Partners
The most important partners of Swerea SWECAST are foundries, suppliers and buyers of cast components. To the larger companies, many of them multi-nationals, we can supply research results that are of high scientific quality and often border on basic research. To smaller companies we often supply practical assistance with everyday tasks.
Other important partners within Sweden are institutions of higher learning, including:
• Royal Institute of Technology
• Linköping University Institute of Technology
• Chalmers University of Technology
• University of Skövde
• Halmstad University
• Jönköping University School of Engineering
At the international level we are currently collaborating with several foundry institutes within the European Union. To name a few:
• IfG in Germany
• ÖGI in Austria
• CTIF in France
• FRI in Poland
At present we are conducting several EU projects in collaboration with some of these partners.
Via our parent company, Swerea, and the strategic collaborations it has initiated, we have also begun to work more closely in several areas with other Swerea institutes. Those areas including production technology, surface treatment, metallurgy, environmental labelling, waste management, etc.
Funding sources
The institute’s total budget for 2009 was ca. SEK 55 million. Via its RISE holding company, the Swedish state provides a basic subsidy that covers about 20 per cent of operating costs. For institute research, other sources of funding are:
• Vinnova
• Swedish Energy Agency
• Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth
• European Social Fund
• European Regional Development Fund
• Swedish National Agency for Higher Vocational Education.
Together, these sources provide nearly 40 per cent of the institute’s funding. The next largest portion of funding is provided by our consulting services, which cover ca. 30 per cent of operating costs. Important areas in which consulting are provided include materials testing, product development and simulation.
Annual fees for membership in the Swedish Foundry Association, amounting to nearly SEK 10 million, cover about 20 per cent of operating costs and are used to finance the research that SFA commissions Swerea SWECAST to perform. In some cases, those funds can also be used to co-finance other projects, providing a significant stimulus. [“uppväxlingseffekt”?] The European Union finances slightly less than ten per cent of total operating costs. But that portion is expected to gradually increase, as part of our strategy to strengthen Swerea SWECAST’s profile as the leading foundry research institute in Europe.