support companies over a 

long period in order to take market positions. In 

those cases, the rules are cast aside, and competition 

just becomes destructive.” 

He also points out that there are often 

complex strategies for dealing with aggressive 

challengers: “Ericsson, for example, had to both 

cut costs and develop its innovative capacity. 

These measures make difficult bedfellows within 

the same organisation.” • 

A UNIQUE PARTNERSHIP FOR 

FUTURE MOBILE SYSTEMS 

The next-generation mobile systems, possibly 

titled 4G and 5G, are now in development in 

partnership between Swedish and Chinese 

researchers. According to Olle Viktorsson at 

Ericsson, a member of the committee which 

created the R&D programme, the countries 

are well-placed to mutually benefit from the 

partnership. 

Professor You Xiaohu, Secretary General of 

the trade association Future Forum in Beijing 

sees more than one opportunity to collaborate 

with Swedish research. 

You says that China, with its many universities 

and advanced 3G research, has an important 

contribution to make to future mobile 

systems. He is convinced that the combination 

of Swedish and Chinese expertise is a winner. 

The collaboration on mobile systems has 

been put together by industry and academia. 

The research is funded by VINNOVA and the 

Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology. • 


MODERN COMMUNICATIONSTECHNOLOGY // 

Collaboration for future harmonious development 

CHINA & SWEDEN 

China and Sweden have a long tradition of strong relations. With extensive 

experience in foreign service and the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 

Chen Mingming, China’s Ambassador to Sweden, sees huge potential in further 

collaboration between the two countries. 


After two years in Sweden, what is your view of the country? 

“The more I learn, the more I’m impressed. Sweden is home of 

the Nobel Prize and conducts in-depth, high quality research. 

A lot of multinationals are Swedish, such as Ericsson which 

helped develop modern communications in China. Sweden also has a lot 

to offer in areas such as healthcare, social security and education. When 

Chinese leaders talk about establishing an environmentally friendly and 

harmonious society, they look to Sweden. I see huge benefits in developing 

our relations even further.” 

How would you judge Sweden as an innovative country? 

“Swedes are enquiring in their outlook and also good at solving everyday 

problems. Before coming here, I hadn’t realised how many inventions are 

actually Swedish – things you use every day, like seatbelts, safety matches, 

computer mice, zippers and vacuum cleaners. Sweden deserves better 

recognition for its innovative capacity. Swedish technology is also famous for 

its reliability and environmental performance. For example, the bus which 

passes our embassy in Stockholm runs on biogas. This is part of Sweden’s 

remarkable achievement in increasing economic growth by 45% since 1990, 

while decreasing carbon dioxide emission by 12%.” 

What could China learn from Sweden? 

“China’s growth rate is high, but its development is unsustainable.We 

need to transform from labour-intensive, coal-dependent growth at high 

environmental cost. Innovation and new technologies are the only solution, 

and China needs energysaving,clean technologies as well as sustainable 

development. For example, China is in the middle of a major urbanization 

programme, where we can learn from Sweden in building sustainable cities. 

China is currently planning to build two billion square metres of new housing 

per year. This sets a very high standard for efficiency in regard to both 

energy and resources.” 

FRUITFUL RELATIONS 

In 1950, Sweden became the first Western 

country to establish diplomatic relations 

with China. In 2010, Chinese Vice President 

Xi Jinping visited Sweden to celebrate 

60 years of diplomatic relations. China is 

Sweden’s largest trading partner in Asia and 

the number of Swedish companies investing 

in China is growing very fast. The two 

countries enjoy a lively bilateral partnership 

on research and sustainable development 

practices, as well as extensive exchange of 

students and scientists. 

FOTO: ANNA SIMONSSON / SCANPIX 

In what ways could the two countries collaborate? 

“In Sweden, as in China, there is a major consensus that innovation is 

crucial to social and economic development. Innovation is a key to rejuvenating 

China, and there is huge potential for bilateral trade and cooperation 

in areas such as materials science, ict, life science, biotechnology and 

environmental technology. We have a long and proud record in science and 

technology and are committed to catching up. 

