MIKAEL LIND
VIKTORIA Swedish ICT
Access to key knowledge and technology is essential in order to create renewal in industry and society based on ICT - Information and Communication Technology.
The institutes within Swedish ICT conduct research and development in several of these key areas, ranging from sensors and actuators, communication networks and data analytics to visualization, interaction design, service and business development. With our combination of research excellence and industry experience we enable innovation by gathering different disciplines and actors to effectively work together and provide cross-functional solutions.
Swedish ICT is a group of world-class research institutes within ICT: Acreo Swedish ICT, SICS Swedish ICT, Interactive Institute Swedish ICT and Viktoria Swedish ICT. Combining research excellence with industry professionals, and working in a collaborative and interdisciplinary environment, makes us experts in enabling innovation.
The role of Swedish ICT is to work for sustainable growth in Sweden. Research results are to be converted into innovations that contribute to greater competitiveness and renewal in industry and society, and a better quality of life. We do this in close collaboration with academia, industry and society.
We are an independent partner for your R&D projects, owned by the Swedish government through RISE (60%), and by two stakeholder associations (40%) with member companies from Swedish industry. There are many ways to collaborate with us; together in consultancy projects, public funded research projects, as a partner in our competence centers, by using our testbeds and lab facilities, or taking part in our outreach activities.
Swedish ICT is a non-dividend-paying research and technology organization at the forefront of ICT research and innovation, co-owned by the Swedish Government through RISE, Research Institutes of Sweden, and by Swedish industry through two industrial associations FMOF and FAV (20% each).
Located in 12 cities in Sweden, we employ some 400 researchers, all of whom help to develop tomorrow’s ICT solutions and integrated applications on a daily basis. We offer the public sector and private industries: ICT expertise, Pre-studies, Research and innovation projects, Advanced testing environments and Our comprehensive network.
The group Swedish ICT comprises the four research institutes: Acreo Swedish ICT AB, SICS Swedish ICT AB, Interactive Institute Swedish ICT AB and Viktoria Swedish ICT AB. All four are wholly owned by Swedish ICT Research AB (parent company), except Viktoria, which is 91% owned. Majority-owned subsidiary companies for Acreo are IRnova AB (65%) and Fibertronix AB (85%), and for SICS, they are SICS East Swedish ICT AB – formerly Santa Anna – (91%) and SICS Swedish ICT Västerås AB (100%).
Board members of the institutes are elected by the board of Swedish ICT Research AB. Customers and partners engaged in different forms of cooperative projects are examples of an ongoing dialogue that provides valuable input on customer needs and to the direction of future research.
The CEO of Swedish ICT Research AB reports to the board which consists of 11 members. Two members are employee representatives. Board members are nominated by an election committee formed with representatives from each of the owners. The CEO has a management group that consists of the vice president, the four CEOs of the research institutes, and the directors of finance, communication and business and strategy development.
The board, together with the management group, is responsible for the general planning and development of the Swedish ICT group. Policies for different issues are formulated at group level and implemented at the institutes as well as support functions are coordinated at group level. Swedish ICT coordinates and handles contacts with governmental organizations and owners. Specifically, Swedish ICT handles the strategic use of the core funding for developing new capabilities within the group and development of the group Business and Innovation Areas.
Hans Hentzell, CEO Swedish ICT Research AB
Rolf Leidhammar, Business and Strategy Development Swedish ICT Research AB
Leif Ljungqvist, CEO Acreo Swedish ICT AB
Christer Norström, CEO SICS Swedish ICT AB
Anette Novak, CEO Interactive Institute Swedish ICT AB
Lena Nilsson, Executive Assistant Swedish ICT Research AB
Per-Åke Olsson, CEO Viktoria Swedish ICT AB
Lars-Erik Ridderström, CFO Swedish ICT Research AB
Jenny Normark Sperens, Director of Communication Swedish ICT Research AB
Staffan Truvé, Vice President Swedish ICT Research AB
Our mission is to turn research results into new innovations. We do this in close collaboration with industry, society and academia.
We are proud to be officially nominated and awarded for our ideas, initiatives and innovations. It is an acknowledgment of the value we create.
Test beds, demonstrators are vital elements of an innovation system, as well as advanced laboratories and opportunities for small scale production. Our infrastructure is available for use by both industry and the public sector.
One way how we work with knowledge transfer is by our outreach activities. We participate in numerous conferences, exhibitions and arrange events open for everyone.
With over 250 researchers at the forefront of ICT research we contribute to the development of new knowledge through scientific publications and book releases.
We contribute to growth and renewal in industry and society by transferring research results into innovations; new products and services put on the market.
ACREO
INTERACTIVE INSTITUTE
SICS
VIKTORIA
The project 100GET was awarded the Celtic-Plus Innovation Award 2013 for its outstanding performance.
The Swedish ICT group’s brand new website, developed by Happiness, came in second place at the Swedish Drupal Awards 2013 in the category best Swedish Drupal website.
New collaboration with Medelhavsmuseet for their Egypt exhibition - state-of-the-art mummy visualization.
The project 100GET was awarded the Celtic-Plus Innovation Award 2013 for its outstanding performance.
The Knowledge Foundation grants SEK 30.3 million for research on quick response times on the internet, led by SICS.
Viktoria Swedish ICT is signing cooperation intentions with Shanghai International City Group.
Almedalen – Swedish ICT was actively debating smart citites, smart energy, open innovation and the role for Sweden as a leading nation in the development and implementation of ICT solutions.
The third international Workshop on Specialty Optical Fibers and their Applications (WSOF) was organized by Acreo and attracted over 200 international specialists to Sigtuna, Sweden.
SICS Software Week attracts 600 people: Cloud & Big Data Day, Multicore Day and Internet of Sports Day
VINNOVA’s strategic innovation program National Program for Process Industrial IT and Automation is up and running. SICS Västerås hosts the program, which has a total budget of a quarter of a billion SEK.
Intercative Institute organizes Nodem 2013, 10 year anniversary; a conference that brings together museum and heritage professionals, innovation experts and practitioners.
Volvo, Bombardier, ABB and 7 other major industries becomes members of Acreo SiC Power Center."
Acreo Swedish ICT and Transmode performed a successful transmission of 100 Gbit/s over 1640km installed optical fiber in Acreo National Testbed.
Announced for tenants to the apartment in The Royal Seaport, connected to the project 'Active house'. An apartment supplied with prototypes designed for the future energy use.
The European project Make Sense, lead by SICS, develops methods for easy programming of integrated wireless sensor networks.
In the end of December 2012 Ericsson Business Review highlighted the article “Smart charging for electric vehicles”, an article about the Viktoria initiated project Elviis.
Leif Ljungqvist appointed new CEO of Acreo Swedish ICT
Acreo National Testbed celebrates 10 years of successful field-trials for industry and society
Acreos spin off Ascatron was named one of Sweden's 33 hottest young technology companies by the magazines Ny teknik and Affärsvärlden.
SICS spin off Gavagai, and SICS related companies Tomologic, Thingsquare and Recorded Future were named among Sweden's 33 hottest young technology companies by the magazines Ny teknik and Affärsvärlden.
The Swedish Transport Administration (Trafikverket) and six academic institutions are establishing a long-term rail traffic research and innovation partnership, led by SICS.
The project 100GET was awarded the Celtic-Plus Innovation Award 2013 for its outstanding performance.
The Swedish ICT group’s brand new website, developed by Happiness, came in second place at the Swedish Drupal Awards 2013 in the category best Swedish Drupal website.
Interactive Institute in Piteå designs an audio exhibit to Falkenberg Museum. The exhibition focuses on the different types of safety and warning sounds used in our everyday lives.
SICS Open House with over 300 participants. Morning speakers were Mikael Ydholm, Head of Research, IKEA of Sweden and Sara Mazur, Head of Ericsson Research.
Travel Hack final. Swedens largest hackathon for public transport services arranged by Viktoria, SL and Samtrafiken. The year's best digital service for public transport was “Reseledaren.”
New collaboration with Medelhavsmuseet for their Egypt exhibition - state-of-the-art mummy visualization.
Cecilia Katzeff has been appointed adjunct professor in sustainable interaction design at KTH School of Computer Science and Communication.
SICS arranges a seminar on future IT Security. This time the event takes place in Lund, where SICS has a new rapidly growing Security lab.
Launch of the GotRIS project, realizing effective traffic management for different modes of transport on an around Göta Älv.
Swedish ICT signed a collaboration agreement with KTH, to further support each other to create a wider and more flexible innovation system.
The Nordic prime ministers learned about the future energy-efficient housing when visiting the “Active House” and Smart ICT project in Stockholm Royal Seaport
Acreo Swedish ICT (Crister Mattson and Marco Forzati) was selected experts for the European Commission’s Directorate General for Regional and Urban Policy, Smart and sustainable growth.
Printed electronics is granted 24 MSEK for new lab equipment from the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation
Johan Fagerlönn, researcher and project manager at Interactive Institute in Piteå, Sweden, is chosen for Top of Sweden Mentorship.
Oscar Täckström successfully defends his Ph. D. thesis. He is one of eight (8) SICS Researchers who earn their doctoral degrees in 2013.
Lindholmen Science Park, Viktoria Swedish ICT and Tesla Motors are investigating conditions for a demonstration project on long-range electric taxi in Gothenburg.
Viktoria arranges a visit at Metro Rio in Brazil together with the Swedish Minister for Enterprise and VINNOVA, in order to explore the potential of a common pilot project on open data.
Acreos report on socio-economic benefits of fiber investments in Stockholm (Stokab)
"Hackerklubben", founded by Interactive Institute in Gothenburg, provides children aged 8-12 with the opportunity of learning to code, this year it was fully booked within 24h.
Opening of the Ballade of Women exhibition in Sienna; A poetic experiential exhibition, as a result of an international collaboration.
The Knowledge Foundation grants SEK 30.3 million for research on quick response times on the internet, led by SICS.
Viktoria Swedish ICT is signing cooperation intentions with Shanghai International City Group.
The Financial Times reports on the Viktoria initiated project TIME-Rio.
Almedalen – Swedish ICT was actively debating smart citites, smart energy, open innovation and the role for Sweden as a leading nation in the development and implementation of ICT solutions.
Viktoria Swedish ICT and Halmstad University finalists in Volvo Cars Open innovation challenge.
As key note speakers and workshop leaders, Swedish ICT was one of the program partners in the new Swedish conference Digital Health Days.
The third international Workshop on Specialty Optical Fibers and their Applications (WSOF) was organized by Acreo and attracted over 200 international specialists to Sigtuna, Sweden.
Acreo Swedish ICT was contracted to update the European Commission´s Guide to broadband investment.
Anette Novak appointed new CEO of Interactive Institute Swedish ICT
Interactive Institute organizes the Audio Mostly conference 2013 in Piteå with ACM.
Petra Sundström speaks about Tactility in a Digital World at The Conference – by Media Evolution with 1000 participants.
Royal Visit at Printed Electronics Arena.
A “Memorandum of Understanding” (MoU) between Rio de Janeiro Operations Center and Swedish ICT is signed, stating the ambition to establish a platform for innovation in the area of information technology and mobility.
Interactive Institute runs workshop at Bonnier GRID Summit.
SICS Software Week attracts 600 people: Cloud & Big Data Day, Multicore Day and Internet of Sports Day
SICS, KTH and Uppsala University organize the scientific conference CP 2013 on Constraints Programming in Uppsala.
