The Competence Centre Programme is a NUTEK-initiative to develop university-industry interaction in Sweden. The aim is to achieve a stronger industrial impact and concentration of resources by creating multidisciplinary academic research environments in which industrial companies participate actively. The programme is a means to strengthen the important link in the Swedish innovation system between university research and industrial R&D.

The programme is long-term and NUTEK and the National Energy Administration intend to contribute to the funding of the individual centres for up to 10 years. The programme has now been running for 4-5 years and the centres are in their second stage, comprising 3 years. As a next step, NUTEK and the National Energy Administration intend to negotiate with the other partners in the centres for a following 3-years stage.

The main purpose of this second, mid-term, evaluation is to give an input to the negotiations and decisions about stage 3 for the individual centres and to contribute to the further development of the programme. It will focus on the following issues:

• Technical results and scientific outputs

• Industrial relevance, benefits and effects

• Performance and development as a Competence Centre.

The development of the Competence Centres is based on a stepwise funding and evaluation. When the programme started in 1995, NUTEK formulated a number of criteria as a basis for the evaluations (see Appendix 1). The criteria are attached as an appendix to all Competence Centre Agreements and thus wellknown among those participating in the centres´ activities.

The first evaluation was initiated and performed by NUTEK during 1997 and 1998 at the end of stage 1. As it took place at a very early stage its purpose was not to review scientific and industrial results. The main focus was to look into and review, from an international point of view, the approaches used and the measures taken so far by the individual Competence Centres and to assess their potential for a long-term development. Four evaluation criteria were used:

• Competence profile (incl long-term strategy and goals; international relations)
• Concentrated research environment (strength of collaboration within the centre)
• Industrial involvement and interaction (incl. mutual personal mobility)
• Leadership and management.

All centres were reviewed by the same team of international experts with experience from similar programmes for university-industry research collaboration. The conclusions and recommendations of the evaluation team were a central basis for the negotiations and decisions about stage 2 for the individual centres and an important means to improve the performance of the centres and the programme. Their recommendations especially focused on the following issues:

• Strategic planning and the important of role of the Board in this process

• Industrial involvement in the strategic issues

• Centre Leadership and the important role of the Centre Director.

The recommendations and the extent to which they have been implemented by the centres during stage 2 will be followed up in the second evaluation.

According to the overall recommendations of the evaluation team NUTEK has initiated a Centre leadership training programme which is now in progress.

The first evaluation of the programme is documented in six reports (NUTEK report 1997:18, 1997:47, 1997:76, 1998:2, 1998:28 and 1999:25).

The centres are now running their Stage 2, for most centres comprising three years. According to the Competence Centre Agreements for stage 2, "NUTEK intends to conduct the second evaulation with a view to giving the Parties a basis for possible continued activities at the Competence Centre". This evaluation, which will be carried out 4-5 years after the establishment of the centres, should be looked upon as a mid-term review of the centres and the programme. This means that the evaluation will be used as an instrument to further develop, re-direct or phase out the individual centres.

In order to fulfil its main purpose - to give an input to the negotiations and decisions about stage 3 - the evaluations of centres have to be completed in good time (preferably 3 months) before the expiration of stage 2. This implies that the 28 centres will be evaluated according to the following time schedule:

To be evaluated not later than March 2000 (stage 2 expires June 2000)

• Parallel and Scientific Computing, PSCI, KTH
• User-Oriented IT-Design, CID, KTH
• Integrated Design and Manufacturing, Polhem Laboratory, Lulea Univ.
• Combustion Processes, Lund Univ.
• High Speed Technology, CHACH, Chalmers
• Catalysis, KCK, Chalmers
• Railway Mechanics, CHARMEC, Chalmers

To be evaluated not later than May 2000 (stage 2 expires August 2000)

• Amphiphilic Polymers from Renewable Resources, CAP, Lund Univ.

