Development Plan for Growth and Work

The Development Plan for Growth and Work 2003 has its focus on Sundsvall's leading fields, investment and development of the business climate plus the supply of skilled labour. The aims of the development plan are to increase employment and raise the level of education by year 2010.

Strategies
The international and national competition between companies is steadily increasing. Successful competition in the marketplace demands skills, products and services at the leading edge. At the same time, the competition between nations, regions and cities to attract businesses and job opportunities is hardening. Therefore, Sundsvall needs to clearly establish its profile and develop its strengths in relation to the surrounding world. To attain these goals Sundsvall has selected the following strategies: Focus on leading fields, development of the business climate and supply of skilled labour.

Focus on leading fields
Experience shows that it is more effective to reinforce and develop existing leading fields than to attempt to create new ones. The activities in this development plan focus on three leading fields where Sundsvall already has strength and a competitive edge. These are: cellulose/fibre technology, banking and insurance and IT/telecom. These leading fields combined employ 10,000 people in Sundsvall and at least twice as many jobs are indirectly dependent upon them.

There is also interesting development potential between the leading fields and this gives rise to opportunities to develop entirely new and unique products, services and areas of expertise in Sundsvall.

The positive development of the leading fields will also serve to support the undertakings and development of other businesses in Sundsvall in the form of, for example, expanded services, increased commerce and more visitors. This means that the leading fields will function as locomotives for the other segments of Sundsvall's business community.

Innovation and growth
The regional business community and the city of Sundsvall intend to serve as a platform to stimulate innovation and support growth companies in the region, particularly in the leading fields. The

fundamental goal is to build bridges linking the university, research and business. The network between the leading fields is responsible for this work. The incubator approach aims to stimulate students, researchers and the gainfully employed to start and develop enterprises in Sundsvall, primarily within the scope of the three leading fields.