Viktoria Swedish ICT participates in the eLeMans, city-race for electric vehicles, which takes place at Göteborg City Arena
Acreo Spinn off Ascatron receives EU-funding for a new Silicon Carbide project in cooperation with a company in Belgium. A result of a successful matchmaking, organized by the EEN
A telemedicine solution for treatment of COPD-patients at home was demonstrated; A result from the eHealth project looking at home treatment solutions.
VINNOVA’s strategic innovation program National Program for Process Industrial IT and Automation is up and running. SICS Västerås hosts the program, which has a total budget of a quarter of a billion SEK.
The research and demo platform for smart home services, developed by the Smart ICT project, was successfully launched at the HGI forum in Malmö.
Viktoria is highlighted by Odette International for valuable contribution to standardization of reporting greenhouse gas emissions in the automotive industry’s supply chain.
Acreo and SICS are involved in 6 out of 11 new R & D projects within VINNOVAs investment for development of future information and communication technologies.
Acreo Broadband Technology was one of three winners in the regional competition Boost Innovation
Acreos spinoff Silex Microsystems was awarded a grant of nearly $1 million USD (5,8 MSEK) to develop its PZT piezoelectric material manufacturing capability to support future energy harvesting from vibrations.
Ramia Mazé was appointed Docent (Associate Professor) in Interaction Design
Interactive Institute organizes Nodem 2013, 10 year anniversary; a conference that brings together museum and heritage professionals, innovation experts and practitioners.
Interactive Institute organizes Nodem 2013, 10 year anniversary; a conference that brings together museum and heritage professionals, innovation experts and practitioners.
Markus Bylund releases his book, ”Integritet på nätet” (Privacy on the Net), and debates for freedom on the Internet in Swedish media.
Viktoria is invited as keynote speaker at the Aviation IT-Conference in London
Acreo, with partners, finalizes the Research and Innovation Agenda “ ICT Electronics Components and Systems for Sweden”.
Interactive Institute starts a project together with actors in Norrköping, to develop an innovative 3D visualization tool and establish Visualization Center C to a meeting place for the East Link project.
Tacton Systems, a global provider of software for sales and product configuration, receives the prestigious award Gazelle, for the second year in a row.
Viktoria Swedish ICT Forum, with 120 participants, takes place at Chalmers. The theme of this year’s event is “Sustainable Mobility in Cities of the World”.
Key competences in MEMS, Electromagnetics, Bio-Chemical and Systems design. Close to Chalmers, as neighbors and as partners.
Expertise in Fiber Optic Sensors. Home for Acreo Fiber Lab - production of advanced specialty optical fibers. Part of the regional hub Fiber Optic Valley.
World leading R&D-center for Printed and Organic Electronics. Operates the EU Pilot-Line Demonstrator PEA-Manufacturing in partnership with Linköping University and NOSP
Acreo HQ. Expertise within Broadband Communication, Fiber Optics and Nanoelectronics. Operates Electrum Laboratory in collaboration with KTH.
Cooperation with authorities for Health and Social Affairs. Focus: User-Oriented Services and Products.
Collaboration with Lund University. Focus: Security, primarily working with platform and network security issues.
Close collaboration with KTH, EIT ICT Lab and Ericsson. Focus: Cloud and Big Data Analytics, Networked Systems Technologies and Services, and User Oriented Services and Products.
Strong connections to Uppsala University. Focus: SICStus Prolog.
Cooperation with Mälardalen University and the Mälardalen industries, such as ABB, Scania and Bombardier. Focus: Industrial Efficiency and Optimization, Software and Systems Engineering.
Expertise in sustainable interaction design and user behavior in relation to energy use. Located at Munktell Science Park.
Expertise in learning, maker culture, future internet, and gamification. Located next to Chalmers and Lindholmen Science Park.
Expertise in ICT-supported learning. Partner to Karlstad University and Karlstad Municipality.
Expertise in cutting-edge visualization technologies. Part of Norrköping Visualization Center.
Expertise in sound and interface design. Located at Acusticum, a meeting place for cultural and creative industry.
Interactive Institute HQ. Expertise in design strategy, participatory innovation and collaborative processes.
Expertise in interaction design for extreme environments. Located at Umeå University's brand new Arts Campus.
Expertise in open innovation, innovation management and social informatics.
Lindholmen Science Park, a venue for research and innovation, Viktoria Swedish ICT ´s primary location.
Except the CEO, VP, and CFO, are the functions brand and communication management, business and strategy development and executive assistant.
With a strong regional base and a national presence Swedish ICT has operations in major Swedish cities, always in close collaboration with the university and innovation actors in the region.
The group consists of Acreo Swedish ICT, SICS Swedish ICT, Interactive Institute Swedish ICT and Viktoria Swedish ICT and has about 400 employees. Headquarter is located Kista (Stockholm, Sweden), with operations in: Eskilstuna, Göteborg, Hudiksvall, Karlstad, Kista, Linköping, Lund, Norrköping, Piteå, Umeå, Uppsala and Västerås.
Click our offices below for more information
HANS HENTZELL
SWEDISH ICT
PER-ÅKE OLSSON
VIKTORIA
Swedish ICT
CHRISTER NORSTRÖM
SICS
Swedish ICT
ANETTE
NOVAK
INTERACTIVE INSTITUTE
Swedish ICT
LEIF LJUNGQVIST
ACREO
Swedish ICT
The group Swedish ICT comprises the four research institutes: Acreo, SICS, Interactive Institute and Viktoria. We employ some 400 researchers, all of whom help to develop tomorrow’s ICT solutions and integrated applications on a daily basis.
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Our Vision: ICT for a sustainable and better life for everyone
We all know that we face significant challenges in creating a sustainable society for the next generation. These are complex, cross-boundary challenges that require cross-boundary solutions. There is no doubt that ICT will play an increasingly important part of the solutions to our common challenges.
THE STRENGTH OF SWEDISH ICT IS that we are a group of specialized institutes offering specific expertise and solutions based on ICT. With our common challenges as the starting point, we have established a number of strategically important focus areas in order to strengthen and clarify our cross-boundary offering to industry and the public sector. We call them Swedish ICT Business and Innovation Areas.
During 2013 we have focused on four areas: eHealth, Smart Energy, Sustainable Mobility and SME Development – click on the areas above to read more.
Home care services will play a vital role in tomorrow’s health care system. As new digital tools become increasingly available, we as citizens will take a more active role in our health care and a greater responsibility for our health.
Swedish ICT has the ICT competence to achieve accessible, high-quality information, integrated and secure communications systems, efficient processes and interactive services.
Related projectTo create a sustainable society we must rethink energy production and consumption in terms of environmental impact. ICT-based solutions will enable us to achieve sustainable and efficient energy production and smart consumption.
Swedish ICT has the competence in creating designs for new behavioral and social practices, electric vehicles, measurements in harsh environments, data analysis, monitoring systems and new materials.
Related projectInnovations that improve road safety, reduce environmental impact, and increase availability and accessibility, are needed. ICT-driven innovations contribute to sustainable mobility irrespective of the choice of transportation.
Swedish ICT has the expertise and experience in user interface and experience design, enabling software and electronics, sensor solutions and SiC Power Electronics.
Related projectThe development of existing small and medium sized companies (SME) and new start ups is crucial to generate growth, create new jobs and promote a more sustainable society.
Swedish ICT supports SMEs within ICT-driven product, process and service development; and by offering access to national, EU-based and other international networks, experts and projects as well as access to cost effective infrastructure for test and demonstrations and small scale production.
Related projectTogether with more than 100 industry partners, social actors and academies Swedish ICT works to find solutions to our common challenges and to take advantage of our opportunities to strengthen Sweden’s competitiveness.
The Swedish Innovation Agency Vinnova has initiated a number of programs to support activates for cross-border collaborations with a challenge-driven approach and to formulate research and innovation strategies for Sweden. Swedish ICT work in over 30 of these strategic projects and initiatives, and is the coordinator of 7.
INTERACTIVE INSTITUTE
ACREO, SICS
Sum
Spin-offs
SME
kSEK
Spin-off companies from Swedish ICT had a turnover of 1 960 MSEK in 2013 (2012: 1820 MSEK). Most spin-off companies are based on projects together with our partner companies and collaboration with mainly two of our partner universities, KTH and Linköping University. The partner companies, of course, always have a first right of refusal before a spin-off company is started.
Turnover in established SME (Small and Medium Sized enterprises) related to R&D projects with coaching from Swedish ICT was 213 MSEK in 2013 (2012: 280 MSEK). A downward trend correlated to the fact that the INSICT program which gave funding to SMEs for IT-related projects and coaching activities was ended in 2010 and corresponding financing from VINNOVA did not continue the years after.
Through collaboration with Acreo Swedish ICT the new company Observe Medical AB could launch its first product to the market during 2013. SIPPI is a unique, single use, digital urine meter. The product is expected to conquer a significant part of the market potential of about 15 million disposable units per year.
WEMEMOVE is a new and exciting spin-off from SICS Swedish ICT and Interactive Institute Swedish ICT heading for a global sports market, set to be worth 145 billion US dollars by 2015. The first product "mySKILAB”, a digital ski-coach, will soon be launched.
WE CAN PROUDLY STATE that five out of 33 companies on the 33-list of the hottest technology companies in Sweden, have a connection to research institutes within Swedish ICT. Two of them are:
Ascatron, a spin-off from Acreo Swedish ICT and their research within Silicon Carbide. The company manufactures power components that can withstand high temperatures with low loss and high reliability. Applications are in electric vehicles and electric power grids.
Gavagai, a spin-off from SICS Swedish ICT. The company's products are based on a technology that in real time analyzes what is said, by whom, what they like and what personality they have; In almost all the world's languages.
Svenska Grindmatriser AB | Cobolt | Cree (f d Intrinsic Sweden) |
Novosense | Silex | Svedice |
Wavebreaker numera del av Flextronics | TFE | Syntune numera Finisar Sweden |
Tacton Systems | Virtutech | Företag Y |
Effnet | Axiomatics | Interactive Product Line |
Digiwall Technology | Innovation Impact | Blue Mobile Systems |
Diadrom | Impact Coatings | Transmode |
Peerialism | Movinto Fun | IRnova |
Gavagai | Schhhh Audio | Vasasensor |
Fibertronix | DP Patterning AB | Jfocus |
Telcred | Pike Solution AB | Oboe IPR |
Ecosparc Light Techn | Ideaviate AB | Ascatron |
Lumisigns AB | WeMeMove | Socusence |
(KSEK) | 2013 Jan-Dec |
2012 Jan-Dec |
2011 Jan-Dec |
2010 Jan-Dec |
2009 Jan-Dec |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Income statement | |||||
Net turnover | 432 339 | 429 495 | 428 633 | 424 321 | 414 200 |
Result after financial items | -8 491 | -25 847 | -8 629 | 1 561 | 127 |
Balance sheet | |||||
Balance sheet | 253 150 | 251 031 | 255 987 | 259 249 | 236 617 |
Shareholders equity | 52 599 | 53 640 | 76 104 | 85 334 | 84 001 |
Key figures | |||||
Net margin ratio | -2,0% | -6.0% | -2,0% | 0,4% | 0,0% |
Equity ratio | 20,8% | 21,4% | 29,7% | 32,9% | 35,5% |
Average number of employees | 362 | 344 | 355 | 342 | 338 |
Cash flow | -3 878 | 10 480 | -34 975 | -4 392 | -9 007 |
Key figure definitions
Net margin ratio: result after financial items in % of turnover
Equity ratio: equity capital in % of balance sheet total
Average number of employees: average number of employees during the period
Choose company
(KSEK) | Acreo group | SICS group | Interactive Institute | Viktoria |
---|---|---|---|---|
Income statement | ||||
Net turnover | 195 492 | 140 340 | 53 899 | 42 873 |
Result after financial items | -12 683 | 3 524 | 320 | 617 |
Balance sheet | ||||
Balance sheet total | 61 845 | 127 051 | 27 772 | 24 754 |
Shareholders equity | 5 283 | 33 313 | 8 746 | 3 248 |
Key figures | ||||
Net margin ratio, | -6,5% | 2,5% | 0,6% | 1,4% |
Equity ratio, | 8,5% | 26,2% | 31,5% | 13,1% |
Average number of employees | 148 | 117 | 52 | 41 |
Note:
2013 Acreo Swedish ICT Group comprised of: Acreo Swedish ICT AB, IRnova AB and Fibertronix AB.
2014 IRnova is no longer part of the Acreo Swedish ICT Group.
2013 SICS Swedish ICT Group comprised of: SICS Swedish ICT AB, SICS East Swedish ICT AB and SICS Swedish ICT Västerås AB.