The Ministry of Science and Technology (most) has established 54 science 

parks in China that will be a key engine for future growth. One method 

of enhanced collaboration could be for Swedish researchers and companies 

to tap into these science parks.” • 

VINNOVA-CUTTING EDGE No 1 2011 17

IN SHORT 

THE ELDERLY OPEN 

THEIR HOMES TO GIRAFFS 

• GIRAFF TECHNOLOGIES AB has developed 

a robot, called Giraff, that is basically a movable 

videophone that is controlled over the Internet. 

This robotic solution has positioned the company 

at the forefront of a brand-new market. 

Originally, the company was based in San 

Francisco and known as Headthere. Its aim was 

to enable faraway businessmen with time constraints 

to speak to customers and employees 

without travelling. 

However, Swedish science cluster Robotdalen 

convinced the company that its technology 

was better suited to the very large health- and 

social-care market, and that it would be better 

off coming to Sweden to develop its innovation 

within this area. 

“So, they moved operations from Silicon 

Valley to Västerås,” says Erik Lundqvist, Process 

Manager of Robotdalen. “We can offer them 

customers and users as well as assist with 

financing and research resources.” Robotdalen 

helped arrange pilot installations with a homehelp 

service, placing Giraffs in the homes of 

elderly people. 

Giraff’s camera and telephone sit at the top 

of the robot, which is remotely controlled by 

computer mouse. Lundqvist calls it “Skype on 

wheels.” 

“Using this solution makes it very easy for 

home-help staff and relatives to contact elderly 

people,” says Lundqvist. “Also, it turns out that 

elderly patients find it much easier to operate 

than a webcam.” 

Giraff’s technology for controlling robots over 

the Internet with minimal delays – which has 

been the subject of intense research efforts all 

over the world – has four separate patents. The 

next generation of robots will be able to do some 

things independently, such as avoiding collisions. 

This development work is an important 

element of Robotdalen’s current efforts. 

“We are in the process of creating a new 

industry which we call ‘health robotics,’” says 

Lundqvist. “This is a future industry with a 

leading role for Sweden.” 

Read more: www.giraff.org 

PHOTO: GIRAFF.ORG 


Seeing through walls 

DAN AXELSSON, founder of Cinside, developed 

the prototype for his company’s portable wall radar 

in his basement. The company was established 

in 2007 and is already producing a product. “The 

great thing about this radar,” explains Axelsson, “is 

that it’s small, cheap, simple and easy to operate. 

There’s very little need for training.” Weighing just 

700 grams, Cinside’s radar reacts to movement and 

senses people and animals behind walls. Cinside is 

Better bike 

mobility with mobiles 

• BETTER INFRASTRUCTURE for cyclists in Swedish cities 

– this is the goal of a three-year project looking at cyclists’ 

values and how they plan their cycling trips. 

According to the consulting firm leading the project, WSP 

Sweden, it should be possible to plan and construct “an 

improved infrastructure in Sweden’s cities” based on the 

gathered information. However, the project has broader 

horizons, as a number of major cities such as London, New 

York and Paris are also increasing their investment in cycling 

infrastructure. 

One service which will come out of the project is an advanced 

journey planner for cyclists. Accessible by Internet and mobile 

phone, this digital guide will offer information on such topics as 

shortest routes and up-to-date traffic conditions. 

now working to develop more applications, such as 

range-finding and sector resolution to detect lateral 

movement, for its radar. “We have ideas about how 

it might see through stone and rubble in a collapsed 

house,” says Axelsson. Cinside has also been commissioned 

to construct a radar that can measure the 

depth of snow, and, in conjunction with the Swedish 

Defence Research Agency. 

Read more: www.cinside.se 

DETECTING EXPLOSIVES 

• A SWEDISH CONSORTIUM led by researchers 

at Blekinge Institute of Technology 

and the Swedish Defense Research Agency 

(FOI) have produced a laser technology, 

Detex, which can detect explosives from at 

least 200 metres away. “We have tested the 

technology on a couple of grams of explosives 

placed several hundred meters away,” says 

Henric Östmark, Research Leader of the Detex 

project at FOI. “We hope to develop the 

laser so it can find explosives in the form of 

dust or particles left by people’s fingerprints.” 