To be evaluated not later than June 2000

• High Temperature Corrosion, HTC, Chalmers (stage 2 expires Sept. 2000)
• Minerals/Metals Recycling, MIMER, Lulea Univ. (stage 2 expires Sept. 2000)
• Electric Power, KTH (stage 2 expires Oct. 2000)

To be evaluated not later than September 2000 (stage 2 expirers Dec. 2000)

• Combustion Engines Research, CERC, Chalmers

• Radiation Therapy, Karolinska Institute
• Bioprocess Technology, CBioPT, KTH
• Fluid Mechanics for Process Industry, FaxénLaboratory, KTH
• Surfactants Based on Natural Products, SNAP, KTH
• Bio- and Chemical Sensor Science and Techn., S-SENCE, Linkoping Univ.
• Information Systems for Industrial Control/Supervis., ISIS, Linkoping Univ.
• Bioseparation, CBioSep, Lund Univ.
• Advanced Software Technology, ASTEC, Uppsala Univ.
• Micro Structure and Surface Technology, SUMMIT, Uppsala Univ.

To be evaluated not later than November 2000 (stage 2 expires Febr. 2001)

• Environmental Assessm. of Product and Material Systems, CPM, Chalmers

To be evaluated not later than December 2000 (stage 2 expires March 2001)

• Brinell Centre for Inorganic Interfacial Engineering, BRIIE, KTH
• Lean and Agile Manufacturing, Woxén Centre, KTH
• Noninvasive Medical Measurements, NIMED, Linkoping Univ.

To be evaluated not later than March 2001 (stage 2 expires June 2001)

• Speech Technology, CTT, KTH

To be evaluated not later than September 2001 (stage 2 expires Dec. 2001)

• Wood Ultrastructure Research, WURC, SLU

The first evaluation of the Centre for Circuit Design, CCCD, Lund Univ., which started in January 1998, was carried out in November 1999.

A NUTEK Competence Centre has two main challenges to meet:

• To be a cross-disciplinary centre of excellence i.e. a dynamic, productive, and internationally renowned academic research environment.
• To promote the implementation of new technology and to strengthen the technical competence in Swedish industry, mainly through its industrial partners.

The aim of the evaluation is to assess the progress of the centres in these respects.

The evaluation will look into and review, from an international point of view, the progress and the results of the centre´s activities attained since the centre started. It will focus on the following issues:

• Technical results and scientific outputs

• Performance and development as a Competence Centre.

The Competence Centre Programme means that new forms of university-industry research collaboration are tested and developed. An overall aim of the evaluation is to judge and measure the added values of the collaboration efforts and the Competence Centre concept. This could include "soft" added values, for instance building up new linkages and collaboration networks, developing dynamic research environments, increased industrial impact in universities, development of leadership and management skills etc.

The prime reference frame for the review of the scientific outputs and the industrial relevance and benefits will be other R&Defforts in the research areas and disciplines covered by the centre´s research programme. The development as a Competence Centre will be reviewed with other centres in the programme and internationally as the prime reference frame.

The evaluation of individual centres will be carried out by groups of 4-5 international experts, two or three of them preferably being "generalists" and at least two of them being internationally distinguished and renowned specialists within the centre´s research area. It is advantageous if the scientific experts also have industrial experiences.

Since the Competence Centre programme covers a wide spectrum of technology areas and industry sectors, the scientific experts will differ from centre to centre. Nevertheless, opportunities will be sought to find scientific experts who are capable and willing to participate in the evaluation of adjacent centres. The experts will be selected and appointed by NUTEK/The National Energy Administration in consultations with the centres. It is important that the choice of scientific experts is accepted by the Centre. The experts should have no personal couplings to the centre.

A very positive experience from the first evaluation in 1997-1998 was to have one evaluation team reviewing all centres. Also for the second evaluation the ambition is to include in all evaluation teams persons who have acquired an overview of the programme and the Competence Centre concept by taking part in the review of several centres. For these reasons NUTEK has invited the review team from the first evaluation to form a central group of generalists. All evaluation teams set up to review individual centres will hopefully include at least two persons from this central group. In addition to taking part in the evaluation of individual centres, the generalist group will be asked to make an overall assessment of the progress of the programme and its impact on Swedish higher education institutions and industry.

NUTEK will appoint a Swedish moderator for the evaluation chosen from NUTEK´s Industrial and Scientific Advisory Board. The moderator will not be a member of the evaluation teams but an independent resource as adviser to the teams, for instance in policy issues.

