Organization and stakeholders
The Road2Science Center will have a concise and dynamic organization that will be able to reach out to society, seek industrial and governmental partnerships and identify and act upon new opportunities. As such it will have an organizational structure that will allow for fast decision-making and flexibility in the daily operations. The construction industry, material manufacturers, road-and rail equipment manufacturers, transport construction consultants and road- and railway authorities are all considered to be important stakeholders of the Center. As such, representatives of these will be invited to sit in the Board or become associates of the Center.
Operating in close collaboration between industry and academia, Road2Science is formed to enhance infrastructure technology developments. We aim at initiating, guiding and stimulating research and development between academia and industry to enhance the industry and society’s ability to meet current and future demands for effective ground infrastructure while strengthening the relevant parts of the Swedish construction industry. Road2Science’s activities engage a wide network of experts in infrastructure modeling, design and construction, and will contribute to increasing the competitive advantages of the Center’s partner companies and organizations. By using the multidisciplinary scientific competence available within the Center, Road2Science will serve as a hub for excellence, ensuring the quality of our future infrastructure.
By becoming a member of Road2Science, partners will become part of an international road- and railway innovation network that has far reaching arms beyond the borders of Sweden. Partners will be on the front seat of research innovations, be able to steer research directions and take part in specially developed educational activities. In the inauguration years of the Center, members will only be asked to contribute to the Center by participating in its events and taking part in its meetings. Financial contributions are therefore optional but not mandatory. As the Center develops, and depending on its focus, financial contribution of its partners may be requested. In Figure 4a general overview is given of the organizational structure.
The Road2Science executive arm forms together with the Chairman of the Board the leadership of Road2Science. The Chairman of the Board will be Mårten Lindström, who is very experienced and well known within the sector and as such will be an excellent person to chair the Center. The executive arm will consist of Staffan Hintze as the Industrial Director and Nicole (Niki) Kringos as the Scientific KTH Director. The leadership positions of Road2Science are nominated by the KTH Highway and Railway Engineering Division Head and approved upon by the KTH rector. This will be maintained as the general rule of the Road2Science Center if a future change of leadership occurs.
In the Board there will also be the following members:
- a KTH representative
- an ABE school representative
- a SRA TRENoP representative
- industrial representatives
- consultants representatives
- the Road2Science executives
The Board will keep close contacts with the Road2Science associates, which are the stakeholders of the Center. It is anticipated that an annual event will be organized by Road2Science in which representatives of the various stakeholders will be invited.
The Road2Science Board is responsible for the long-term strategies and decides upon and monitors the Road2Science project portfolio. It meets 4-5 times a year to decide on the start of new projects, events and courses and will publish an annual strategy document.
Considering Road2Science aims to be a dynamic Center, the organizational structure will be yearly reviewed by the Board Chairman and the Executives and any necessary changes will be made. In Appendix 1 and overview is given of the Board Members as invited to take a seat on the Road2Science Board from 2012-2013. The Road2Science Center will be inaugurated on May 9th, 2012, and the first Board Meeting is scheduled for May 31st, 2012.