Choose company
(KSEK) | Acreo Swedish ICT AB | IRnova AB | Fibertronix AB |
---|---|---|---|
Income statement | |||
Net turnover | 179 035 | 23 500 | 3 325 |
Result after financial items | 781 | -16 119 | -1 137 |
Balance sheet | |||
Balance sheet total | 59 068 | 12 803 | 1 093 |
Shareholders equity | 12 221 | 2 236 | -1 017 |
Key figures | |||
Net margin ratio, | 0,4% | -68,6% | -34,2% |
Equity ratio, | 20,7% | 10,7% | -93,0% |
Average number of employees | 127 | 21 | 0 |
Note:
2013 Acreo Swedish ICT Group comprised of: Acreo Swedish ICT AB, IRnova AB and Fibertronix AB.
2014 IRnova is no longer part of the Acreo Swedish ICT Group.
Choose company
(KSEK) | Interactive Institute |
---|---|
Income statement | |
Net turnover | 53 899 |
Result after financial items | 320 |
Balance sheet | |
Balance sheet total | 27 772 |
Shareholders equity | 8 746 |
Key figures | |
Net margin ratio, | 0,6% |
Equity ratio, | 31,5% |
Average number of employees | 52 |
Choose company
(KSEK) | SICS Swedish ICT AB | SICS East Swedish ICT AB | SICS Swedish ICT Västerås AB |
---|---|---|---|
Income statement | |||
Net turnover | 122 454 | 12 101 | 4 502 |
Result after financial items | 3 007 | 324 | 192 |
Balance sheet | |||
Balance sheet total | 106 138 | 13 430 | 7 624 |
Shareholders equity | 32 581 | 711 | 227 |
Key figures | |||
Net margin ratio, | 2,5% | 2,3% | 4,3% |
Equity ratio, | 30,7% | 5,3% | 2,3% |
Average number of employees | 102 | 11 | 5 |
Note:
2013 SICS Swedish ICT Group comprised of: SICS Swedish ICT AB, SICS East Swedish ICT AB and SICS Swedish ICT Västerås AB.
Choose company
(KSEK) | Viktoria |
---|---|
Income statement | |
Net turnover | 42 873 |
Result after financial items | 617 |
Balance sheet | |
Balance sheet total | 24 754 |
Shareholders equity | 3 248 |
Key figures | |
Net margin ratio, | 1,4% |
Equity ratio, | 13,1% |
Average number of employees | 41 |
Being a group of four research institutes in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Swedish ICT influences society and the environment primarily through the research projects we participate in and the results we deliver. ICT is an enabling technology, and can provide solutions to sustainability challenges.
"Swedish ICT's role is to promote sustainable growth in Sweden - research will be transformed into innovations that contribute to competitiveness and innovation in business and society, as well as improved quality of life."
This mission indicates a clear focus on sustainability issues. Swedish ICT performs research and innovation that create value for industry and society. In order to deliver on its mission, the availability of world-class competences is absolutely crucial to Swedish ICT. Therefore, efforts are made to be an attractive employer capable both of recruiting and retaining employees, while actively transferring competency to industry.
An active dialogue is maintained with stakeholders, customers, partners and employees. To identify improvement and development areas, customer and employee surveys, of varying degrees, are done within Swedish ICT.
In 2013 a new brand was implemented. The new brand aims to capitalize on the synergies intrinsic to being a large group with a wide scope. The purpose of the new brand is also expressed with the new vision - "With ICT for a sustainable and better life for all".
The overall sustainability goals for Swedish ICT were formulated in 2010, and the subsidiaries have formulated their own local goals based on their own strategies and policies. The owner RISE has started a joint project focusing on sustainability, and a status analysis on Swedish ICT's sustainability efforts was undertaken during 2013. The status analysis resulted in raising the issue more clearly within Swedish ICTs strategic business plan for 2014. One of the activities in 2014, will be revising the previous goal-setting.
A structural project with focus on sustainability was started at RISE.
A status analysis was conducted on Swedish ICT's sustainability efforts
A number of investments were made to increase economic sustainability through coordination between the subsidiaries In Kista, Acreo, SICS, Interactive Institute businesses moved into a shared office space. In Norrköping Acreo moved together with Linköping University. Both locations now provide employees with a more natural way to meet and exchange ideas.
An additional effect of shared office space is joint management of energy use and recycling, as well as procurement of services and purchases.
INTERACTIVE INSTITUTE
Contact us and let us challenge you in your next research and innovation project.
Swedish ICT has been a part of the CSR report provided by RISE AB 2008 and 2009. For the year 2010 Swedish ICT made its first independent CSR report and this report is the fourth.
This report has the aim to follow the GRI guidelines for Application Level C self- declared to the extent that is deemed reasonable. Indicators chosen are the same as reported 2012. The indicators were originally chosen in cooperation with RISE according to what was decided to be relevant for the character of the involved organizations but also according to what data could be collected with a reasonable effort. Indicator data has been collected with the help of a common report template and is saved by the respective subsidiary to, and assembled by, the CSR manager at Swedish ICT.
Acreo’s subsidiary IRnova and Fibertronix are not included in this report except when explicitly noted.
Primary stakeholders are the owners with RISE representing the government and FMOF and FAV representing industry interest. Included are also all parts of society and industry that can benefit from the research results, developments, and innovations, provided by the institutes. Other stakeholders are competence-developing partners in academia and industry together with other RTOs both nationally and internationally. All employees as well as all prospective new employees are important stakeholders. No specific stakeholder analysis has been produced from a restricted Swedish ICT perspective. The stakeholders mentioned here were identified in the preceding work with the previous reporting by RISE.
The economic dimension of sustainability concerns the organization's impact on the economic conditions of its stakeholders and on economic systems at local, national and global levels
The financial performance is fundamental to the sustainability of Swedish ICT. However, this shall be viewed considering that the articles of association of Swedish ICT Research AB state that no dividens shall be provided to the owners and that all profit should be reinvested in the operations. The evaluation of Swedish ICT is to large extent based on other aspects of it contribution to society.
(KSEK) | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Direct Economic Value Generated | Revenues from operations and financial revenues | 437 415 | 445 085 | 433 482 | 425 131 |
Distributed economic value | Operating costs | -147 946 | -168 072 | -157 209 | -154 660 |
Employee compensation | -291 884 | -295 537 | -277 540 | -261 226 | |
Payment to capitals providers | -42 | -85 | -137 | -29 | |
payment to public sector (tax) | -680 | 121 | -659 | -700 | |
Earnings | -3 137 | -18 488 | -2 063 | 8 516 |
Note:
- This table refers to consolidated group figures for Swedish ICT, where internal transactions are eliminated.
- Data reported here are Acreo Swedish ICT group, SICS Swedish ICT group, Interactive Institute Swedish ICT AB and Viktoria Swedish ICT AB.
(KSEK) | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Significant financial Assistance | |||||
R&D Assistance | Research support national | 215 291 | 213 519 | 190 964 | 204 706 |
EU Assistance | Research support EU | 51 637 | 62 131 | 71 666 | 63 643 |
Other Types of Assistance | Other research support | ||||
Subsidies (Diminuition of rent) | |||||
Tax Relief (i.e. Regional Support) | |||||
Total Financial Assistance | 266 928 | 275 650 | 262 630 | 268 349 |
Note:
- Data reported here are Acreo Swedish ICT group, SICS Swedish ICT group, Interactive Institute Swedish ICT AB and Viktoria Swedish ICT AB. - Research support national refers to governmental funding, fully or partly, of R&D projects run by the institute. This is not regarded as a subsidy in the general sense as the institute views the funding as remuneration for commissioned R&D work to support industry and society.
- Governmental research support is provided by RISE, VINNOVA, The Swedish Energy Agency and others. R&D assistance provided by RISE is offered with specific criteria for use and is followed up. The board of Swedish ICT is responsible for the spending of the financial assistance according to the directives.
2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Electric Energy (kWh) | 2 455 525 | 2 513 806 | 2 533 078 | 2 695 562 | |
CO2 (kg) | 394 612 | 481 043 | 497 985 | 552 744 |
Note:
- Energy consumption declared is the electric energy consumed in the operations at the different facilities of Swedish ICT. Figures are unobtainable for part of the facilities run by Swedish ICT due the fact that energy consumption in some cases is included in the rent or the facility is shared with another part. Where possible the consumption is estimated based on the rented area. There is no change in these aspects in comparison with the figures of 2012.
- Relevant data for energy consumption from heating and cooling has been considered too difficult to obtain so the figures disclosed are restricted to direct electricity consumption.
- An effort to estimate the CO2 emissions has been made. The figures in the table for CO2 emission relates to business travel. Travel agencies have provided information on the estimated emissions. A new template for travel expense specifications has been introduced with a CO2- calculator to obtain information on travel not booked through a travel agency. (Viktoria Swedish ICT and SICS East Swedish ICT have no information available.)
Teleconference equipment is to some extent, available in order to provide an alternative to travel for meetings.
- The figures are calculated in the same way 2013 as they were in 2012.
The social dimension of sustainability concerns the impact an organization has on the
social system within which it operates.
The selection of indicators disclosed here reflects the priorities of Swedish ICT in this
area. Prioritized issues are working environment, diversity and equal opportunity- and
customer relations.
Below indicators LA1, LA7, LA12, HR4, SO8, PR5 is presented.
LA1 - Employment
2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Employment type | Swedish ICT | Swedish ICT | Swedish ICT | Swedish ICT | |
Permanent | 321 | 313 | 328 | 302 | |
Full time | 297 | 283 | 296 | 283 | |
Part-time | 24 | 30 | 32 | 19 | |
Temporary | 60 | 73 | 68 | 77 | |
Full time | 36 | 31 | 29 | 34 | |
Part-time | 24 | 42 | 39 | 43 | |
SUM | 381 | 386 | 396 | 379 | |
# Managers | 43 | 44 | 50 | 49 | |
Managers/Employed | 11% | 11% | 13% | 13% |
Note:
- Number of employees is based on head count carried out on 31st December 2013.
