SAAB HAS ALREADY implemented several of the results of the research conducted in the various sub-projects, something they wouldn´t have been able to do on their own, says Zienau.
"There´s a lot of financial strain right now. The sector is under enormous pressure from competitors and profits are low. We never would have been able to invest so much on our own."
Jan Olsson, Vice President - Research at Autoliv agrees.
"Our research and development needs greatly exceed what we can afford, despite the fact that things are going really well at Autoliv. It´s difficult even for profitable companies to make it through the research period when it takes ten years before a finished product hits the market."

BUT MONEY IS NOT the only issue. It´s also about access to each other´s knowledge and skills. Traffic safety is an interdisciplinary science comprising not only knowledge about the vehicles and roads of the future, but also the science of how human beings act in traffic. No single company or organization holds all of this knowledge.
"I am very inspired by the results that we produced together in the program, and believe we can achieve even more if we continue along the same path," says Jan Ivarsson, Senior Manager, Safety Strategies and Requirements at Volvo Cars. But he also points out a few difficulties that need to be worked out.
"It´s not easy to work together in a results-focused way toward finished products without upsetting the competitive balance between the companies. Things like system safety and testing can also get caught in the works."

THE FACT THAT CONSIDERABLE DEVELOPMENTS in recent years in the area of traffic safety have strengthened the Swedish automotive industry´s competitive edge is something everyone agrees on. To find the latest technology, you only have to look in a Swedish car or truck.
"We have been first out on the market with a long line of safety products," says Jan-Eric Sundgren, Senior Vice President of AB Volvo. "This is an important area for us and one that is at least partially attributable to this type of research program. We are extremely dependent on research partnerships within the automotive cluster and with universities and colleges."

PETER ZIENAU ALSO speaks of exciting results that are already being implemented in vehicles and pending patent applications, but also wants to point out that even the general quality of research has been increased within his company by IVSS.

"We´ve learned a lot about how to run research projects. We´ve soaked up skills and knowledge in areas like requirements, testing methods, competence and technology and have planted this expertise in our engineers."
Saab is now continuing on its own initiative.

"Today we can stand on our own two legs in several product development areas, but it is essential that we can also continue to conduct research in new safety systems with support from public sector agencies."
IVSS initiatives are now being continued in the cross-sector Swedish partnership organization, Strategic Vehicle Research and Innovation (FFI).
www.vinnova.se/ffi