Externalization of R&D related ICT – A competitive advantagefor Sweden?

New technology can be the basis for new products, new services and new companies, but it is also a threat to existing companies. As a consequence great companies are challenged when new technology enters into their existing products. This was also true for large engineering corporations in Sweden when digital electronics made an entrance into their traditional mechanical products some 50 years ago. How did early adopters in Sweden, like Ericsson and Saab, handle this challenge? They did not choose to rely entirely on in-house competence. They also hired very qualified R&amp;D related ICT consultants. A new ICT consultancy industry, which was very different from the ERP consultancy business, was born. As a consequence consultants played an important role in research and product development and helped large engineering corporations to master the dynamics of innovation. The R&amp;D related ICT consultancy industry, focusing on developing new products and services for their customers, still plays an important part in Swedish industry. In a recent quantitative study, made for the Swedish Governmental Agency for Innovation Systems, more than 350 such companies with about 13 000 employees, were identified. The sector is dominated by a handful domestically owned and operated companies, which serve the Swedish industry with development of embedded systems and software. In this article we study how this new consultancy industry evolved and how the customer base has grown larger over time. One conclusion is that thanks to the externalization of R&amp;D the competence has not been locked in. Instead engineering companies in one industry has been able to benefit from competence and experience developed in other companies in different industries.QC 20150317</p

Allergic contact dermatitis caused by isobornyl acrylate in the Enlite glucose sensor and the Paradigm MiniMed Quick-set insulin infusion set

Background: The FreeStyle Libre glucose sensor has caused many cases of allergic contact dermatitis, and isobornyl acrylate (IBOA) in this sensor has been identified as one of the culprit allergens. Objectives: To report on the presence of IBOA in devices produced by Medtronic, namely, Enlite sensor and insulin infusion set Paradigm MiniMed Quick-set. Patients and Methods: Five patients reacting to the glucose sensor Enlite and/or the insulin infusion set Paradigm MiniMed Quick-set observed in three clinics (two Belgian and one Swedish) were patch tested with the baseline and other series, as well as with IBOA; four of them also with pieces of adhesive patches from the devices, and two with a thin layer chromatogram of Enlite glucose sensor extracts. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analyses were performed. Results: Four patients reacted to IBOA and one to colophonium, a known allergen in Enlite, and three to the adhesive part of the sensor or the insulin infusion set. IBOA was identified in the sensor by GC-MS, and its presence was indicated in the infusion set. Conclusions: IBOA is a contact allergen in Enlite glucose sensor, and likely also in the infusion set. Therefore, these devices are not suitable alternatives for patients sensitized to the FreeStyle Libre sensor