LA7 - Occupational Health and Safety
2013 | 2012 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Swedish ICT | Swedish ICT | ||||
Employed | 381 | 386 | |||
Fatalities | 0 | 0 | |||
Injury | 1 | 3 | |||
Occupational disease | 3 | 1 | |||
Lost days | |||||
Absentee total | 1830 | 2096 | |||
Lost days due to injury or occupational disease | 420 | 243 | |||
Total Absentees as % of scheduled workdays | 1.3 | 1.7 | |||
Part of total absentee with more than 60 days continuonus absentee (%) | 30% | 26% |
Note:
- The number of employees is head count
-Programs to address health and safety issues are present in all subsidiaries and work is to harmonize policies. Different programs to encourage keep-fit activities are also provided to the employees.
LA12 - Percentage of employees receiving regular performance and career development reviews
Total | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2013 | 83% | ||||
2012 | 88% | ||||
2011 | 90% | ||||
2010 | 82% |
Note:
Within the Swedish ICT Group there are different practices for performance and career development reviews. Acreo Swedish ICT is ISO 9001 certified with formal routines for reviews and follow up.
Viktoria Swedish ICT, Interactive Institute Swedish ICT and SICS Swedish ICT have, but the subsidiaries SICS East Swedish ICT does not have formal practices implemented.
Acreo Swedish ICT is ISO 9001 certified with formal routines for systematic composite compare. Interactive Institute Swedish ICT and SICS Swedish ICT have, but the subsidiaries Viktoria Swedish ICT does not have formal practices implemented.
During 2013, no incidents of discrimination were reported.
Swedish ICT has not been subject to any fines or other sanctions in 2013
Some of the different subsidiaries of Swedish ICT have implemented practices related to customer satisfaction. No changes in these routines have been introduced during 2013.
Acreo Swedish ICT: Annual systematic interviews with customers. The customer satisfaction index for 2013 show the same value compared with 2012. The overall satisfaction index was 4.1 measured 2013.
Interactive Institute Swedish ICT: Annual contact with regular customers for following up on running projects and sales of new.
SICS Swedish ICT and Viktoria Swedish ICT: No formalized established practices related to customer satisfaction.
The GRI-index shows which elements of the GRI Reporting framework have been applied in the preparation of the report. Swedish ICT has the aim to follow the GRI guidelines for Application Level C self-declared to the extent that is deemed reasonable. The table below show on which page the different disclosures can be found.
GRI-information: Standard Disclosure | Level | Page |
---|---|---|
Strategy and analysis | c | |
Statement from CEO about the relevance of sustainability to the organization and its strategy | c | Our Ceos |
Organization | c | We are |
Name of the organization | c | We are |
Primary brands, products and/or services | c | We are |
Location of organization's headquarters | c | We are here |
Number of countries where the organization operates | c | We are here |
Nature of ownership and legal form | c | Governance |
Markets served | c | We are |
Scale of the organization | c | Financial ratios |
Significant changes during the report period regarding size, structure and ownership | c | Governance |
Awards received in the reporting period | c | Highlights 2013 |
GRI-information: Standard Disclosure | Level | Page |
---|---|---|
Report Parameters | c | This section |
Reporting period | c | Financial ratios |
Date of most recent previous report | c | This section |
Reporting cycle | c | This section |
Contact point for questions regarding the report of its contents | c | Last page |
Process for defining report content | c | This section |
Boundary of the report | c | This section |
State any specific limitations on the scope or boundary of the report | c | This section |
Basis for reporting on subsidiaries and other entities that can significantly affect comparability | c | This section |
Effects of changes of information provided in previous reporting and the reasons for such re-statements | c | |
Significant changes from previous reporting periods in the scope, boundary, or measurement methods applied to the report | c | |
GRI Index | c | This section |
GRI-information: Standard Disclosure | Level | Page |
---|---|---|
Governance, Commitments, And Engagement | c | |
Governance structure of the organization | c | Governance |
Independence of the Chairman of the board | c | Governance |
Independence of the board | c | Governance |
Mechanisms of the employees to influence the governance | c | Governance |
Stakeholders | c | Governance |
List of stakeholder groups engaged by the organization | c | Governance |
Basis for identification and of stakeholders | c | |
Performance Indicators | c | This section |
EC1 ,EC4, EN4, EN16, LA1, LA7, LA14, LA12, SO8, PR5 | c | This section |
Gas turbines are extremely complex pieces of machinery designed to meet the highest demands, and advanced visualization technology is crucial to the development. Interactive Institute Swedish ICT has created an interactive visualization tool for Siemens Industrial Turbomachinery to support the entire turbine development process, saving both time and money.
Siemens Industrial Turbomachinery in Finspång produces world-class gas turbines with a high degree of efficiency and low emission levels. For the development of the new gas turbine SGT-750 the team at Siemens needed a new tool for interactive 3D visualization suitable for collaborative design reviews, team meetings and presentations.
Together with the Siemens team, Interactive Institute developed a visualization table solution that allows real time collaborative exploration of massive 3D models of the turbine. The CAD models are exported from Siemens’ system and presented on a 55” multi-touch system, allowing teams to explore the turbine using an intuitive user interface. The solution helps users to interact with the entire turbine, from the surrounding building down to the smallest bolt.
“It’s a fascinating experience for existing and potential customers to explore the design of a gas turbine in such depth, and to learn more about the turbine features and benefits in this interactive way”, says Madeleine Davidsson at Siemens Corporate Communications in Finspång.
Unlike most traditional 3D CAD systems, the interactive visualization system is very fast and responsive despite the enormous amount of data and detail. A fast system with a high user experience has proven to be vital for efficient collaborative sessions and impressive presentations. The solution also turned out to be a very efficient tool for marketing and is now being used for global marketing of the gas turbine segment by Siemens AG.
The EU has a climate target to reduce carbon emissions by 2020. One solution could be to store carbon dioxide in bedrock. Acreo Swedish ICT is part of a new Swedish-Brazilian consortium with a mission to develop the necessary measurement techniques.
The EU’s climate target puts carbon-intensive industries under pressure. They will not only have to reduce the amount of carbon in the air, but also develop techniques to handle the emission of this greenhouse gas. One possible solution would be to store the carbon dioxide under high pressure in bedrock. International experiments show that the method can work, but also that it places great demands on quality assurance and continuous measurement. This requires advanced measurement instruments that can withstand extreme environmental conditions.
Acreo Swedish ICT participates in a Swedish-Brazilian consortium to develop a system to monitor carbon layers, with special focus on pressure measurement and the measurement of carbon dioxide concentrations.
“It is particularly gratifying that three high-tech companies in Hälsingland are globally significant in environmental innovations” says Åsa Claesson, department manager at Acreo Fiber Optics and site manager in Hudiksvall.
The Swedish companies in the consortium complement each other greatly. Acreo has extensive experience in developing advanced and robust measurement techniques, SenseAir is a world leader in carbon dioxide sensors, and Fibertronix AB develops and produces optical fibers for demanding sensor applications, particularly in the energy sector.
“For SenseAir the project means that we can both customize our products to another exciting and demanding application, and that we may have access to a new market in Brazil,” says Hans Martin, research director at SenseAir.
In Brazil the system development is carried out at the Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro in close collaboration with, among others, the Brazilian energy giant Petrobras. The funding comes from VINNOVA and the participating companies.
Just by touching a printed smart label, a smartphone can access and analyse information with the human body acting as a transmitter of that information. Behind this innovation are Ericsson, Acreo Swedish ICT and Linköping University.
The technology enabling use of the human body as a communication link opens up new opportunities to communicate with objects just by touching them. Information from the object is then passed on from mobile phones to Internet services for analysis and storage. A number of actions can be triggered and everyday objects can be connected to the Internet using the body and the mobile network.
Each printed label is equipped with an electronic part containing an identity, a printed antenna and a small printed battery that makes it possible to send data. By touching the label the information is sent through the body to a hypersensitive receiver, which is contained in the smartphone. No electric current passes through the body. The mobile phone has a receiver that reads the signal and sends the identity on to a suitable app within the phone, for further processing.
- If this technology is used for future packaging it would be possible to gain information on the quality of the content as well as the handling of the package. It´s really about getting information very easily, says Jan Hederén, R&D Ericsson.
The Connected paper has now been demonstrated successfully at both the Consumer Electronics Show and the Mobile World Conference and has attracted huge interest.
Linköping University has developed the transmitter and receiver circuits and Acreo Swedish ICT is responsible for the integrated printed label. The new technology was developed in a project funded within the VINNOVA program “Challenge-driven Innovation”. The aim of the project is to develop green communication by extending the capabilities of smart phones with the help of smart and dynamic labels, capable of collecting information.
Electric cars largely replacing internal combustion engine cars would contribute to the solution of several major social problems, such as oil dependency, local air pollution and emissions of greenhouse gases. But despite these effects being widely known, very few people chose to drive an electric car.
The aim of the project Business Model Innovation for Electric Vehicles (BeliEVe), has been to study how alternative business models can increase the interest in electric cars in Sweden. The project, which has been carried out in collaboration with Viktoria Swedish ICT and Ericsson AB, has developed four business model proposals that are all expected to promote electric cars onto the Swedish market much more efficiently than the traditional business model does.
Mats Williander, research manager of the application area Sustainable Business at Viktoria Swedish ICT, says that an explanation as to why so few electric cars are sold, is that car buyers are faced with a social dilemma; the short-term best choice for them personally is an internal combustion engine car. When the majority of car buyers make their choice based on what is best for them personally in the short term, the result is that the whole community is worse off.
- There are two ways to solve this problem. You can let the community reduce the social dilemma by using different control measures, and you can make the electric car more attractive using an alternative business model.
In the business models developed within the project, hassle-free access to a car is a common denominator. Interest in car ownership is decreasing and customers are becoming more interested in buying a service rather than a product.
One of the business models proposed by the project is a leasing chain for electric cars. The business model is based on the assumed lower overall cost of electric car ownership and eliminates uncertainty about the electric car’s residual value. The idea is that the electric car is leased out for several cycles to different customers, each with different preferences regarding their car’s condition and costs.
Through the partnership with Ericsson, the project has been able to ensure that there is a technical platform that supports the services that are deemed necessary for the business models to be successful when implemented.
SICS Swedish ICT has developed a new model combining existing approaches in order to detect ships behaving in a suspect manner. This will help authorities to prevent or mitigate accidents and detect illegal activities at sea.
The three-year SADV project concluded in 2013. It was a collaboration between SICS, Saab AB, the Swedish Coast Guard, the Swedish Customs Service, the Swedish Armed Forces, and the Swedish Space Corporation. The project has significantly expanded existing methods for anomaly detection within maritime surveillance, and shown that these methods can detect unusual situations.
There are essentially three different approaches to anomaly detection, and the result of the study is a hybrid of all three:
1. Statistical anomaly detection. Situations that are very unlikely to come from that model are considered anomalies.
2. Rule based anomaly detection, where rules are designed to detect situations of interest.
3. Model based (or simulator based) anomaly detection, where real observations are compared to simulated results. A difference indicates an anomaly.
SICS has evaluated the developed methods on real maritime data from The Baltic Sea, Skagerrak, Kattegat, and the North Sea.
