Industry needs universities and vice versa

Competitiveness emerges from knowledge Today we have approx. 1 billion Internet connections and more than 3 billion mobile phone subscribers. Both numbers are steadily increasing. Information fl ows around the world instantly through electronic media. Today, people send more than 1500 emails per person per year, and the distance or the size of the mail does not increase the cost. One can send a person’s annual accomplishment of creative work, in industrial design or humanities, anywhere in the world in a few seconds. Internet telephony has resulted in the price of transatlantic telephony disappearing into the monthly broadband connection cost. The fundamental capability of people being connected easily and at low cost to each other, and to various kinds of data banks such as Google and Wikipedia, is changing our lifestyles and work practices probably faster than ever before. At the same time, less and less labour force is needed to make physical products. This is largely due to increased use of automation and innovative product concepts. In the U.S.A., the manufacturing of goods corresponded to approx. 27