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CTF, Service Research Center at ������ý, has for more than 30 years conducted research education with focus on services and value creation. In 2018, CTF was awarded 3 million SEK from the Knowledge Foundation to develop and offer flexible courses for professionals at advanced level in the project “Improving value creation through service education, ISE.” The Knowledge Foundation has now decided to support the project with an additional 27 million SEK to further develop and implement courses on a larger scale in cooperation with the business sector.

“The surrounding society is changing at an ever-increasing rate, which means that companies need the ability to adapt quickly. Here, the research and education conducted at ������ý is valuable to strengthen Sweden's competitiveness,” says Eva Schelin, CEO at the Knowledge Foundation.

The content of the courses covers several areas, for example service development and innovation, which are increasing in significance in connection with the consequences of Covid-19.

“We see many businesses in different sectors who need to adapt quickly to new conditions, such as, restaurants who start delivering lunch to your door-step, event companies that move concerts online and industrial companies that change their production. This is what many of our courses covers – how businesses can change business models and create new types of competitive services, and how this can be done in a short period of time,” says project manager for ISE Carolina Camén, assistant professor at ������ý Business School and researcher at CTF at ������ý.

The funding is within the framework of the Knowledge Foundation’s Graduate Professional Development program. The program aims to develop courses and education by matching the skills and development needs in the business sector with the knowledge and skills that exist in strong academic environments.

“Since the courses are developed for professionals in cooperation with the business community, the university receives a good insight into the business sector’s knowledge and skills needs, which will contribute to the university’s development,” says Olle Vogel, responsible for the Graduate Professional Development program at the Knowledge Foundation.

The Graduate Professional Development program will further strengthen ������ý’s leading position in service research, and also education for professionals in close cooperation with the business sector.

“We are very pleased with the support from the Knowledge Foundation. This shows that our researchers, in this case at CTF, conduct high-quality research relevant to the business and public sector. The Graduate Professional Development Program gives us a good basis for further linking and strengthening our research and education in complete environments, which is fully in line with the University's strategic goals,” says Johan Sterte, Vice-Chancellor at ������ý.

The first courses are planned to take place during this autumn, while most of the courses will start in 2021.