Combining the three different types of anomaly detection into one framework was not an easy task, but the researchers have managed to design a general architecture that fits into several maritime surveillance platforms and, at the same time, is able to handle several anomaly detectors of different kinds.
The key to the architecture is to identify the information flows that are common to all surveillance platforms and for all kinds of anomaly detectors. The next step is to identify similarities between the different kinds of anomaly detectors. The indications from one anomaly detector can be fed into another, thus combining rule based and statistical detectors in more advanced ways, rather than just having them run in parallel within the same system.
Sweden has set ambitious goals for its energy and climate policy, which will place new demands on the grids. Sweden is well placed to become a pioneer in smart grids, and turn this into a growth industry. A project at Swedish ICT promoting this development is FlexibEL, which is all about household customers in future smart grids.
A smart grid can provide flexibility of the electricity systems and will contribute to more efficient and sustainable energy use. This is where the project FlexibEL comes in, to study how we can steer electricity consumption. The project manager is Cecilia Katzeff, research director at Interactive Institute Swedish ICT in Eskilstuna, and adjunct professor in sustainable interaction design at KTH (Royal Institute of Technology). After preliminary studies of household habits in electricity consumption the project group, consisting of designers and behavioral scientists, have created a design concept and built a prototype with the working title Natural time. The prototype provides the opportunity to study how households could steer their electricity consumption from congested times, when electricity is most expensive, to times when it costs less.
“We have created a prototype that will inspire discussion, and encourage people to think about doing something other than consume electricity. We want to stimulate different senses, and through sound and scent people should get a signal that it is time to do other things,” explains Cecilia Katzeff.
In 2013, Swedish ICT actively participated in the government's Coordination Council for Smart Grids. The Council will motivate, inform and plan the development of smart grids that contribute to increased customer influence and a more efficient and sustainable energy use.
Carin Torstensson, Business and Innovation Area Manager Smart Energy at Swedish ICT is part of the Coordination Council and Cecilia Katzeff is included in a reference group focusing on the consumer aspects of smart grids. The question is how smart grids should be designed for households in order to be more influential and manage the electrical system to fit their needs.
“A central issue for the Coordination Council investigative assignments is how smart grids and smart energy services can contribute to increased customer influence and active customers. In an area where the focus is heavily on technology and marketing functions, there is a need for the knowledge of the behavioral aspects that Cecilia and Swedish ICT provide,” says Karima Birch, committee secretary, specializing in the electricity market.
Photo: Jaan Lipka
Cecilia Katzeff, research director at Interactive Institute Eskilstuna and adjunct professor in sustainable interaction design at KTH.
Using electronic devices, such as bicycle computers, applications in smartphones, pulse watches and so forth while cycling, is becoming increasingly popular. Therefor a relevant question is whether these devices create visual distraction and lead to increased risk for the cyclist? This is what the project “The connected cyclist” has been investigating.
Different categories of cyclists use electronic devices for different purposes. The typical athlete, who uses their bicycle for exercise, generally uses electronic devices to support their training. Commuters on the other hand, who use their bicycles primarily as a means of transportation, often use electronic devices for listening to music for example thus improving their cycling experience.
Regardless of the purpose of use, accidents caused by the use of electronic devices can be found in statistics. During the period 2010-2012, a total of 27 364 bicycle accidents were reported in Sweden. 97 of these where in some way related to use of electronic devices.
The use of electronic devices may increase the risk of accidents in three different ways. First, it leads to a reduction of the ability to detect obstacles in the surrounding environment. Secondly, the physical handling of the bike is affected and finally, the ability to predict potential incidents is affected.
To be able to study the effects of visual distraction caused by interaction with electronic devices during cycling, the project developed a bicycle simulator. The simulator made it possible to record the behavior of a number of cyclists during their interaction with an electronic device. Their behavior when cycling without a device was also recorded and the difference in behaviors under the different circumstances could then be registered.
From the results of the study it can be concluded that the visual distraction caused by the use of electronic devices affects cyclists’ behavior in terms of alternated speed, however no significant difference in, for example, steering stability could be proven.
Aerial drones are formidable mobile computing platforms. They can move in an almost unconstrained manner to areas that cannot be reached by traditional devices. As drones become more affordable, they will be more widely used. SICS Swedish ICT is investigating ways to equip and program drones for different tasks.
As the cost of aerial drones drops, they are expected to play a role in bridging the gap between the digital and physical worlds. This will enable currently unforeseen applications, such as pollution monitoring at high altitudes and autonomous last-mile deliveries.
SICS researchers are, for example, currently investigating how to equip aerial drones with service-oriented interfaces. These devices can be perceived as “mobile” web services providing sensory data that can later be input into standard online services at company back-ends or in the cloud. The ability to seamlessly blend aerial drones with the existing IT infrastructure will facilitate their large-scale adoption within industry and the public sector.
SICS is also researching ways to facilitate the programming of a fleet of drones. Custom programming abstractions will create the illusion that the drone fleet can be programmed as a single device, making the programming process far easier.
SICS is using drone technology to localize wireless sensor networks. Drones can be used as mobile anchor-points to localize stationary sensor nodes that are deployed over a given area.
Uppsala University, Colombo University, and SICS are starting a project on elephant monitoring in Sri Lanka. Drones will be used to monitor elephants with the aim of preventing them from entering villages and damaging crops.
The projects above are rendered concrete using actual prototypes that SICS is creating, utilizing commercially available drone technology. For instance, in Aquileia (Italy), the programming systems are helping archeologists to obtain aerial maps of a 32,000 m2 site
Most of today's plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, as well as all-electric vehicles, use lithium-ion batteries. Thus the estimation of battery states is extremely important for safe, reliable and efficient use of these batteries. The challenge to efficiently measure the battery state has now been taken on in a new project called BatterySoC.
Energy storage systems, usually batteries, are essential for electric drive vehicles, such as hybrid electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, and all-electric vehicles. Most of today's plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and all-electric vehicles use lithium-ion batteries. Lithium-ion batteries are also used in most portable consumer electronics such as cell phones and laptops because of their high energy per unit mass, high power-to-weight ratio, high energy efficiency, good high-temperature performance, and low self-discharge.
BatterySoC is a joint project between Viktoria Swedish ICT and Acreo Swedish ICT, with support from several representatives from the industry. The focus is on battery state estimation by direct measurement of the battery’s physical state of charge.
“Estimation of battery states is of very high importance for safe, reliable and efficient use of lithium-ion batteries in electric vehicles as well as other applications. So far such estimation has proven to be challenging”, says Niklas Legnedahl, specialist at Energy Storage Systems and Function at Volvo Powertrain Corporation, Drivelines & Hybrids.
The main object of the pre-study is to prove and verify the concept of estimating states of lithium-ion batteries with the aid of an electromagnetic sensor which measures the physical state of charge of a battery cell. The new sensing technique has been tested on different types of Li-ion batteries and the result so far is very promising. Our next objective is to plan and prepare for the main study, in which the concept will be demonstrated and evaluated.
The aim of the new EU FP7 project, called TeraSCREEN, is to provide automatic detection and classification of body-borne threats for security screening. This will significantly improve the security, privacy, efficiency and experience at security checkpoints.
Security checks at borders must be both thorough and fast, as studies have shown that this is where the passenger’s stress is at a maximum. These problems are being addressed by Acreo Swedish ICT in a consortium of eleven partners, comprising research institutes, component and equipment developers and manufacturers, together with security and ethical specialists from six countries across Europe.
“The most promising improvement with TeraSCREEN - in terms of passenger experience, cost saving and hassle removal - is the possibility to screen the passenger “on the fly”. This will help us provide a new type of security checkpoint where the passenger will not be stopped - offering a high level of threat detection but a low level of unpleasant interference”, says Daniel Castagnet, Special Airport Systems Director, ADPI Designers & Planners.
The new technology will operate at several Terahertz frequencies in active and passive mode. The resulting multi-frequency, multi-mode images will be processed automatically in real-time to reveal the location of potentially harmful objects concealed on a person. Such automatic recognition of threats reduces the level of attention required from the operator. Privacy Enhancing Technologies will be used in such a way that the information will be displayed to the operator on a generic computerized silhouette. No anatomical details will be shown or saved. Terahertz radiation is non-ionizing, and reliable studies have shown that active operation in this frequency band is harmless to humans.
The project runs over the next three years and the TeraSCREEN Prototype System will be demonstrated at a live checkpoint. The feedback from the End-User and Advisory Board members will facilitate the conversion of the prototype into an innovative new security screening product.
Increased health care costs, an aging population and an increase in the already heavy burden on public health care providers - that is the reality facing us. One of the solutions may be "eHealth" - a term that encompasses all that technology can offer to aid in health care. This may involve sensors in the home, digital security alarms, rehab exercises via video games and much more.
Swedish ICT operates a number of projects in the field of health care services. In the project known as COPD, researchers have already carried out a number of successful demonstrations. The project brings together a range of stakeholders from research, industry and health care.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, COPD, is one of the major diseases with at least half a million sufferers in Sweden. The vast majority of sufferers live at home. Using advanced technology, they would receive better care in their own home, and a continuous monitoring of their health status will contribute to increased quality of life.
The vision is that a chronic sufferer would see an end to routine doctor visits and instead keep in touch via the Internet and mobile phone. Based on the patient's reports and collected health data, health care workers could follow the development of the disease. Per-Olof Sjöberg is head of the business and innovation division eHealth at Swedish ICT and the senior scientist at Swedish ICT. He stresses that this is an integration project that uses existing technology solutions and concentrates on developing the glue needed to create a cohesive solution.
“We have identified a new role - the care operator - who will become the spider in the web in the future. The care operator estimates the need for different measures, and may also be in touch with the relatives. Contacts with the health care system are facilitated and serious illnesses can be avoided thanks to a close dialogue,” says Per-Olof Sjöberg.
Michael Runold, chief physician at the pulmonary clinic at Karolinska University Hospital emphasizes that physical activity is more important than drugs for COPD patients. For many sufferers, it is difficult to get to a physical therapist. He is very pleased that the project proved to be a workable solution at a demonstration in October. Via a terminal in the home, the patient can carry out his training, and interact with others in a group. For instance, during the workout, respiratory rate and oxygen saturation in the blood as well as heart rate can be measured, and thus counteract any deterioration.
“The cooperation on this project has worked well and with excellent results. There are participants from many different areas - also from patient organizations, which is very good,” underscores Michael Runold.
Photo: Joel Höglund
In the picture: Demonstration of rehab exercise at home. Via a terminal in the home, the patient can carry out his training, and interact with others in the group, while physiological values can be measured.
Through collaboration with Acreo Swedish ICT the new, small company Observe Medical AB launched its first product onto the market during 2013. SIPPI is a unique, single use, digital urine meter. The product is expected to capture a significant part of the market potential – about 15 million disposable units per year.
Kidney failure is a common problem in the ICU. The amount of urine produced is therefore an important parameter to control a patient's kidney function. So far, the measurement has been entirely manual at the risk of erroneous measurements and subsequent risk of miscalculations.
Observe Medical AB was founded in January 2009 to develop innovative medical technology products that benefit patients and healthcare professionals. The first product is a system for digital and automatic measurement of the amount of urine produced.
