Where is Swedish research conducted?
Almost two thirds of publicly funded research in Sweden is conducted at universities and other higher education institutions. Other publicly funded actors conducting research include industrial research institutes, certain sectoral agencies as well as municipalities and county councils.
Universities and other higher education institutions
In Sweden there are 35 state higher education institutions. Research and postgraduate studies are also carried out at three private education providers. The large higher education institutions conduct teaching and research in many subjects and fields, unlike smaller higher education institutions which often have established profiles in specific areas, sometimes by concentrating on subject areas of relevance to the local business sector, or in a specific scientific field.
All state higher education institutions have their own research resources and conduct research.
Industrial research institutes
Some publicly funded research is also conducted at industrial research institutes. Some of these are jointly owned by central government, the Knowledge Foundation and business in the sectors served by the respective institutes. Central government ownership is channelled via IRECO Holding AB. IRECO has completed a restructuring process and the previously 16 institutes are now combined into 3-4 larger groups of institutes.
The business sector
The business sector in Sweden invests a lot in research compared to other countries. In comparison with the other Nordic countries, Sweden has industries that are varied and high-tech. Several different sectors allocate large amounts of money to research. Particular emphasis is placed on the automotive and pharmaceutical industries, as well as on the IT and telecommunications industries.
Innovations resulting from research are playing an increasingly important role. This is reflected in a clearer mandate for the higher education institutions to work in this direction. Collaboration with the business sector plays a major role in this.
