Chalmers: New agreement sharpens space technology

The timing of the agreement could not be better. The successful European comet expedition Rosetta and its lander Philae have certainly put space technology on the agenda. Ruag Space contributed to the development and construction of Rosetta.

A large number of students gathered for the event, where they could listen to Chief Engineer Torbjörn Hult from Ruag Space. He gave a short presentation on the next space challenges to come after Rosetta – namely the space car ExoMars, which the European Space Agency ESA plans to send to Mars in 2016.

Areas of Excellence

The research collaboration initiative between Chalmers and Ruag Space is concentrated to Chalmers’ strong research areas of antennas, microwave technology and computer systems – in short, hardware and software for the space industry.

 “Ruag specializes in technologies that constitute very strong research areas at Chalmers. That we are now embarking on a strategic collaboration initiative is positive for these research groups. In this way, we can work more proactively and make long-term plans for future projects,” says Chalmers President Karin Markides.

Ruag Space’s CEO Mats Warstedt was there to sign the agreement, which runs for ten years. It will be automatically extended for successive 2-year terms.We took the opportunity to ask him about his vision for the cooperation initiative ten years from now.

“By then, we will have many more common research projects and quite a different dialogue. We would like to see people working more flexibly between the university and industry. We might manage to blur the line a bit,” says Mats Warstedt.

Involved in education

The new agreement also means new forms of cooperation between the parties – beyond research and technology development. Ruag will get involved in educational issues and student projects, and hopes to increase recruitment to the company. For Chalmers, close collaboration with a leading European supplier to the world's space industry will increase appeal for new students.

“For students, the connection to the industry is a driving force, and companies that operate globally usually increase interest on the part of many students,” says Karin Markides.