The basis for the evaluators will be a written report from the Competence Centre and a site visit at the centre. NUTEK´s instructions to the centres for their reports to the evaluators are given in Appendix 2. The centre reports will be distributed to the members of the evaluation group a couple of weeks before their arrival.

The central part of the site visit at the Competence Centre will be a main review meeting with the whole evaluation group (scientific experts + generalists) and the centre. It is planned to take 4-5 hours. During the main meeting the evaluators will meet with the following persons and partners in the Centre:

• the Centre Director and other managing staff persons
• the Chairman and other members of the Centre Board
• senior research leaders and faculty members active within the centre
• Ph D-students from different departments and incl industrial PhD-students
• representatives from the participating companies
• university staff, possibly incl. representatives of Rector´s office.

In order to make it possible for the scientific experts to discuss and scrutinize in more detail the technical and scientific output they will be invited to arrive one or half a day before the main meeting to meet with the Centre Director, the research leaders an the PhD-students. Staff from NUTEK or the National Energy Administration will be present at the site visits.

The work of the evaluation group shall result in a report to NUTEK or the National Energy Administration. The evaluation team is supposed to be unanimous in its conclusions and recommendations. Preferably, the report should comprise three parts dealing with the main issues for the evaluation:

• Development as a Competence Centre (main responsibility for the generalists)
• Technical results and scientific outputs (main responsibility for the scientific experts)
• Industrial relevance, benefits and effects (joint responsibility)
• General conclusions and recommendations (joint responsibility)

Discussions and recommendations on priorities of actions to be taken by the centre itself as well as by NUTEK or the National Energy Administration, both in terms of financial support and of more structural matters, are appreciated.

The report of the evaluation group will be published by NUTEK or the National Energy Administration. It will be openly circulated to all Competence Centres and, on request, to any other agencies or persons who have expressed an interest in this type of information. The Swedish scientific community is used to outspoken international evaluation reports.

NUTEK or the National Energy Administration will pay for all costs for the members of the evaluation groups including travels, accommodations etc. According to NUTEK´s standards for international evaluations, each member of an evaluation group will receive a small remuneration of USD 2000.

A successful Competence Centre

• offers industry an attractive and concentrated research environment for collaboration, problem solving, and long-term competence development; the centre forms a distinct and visible part of the university or institute that has signed the agreement;

• enjoys sustained participation from industry in the management, implementation, and financing of a research programme of mutual interest and attracts contributions from industrial partners amounting to at least as much as NUTEK's financing;

• has a clear competence profile in which the centre is internationally competitive and is able to adapt and strengthen it with regard to the needs of the interested parties and the development of science and technology;

• renews and expands its circle of interested parties in Swedish industry, including SMEs;

• is well established in the university or institute of technology, which successively increases its contributions in the form of base organisation and other resources needed to develop the centre's activities;

• is characterised by mutual personal mobility between the academic and industrial R&D environments in that

• contributes to the academic undergraduate and postgraduate education;

• enjoys increasing external financing for activities which strengthen the centre's competence profile and base;

• achieves results which the companies can exploit and which lead to scientific qualifications (PhD/Licentiate degrees, articles in international journals, etc.);

• collaborates with other research groups and research institutions and gradually increases its collaboration at the international, especially the European, level in line with the industrial partners' wishes.

The above criteria will be used as a basis for the evaluations of the activities of the Competence Centres that NUTEK will perform.

Each Competence Centre should submit a report to NUTEK (and for energy-related centres to the National Energy Administration, STEM) in 8 copies not later than 4 weeks before the site visit of the evaluation team. The reports will be forwarded to the international evaluators.

It is recommended that the report contains no more than 30 pages plus enclosures. The following information should be given in enclosures:

• a publication list, in accordance with B.3. below
• 3-5 publications, which are central and representative for the centre´s research programme
• the latest Centre Annual Report (voluntary)
• reports from the Centre´s International Advisory Board (voluntary)
• CV of the Centre Director (summary view).

The evaluation and the report should deal with the progress and the results attained since the centre started. The table of contents given below has not to be strictly followed, but it is recommended that all aspects mentioned be covered in the report. The list of headings could be changed and expanded in order to include relevant information on progress and achievements of your centre.

3. Industrial relevance, benefits and effects

• New networks and collaborative linkages

• Build up of new and increase of existing competence

• Technical assistance and problem solving