During 2023, the subject has collaborated with no fewer than 16 companies, which thus gained access to the subject's specialist expertise and laboratory resources to receive help with various material engineering issues related to product and process development. The collaboration has included larger companies (e.g. Husqvarna, LKAB, Ovako, Sandvik and SSAB) but primarily smaller regional companies such as ALO Center, Dalform, Falu Rödfärg, Kuggteknik, Next Green and Orsa Stenhuggeri. In many cases these smaller companies lack the competences and resources to carry out necessary development projects eg linked to the green transition.
In recent years, more and more companies have become interested in collaborative environments where companies and academia work together to solve different types of problems, says Professor Mikael Olsson, head of subject. "Many companies have understood that in times of skills shortages it can be valuable to obtain help via the skills available at a university. Relying solely on the company's own skills often means that the development work takes longer and becomes more costly."
There are several obvious advantages to this form of cooperation, continues Mikael. "The companies gain access to our expertise and the university's laboratory resources, and we gain increased insight and knowledge into the material-related challenges that the companies (our students' future employers) face in their work to develop new products and processes. This knowledge is of course very important and can be used to make our education more attractive and stimulating. One example is the design of more "real life" laboratory experiments and projects which can be designed based on real problems.”
“For our research, collaboration can have further positive effects as successful examples of research-related collaboration can form the basis for future applications to obtain external research funds eg from the Knowledge Foundation (KK-stiftelsen) which supports research collaborations between universities and industry.”
“Last but not least, the collaboration, in addition to being very stimulating, provides the opportunity to strengthen the subject’s finances which in the long run can mean the ability to employ new staff members as well as develop our skills."