The development of new research projects and collaboration with trade and industry and the authorities were the focal points of the CEC’s operations during the year. Needless to say, the halving of the energy research grant for 2005 had a restrictive effect on the CEC’s development.
Chalmers Energy Centre - Annual Report 2005
Operations during the year were characterised by the continued development of the CEC’s business philosophy which focuses on co-ordinating and developing energy-related operations at Chalmers University of Technology. The increase in the number of participating research groups at the CEC has improved the potential for developing interdisciplinary energy research at Chalmers University of Technology and for collaborating with other research groups both nationally and internationally. The projects that have been run clearly demonstrate that active collaboration between researchers and practitioners creates the conditions to develop interesting concepts and larger research projects in which there is a high level of both relevance and scientific quality. The CEC’s operations have also resulted in synergies between research and education across departmental borders. During the year, a number of surveys were conducted and they have resulted in syntheses and the collation of knowledge to extend the use of research results as a basis for the Swedish government’s work on the energy bill in the spring of 2006, among other things. As far as the CEC is concerned, 2005 saw the implementation and co-ordination of major research projects, such as the Biokombi Rya project, both financially and administratively.
When it comes to the environment, Chalmers University of Technology made a number of large investments during the year with the financial support of the Chalmers Foundation. They included investments in the research network that exists as a result of the GMV (the Göteborg Environmental Science Centre) and Chalmers University of Technology’s membership of the Alliance for Global Sustainability (AGS) in which a number of well-known universities and international research groups are also involved. During the year, discussions were held on the possibility of developing collaboration between the GMV, AGS and CEC. The conditions are favourable and these developments are planned to continue in the years to come.
The CEC is run as a project which reports directly to the president and there are plans to evaluate the project in 2006. The results will then form the basis of the decision the president will make about the future of the CEC in the autumn of 2006. This evaluation was planned during the past year in terms of methodology and implementation.
To summarise; operations have largely been run according to plan, they have been run within the specified economic framework and important operational objectives have been realised. The potential for these positive trends to continue is regarded as good, especially now that the government’s energy research grant has been reinstated. In addition, collaboration within the EU will continue to be extremely strategic; the 7th framework programme offers opportunities in the field of energy.
Bertil Pettersson