Their success has attracted major international 

attention. The equipment is primarily 

meant for military, customs and police use. 



FOR A BETTER LIFE // 

THUMBS UP 

FOR BETTER 

HEART 

DIAGNOSTICS 

Seven years after Zenicor was established, the company’s Thumb ECG is being used by 

100 hospitals in Sweden, Finland and Norway. A second-generation product is now being 

launched, and the entrepreneurs behind it are aiming for wider exports in Europe. 

TEXT SUSANNA LIDSTRÖM 

ILLUSTRATION JOHAN NOHR 

CARDIAC ARRHYTHMIA is one 

of the most widespread heart 

complaints, but the difficulty often 

lies in diagnosing it. Traditionally, 

someone with suspected cardiac arrhythmia is 

examined by using electrodes fixed to the body 

and connected by leads to a tape recorder. This 

portable medical innovation from Zenicor is 

transforming the way patients are tested. 

Mats Palerius, an engineer by training, started 

Zenicor in 2003 with an economist and an it 

specialist he knew from working on various 

projects at Ericsson. The three founders decided 

to focus their development efforts on arrhythmia 

testing in hospitals, where they saw a need for 

new equipment. 

“WE AREN’T MEDICS OURSELVES, but we 

made contact with cardiac researchers as well as 

doctors and nurses doing the hands-on work of 

assessing patients,” says Palerius, Zenicor’s ceo. 

“The idea grew until there was a convergence of 

hospital needs and technical capability.” 

The result is a wallet-sized unit which the 

patient can pull out and check his or her ecg 

at intervals or when symptoms appear. “Hold 

your thumbs on the unit for 10 to 30 seconds and 

press ‘Send.’ That’s it,” Palerius explains. “Our 

equipment is easy to carry around, which enables 

longer monitoring periods. This means better, 

more precise diagnoses.” 

USING AN INBUILT mobile Internet connection, 

the ecg curve is sent to a database at the hospital 

and checked by doctors or nurses there. “This is 

now an established method at about 100 hospitals 

in Sweden, Norway and Finland,” Palerius 

says. 

To date, the product has mostly been used 

to diagnose patients with occasional cardiac 

arrhythmia. Now the emphasis is on extending 

its use to a particular type of arrhythmia called 

atrial fibrillation. 

“This is a common disease affecting about 

200,000 people in Sweden, most of whom are 

elderly,” says Palerius. “You can have it without 

realising it, and that’s a major risk factor in serious, 

prevalent conditions, like strokes.” 

The Thumb ecg can actively identify people 

with atrial fibrillation who may also have other 

risk factors, like high blood pressure and diabetes. 

“In Europe, about 1,000 people every day 

have strokes due to untreated atrial fibrillation,” 

says Palerius. “Aside from the personal suffering 

which can be avoided, we can save society millions 

by catching these people in time.” • 

ZENICOR IN A NUTSHELL 

Established: 2003 

Employees: Four, but a total of about ten people 

are involved in development and sales 

Turnover (2009): SEK 5 million(appr. EUR 

500,000) 

Established markets: Sweden, Norway, Finland 

Export plans: Rest of Europe – initially Germany, 

Austria and Spain 

www.zenicor.se 


19


The ultimate brainstorm: 

A GATHERING 

OF WORLD-LEADING 

BRAIN RESEARCHERS 

TEXT ANDREAS NILSSON PHOTO ANETTE ANDERSSON 

Alzheimer’s and other diseases destroy vital brain functions and restrict 

people’s lives. Research within the Swedish Brain Power consortium has 

yielded a number of important advances that range from studies at the 

cellular level to quality-assurance work in the care environment. 

For neurodegenerative diseases, 

there is a gradual deterioration 

in various parts of the brain. 

Interdisciplinary cooperation 

can hasten the development of diagnosis 

and treatment. This was the idea behind 

the formation of Swedish Brain Power five 

years ago. 

