2009
Mjärdevi Science Park celebrated its 25th anniversary with an anniversary picnic luncheon, special golf event, and a special edition of its annual relay race. In November, Marcus Wallenberg was on hand to inaugurate the Mjärdevi Wall of Fame created to honour those individuals who had contributed in various ways to the success of the science park and its companies. Wallenberg, as well as Linköping University’s rector, Mille Millnert; Chairman of the Municipal Board, Paul Lindvall, and CEO of Saab, Åke Svensson addressed audiences who attended “The Future and Beyond” seminar following the inauguration.
After four years of strong growth, 2009 was a year of ”consolidation”. The most recent of global financial crises required some “belt-tightening” and several firms reduced personnel, particularly in the consulting and materials supply area. Most product and service companies at Mjärdevi have continued to see positive growth.
Number of employees and students: 5 950
2008
For the first time, Mjärdevi broke through the 6000-mark for the total number of employees working on the park. New activities introduced at Mjärdevi included a golf competition and an investment day. SP Devices won the Metro Tech Challenge. BioOptico earned the Skapa award and funding, and Fodina won Rookie of the Year. New to the park this year were ITA Development, PC-Ware, and Toyota Industries.
Number of employees and students: 6100
2007
Mjärdevi is now home to 230 companies. Its strongest year ever, the park sees an increase of 1100 people—750 among companies and 350 participating in educational programs. The Mjärdevi Business Incubator and the Norrköping Science Park incubation program are operationally merged under the auspices of Linköping University and renamed LEAD. New companies on the park include Addici, Foran Remote Sensing, IT-bolaget Per & Per, Lyngbox Media, Micromuscle and Termisk Systemteknik
Total employees and students: 5 800
2006
300 additional jobs on Mjärdevi in 2006 reflect the park’s continued strong growth. With the help of the Soft Landing program, American medical technology company, Saphenia, establishes its European office. 12 companies enter the Rivstart program and the Business Incubator hosts 6 new companies. Among new companies on the park are Ansyn, Bidonnet, Ephiós, Metrima, and Scandinavian Biogas Fuel.
Total employees and students: 4 700
2005
210 companies. New services and programs in the park include a corporate development and marketing school for Park companies, a “Soft Landing” scheme for foreign companies wishing to locate in Sweden, and “Rivstart”, a program offering young companies a furnished location with mentoring and coaching. New companies on the park include Attentec, Coresonic, Expert, Ibitec, and NetAdmin, and new jobs on the park increase by another 400. The John Bauer High School also opens its doors attracting several hundred students interested in pursuing IT and Entrepreneurship.
2004
Following three years of negative growth and low absorption rates, Mjärdevi begins to grow once again. Mjärdevi Center, a 12-story high-rise by architects Lund & Valentin, opens its doors. A central focus in the science park, this award-winning steel and glass building with stunning angular features is also environmentally significant in its use of specially treated glass, air systems, and green roofs. 2004 is a year of celebrations as the IT-ceum, Sweden’s National Computer Museum, opens at Mjärdevi, 50 years after SAAB and the Swedish Board for Computing Machinery (known as Matematikmaskinnämnden) signed an agreement to develop BESK (a binary electronic sequence calculator) which for a time was the world’s fastest computer and Sweden’s first commercial computer. For Mjärdevi’s 20th anniversary, the Crown princess Victoria is guest of honour. And among new companies, the park welcomes Axentia Technologies, Ericpol, Mabema, and Systemagic.
Employees: 4 000
2003
While the number of companies on Mjärdevi has increased to 170 companies, the total number of employees has decreased to 4000 reflecting global reassessment and consolidation trends. Developers and property owners debate vacancy levels regularly in the media. Inside the park at Collegium, a new creative environment is established called Crearum to catalyse new product, process, and business ideas. Construction of the new high-rise for Mjärdevi continues and will offer upon its completion much needed space for growing biotechnology companies. New companies on the park include Cibon, InNetics and Libego.
2002
Extensive disruption within the telecommunications sector impacts occupancies and park development. Nokia vacates its newly-built facility and lays off all 180 employees. Intentia takes over the same facility and moves in with 250 employees. Sectra and Kreatel move into their own new building. 27 new companies move into the park. 12 leave. Prime Minister Göran Persson visits Mjärdevi. Construction of the new central high-rise is now underway. Mjärdevi Business Incubator receives substantial state funding for its achievements, and is also recognized by Science Alliance in the Netherlands as “Best Science Based Incubator on Public Investment”. New companies include Streamware Solutions, Enkatsu Solutions, and Zenterio.
Employees: 4 500
2001
The turbulence of the IT sector begins to impact Mjärdevi’s development in rather unpredictable ways. Flextronics takes over Ericsson’s mobile phone production. The number of total employees on the park decreases by 500. After more than 10 years of informal incubating of companies, the Mjärdevi Business Incubator is formally developed and opened in Collegium. Converging technologies in modeling and simulation, electronics, informatics and computation lead to emerging competencies in vehicle safety from such companies as Autoliv Electronics, Nira Dynamics, A2 Acoustics and Caran Saab Engineering. After several years of discussion, plans are finalized for a new high-rise centerpiece for the park and a home for quickly advancing biotechnology firms. Mjärdevi is chosen to represent the region with its Center of Excellence in Home Communications technology. Among new companies on the park are Emotra, Hussfelt Netware, and Tobeck World Trade.
