VINNOVA will focus more effectively upon Software

Posted: October 14, 2010

Charlotte Brogren, CEO of Vinnova is a powerful woman. She controls Vinnova’s research billions until 2015. Brogren believes that software development is a key area in the future.

A question Brogren is struggling with is to get more concrete effects from the research billions, which the nation spends each year.



- Universities have received increased funding over several years, which is good. But it must not only be paper products, they should produce something that creates value for Sweden.



One area she believes in is software. In the current situation the Swedish industry is undergoing a radical transformation. Volvo, Ericsson and ABB are moving to become software developers. The revolution does not only affect programmers and IT departments, but the whole industry. As an example Ericsson has added 80 percent of the organizations research budget, 25 billion per year on software development.



- Production is moving from factories to development. In the past, most companisis have not put much empasis on the ares of software engineering. But in the future, software engineering and industrial development of software will play a a very different role, she says.


This forces is a radical transformation in how businesses operate. According to engineering companies, the industry has gotten rid of thousands of jobs during the recession - they are gone forever. Instead the insutry is now recruiting a large number of software developers.



An industrial robot is often regarded as a mechanical device, but the software development stands for about 70-80 percent of the cost. In a car, the software to accounted for a third. New brakes is today more based on software development than on materials.



- All business lines has not kept pace with the developments. This requires more strategic focus on software development, both how it is organized and how to measure the value created she says.


Source: ComputerSweden