The company had a solution to their product idea, which they wanted to have evaluated and refined. Through collaboration with Acreo Swedish ICT the company obtained partial funding for a feasibility study. The pilot study carried out with Acreo Swedish ICT had two directions: to evaluate the desired capacitive measurement technology with regard to function and accuracy, and to evaluate the technique of using a siphon to empty the measuring chamber when it is full. The evaluation work was carried out both theoretically and practically, with the help of calculations, simulations and measurements.
"It was valuable for us to get our ideas confirmed and illuminated from a more theoretical point of view," says Mikael Löfgren, technical director, Observe Medical AB.
As a result of the pilot study, Observe Medical AB continued the development of the product. During 2012, the system was evaluated in near real conditions. After design changes and improvements the product was launched in Jun 2013.
To date, researchers have focused on delivering capacity, i.e. bits, to increase broadband speed. To some extent this has led to faster response times, and this poses a problem for interactive services. A new research team is focusing on reducing the response time, also referred to as “latency”.
Latency in a system is the “waste of time” that occurs when part of the system is waiting for another part to finish its job, for example, the time between a click on a web link and when the new page is displayed. A new team comprising researchers from SICS Swedish ICT, Mälardalen University and Karlstad University will investigate solutions to reduce latency. The research team has five-year funding from the Knowledge Foundation (KKS).
Spotify and SICS have been cooperating on efficient media distribution for some time. SICS’ research on “information-centric networks” has resulted in a method for caching popular content in the networks to reduce download times.
“Response time is everything”, says Javier Ubillos, Product Manager for operational monitoring at Spotify. “Short response times are crucial for the quality of our product. This greatly affects the customer's attitude to the services.”
Mälardalen University works closely with ABB on real-time wireless communication on industrial automation, and these real-time communication systems are now moving to the Internet.
“New standards will be required in the future to effectively deploy time-critical applications over large geographic areas”, predicts Johan Åkerberg, Global Research Area Coordinator at ABB Corporate Research.
Karlstad University contributes with research on traffic management to handle congestion, together with BT, Alcatel-Lucent, and other stakeholders.
“We complement each other perfectly in addressing the challenge to reduce latency. Now, we have both the resources and the focus to do something about it,” says Bengt Ahlgren at SICS, who is leading the initiative.
Ever increasing traffic on the Internet creates congestion problems, which could be resolved by faster optical fibers. Acreo Swedish ICT and Transmode have taken us one step closer to a technological solution, with a successful transmission of 100 Gbit/s over a 1640 km installed optical fiber in Acreo National Testbed.
Mobile broadband and fiber access has led to a dramatic increase in traffic over the Internet and an increasing need for capacity in optical networks. We are facing a technology shift towards more intelligent and faster optical transmission systems in the so-called coherent systems. 100Gbit/s is now available commercially, as shown by the Acreo and Transmode experiments.
The Acreo National Testbed, ANT, is a meeting place for a wide spectrum of regional, national and international institutions and companies working with research and development of todays and tomorrows ICT products and services. In a successful field-trial a 100Gbit/s signal was transmitted over several already installed optical transmission systems in the Acreo National Testbed. The experiment demonstrates how it is possible to extend existing systems from several different manufacturers, with a 100 Gbit/s signal parallel to the existing traffic at 10 Gbit/s.
"A brilliant example of good cooperation between industry and research institutes. Acreo National Test Bed allows us to demonstrate and evaluate our technology under real conditions, in an environment of interoperable equipment from many manufacturers," says Sten Nordell, CTO at Transmode
In the experiments the optical signal was generated by one of Transmode's 100 Gbit/s line cards. The signal was then coupled to two optical transmission systems to a total length of 1640 km. These two systems, originally designed for transmission at lower bitrates, are installed on separate fibers. The experiment was performed both with and without optical dispersion compensation.
The field-trial was conducted as part of the research project COSYNET funded by Vinnova with Acreo Swedish ICT, KTH, Syntune, Skanova/TeliaSonera and Transmode as partners.
In the future we will see cars communicating with each other using apps down-loaded into their computer systems. This is part of the Internet of Car research at SICS Swedish ICT. A radio control model car is being used to demonstrate the smarter cars of the future.
Volvo and SICS Swedish ICT are collaborating in a project to open the computer systems within cars for plug-in software. Apps could make the trip safer, more efficient and a lot more fun. The framework builds on Autosar, the leading automotive architecture standard, used in millions of cars.
Building on its expertise in the field of the Internet of Things, SICS is working on a vision of the Internet of Cars in which interaction between vehicles provides new services to drivers. The idea is to let vehicles exchange the information that they normally collect, for example the state of the road, traffic jams, the exact time of arrival.
The solution needs to be flexible, allowing for changing needs. The types of services will vary substantially, both geographically and over time; consequently, automotive software will need to be highly upgradable. It is also important that standard interfaces exist between the different vehicle models.
The demonstration platform being developed at SICS comprises a radio control (RC) model car equipped with single-board computers. Original Autosar-based software is extended with dynamic functionality, allowing information and control signals to be received and shared between vehicles.
The model car platform is built on the latest theoretical concepts developed at SICS. It provides an open-source hardware and software platform for research on the Internet of Cars infrastructure and applications. The current work is aimed at reaching an even more realistic Internet of Cars level. This includes equipping the model car with more sensors, developing challenging applications, and transferring the technology into real-world prototype vehicles.
Children’s interest in computer programming and digital creation proved to be much greater than expected when the course “Hackerklubben”, founded by Interactive Institute Swedish ICT in Gothenburg, opened registration before midsummer 2013. In less than one day the weekly club for children aged 8-12 was fully booked.
Code and programming are important tools in nearly every imaginable situation in a digital society. The aim of "Hackerklubben" is to make people and society richer through providing children with the opportunity of learning to code. The pedagogy at “Hackerklubben” is based on experiential learning, active participation and experimentation. Through playful and experimenting means children are encouraged to explore programming and digital creativity.In a workshop format projects are created out of their own wishes and capacity. It could be games and interactive media, but also physical programming of robots or other digital devices.
"Hackerklubben is a great example of just how many kids are interested in learning to code and build with technology,” says Jacob Möllstam, teacher from Partille.
"Hackerklubben" is one of the acitivities within Collaboratory, a participatory DIY environment for co-creation research and development located within Lindholmen Science Park in Gothenburg. Interactive Institute, Story Architects and Gothenburg Film Studios are the leading actors behind this next generation maker space, and the focus is on games, film and ICT, but also work with technological and social innovation.
Interactive Institute is actively involved in researching, developing and exploring open innovation practices, as well as innovation practices within the hacker- and maker scene. The vision is to develop Collaboratory to a unique and leading maker environment for participatory culture, playcentric expressions, communication architectures and innovation in Sweden, with global collaborations.
Self-driving cars, or automated vehicles, are seen by many as the next step in technological development towards a safer and more efficient traffic system. In the i-GAME project Viktoria Swedish ICT takes part in arranging the Grand Cooperative Driving Challenge 2016, an international competition designed to stimulate research and development within this strongly progressive area.
Today the majority of research on automated vehicles focuses on autonomous systems. Each car is acting by itself, depending solely on in-vehicle equipment such as radar and cameras. Vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) cooperation has, when used, been based on single vendor, single controller solutions or been solely for non-critical information such as weather warnings.
The i-GAME project takes automated vehicles to a new level by more actively combining existing in-vehicle safety systems with V2V communication for controlling the vehicle, enabling new safety solutions and more advanced traffic cooperation.
“We clearly see an increasing research focus in the area of automated mobility, improving areas such as traffic safety, environment and more efficient traffic flow,” explains Cristofer Englund, responsible for the application division Cooperative Systems at Viktoria Swedish ICT.
“i-GAME encourages research within the project framework as well as in adjacent areas such as HMI and vehicle-to-vehicle communication, with the aim of speeding up the deployment of automated and cooperative mobility,” he continues.
The program, which has its roots in the "Grand Cooperative Driving Challenge" (GCDC) conducted in 2011, will allow industry and research partners to collaborate on both a national and international level. The overall target is to create an international arena for the development and implementation of cooperative traffic systems.
“In 2011 three Swedish university teams, managed by Viktoria Swedish ICT, successfully entered the Grand Cooperative Driving Challenge (GCDC). From this point TNO and Viktoria have gradually built a strong and fruitful cooperation in the area of (connected) automated vehicles and we are now partners in the i-Game FP7 project. We look forward to a rewarding collaboration and our target is to arrange a successful GCDC competition in 2016,” says Bastiaan Krosse at TNO.
The i-GAME also plays an important role by supporting a multi-vendor approach where vehicles from different manufacturers can cooperate, based on a minimum set of common rules such as safety regulations and communication protocols.
The right to express one's opinions is a core value to any democratic society. Today, however, online threats and harassment intimidate many women off the Internet and into silence. In the summer of 2013, “Ballade of Women” – an interactive exhibition exploring perspectives on women’s rights – was shown in Siena, Italy, inviting the audience to confront and reflect on other people's opinions on social media and online forums.
'Ballade of women' allows the audience to, through the lens of the personal experiences of three historical female characters, explore three fundamental themes; emancipation, self-determination and violence. In the installation, representations of three paintings portraying such characters are fragmented and float in the space, as panels on which content is projected. This setting expresses how information we have about these characters has been fragmented by history, politics and the speed of our world.
The exhibition articulates around the concept of fragmentation. Images, information and people's points of view are fragmented in the installation. The installation “locks” on some of the people entering, allowing them to see, from three special points in the room, one complete painting for a very short amount of time. People can contribute to compose a harmonious picture of the complex world of women’s rights, by actually getting close to that world, represented by the installation itself, and by confronting the opinions of other people debating the theme worldwide.
The project 'Ballade of Women' responds to Interactive Institute Swedish ICT's intention to, through design, explore domains related to ethics, engagement and social innovation. The resulting installation, which consolidates a relationship between Interactive Institute Swedish ICT, the University of Siena and the Eindhoven University of Technology, was exhibited at the Fondazione Monte de' Paschi di Siena, between June 18th and July 2nd 2013.
Paper and pulp is one of Sweden's most important export products and is an important part of the Swedish economy. For the pulp and paper industry, it is important to offer higher quality while being able to reduce costs. Vasasensor offer a product - PressEyes Portable - which can help to do just that.
THE PRODUCT IS BASED ON sensor technology from Acreo Swedish ICT. Researchers at Acreo Sensor Systems (former Imego) had to wirelessly read off from thin pressure sensitive films without contact. This made it possible to measure the pressure in harsh environments where it previously had been impossible. The idea was transferred to the Chalmers School of Entrepreneurship, where a couple of students evaluated and commercialized the technology under the name PressEyes. In 2004 the company Vasasensor was spun off.
“This was a technology that "sought" its use. We got into the process during the patent application phase. It has been incredibly exciting to be involved in the journey from early technology to implementation in production. It's also particularly fun to work with realization in a major industry,” explains Sophia Kocher - one of the former students and now CEO of Vasasensor.
In 2012 the first product - PressEyes Portable - was launched, and in 2013 it secured its first customers. The product measures the pressure profile between the rolls of the paper machines during operation, something the industry has attempted to achieve for a long time without success. This was a problem that could be solved with the new technology, which will mean big profits for the paper industry.
