Roof collapses last winter made many people wonder how this could happen and if better control is needed. Reports that some foods are not produced in an environmentally sustainable way have raised demands for satisfactory control in the food industry also. Uncertainty regarding the risks of the rapidly growing nanotachnology requires greater knowledge. And during the coldest winter in many years, we were short of energy. It is against this background that I lift the telephone and put some questions to the Head of SP.
Last winter, the roofs of hundreds of buildings in Sweden collapsed. How can this happen in our country that has a long tradition of research and testing in the construction industry? Is it that we do have the knowledge about safe construction, but it is not used? How do you see SP’s role in this situation?
- SP has looked for the causes of the collapse and found that snow alone was responsible. On the other hand the heavy snowfall has revealed shoddy practices and inadequate control. Today, the client is responsible for checking that the building regulations are complied with. The roof collapses demonstrate that it is presumably necessary to have an independent party to check safety. That function was formerly exercised by the municipal building inspector, even though that system also had its shortcomings at that time.
- The roof collapses could have been prevented by better control and, above all, by more research. The construction sector is at present testing new construction systems, materials and components directly under actual conditions. One example of this are the facades with single coat rendering which had serious moisture problems. SP research which highlights the problems due to facades with single coat rendering has resulted in new safer systems coming on the market. Through research, development, testing and certification we communicate our knowledge to the industry. A new development for this year is our SP construction days in the autumn which will become an annual industry event.
If fatal mistakes can be made in the construciton industry where research has been carried on for many years, what can happen in e.g. nanotechnology that is a new rapidly expanding industry? What is your view regarding SP’s ability to contribute new knowledge in this area and thus enhance the safety of consumers?
- The end products of the construction industry are becoming increasingly advanced and complex with high technology building services. At the same time, yesterday’s competence is far too often used in developing today’s products. This is why the risk of serious problems such as moisture problems and roof collapses increases. In the same way, with regard to nanotechnology it is essential that we should be part of the entire innovation process, from research to introduction in the market, in the form of e.g. evaluation and certification. In this respect, we at SP have good experience with our breadth and expertise. In the long term, this will naturally benefit the consumers, provided that the companies implement the new knowledge.
What work is SP doing in the field of material technology and chemistry?
- This is a broad based work that ranges over many areas of industry, especially pharmaceuticals and food. One good example is CODIRECT which is an Excellence Centre coordinated by SP. There, in collaboration with universities and the industry, we are developing methods to control the input of active substances so that the right amount of chemicals is liberated in the right place, at the right time and at the right rate. Another concrete example is an entirely new paint pigment that is the result of great effort by the Defence Forces in nanomaterials. The pigment acts as a very efficient camouflage. It may also reflect away the infrared radiation of the sun and has therefore the potential to greatly reduce the heat in e.g. buildings and vehicles. The next areas that will be commercialised are material protection, encapsulation of optical whiteners in paper, heat reflecting pigments for application on buildings in a hot environment or civil flight. The next step is to commercialise the new camouflage technology together with Defence Materiel Administration FMV and SAAB.
Energy will become a resource in short supply. And you want to shorten the time from research results to commercial production. Research must become more effective. How will SP contribute to this development? Can you give some good examples where SP has been successful in this?
- We are working over an extremely broad front in the field of energy where we carry on fundamental, need related and applied energy research. Our work on implementing research results is mainly through the participation of industry in our projects. Successful examples are inputs in heat pump technology which is the basis of rock source heat pumps, or energy effectivisation in food refrigeration. Energy recovery from waste is another example where SP has worked on the entire process from research to implementaion. We are now focusing hard on smart electric power systems which concern many parts of SP’s work in energy and environmental technologies. It is a matter of the interaction between local production from solar cells, wind power and other small producers, utilisation of load control for e.g. electric cars and the various services in a house, in relation to large scale production, so as to control the network optimally. It is a matter of measurement, communication and regulation.