“To ensure our success, we have 

‘compelled’ closer contact between various 

fields. Amongst other things, all doctoral 

students have supervisors from two different 

research groups,” says Bengt Winblad, 

the professor at Karolinska Institutet 

spearheading the effort. 

ONE AIM of the research is earlier detection 

of Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and als, thus 

increasing the chances of slowing or, in 

the best instances, curing these diseases. 

For example, newly-discovered biomarkers 

in the cerebrospinal fluid mean that 

doctors can now set an earlier diagnosis of 

Alzheimer’s. 

“Better diagnosis goes hand-in-hand 

with new treatments. For example, we are 

testing new vaccines against these diseases. 

New risk genes have also been identified, 

including for Parkinson’s and als. This has 

enabled the production of animal models 

for detailed study of how these diseases 

develop.” 

One of the most recent successes is an at- 

tempt at early Alzheimer’s treatment using 

a substance which stimulates nerve cell 

growth. Six patients have had small capsules 

of growth-factor producing cells implanted 

in their brains. Maria Eriksdotter Jönhagen, 

associated professor and senior physician 

at Karolinska University Hospital, Huddinge 

and acting head of the Swedish Brain 

Power, is in charge of the study. 

“In the case of Alzheimer’s, a certain 

type of cell starts to be broken down,” she 

ays. “The idea is to prevent this breakdown 

for arresting progression of the disease.” 

THERE IS A GREAT need for treatment. 

Sweden alone has about 90,000 

Alzheimer’s patients who could live 

normal lives, if it were possible to slow the 

disease. Eriksdotter Jönhagen emphasises 

that the successes are not just within 

medical research. 

“A number of projects cover such things 

as care quality,” she says. “To give patients 

equal diagnosis and treatment throughout 

Sweden, our measures have included 

setting up the SveDem dementia register. 

An important additional benefit of all 

the research connected with the clinical 

activity has been to give dementia care a 

higher profile. 

BENGT WINBLAD explains that successful 

clinical activity is also providing unique 

opportunities to try out new treatments 

in Sweden. “Good patient records and 

close contact with the patients mean our 

drop-out rate in the studies is small,” he 

says. “Swedish Brain Power has therefore 

become first choice for many pharmaceutical 

companies that have carried out clinical 

trials in Sweden worth eur 50 million.” 

Collaboration on research 

Swedish Brain Power is a national consortium 

within the field of neurodegenerative 

diseases. At least 100 researchers from all 

over Sweden have collaborated on various 

projects aimed at dementia including ones 

for Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and als. 

An international evaluation gave the 

effort high marks for its holistic outlook on 

neuroscience. • 

SWEDISH BRAIN POWER 

Swedish Brain Power is a network of leading 

research groups in the field of neurodegenerative 

disorders, with a main focus on dementia. The 

scientific collaboration within SBP spans from 

basic to clinical/epidemiological and care/caring 

research. The prioritisation of developing translational 

research has also created many contacts 

and new collaborations between academic 

research, industry and the health care system. 

Read more at www.swedishbrainpower.se/eng. 


In a complex world, product 

development work increasingly 

involves cooperation 

with suppliers, universities, 

external partners and even 

competitors. But Halmstad 

Living Lab gets its most 

important help from users. 

TEXT TOMAS ERIKSSON 



Hosted by Halmstad University, 

Halmstad Living Lab was 

instituted to foster cooperation 

between researchers, non-profits 

and companies, with a focus on user involvement. 

Not only does the Living Lab test whether a 

target group likes an innovation, it gets valuable 

advice on product improvements and suggestions 

for entirely new products and solutions. 

For one of its projects, the Living Lab invited 

a number of companies and the Halmstad Carers’ 

Association, a home-help service, to a workshop 

to discuss the needs of seniors and possibilities 

for better service. Attendees learned that relatives 

of elderly people worry about the seniors’ front 

doors. Were they locked? Is it difficult to lock and 

unlock the door? Who was going in and out, and 

when? Had the home-help service been to visit? 

