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R&D productivity in the pharmaceutical business has gradually decreased during the last decades. While companies are spending more on R&D, fewer drugs are reaching the market. It is said that the cost of bringing a successful drug to the market is now $1 billion, which includes all failure drugs. At the same time, governmental regulations for drugs development have become tighter. Companies are therefore desperately trying to find new ways to develop more innovative drugs more effectively. There is a growing need for more knowledge about Drug R&D Management in the industry, which is the reason for KTH Industrial Economics and Management initiating a research program in this field. The present study is a feasibility study of this research endeavor. It outlines the scope of the field and explores areas for further study. Anchored in interviews with key industrial actors, the aim is to identify which organizational challenges practitioners are presently facing for successful drug R&D management. Four themes of challenges within the business have been identified. These are: Specialization within the R&D Process – There is a trend that different actors specialize within the innovation process of developing new drugs. The concept is to source activities to organizations that have the best capabilities. What are the consequences of this business model? What is the core competence of different actors? Balancing Freedom and Control in R&D Operations – R&D by definition, comprises activities with unknown outcomes. Work in projects most probably takes trajectories that were not originally thought of. Typically the most suitable individuals for performing such activities are scientists with a deep specialization within the field of research. How are freedom and control of work balanced within R&D? What type of control is most suitable? How can scientists be managed? Resource Allocation and Project Portfolio Management – Projects in a project portfolio are dependent on each other and on their ...

Electric road systems (ERS) can reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the transport sector. The market-ready ERS drive systems are characterised by high energy efficiency and low operational costs compared to fossil fuels and biofuels for combustion engines. The introduction of ERS will depend on governmental support, balancing the overall need for GHG-reduction with the business perspectives of the transport market and the energy market. There is an urgent need to establish standards for core components and important interfaces in order to build confidence among potential ERS users. Since ERS will take time to scale up, we should begin to transform the electricity system to meet the demand for ERS while also meeting GHG reduction goals aligned with strong climate policies. There is a need to clarify whether an ERS system is part of the road infrastructure market or the energy market, and to define the role of the public sector in ERS deployment. Since a significant part of long-haul road freight transport is international, ERS deployment will benefit from cross-country cooperation. ; Swedish-German Research Collaboration on Electric Road Systems (CollERS)

The Swedish government has prioritized achieving a fossil fuel-independent vehicle fleet by 2030 which will require radical transformation of the transport industry. Electrifying the vehicle fleet forms an important part of this transformation. For light vehicles, electrification using batteries and charging during parking is already well advanced. For city buses, charging at bus stops and bus depots is being developed, but for heavy, long-distance road transport, batteries with enough capacity to provide sufficient range would be too cumbersome and too much time would have to be spent stationary for charging. One solution might be the introduction of electric roads, supplying the moving vehicle with electricity both to power running and for charging. In the longer term, this approach could also be used for light vehicles and buses. The objective of the Research and Innovation Platform for Electric Roads was to enhance Swedish and Nordic research and innovation in this field, this has been done by developing a joint knowledge base through collaboration with research institutions, universities, public authorities, regions, and industries. The work of the Research and Innovation Platform was intended to create clarity concerning the socioeconomic conditions, benefits, and other effects associated with electric roads. We have investigated the benefits from the perspectives of various actors, implementation strategies, operation and maintenance standards, proposed regulatory systems, and factors conducive of the acceptance and development of international collaborative activities. The project commenced in the autumn of 2016 and the main research continued until December 2019, the work during year 2020 has been focused on knowledge spread and coordination with the Swedish-Germany research collaboration on ERS (CollERS). The results of the Research and Innovation Platform have been disseminated through information meetings, seminars, and four annual international conferences. Reports have been published in the participating partners' ordinary publication series and on www.electricroads.org. The project was funded by Strategic Vehicle Research and Innovation (FFI) and the Swedish Transport Administration.