In the field of food, new issues constantly emerge. Has SP the ability to tell consumers what is healthy, environmentally friendly, ecological or carefully handled? What opportunities does SP have to develop certification for foods with respect to climate and environment?
- Within SP, our subsidiary SIK, Institute for Food and Biotechnology (see the box) is working on associating food with environmental issues. We can identify climatic impact in the life cycle of a food. We provide advice in the classification of foods in the KRAV and Sigill systems. Handling aspects are important, primarily in the refrigeration chain where we have a research project with funds from Formas and others. As regards health safety and risk assessment, we are working with an international safety system HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) for food products. The system has many similarities with the forthcoming ISO standard 22000 (Food Safety Management Systems Requirements). This standard is being developed to support food companies in their work so that they can demonstrate their ability to produce safe foods and to support the work on constant improvement of product safety and hygiene. In this area SIK is very active. By virtue of the fact that JTI, Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Engineering, is now also a part of SP we can have an even stonger grip on these essential issues throughout the entire life cycle, from land use and farming issues to production and waste/recycling. We work on both technology in different areas and on system analyses on an overall plane.
The aspiration is that SP should become an internationally leading institute in environmental and energy technologies. Can you tell us more about these plans?
- "Internationally leading" implies being in a prominent position in a sufficiently large number of cutting-edge technologies. Being prominent is important for being a partner for international industry and in this way secure a basis for growth, and for being good at identifying further research needs. SP is today a leading institute as regards the application of interdisciplinary know-how in practice in order to come to grips with the complex needs in the field of e.g. energy and environmental technologies. Apart from research funded by industry, it is also a matter of working strategically with the EU framework programmes and within the other international cooperations, for example IEA.
You have started 13 competence platforms in order to build up a long term and internationally competitive frontline competence in strategic areas. How will his work?
- These platforms are a good help in implementing SP’s business idea to develop and spread knowledge and competence. A long term competence is being built up here in different areas that can provide benefit for industry. Cooperation with industry is of fundamental importance. The energy efficient buildings of the future are such a platform. Other examples are heat pump technology, underground construction, lightweight marine structures, biotechnology and Green Lean – sustainable food production.
SP wants to strengthen its international profile. How will this be done? Can you give examples?
- Our international cooperation is important. Almost one quarter of our revenue comes from abroad. We mainly participate in the EU framework programmes for research. Last year we took part in 52 EU projects, of which we coordinated 7. In monetary terms there has been an increase of 30 per cent since 2008. Our goal is to double our participation under the 7th EU framework programme. Our overall commissioned work from EU now amounts to MSEK 180. I also want to point out that many of our projects are associated with the priority areas of Formas.
- Another way is through our international networks with other similar institutions in other countries. We work with a large number of institutes in both Europe and the rest of the world. We are also expanding our good cooperation with universities in other countries.
For a few months, SP has been a member of the network RISE, Research Institutes of Sweden. Does this mean larger resources for SP? If so, how will these be used?
- Yes, it does. Through this network we have extra opportunities to invest more in developing strategic and long term competence, for example through the strong r&d environments that are built up in our competence platforms.
If you wanted to have more research in one of Formas’ areas, which would it be?
- When we look at the principal areas of Formas, they match our areas quite well. If I were to wish anything, it would be closer cooperation with Formas in all strategic areas.
SP
SP, Technical Research Institute of Sweden, is the broadest based research and technology institute in Sweden, with almost 1000 staff. Through its research and technology development, SP is to contribute to the development of the competitiveness and sustainable development of the business sector. A majority of SP’s research is of an applied character, and SP is an important link between academic research and the business sector’s calls for application. In recent years, SP has expanded into a group, of which both JTI, Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Engineering, YKI, Institute of Surface Chemistry, CBI, Cement and Concrete Research Institute, Glafo, Glass Research Insitute, SIK, Institute for Food and Biotechnology, and SMP, National Machinery Testing Institute, are members. For some months, the Swedish industrial research institutes have been owned by the holding company RISE, Research Institutes of Sweden.