Press release
23 October 2008
Ministry of Education and Research
SEK 5 billion to boost research and innovation
Today the Government's Research and Innovation Bill will be presented. It covers the period 2009-2012 and in terms of additional resources, includes the largest allocation ever. With its SEK 5 billion, it is more than twice as large as its predecessor, and larger than the total sum allocated in the three most recent bills.
"In our age, knowledge is in the process of becoming the most important competitive factor. Countries lagging behind in terms of knowledge and innovation risk running into enormous difficulties. This is one reason why we are making the biggest investment ever in Swedish research. The other reason is that we want to contribute to solutions to the enormous problems facing mankind, such as the climate issue and how serious diseases could be cured or alleviated," says Minister for Higher Education and Research Lars Leijonborg.
"But more funds are is not sufficient. There are also a number of systems issues that have hampered Swedish research. By consistently maintaining high standards and using competition as a method, we are providing Swedish researchers with the potential of being best of all," says Lars Leijonborg.
Some of the important items in the Bill are:
Universities and higher education institutions to be allocated increased resources
The largest portion of central government research funds will go to academic institutions. Out of existing funds, some SEK 11 billion of the approximately SEK 17 billion will be allocated to research via the Ministry of Education and Research. SEK 1.55 billion of the future appropriations will be allocated to universities and higher education institutions over the period 2009-2012. This will be distributed in accordance with a new system in which quality will determine how much each university or higher education institution will receive. Quality will be measured by means of two criteria - publications/references to publications and external research funds. A table in appendix 1 shows how funds will be distributed among universities and higher education institutions.
Strategic investments
Since World War II, Swedish central government-supported basic research has in principle been funded in two ways: through direct appropriations to universities (faculty funds) and through appropriations via the research councils (council appropriations). An important element of the reform of the appropriations system proposed in the Bill is that a third, major type of funding will be introduced: strategic investments. SEK 1.8 billion of the SEK 5 billion will be allocated in the Research Bill to what is planned to be a permanent, annual increase in appropriations to research in a number of strategically important areas. The entire list of strategic areas is given in appendix 2.
Increased appropriations to the councils
The four research funding institutions, the Swedish Council for Working Life and Social Research, the Swedish Research Council for Environment, Agricultural Sciences and Spatial Planning, the Swedish Agency for Innovation Systems and the Swedish Research Council will be allocated SEK 675 million. The appropriation to the Swedish Energy Agency will increase by SEK 110 million and to the Swedish National Space Board by SEK 20 million from 2009, as part of the initiative for strategic research areas.
Innovation
Central government investments in research need to be made use of more extensively in the community and the business sector. In the Research and Innovation Bill, the Government presents an initiative to increase the commercialisation of research results. A total of SEK 150 million has been allocated for this purpose. Innovation offices will be set up at a number of higher education institutions. The industrial research institutes will be allocated additional funds of SEK 200 million.
1 per cent goal already achieved by 2009
According to a decision of the EU Council of Ministers, a member country's allocations to R&D should amount to 3 per cent of GDP, 2 per cent of which from the business sector and 1 per cent from public sources - what is known as the Lisbon goal. The SEK 5 billion investment now being made means that the 1 per cent goal will already be achieved by 2009.
