Foreword Ulf Bengtsson, President of ANE, President of the Swedish Association of Graduate Engineers. Bertil Nordqvist, ABB Robotics, Member of Sveriges Ingenjörer, Chairman of the project steering committee of Progress in Demand. The engineering profession is fundamental for the innovation and technological development that is essential if the Nordic and Baltic countries shall survive in the global competition. The global mobility of technological knowledge puts great demands on the industrial implementation of technology. Europe can be far more efficient in the transfer of technological knowledge between technical universities, research and technology organizations and small and medium-sized enterprises. There is great potential for transfer of both new and existing technological knowledge from the technological knowledge institutions / universities to a large number of these enterprises. Harvesting this potential will greatly strengthen the competitiveness of the Nordic region in the global society. With such pronounced benefits, it is a paradox that small and medium-sized enterprises express experiences of extensive barriers in considering or even acting in actual collaborations with knowledge institutions. How can we help the small and medium-sized enterprises to develop a greater demand for knowledge? This question presented the name to the project, Progress in Demand. The board of the Association of Nordic Engineers (ANE) decided to test the feasibility of a simultaneous look at this question across four Scandinavian and three Baltic countries. Partners from all countries were invited, and a steering committee was formed comprising one representative from each of the seven countries, with representatives from universities, research and technology organizations and engineering organizations. The project is grateful for the financial support obtained from the NORDPLUS Adult programme. The University of Southern Denmark (SDU) has together with ANE and the project steering committee contributed in developing the basis for the empirical analysis. Based upon national contacts provided by the steering committee members, SDU has made the data collection and performed the analysis that forms the main body of knowledge. In all countries, small and medium-sized enterprises, technical universities and research and technology organizations were asked of their experience with the transfer of technological knowledge. What barriers exist? What stimulates the motivation for establishing a collaboration? Which training elements for enterprise staff can be made in order to stimulate the demand for knowledge? One of the main recommendations is that training of the staff at small and medium-sized enterprises should go hand in hand with concrete knowledge development initiatives. The main results of Progress in Demand form the basis for the recommendations that you are holding in your hand. We hope that they can contribute to the initiatives in the coming years, for instance within the Nordic Council of Ministers, also in its co-operation with the Baltic states, and in connection with initiatives to be taken within the upcoming EU Horizon 2020 programme. Project organization: Steering committee Sweden Bertil Nordqvist, ABB Robotics, member of The Swedish Association of Graduate Engineers (chairman of steering committee) Finland Pekka Pellinen TEK, Finnish Association of Graduate Engineers, Head of Unit Estonia Toomas Rang, Tallinn University of Technology, Department of Electronics, Professor, Head of Department; Faculty of Information Technology, R&D, Vice-dean Latvia Laila Eliņa, Riga Technical University, Innovation and Technology Transfer Centre, Head of Centre Lithuania Violeta Kaunelienė, Kaunas University of Technology, Innovation Office, Head of Office Denmark Ragnar Heldt Nielsen, GTS - Advanced Technology Group (DK), Managing Director Norway Frode Paulsen, Teknologisk Institutt, Head of Unit University of Southern Denmark, Department of Marketing & Management: • Mette Præst Knudsen, Professor Mso and PhD • René Chester Goduscheit, Assistant Professor and PhD • Ian Stampe, Market Analyst ANE staff: • Per Klok, Secretary General at ANE • Lars Øystein Eriksen, Analyst and Advisor at NITO - The Norwegian Society of Engineers and Technologists • Paul Lidehäll, International Secretary at The Swedish Association of Graduate Engineers • Henrik Lemke, Manager of the project and Chief Con- sultant at IDA, the Danish Society of Engineers I II
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