For the paper mills the new technology means that they have better control of dewatering in the press section of paper machines and thus can optimize the process. The measurements are made dynamically, under normal production conditions, which is a major difference from the technology used today when the measurements are static. This means that the paper mills can increase quality, increase production, reduce waste and increase the lifespan of the equipment.
Sophia Kocher, CEO Vasasensor
Alarm signals in control rooms serve to alert operators to deviations from normal conditions. Often however, the alarms are positioned carelessly, using sounds that are annoying and confusing. In a recent research project, Interactive Institute Swedish ICT produced a groundbreaking solution to increase efficiency and improve the work environment for operators.
Paper producer/manufacturer Smurfit Kappa Kraftliner volunteered to be the test site when Interactive Institute wanted to try a new idea for auditory alarms in control rooms. Being aware of the stressful work environment in the control rooms, Smurfit Kappa Kraftliner saw an opportunity for positive change.
The challenge was to design sounds that guided the operators to the production section where an alarm is going off. The sounds should also convey the grade of priority without being perceived as irritating. In a user centered design process, Interactive Institute designed sounds that could be used to identify the different operating sections: a water drop represented the washing section, the sound of a hissing steam kettle the cooking process, and a breaking twig the wood chipping area.
After being thoroughly tested under real working conditions, the project was presented and evaluated. The response turned out to be extremely positive. The operators thought it was easy to identify the location of an alarm, and they also felt that the work environment was more pleasant and that they therefore could focus on problem solving.
“From a workplace safety point of view, it has been an incredible change for the better.”
Lars Jönsson, Smurfit Kappa Kraftliner
Smurfit Kappa Kraftliner has bought a first prototype, and Interactive Institute is now looking into ways of further developing the solution and commercializing the results.
The LJUDIT project is financed by: EU Structural funds, the County administrative board of Norrbotten, the municipalities of Piteå and Skellefteå and RISE.
A new sensor based device, for diagnosing and treatment of patients with neurodegenerative diseases, has been developed by Acreo Swedish ICT in cooperation with university hospitals. This technique will improve life for people suffering from epilepsy or Parkinson.
Approximately 80 000 Swedes suffer from epilepsy or Parkinson. It is challenging to diagnose and find the optimal treatment because of the lack of objective data on the movements or seizures of patients during their everyday life.
Acreo is developing systems based on accelerometers and gyros to analyze the movement from patients with neurodegenerative disease, such as epilepsy and Parkinson. In the future doctors will be able to make their diagnosis based on a large number of measurements taken during the patient’s daily life between visits to the hospital.
Sahlgrenska Academy and Acreo were assigned 500 000 SKR from Promobilia for the continued development of a motion sensor for the detection and logging of epileptic seizures. The measurements are made at the Sahlgrenska Hospital.
Acreo Swedish ICT is also collaborating with the Karolinska Institute in the diagnosis of Parkinson. The purpose is to develop a sensor system that can recognize the degree of Parkinson based on a specific test motion. The project has financing from Innovationskontoret Väst in order to validate the ideas.
The aim of future products is to give objective data on the patient´s movement and thus a much better base for the treatment. This will improve the process of finding the right treatment and thus reduce time and cost for health care and for the patients. The patients will also feel secure in the knowledge that objective data concerning their state of health is stored.
The motion sensor was presented and demonstrated for a larger audience at Digital Health Days in Stockholm, August 2013.
How do users access media today, and how will they do it in the future? What aspects influence the performance of media distribution, and what can we do to ensure optimal performance and end user experience, especially since there are so many different actors involved in the distribution chain?
These questions, and several others have been dealt with in the challenge driven project EFRAIM, coordinated by Acreo Swedish ICT. 2013 was a very active year for the project and many good results were generated.
Video streaming services, such as SVT-play, are using so-called adaptive video streaming, which means that the quality of video is changing over time, based on the available bandwidth of the connection. To understand how users are experience this, experiments with end-users have been carried out.
“The results show that users seem to prefer a lower quality as long as it is constant, rather than a better quality which changes. Unless of course that constant quality is very low”, says Acreo’s Kjell Brunnström, project leader of EFRAIM.
NetInf is a new technological paradigm for delivery of content, which has been studied and developed by SICS and Ericsson for some time. A live video streaming Android application based on NetInf for TV4-play has successfully been implemented and demonstrated. Energy consumption of media delivery has also been investigated, particularly on whether the understanding of media consumption patterns can be used to reduce the energy consumption of the network. The results clearly indicate that under certain conditions such savings are possible.
Business models have also been investigated. The goal was to find and analyze the most important trends and their effect on the market regarding delivery of content. A specific area of interest has been the investigation of willingness to pay based on quality of service.
EFRAIM is partly funded by VINNOVA and will finish August 2014. Project partners are Acreo, SICS, LTH, Ericsson, SVT, TV4, TeliaSonera, Spotify, Qbrick and Peerialism.
Access to clean water is one of the major global challenges for the future. Acreo Swedish ICT has been granted SEK 500 000 funding from VINNOVA for a feasibility study to establish a test bed for resource-efficient water management. SENSABILITY is the present name for the new test bed.
In 2020 the majority of the world's population will live in areas with water shortage. But the fundamental questions of resource management and water quality are not limited to areas with a shortage of water. In areas with good access to water it is expected that increasing heavy rainfalls will contribute to flooding, which in turn will increase the spread of infection and contamination of the water.
Water management in Sweden is currently a field in which there are a large number of smaller players with the potential to grow, and where multidisciplinary collaboration could lead to new solutions. A test bed would strengthen this development since many of these smaller players need support to be able to grow, develop their products and embrace new solutions.
“For us at Cerlic - a company that develops, produces and sells measuring sensors for water purification – it would be very useful to have access to a test bed, where we can verify that our products work, and also meet user requirements for accessibility and function, "says Pär-Håkan Bergström, Founder and Senior Advisor at Cerlic Controls AB.
The feasibility study will build on the consortium in the Challenge driven innovation project SENSATION that was started in late 2012. Partners from water-intensive industries, drinking water operators, producers of technology, technical developers and scientific advisors will formulate a plan for the test bed. The feasibility study will result in a plan with demand and requirement specifications, partnerships, a test case or demonstrator and a clear development strategy for the test bed with a budget, before going into a full-scale B project.
SICS Swedish ICT Västerås has been assigned to host the program office for a new Strategic Innovation Area of Sweden: Process Industrial IT and Automation. Collaborating with the automation industry in the region and Mälardalen University, the plan is to develop this strategic area for the nation.
Sweden is at the forefront of research in the area of process industrial IT and automation. Swedish companies excel at developing, delivering, integrating and using automation technology. The Swedish government sees this as an opportunity to enhance the competitiveness of Sweden, and has acknowledged industrial automation as one of the five new strategic innovation areas for the nation.
SICS Västerås, with its close ties to Mälardalen University and the automation industry in the Mälardalen region, has been appointed to host the program office. The quarter of a billion MSEK program will encourage additional, better and more efficient projects in research, development and innovation for the entire industry.
Three Examples
Safety first!
New demands for functional safety and security in the process industrial IT and automation industries.
Focus on functional safety and security to ensure that automation systems behave as intended and are not tampered with.
Industry partners: ABB, Boliden and Volvo CE
Business Models
New business models are part of the third wave of automation.
When industrial control systems come online and big data can be analyzed in detail, the third wave of automation will have arrived. New business ideas will be needed to match the technical solutions.
Automation for Construction Vehicles
Integration of construction vehicles into production will greatly improve process efficiency.
The project will propose architectures for management and remote monitoring services for systems with integrated construction vehicles.
Industry partners: Komatsu Forest, Boliden, LKAB, ABB, Ericsson, and Volvo CE.
In the image: Helena Jerregård, CEO SICS Västerås.
Several rare earth materials are critical components in modern electronics. A new EU-project is aiming to develop innovative solutions for recycling these rare earth materials, thus providing large energy savings and reducing both production costs and the environmental impact. Acreo Swedish ICT is one of the partners.
The lack of rare, industrial critical metals has been a topic of discussion for many years. Limited and expensive supply has hindered the European electronics and energy industries, so to overcome this problem a consortium was formed. REMANENCE is the name of the EU research program aimed at dramatically increasing the amount of rare earth materials recovered and remanufactured from existing waste streams. The focus is on recycling Neodymium magnets as these contain critical material such as Neodymium, Iron and Boron. Neodymium magnets are used in many products including hard drives, speakers, cell phones, electric motors and generators in wind turbines.
- Our aim is to develop the innovative technologies, business models and market information required to exploit this valuable resource, reducing dependency on primary sources. Advanced sensing and mechanical separation techniques will be developed in combination with innovative processes to recover the rare earth magnets, says Jakob Blomgren, project leader at Acreo Swedish ICT.
REMANENCE brings together European industry and academia across the supply chain; sensing, disassembly, recycling technology and material processing in a multi-disciplinary project. The consortium consists of C-Tech Innovation Ltd, Acreo Swedish ICT, The University of Birmingham, Stena Technoworld AB, Leitat Technological Centre, OptiSort AB, Chalmers Industriteknik, Magneti Ljubljana and Kolektor magnet Technology GmbH. The consortium is led by C-Tech Innovation Ltd. REMANENCE is funded by FP7, the Seventh European Framework Programme for research and technological development, and is expected to run until mid-2016.
The number of ships along our coasts is increasing steadily. At the same time demands for efficiency and profitability within the maritime sector are very high. To be able to meet the demands and still be able to fulfill expectations on safety and minimal environmental impact, studious planning and coordination of sea traffic will be necessary.
Up until now the maritime industry has not had a common traffic and information management system of the type used by the airline industry. Every ship has to manually collect and monitor data and information that can influence its route, and only the ship knows the details of its own route. Maintaining an overview of the surrounding world induces a considerable administrative burden for the crew. The procedure also leaves a lot of room for human error, which might result in fatal consequences.
Within the MonaLisa 2.0 project, a common system for sharing information within the maritime industry is being developed. The system is intended to enable all actors in the maritime transport chain, on sea as well as on shore, to share detailed information with each other. The aim is for improved operations, higher efficiency, increased safety and less environmental impact. The project is funded by the European TEN-T program and is coordinated by the Swedish maritime administration. Viktoria Swedish ICT is responsible for one of the work packages of the project.
“The vision is to shake up and sharpen the whole transport chain by making real-time information available to all interested and authorized parties. It is called Sea Traffic Management (STM) and it will change the maritime world. It is like introducing the Smartphone, at first no one really knows what they need it for, and then they cannot live without it,” says Magnus Sundström, at the Swedish Maritime Administration, project manager for the MonaLisa 2.0 project.
A sea traffic management system enables optimization of both routes and times for arrival at the port. Shorter routes and speed adapted to match availability of port services will contribute to saving time, money, and the environment. The environment can also benefit from Particularly Sensitive Sea Areas being avoided with proper route planning.
The system developed will be inspired by Air Traffic Management and adopted and scaled to suit the maritime sector, an approach that is likely to reduce the time required to set a new worldwide standard.
A simulator is flexible, safe and cost effective, and thus the perfect tool for studying concepts and technologies that are not yet available. During 2014 Viktoria Swedish ICT, in cooperation with VTI (the Swedish National Road and Transport Research Institute), will use a new simulator to demonstrate and evaluate different concepts for transferring electricity to a moving vehicle. A solution to this challenge is considered crucial if we are to enable the major part of our future fleet to run on electricity.
