Industry needs universities and vice versa

Today we have approx. 1 billion Internet connections and more than 3 billion mobile phone subscribers. Both numbers are steadily increasing. Information fl ows around the world instantly through electronic media. Today, people send more than 1500 emails per person per year, and the distance or the size of the mail does not increase the cost. One can send a person’s annual accomplishment of creative work, in industrial design or humanities, anywhere in the world in a few seconds. Internet telephony has resulted in the price of transatlantic telephony disappearing into the monthly broadband connection cost. The fundamental capability of people being connected easily and at low cost to each other, and to various kinds of data banks such as Google and Wikipedia, is changing our lifestyles and work practices probably faster than ever before. At the same time, less and less labour force is needed to make physical products. This is largely due to increased use of automation and innovative product concepts. In the U.S.A., the manufacturing of goods corresponded to approx. 27% of the labour force in 2004 and only approx. 3% to agriculture, with the remaining 70% working in software, development and services. Transport of physical goods over long distances has become faster and less expensive. Obviously, in physical transport, we cannot have quite as signifi cant cost reductions as those seen in transporting bits. This all means that the role of geography is playing a decreasing role in determining where companies locate their activities. Manufacturing tends to be located in countries where the balance between the needed competence level and labour cost is optimal. Knowledge does not travel over long distances as easily as information. Even though creating knowledge requires strong international networking, it is, to a large extent, tied to locations with proven track records and the capability to attract the best people. The top universities tend to be the same few universities year after year. As the competitiveness of companies increasingly depends on their ability to renew themselves, it is only natural that their interest in leading-edge research is increasing. This is a good motivation to companies to participate in international or national development programmes, as well as establishing direct links with leading universities in their fi elds of interest. 11