One of the participants at the workshop 

was Olle Bliding, Head of Development at 

Phoniro ab, a company developing products for 

the health and social care sector. 

When the workshop was over, he knew more 

or less what should be produced. He contacted 

Carl-Magnus Johansson at the Lansen Technology 

alarm company, which develops wireless 

monitoring systems. Living Lab’s researchers, 

companies, and three focus groups of relatives 

and seniors participated in an interactive process 

to develop the original idea. 

The resulting system allows a person to lock 

and open the front door from his or her bed, 

having seen who is standing outside on a screen. 

The system also enables relatives to go online to 

check who had arrived and left through the door, 

and when. 

This project, which concluded with 10 families 

testing prototypes in their homes for two weeks, 

has brought Phoniro and Lansen significantly 

closer to a saleable product. 

Bliding says, “We found that the elderly 

subjects were better at handling the equipment 

than we had dared hope. We also managed to 

integrate our technical platforms into the system, 

Users become 

the innovators 

Free2Ride is one of many projects in which users take an active part in development work. 

which means that we can get out into the market 

much quicker.” 

Birgitta Ydén, Chair of Halmstad Carers’ 

Association is very pleased with the development 

work: “As a relative, I want to be involved in the 

development of different products which can 

enhance the comfort and quality of life of elderly 

people and their relatives.” 

Carina Ihlström Eriksson, a senior lecturer 

at Halmstad University who is in charge of 

Halmstad Living Lab, says, “This is a wonderful 

example of how user-driven innovation can be 

fostered by bringing together relatives and two 

companies to work together.” 

Jesper Svensson, a doctoral student and 

associate tutor at Halmstad University who is 

involved in most of the projects, says, “In all our 

cases, the idea is to ensure that the innovation 

reaches the market with help from users – so that 

it meets a need right from the beginning. Our 

job is to match ideas, seek funding, bring parties 

together and study the work process.” 

In the future, health technology will be 

a principal focus for Halmstad Living Lab. 

Ihlström Eriksson says, “Within that area, 

the actors involved – seniors, relatives and the 

home-help service – have tangible problems 

which can and should be solved. This makes 

them highly motivated.” • 

PROJECTS RUN BY 

HALMSTAD LIVING LAB 

• Silver Technology, a project in which Living 

Lab and the municipalities of Halmstad and 

Botkyrka analyse needs of elderly people that 

can be solved with technological support, 

includes everything from devices to help reach 

cupboards or open tins to innovations that 

reduce loneliness and isolation. 

• Express2Connect (E2C), which is part of 

the EU effort Ambient Assisted Living (AAL), 

encourages innovations that counteract the 

exclusion and isolation of elderly people. Halmstad 

Living Lab’s main role is leading tests of 

an online social platform that involves Finnish, 

Danish and Dutch partners and users. 

• Free2Ride is testing a communication 

system that sends out an alert if a rider falls of a 

horse, improving safety for riders – and putting 

worried parents and stable staff at ease. 

• LoCoMedia studies how to engage readers to 

come up with ideas and services for newspaper 

websites, such as district blogs and services for 

unemployed. 

www.halmstadlivinglab.se 


21


Swedish researchers restore 

SIGHT 

AND TARGET SICK CELLS 

Medical research in Linköping, Sweden, is world-leading, as two current 

projects demonstrate. At Linköping University Hospital, 10 patients 

have been living with synthetic corneas for the past two years. 

TEXT TOMAS ERIKSSON PHOTO SWEDEN.SE 

Nearby, nanoparticles have been 

produced from gadolinium 

oxide to identify cancer cells at 

a very early stage. Ten million 

people are blind due to corneal clouding, a 

curable condition. In the developed world, it is 

possible to receive a replacement cornea from 

a deceased donor; but for poor people in developing 

countries, the condition usually means 

blindness for life. In the 1990s, Canadian 

researcher May Griffith produced laboratorycultivated 

corneas in Ottowa, Canada. In 

2001, Professor Per Fagerholm of Linköping 

University Hospital’s Ophthalmology Clinic 

joined in the research. Thanks to collagen, a 

human protein, the team successfully created 

a net to which human cells and nerves could 

cling. The resulting artificial cornea develops 

like a natural part of the body. 