In the project, models for electrified roads, electric vehicles, payment systems and driver assistance systems will be developed. The technological alternatives under consideration have both advantages and disadvantages in regard to capacity, safety, and aesthetics. By modeling the different solutions in a driving simulator, interaction between infrastructure, vehicles and drivers can be studied.
The focus of the project is mainly on users and on the system’s ability to save energy. The researchers will study drivers’ experience and acceptance of electrification. Since the position of the vehicle on the road is important for the electricity transfer to operate as intended, user studies will also test drivers’ ability to keep this position. Another important aspect is to study how electrification of roads can be integrated into the physical environment, taking both safety and aesthetical factors into account.
- As a first step, we will create a virtual demonstration environment. In the simulator, drivers can experience what it's like to drive on electrified roads and we can study their behavior, says Arne Nåbo Project Manager at VTI.
The demonstration environment will provide both a meeting and a working place for organizations that are active within the area of electrified transports. Another goal is to position Sweden as a pioneer in the use of model-based development and real-time simulation in the early stages, strengthening Swedish competitiveness.
- Demonstrations in a simulator are very efficient when promoting new transportation solutions. In a second stage of the project we will run demonstrations for funders, stakeholders and media in order to spread knowledge and experience of the concepts, says Conny Börjesson, researcher at Viktoria Swedish ICT, and Arne Nåbo.
Stockholm Royal Seaport is one of Europe's biggest city development projects and a future home for many Stockholmers. It will be fully developed around 2025. Together with 17 partners, Interactive Institute Swedish ICT is developing solutions for increasing awareness of “green behavior” in Stockholm Royal Seaport, with the vision of creating one of the world's most sustainable city districts by using real time data.
One of the targets set for the average Royal Seaporter is a maximum of 1,5 tons CO2 per person per year. This reduces by almost half that of the average Stockholmer. To be able to reach that goal, technology alone will not be enough. Change of behavior will play a major role.
The objective for this research is to build an information platform based on environmental data connected to the city, by giving its citizens the possibility to easily make sustainable decisions. This information platform gives the user the right information at the right time, and in the right place - something that until today has not been technically possible.
One challenge is to design an information environment that openly and interactively presents this type of information in a way that awakens the users engagement. The project integrates real time data with mobile online-feedback through Augmented Reality, as a method for increasing the awareness of “green behavior” as well as encouraging sustainable actions. The result will be a smart and sustainable community in which decisions can be made by individuals, businesses and community stakeholders in an effective manner, based on easily accessible, relevant real time data.
Partners & funding
Partners include City of Stockholm, Interactive Institute Swedish ICT, IBM, KTH, Fortum, Viktoria Swedish ICT, JM, ByggVesta, HSB, NCC, Envac, Stockholm Vatten, Ericsson, SABO and Stockholm University. The Smart City SRS project is funded partly through the VINNOVA program Challenge-driven innovation.
In a not too distant future we will see cars that drive themselves on our roads. These will be smart vehicle systems that can detect and are guided by information on such things as roads, traffic, accessibility and weather. Swedish ICT is actively persuing multiple projects in this hot field.
Automated vehicles are an area of great interest to industry, public authorities and researchers worldwide. Google's activities with self-driving cars have created significant media interest. Swedish actors operate a series of projects in the field and Swedish ICT is involved in several of these, in cooperation with car manufacturers among others. Kent Eric Long is Business and Innovation Area Manager for Sustainable Mobility at Swedish ICT and also the Vice President of Victoria Institute Swedish ICT
“Our projects link in different ways to sustainable mobility. We want transports to be safer, more energy efficient and improve the use of the infrastructure,” explains Kent Eric Long.
The project MODAS in collaboration with Scania, is about the interface between the vehicle and the driver, i.e. the design of a safe and good driver environment in automated vehicles. In the project FRESTA together with Volvo Group and Volvo Cars the focus is on opening up the car's existing electronic systems in order to download apps. The EU project iGame is about creating jobs and growth, as well as saving energy and enhancing security.
“We want to challenge Google on autonomous vehicles, but we want to do it by taking one step at a time and automating more and more functions in the car. We see the car as part of a connected transportation system in which cars will also be able to talk to each other,” explains Kent Eric Long.
The area is broad and includes everything from sensors to the "Big Data" and driver interaction, as well as acceptance from the public. Here, Swedish ICT bridge between basic research and industrial application. Swedish ICT also contributes to the acclaimed Swedish project Drive Me that will result in 100 self-driving Volvo cars on public roads in Gothenburg by 2017. The ambition is for Sweden and Volvo to become a leader in sustainable mobility.
“Intelligent cars are part of the overall solution, but a broad approach is necessary to create a sustainable personal mobility in the future. We believe that this cross-functional collaboration can provide a boost to the development,” says Erik Coelingh, Technical Specialist at Volvo Car Group.
WEMEMOVE is a new and exciting spin-off from SICS Swedish ICT and Interactive Institute Swedish ICT, heading for a global sports market expected to be worth 145 billion US dollars by 2015.
The sports industry is quite large in Sweden with an annual turnover of 80 billion SEK. However, despite our interest in sport and wellbeing, we export very few sport-oriented products and services.
WEMEMOVE works with motion analysis within sports and wellbeing and is launching its first product "mySKILAB” – a digital ski-coach. Behind the scenes is a dream team comprising the world’s most experienced sports researchers in biomechanics and physiology, the foremost experts in advanced mathematical modeling, together with Swedish elite skiers. “We have extremely good partners and we work with the most talented individuals in sports – skiers, trainers and researchers,” says Magnus Jonsson, CEO of WEMEMOVE.
WEMEMOVE was created in 2013 as a spin-off from the “Internet of Sports” project at SICS and Interactive Institute. The company has developed a motion classification engine that answers the questions “What are you doing?” and “How are you doing it?” The service uses the latest technology and findings in machine learning, big data analytics, user experience and interaction design.
In mySKILAB the classification engine is used to identify the different techniques used by skiers, and generate innovative metrics that describe their performance. The machine learning algorithms classify the techniques and make it possible to quantify the movements.mySKILAB uses just one sensor, either a smart-phone or an HR-chest belt, together with the application that registers and provides information on how the skiers move. The sensor data is processed in “the cloud” using advanced algorithms, and immediately sent back to the skier or trainer in the form of useful, comprehensible information thus optimizing training.
Several rare earth materials are critical components in modern electronics. A new EU-project is aiming to develop innovative solutions for recycling these rare earth materials, thus providing large energy savings and reducing both production costs and the environmental impact. Acreo Swedish ICT is one of the partners.
The lack of rare, industrial critical metals has been a topic of discussion for many years. Limited and expensive supply has hindered the European electronics and energy industries, so to overcome this problem a consortium was formed. REMANENCE is the name of the EU research program aimed at dramatically increasing the amount of rare earth materials recovered and remanufactured from existing waste streams. The focus is on recycling Neodymium magnets as these contain critical material such as Neodymium, Iron and Boron. Neodymium magnets are used in many products including hard drives, speakers, cell phones, electric motors and generators in wind turbines.
Our aim is to develop the innovative technologies, business models and market information required to exploit this valuable resource, reducing dependency on primary sources. Advanced sensing and mechanical separation techniques will be developed in combination with innovative processes to recover the rare earth magnets, says Jakob Blomgren, project leader at Acreo Swedish ICT. REMANENCE brings together European industry and academia across the supply chain; sensing, disassembly, recycling technology and material processing in a multi-disciplinary project. The consortium consists of C-Tech Innovation Ltd, Acreo Swedish ICT,
The University of Birmingham, Stena Technoworld AB, Leitat Technological Centre, OptiSort AB, Chalmers Industriteknik, Magneti Ljubljana and Kolektor magnet Technology GmbH. The consortium is led by C-Tech Innovation Ltd. REMANENCE is funded by FP7, the Seventh European Framework Programme for research and technological development, and is expected to run until mid-2016.
Electric cars largely replacing internal combustion engine cars would contribute to the solution of several major social problems, such as oil dependency, local air pollution and emissions of greenhouse gases. But despite these effects being widely known, very few people chose to drive an electric car.
The aim of the project Business Model Innovation for Electric Vehicles (BeliEVe), has been to study how alternative business models can increase the interest in electric cars in Sweden. The project, which has been carried out in collaboration with Viktoria Swedish ICT and Ericsson AB, has developed four business model proposals that are all expected to promote electric cars onto the Swedish market much more efficiently than the traditional business model does.
Mats Williander, research manager of the application area Sustainable Business at Viktoria Swedish ICT, says that an explanation as to why so few electric cars are sold, is that car buyers are faced with a social dilemma; the short-term best choice for them personally is an internal combustion engine car. When the majority of car buyers make their choice based on what is best for them personally in the short term, the result is that the whole community is worse off.
- There are two ways to solve this problem. You can let the community reduce the social dilemma by using different control measures, and you can make the electric car more attractive using an alternative business model.
In the business models developed within the project, hassle-free access to a car is a common denominator. Interest in car ownership is decreasing and customers are becoming more interested in buying a service rather than a product.
One of the business models proposed by the project is a leasing chain for electric cars. The business model is based on the assumed lower overall cost of electric car ownership and eliminates uncertainty about the electric car’s residual value. The idea is that the electric car is leased out for several cycles to different customers, each with different preferences regarding their car’s condition and costs.
Through the partnership with Ericsson, the project has been able to ensure that there is a technical platform that supports the services that are deemed necessary for the business models to be successful when implemented.
(KSEK) | 2013 Jan-Dec |
2012 Jan-Dec |
---|---|---|
Operating income | ||
Net turnover | 432 339 | 429 495 |
Other operating income | 4 029 | 14 077 |
436 368 | 443 572 | |
Operating expenses | ||
Other external costs | -147 946 | -168 072 |
Personnel costs | -291 884 | -295 537 |
Depreciation of tangible assets and intangible assets | -6 034 | -7 237 |
Operating profit/loss | -9 496 | -27 274< |
Result from financial investments | ||
Result from other securities and receivables | 0 | 0 |
Interest income and similar items | 1 047 | 1 513 |
Interest expense and similar items | -42 | -85 |
Result after financial income and expenses | -8 491 | -25 847 |
Deffered tax | -702 | 81 |
Minority interest | 8 152 | 3 703 |
Net profit/loss for the year | -1 041 | -22 063 |
Note:
Excluding the results of our Spin-off companies IRnova and Fibertronix the result after financial income and expenses is KSEK 4 967. In march 2013 an external financier invested SEK 10 million in IRnova.
(KSEK) | 2013-12-31 | 2012-12-31 |
---|---|---|
Assets | ||
Intangible assets | 12 710 | 7 937 |
Tangible assets | 10 435 | 10 977 |
Financial assets | 2 509 | 1 771 |
Inventories, Work in progress | 77 467 | 80 821 |
Accounts receivables - trade | 52 949 | 47 343 |
Other receivables | 18 933 | 20 156 |
Cash and bank balances | 78 148 | 82 026 |
Total assets | 253 150 | 251 031 |
Equity and liabilities | ||
Shareholders equity | 52 599 | 53 640 |
Minority interest | 1 319 | 3 250 |
Provisions | 148 | 125 |
Advance payments from customers | 124 130 | 111 339 |
Current liabilities | 74 954 | 82 676 |
Total equity and liabilities | 253 150 | 251 031 |