A regional and global driving force

Since the very beginning BTH has been a driving force in what has become one of the most expansive regions in Sweden within IT and telecommunications. The distinct applied IT profile has meant that a completely new sector for the region could be established and grow. This has in turn attracted new companies that previously had no link to Blekinge.

- Blekinge is a good example of how development and change can be accomplished in a region of stagnation, explains Stefan Östholm, Pro-Vice-Chancellor at BTH. It is thanks to the University that many highly educated people have moved to Blekinge and this has had an impact on day-to-day life in the region. At the same time that BTH is attracting highly educated people to the region there is a shift in knowledge in the opposite direction. Students from BTH are moving to other regions or abroad and with them they have a degree from a modern, distinctly profiled university.

Co-operation with industry

From the very outset BTH has always been particular to nurture close collaboration between the University and the community and this collaboration has taken place on all levels, both in education and research.

- For the students it is a case of being able to work with assignments or degree projects that are based on real problems. There are no ready-made answers, which naturally means that the students feel close to reality. Within research there are many collaborative projects with both industry and the public sector. In these projects it is also common that industry is involved in the funding, says Stefan Östholm.

Co-operation with industry takes many forms and there is potential for BTH to be of tangible benefit to the external world, not just in the region but also globally. The realisation that nature's resources are finite has meant that BTH has chosen to adopt a sustainability focus in all its activities. This vital global perspective is also part of BTH's profile.