SIX YEARS LATER, the researchers were ready 

to apply to the Swedish Medical Products 

Agency for human trials. Two years ago, Linköping 

University Hospital received permission 

to surgically implant artificial corneas in 

10 patients. 

“Now, after two years, we see that things 

have gone so well that we can continue our 

work,” says Fagerholm. “All the corneas have 

attached to the eye, and the nerves have 

developed well. We were able to remove the 

sutures after only a month – when we transplant 

a donated human cornea, it takes years 

before we can do that.” 

Griffith chose to move her research 

operation from Ottawa to Linköping in 2009, 

where she now leads a research project to 

develop new ways to use artificial corneas in 

human therapy, primarily for corneal herpes 

infections. 

“Corneal herpes is the most common 

cause of corneal blindness,” explains Griffith. 

“For example, there are half a million people 

in the us who are blind because of it. At the 

moment, if the disease is allowed to go on 

too long, there is no cure, and it’s very painful. 

Worst of all, children affected by this disease 

get it in both eyes, whereas adults generally 

only get it in one.” 

THESE RESEARCH PROJECTS also create the 

possibility of developing products that will 

be useful to millions more pairs of eyes. The 

researchers at Linköping intend, at some 

point, to develop the commercial aspects of 

their knowledge in the form of a company, 

as the technology could be useful within 

several areas. 

“In Canada, for example, pre-clinical studies 

are underway to use the same technique 

for cardiac repairs and in fixing spinal injuries,” 

explains Fagerholm. Not far from Linköping 

University Hospital is, of course, Linköping 

University. In the Physics building, Kajsa 

Uvdal, Professor of Molecular Surface Physics 

and Nanoscience, has developed a method 

by which gadolinium oxide nanoparticles are 

equipped with homing “tags” and sent into the 

body. There they locate and latch onto selected 

cells – currently, Uvdal is focusing chiefly on 

cancer cells. These particles are tiny nanomagnets 

that can provide a local signal in an mri 

scanner that is thousands of times stronger 

than the current contrast system. 

Even small numbers of widespread cancer 

cells can be detected – something that is not 

possible with other methods currently in use. 

Cancer can therefore be detected at an earlier 

stage, which is very important in treating or 

slowing down the disease. 

And Uvdal’s gadolinium oxide particles 

can do even more. 

“They are luminescent, which means they 

can also be traced with an optical microscope 

– and, above all, they can trap neutrons,” he 

explains. “This creates opportunities for irradiating 

the selected dangerous cells without 

damaging others.” 

The tiny nanoparticles are not just limited 

to finding cancer cells; they can track a number 

of diseases. 

“We are also currently working on tracking 

Alzheimer’s by finding and marking the fibrils 

located on the exterior of brain cells which cause 

the disease,” says Uvdal. “The more clearly we 

can see these, the more of the brain we can save.” 

Uvdal’s work actually began without any 

funding and had to be carried out during 

quiet spells, evenings and weekends. However, 

recent funding has meant that a product of huge 

economic potential may come onto the market 

within five years. 

“When that happens,” says Uvdal, “all the 

current contrast methods will become obsolete.” 

He is interested not only in finding threatening 

cells, but developing methods to slow 

down or stop disease progression at an early 

stage by treating or destroying the cells. • 


IN SHORT 

PANDEMIC TRACKER 

• In the Chinese regions of 

Hubei and Jiangxi, people 

and animals live in close 

proximity. This situation has 

a higher risk of animal viruses 

mutating and infecting 

human beings, possibly 

resulting in a life-threatening 

pandemic. A new project is 

working on identifying and 

locating “limit values” that 

can warn authorities about 

epidemics that risk developing 

into pandemics. 