2000
Mjärdevi is now home to 150 companies. Lack of space for new companies has lead to discussions for new development in the park’s center. Construction begins on a building along the new Wallenberg Street. The municipality provides financial support for the creation of the HomeCom project to facilitate the research and development of new ICT-based tools and applications for the home and the region becomes a national competence center for “home communications.” Nokia establishes its head research office for Home Communications at Mjärdevi in partnership with Linköping University. Business incubation activities lead to the creation of 13 new companies and 46 employees during the year. Among the new companies are Dynalogic, Exechron, and Exsitec.
Employees: 5 500
1999
Mjärdevi reaches its fifteenth year and His Majesty King Carl XVI Gustaf attends celebrations with Slovenia’s president Milan Kucan. Nokia Multimedia Network Terminals establishes a new competence center. Linköping University launches its entrepreneurship school SMILES. The venture capital firm, Innovations Kapital moves into the park, and new-start companies include Nescit Systems, Cray Tech and Consima.
1998
Autoliv Electronics sets up location in Mjärdevi with new cutting-edge R&D. Mjärdevi’s international network increases via cooperative agreements and relationships with several of the world’s well-known technology parks including Hsinchu Science-based Industrial Park in Taiwan, Heidelberg Science and Technology Park in Germany, Northwestern University’s Research Park in Chicago. and with Tianhe Scitech Park in Linköping’s Chinese sister city, Ghangzhou. Novare Kapital sets up its first establishment outside of Stockholm to provide risk capital to new companies at Mjärdevi. New start-up companies on the park include Hern labs, Orbital Technologies, and Optimal Solutions.
Employees: 4 300
1997
Tiny Tots opens its international preschool to serve the children of Mjärdevi’s multilingual employees. Newly launched companies include Mediate, Innodev and Cevia.
1996
The number of companies on Mjärdevi Science Park has doubled over the last four years and has reached 110. The number of personnel employed has tripled during the same period. Local premises have expanded rapidly to 125000 m2. Among new companies in the park are Kreatel, Dala Systemteknik, and PBL Competence.
Employees: 3 000
1995
An American study ranks Mjärdevi Science Park as the ninth fastest growing science park in the world. Ericsson Mobile Communications locates on Mjärdevi with 700 employees. Mjärdevi’s new pre-incubation program graduates its first class. New companies and projects moving into pre-incubation (Starthus) include Sekonden, Nordic Sensor, and Soliton. The country’s first technology park wide area network (WAN) called“@lejonet” starts as well.
1994
Incubator activity is transferred to Mjärdevi Science Park from the nearby Industrial Park, Valla. As a response to greater interest in entrepreneurship research and education, the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE) is developed at Linköping University. One of the first programs launched under CIE is the ENP, or Entrepreneur and New Company development Program. Sweden establishes the Technology Bridge Foundation (Teknikbrostiftelsen-TBS) to support the development of knowledge-based companies needing “intelligent and flexible capital”. One of seven TBS branches is located on Mjärdevi.
Employees: 1 400
1993
The Municipality of Linköping creates “Mjärdevi Science Park AB” as a limited company responsible for the development and marketing of Mjärdevi Science Park.
1992
Mjärdevi is home to 49 companies employing more than three times the number of personnel employed on the park just four years earlier. Park premises have expanded six times in the same period to 76000 m2. The Mjärdevi Research Village is officially named Mjärdevi Science Park.
Employees: 1 000
1989-1990
Collegium opens. This 6-story, centrally located building offers space and facilities for conferences and trade shows, several restaurants, a sports hall, and for a time, hotel rooms as well. The hotel areas are later converted to much-needed office spaces.
1989
Nokia Data establishes a presence at Mjärdevi with 450 employees. Shortly thereafter, ICL (then Europe’s fifth largest computer maker) acquires Nokia’s computer division and before year’s end, Fujitsu buys 80% interest in ICL and the company becomes ICL/Fujitsu. The rapidly growing enterprise applications company, IFS, moves into its newly-built modern facility.
1988
Mjärdevi has 18 companies on site in a total of 13000 m2.
Employees: 300
1987
Ericsson establishes the Ericsson Application Center in the park with 25 employees. Four-year old Sectra AB wins its first defence contract and moves its rapidly expanding company onto Mjärdevi Science Park.
1984
The Mjärdevi Technology Village, as Mjärdevi Science Park is originally called, opens.
Six companies move into Teknikringen 1 and 3, the science park’s first 8000 m2 of built space. Among these companies are Vision, Digsim Data, and Luxor High Technology Center. The Foundation for the Development of Small Businesses in Linköping (SMIL) is established in order to foster the commercialization of new ideas and technology from the university as well as to support the development of new technology- and knowledge-based companies.
Employees: 150
1983
The Municipality of Linköping decides to open up the Mjärdevi area west of the Linköping University campus to serve as a new business park for research and technology companies that were seeking locations closer to the university campus.
