Research will provide the process industry better IT support

- We want to help raise the tempo and use of new innovations in Swedish and international process industries so that supplier companies today and tomorrow in a faster and safer way can develop commercially viable applications, says Anders OE Johansson, project manager for ProcessIT Innovations at Luleå University of Technology.

"Platform strategy for Swedish processindustry", which is the project name, means that it will develop an IT-based industry platform based on business and business studies. It will help decision makers to assess, for example, a business concept, an investment or change of operations taking into account the business logic, business models and business opportunities. The method involves taking into account benefits, risks and value relative to cost. The project will develop a prototype of the different kinds of useful IT technologies (Technology Architecture) and a web-based marketplace, before it is ready for use in businesses.

- Platforms has in a variety of industries been a prerequisite for the companies that are best developed and through this project, we create business and technology conditions for a platform facing the process industry, says Per Levén, head of ProcessIT Innovations at Umeå University.

"Platform strategy for Swedish processindustry" which will run between 2012 and 2014 is one of 30 projects awarded funding from Innovation Agency VINNOVA's grant for challenge-driven innovation.

ProcessIT Innovations is a research center at the Universities of Luleå and Umeå and in it's consortium a range of industries, SMEs and research actors participates. In close collaboration with those is high-tech, problem-oriented research conducted.