Led by Sweden’s renowned 

Karolinska Institutet and Future 

Position X (a Swedish company 

working with geographical information systems), 

the project takes a closer look at a number of factors 

that can point to a possible epidemic. Statistics such 

as drug sales, the number of absences from work due 

to sickness, reported disease symptoms and the number 

of telephone calls to and visits to medical centers 

will be recorded and analysed. “All the information 

we gather is geographically 

coded,” explains Bengt Julin, 

Project Leader at Future Position 

X. “When we put together 

a number of variables, they 

form a pattern which shows 

when certain limit values are 

exceeded. This serves as a 

warning signal so that measures 

can be put in place to 

prevent a local epidemic from 

developing into a pandemic.” 

By way of illustration, Bengt 

Julin draws a parallel with the 

London cholera epidemic of 

1854. “Dr John Snow marked 

maps to show where those 

infected with cholera were living,” he says. “He then 

began adding other information, and when he added 

in water pumps, he saw that many of those infected 

were living near a small number of pumps. By shutting 

off some water pumps, he successfully stopped the 

epidemic. That's how we work, too, but with modern 

information technology.” 


Breathing out drugs 

• Researchers at Karolinska Institutet presented 

the results of a study which, for the 

first time, demonstrates viable drug testing 

by exhalation. Their study included people 

who had received 

emergency care following 

amphetamine 

overdoses. In all 

cases, the researchers 

were able to 

use new technology 

to find traces 

of amphetamine and 

methamphetamine in 

the exhaled air. 

“Our results open the 

door to all sorts of 

new drug tests which are simple and reliable 

to carry out and require neither intrusive 

monitoring nor the presence of medical 

personnel,” says Professor Olof Beck, leader 

of the study. 


Sun-treated water saves lives 

• Solvatten is an innovative household water treatment 

unit that takes advantage of the sun to provide 

safe, hot water. Easy to use, it provides better health 

and saves fuel. The portable 10-litre unit is filled with 

water and placed in the sun for two to six hours, during 

which time infrared and ultraviolet rays heat and treat 

the water. Solvatten’s water can then be used immediately 

for cleaning and cooking, thus reducing the 

need for charcoal, kerosene or firewood. Because the 

water has been cleared of various diseases found in 

polluted water, it can also be cooled for drinking. 

Read more: www.solvatten.se 

Virtual sustainability 

• SymbioCity, a network and a brand, was 

begun two years ago to gather Swedish 

knowledge and experience in environmental 

engineering and promote the export 

of products and services contributing to 

sustainable cities. In December 2009, the 

game “SymbioCity Scenarios” was launched 

on SymbioCity’s website in order to raise 

awareness of what local governments can do 

to guide their cities towards more sustainable 

development. 

Taking on the role of mayor, players must 

employ small- and large-scale solutions, find 

synergies and set in motion thoughts and 

ideas relating to what SymbioCity stands for. 

The simulator is available for free at www. 

symbiocity.org. 


23

TOILETS 

FOR THE 

POOR 

TEXT TOMAS ERIKSSON 

FOTO CAMILLA WIRSEEN 

When the Swedish architect Anders 

Wilhelmson toured poor countries to 

see how he could contribute, he saw 

that architecture wasn’t needed. What 

was missing was the ability to defecate without spreading 

germs – almost half of the world’s population lacks 

access to toilets. 

Wilhelmson created a concept for biodegradable 

toilets, so-called Peepoos, based on research from 

the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and 

Sweden’s Royal Institute of Technology. His toilets 

are being backed by the company Peepoople, which 

received funding from the vinnova programme called 

“Innovations for a sustainable future.” 

“Peepoo is a disposable toilet in the form of a bag 

made out of biodegradable bio-plastics,” says Camilla 

Wirseen, project manager at Peepoople. “It works as a 

mini-sewage plant. After two to four weeks the germs in 

the faeces are decomposed, and the contents in the bag 

may be used as fertilizer. A problem becomes an asset.” 

The toilets are being field-tested in Kenyan slums, 

where they have been very successful. “Every fifteen seconds 

a child dies in slum areas,” says Wirseen. “Bacteria 

from the faeces poison groundwater and support cholera 

and diarrhea. In many countries, there are areas with 

no space for building toilets; but, by using Peepoo, you 

quickly get rid of the faeces.” • 

www.peepoople.com

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