Eng VB Omslag 2002

Annual Report 2002 Contents 1Key events 2002 2Statement from the President 5Student Union view 6Focus on results 7Undergraduate programmes 14 IT University in Göteborg 15 Doctoral programmes 20 Research 27 Continuing professional development 29 Educational development 30 Dialogue with the community 34 International networks 37 People and know-how 40 New professors – new knowledge 42 Architecture 43 Chemical and Biological Engineering 44 Civil Engineering 45 Computer Science and Engineering 46 Electrical Engineering 47 Environmental Sciences 48 Mathematical Sciences 49 Mechanical Engineering 50 Physics and Engineering Physics 51 Technology Management and Economics 52 Chalmers Lindholmen University College 54 Microtechnology Centre, MC2 55 Onsala Space Observatory 56 Chalmers Library 57 Working environment and safety 58 The Chalmers Campus 60 Chalmers Board of Directors 60 Management and Organisation 62 Financial Report – Chalmers University of Technology AB 64 Financial Report – Chalmers University of Technology Foundation 69 Statistical overview – trends 1992-2002 The cover picture shows laser ablation equipment used to evaporate oxides, mainly high-temperature superconductors, with the aid of very short, intensive laser pulses of ultraviolet light. The evaporated material grows epitaxially on a substrate of, for example, sapphire, which is kept at a temperature of around 800°C. A pattern for electronic circuits is created from the thin films. Key events 2002 Despite a fall in the number of applicants for the BScEng and MScEng programmes throughout the country Chalmers succeeded in filling all its places. Increase in the number of BScEng graduates. Successful expansion of the IT University continues. Record number of PhDs awarded. Increase in proportion of female PhDs, far exceeding the Chalmers target. Number of professors continues to increase. Major research funding for microelectronics and materials science. International evaluators give MC2 and the Onsala Space Observatory high ratings. Founding of Wingquist Centre for production development. Rolls-Royce chooses Chalmers as its first university centre outside the UK. Chalmers in a global perspective Swedish research financing The world is changing rapidly and during 2002 we saw in a state of imbalance many examples. The way in which the global economy Research, higher education and the development of has developed during the year has brought home to us know-how are of vital importance to the advancement of exactly how vulnerable society is at the present time. society. Despite the fact that society’s view of research is The downturn on the stock market has had a drastic different from what it was twenty years ago, a clear effect on Chalmers’ potential for renewal “contract” with society is definitely lacking. A possi- and has highlighted even further the need ble exception in Sweden is the belief in the role of for cost reductions. Extreme weather universities and colleges as the driving force in conditions during the year exemplified the development of regional welfare. All regions clearly the major impact modern socie- want a university and all, or at least almost all, ty is having on the environment. In colleges are seeking to become universities. Sweden, the level of consumption The conditions for Swedish universities, continued to be high, despite the however, have changed over the past decline on the stock market, and twenty years. This change has re- Christmas trade in 2002 once sulted in an imbalance between again reached record levels. what we are expected to It is important, however, to achieve and what we actually never lose sight of the fact achieve, the costs this work that the situation in many entails and the income the parts of the world is com- University has at its disposal pletely different. for this purpose. The number of places on study programmes and the number of colleges/universities have expanded considerably whilst the so-called faculty grants, which are the Universi- ty’s own resources for research, have remained static. These funds have always been the very founda- 2002 tion of successful Swedish research – a and the universities have been able to use them for independent, prioritised research work or for urgent additions turbulent to research projects. This potential for using faculty funds has now been seriously curtailed. year Such a conclusion could be deemed strange in the light of the fact that Chalmers’ turnover over the past More than one-quarter of the world’s twenty years, measured in present-day population are suffering from serious monetary terms, has doubled. malnutrition, one-third of the world’s The majority of this increase (85%) population do not have access to comes from external research funding electricity and almost one in four is from research councils and founda- illiterate. The greatest challenge of all tions and secured in strong competi- therefore is to create a sustainable tion. Faculty funds have only increased society – an ecological, economic and marginally. During the same period the socially sustainable society. Universi- number of students has increased ties must play an important role in from 3,000 to 8,500 and the number of this development. At Chalmers we have PhDs per year has increased from just demonstrated that we are prepared to share over 30 to 130. This is an indication of a the responsibility by working systematically to rein- significant and very impressive im- force our education programmes and our research and provement in productivity, which at by using new knowledge and expertise in areas that are first sight appears both sound and correct. We ought, of relevance to the emergence of a sustainable society. with the aid of modern information technology tools and A clear example of this is the substantial contribution other means, to be able to rationalise and achieve a being made to development within the framework of higher level of productivity within certain limits but AGS, the Alliance for Global Sustainability. This is some- behind this trend there is a reality that gives cause for thing we can all feel justly proud of. great concern. 2 The University today does not have its own means to Many of our researchers have also received awards and provide the necessary infrastructure. When external fund- special excellence grants. Professors Björn Jonson in ing was low, and turnover even lower, the faculty funds physics, Olle Häggström in mathematics and Mats Viberg could be used to meet the needs that arose when, e.g. the in electrical engineering have all received so-called external research grants did not fully cover the costs. excellent researcher awards from the Swedish Research Present-day faculty funds are totally inadequate to Council. Another example is Professor Owe Orwar, whose achieve full cost coverage for research. There is a tangible research has been encouraged with both awards and risk that quality, the distinguishing mark of Swedish re- financial investments. His pioneering work in developing search, will fall and researchers will be compelled to reject new analytical tools for use in basic biophysical research financing that does not cover all costs. This is something I and pharmaceutical development has attracted consid- view with considerable unease. This feeling is unfortunate- erable attention in many quarters. ly not shared by many of our politicians, with their argu- ments about incorrect calculations. In reality, all researchers are feeling the effects of this undermining of the resource base and the level of stress in the system today is considerable. A sad but very concrete implication of lack of resources is the fact that Chalmers during the year was forced to rationalise and close down certain areas and for the first time this has led to redundancies. If we are to avoid meeting the future defensively, a change must come about. Striking a balance between the universities’ own unrestricted resources and resources of a more directed nature is important for the universities’ future potential to continue to play a central role in the development of society. It is in the interaction and dynamism between independent and dependent research that development has taken place and will continue to take place in the future. In a totally independent situation it would be easy to rebuild the ivory tower that once existed although on the other hand pure market adaptation would lead to the University ceasing to be a university – we would lose our soul and the potential for making major discoveries. Today, faculty funds account for just 25% of the total research resources at Chalmers. Research in focus During 2002, many researchers at Chalmers demonstrated what they were capable of and secured funds from a whole series of financing sources: from the Swedish Re- Success for the Chalmers innovation system search Council, research foundations, the EU and industrial Alongside the development of successful research we have contracts. Within the materials and microelectronics fields continued to develop Chalmers’ own innovation system. It is major framework grants and funds for the setting up of particularly important in the development of society that new centres have been awarded to Chalmers researchers. the knowledge created is used in activities that generate The microelectronics field has received SEK 60 million long-term growth. Chalmers is therefore working intensively from the Foundation for Strategic Research over a five- to develop a systems perspective that encourages the year period for research into high-speed electronics and development of expertise, innovative operations and entre- photonics, and a further SEK 30 million for the develop- preneurship. ment of nano-components. Chalmers School of Entrepreneurship, Chalmers Invest and We are also very happy by the fact that the Chalmers Chalmers Innovation at the Stena Center are three key Microtechnology Centre, MC2, has emerged very well from elements that will be of increasing importance to the long- the evaluation made by a team of international experts at term development of Chalmers as an innovative, entrepre- the request of the Swedish Research Council and Vinnova.

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