Minister for Infrastructure and Housing Andreas Carlson and Jönköping Universitys President Måns Svensson emphasise that JU plays an important role in areas such as skills provision and staff recruitment in the collaboration with Kongsberg Automotive in Mullsjö.
Major investment in development of self-driving cars
Kongsberg Automotive is centralizing its development of autonomous vehicles to Mullsjö and has signed into a collaboration agreement with, among others, Jönköping University (JU).
"JU has a very important role in creating attractiveness and contributing competence to this initiative," says Andreas Carlson, Minister for Infrastructure and Housing.
De som ville kunde provköra en bil som är automatiserad, där framhjulen styrs elektroniskt.
Kongsberg is moving its entire operation with about 50 employees from Tranemo and its steering column development from Texas in the USA to Mullsjö.
"These strategic decisions by Kongsberg will benefit us here in the region," says Johan Svensson, incoming site manager at Kongsberg in Mullsjö.
"A message of strength"
On September 22, JU, together with Region Jönköping, Mullsjö municipality, Almi and Mullsjö Folk High School, signed a letter of intent to collaborate with Kongsberg Automotive in Mullsjö. This took place during a formal ceremony in front of about 100 staff members and invited guests at Kongsberg.
"It is a sign of strength to be able to create this innovation power center for development close to production, which will help lay the foundation for self-driving vehicles. Getting students into this initiative early in their studies and the knowledge that job opportunities are available close to JU, I bellive make the university attracitive both for the business community here in Mullsjö, as well as to the region as a whole. Partnerships between companies, academia and the public sector are usually very strong and that is something I look forward to," says Andreas Carlsson, who grew up in Mullsjö and during his speech shared that he had worked at Kongsberg's staff magazine as a 15-year-old.
Test drive
The participants were able to test drive a self-driving car equipped with a "steer by wire" system, which has no physical connection between the steering wheel and the front wheels but instead controls the wheels electronically. Måns Svensson, Rector of JU, was one of those who looked forward to taking the test car for a short drive. He points out that all the university's collaborations with industry are important and that the investment now being made at Kongsberg Automotive in Mullsjö means a lot for the development of JU's research and education.
"A huge opportunity"
"This is a huge opportunity that we now have in front of us, but we will have to roll up our sleeves and work to get good collaborations. We received an early request from Kongsberg to sign a letter of intent regarding, among other things, skills supply through further education of existing staff and good and talented students who want to collaborate with Kongsberg for their future careers, says Måns Svensson. He continues:
"It is impressive how Mullsjö has worked with this establishment. It is very well prepared and heavy actors are in place in the form of the Minister of Infrastructure and Housing, the County Governor, the region's foremost representatives along with many others. This is a coordination of resources that bodes well!
Representatives from the County Administrative Board, Region Jönköping, JU, Almi, Mullsjö Folk High School and Mullsjö Municipality signed a letter of intent regarding cooperation with Kongsberg Automotive.
The about 100 attendees learned more about Kongsberg's investment in the development of self-driving cars and new collaborations.
