"Swedish consensus is an incredible force"
For Göran Sandberg, a doyen of Swedish research development, the most important issue in the university world at the moment is undoubtedly the supply of expertise.
"It doesn't matter if you come from Karesuando or Timbuktu - if you want to do research at a Swedish university, you should be able to do it. The world is full of talent and we need to attract it to Sweden," says the man who just received an honorary doctorate from KTH Royal Institute of Technology.
During his time as a Executive Director of Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation, Göran Sandberg has been involved in launching a number of major strategic research programmes, such as the Wallenberg Wood Science Centre, the WASP AI programme, the WACQT quantum programme and the SciLifeLab research centre.
As the nomination for the honorary doctorate states: "With a rare ability to identify relevant scientific areas, create interdisciplinary collaborations and promote cooperation between universities, industry and the rest of society, he has played a decisive role in research at KTH. "
"This has worked very well. The Swedish consensus can be very difficult, but once you agree it is an incredible force," says Göran Sandberg, adding:
"There is a lot of competition in an exposed world, so it can seem a bit silly to argue within Sweden.
Ensuring an open debate
Given the troubled state of the world and the way in which the conditions for American research seem to be changing by the day, he says: - 'This dismantling is terrible. Attracting American researchers is one thing, but I think we should focus more on those who had intended to study or do research in the US and instead come from other countries.
Although technical research is absolutely crucial for Sweden, he also wants to strike a blow for education and research in the humanities and social sciences.
"This expertise is incredibly important for the development of public administration, democracy and open debate. Otherwise we are left behind."
He is perhaps most proud of the Wallenberg Academy Fellows Programme, an initiative for young researchers to enable them to carry out long-term research in peace and quiet.
A bit surprising
"We have given 261 young researchers the opportunity to specialise in their research. The most gratifying thing is that 40 per cent of them are women,' he says, adding that when he sits in on interviews he is struck by the breadth of their expertise."
"They are so incredibly competent, thank God I don't have to compete with this talent for jobs and grants, I wouldn't stand a chance."
And on the classic question of how it feels, he says: "For a biologist and botanist, receiving an honorary doctorate from a technical university feels pretty damn good - and a bit surprising."
Text: Jill Klackenberg ( jillk@kth.se )