The defence and security company will set up an innovation programme which will include a software centre, a science park and a university research programme.
Saab plans to set up an innovation centre in Croatia that will link three major initiatives to create, maintain and accelerate the development of high-tech skills and local employment, announced the company, reports Večernji List on November 16, 2017.
The programme will include a partnership between Saab and Ericsson Nikola Tesla in launching a software development centre, which will be located in a new science park in Croatia. The new research and commercial cooperation between the University of Zagreb and the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm will support this programme. The innovation programme will contribute to digital transformation and will create new opportunities that will result in increased global competitiveness.
The highly-skilled workforce in software development and cybersecurity, as well as competitive position in the labour market, make Croatia an optimal location for establishing Saab's new software centre. The company wants its new centre to compete in a large and growing market of software engineering in Europe and the EU. Collaboration with Ericsson Nikola Tesla will enable this partnership to offer clients expert services and create added value for the Croatian society.
The Software Centre will be located within the future science park, which has the potential to become a crucial part of a new innovation cluster in Croatia. The centre's actions will gradually be expanded, based on the infrastructure and skills offered by Saab and the Ericsson Nikola Tesla company.
“The aim is to establish and offer high-quality software engineering services in order to create value for clients, create new jobs and develop competencies of software engineering in Croatia. This initiative can bring open 200 to 300 jobs in software engineering”, said Hakan Buskhe, Saab’s CEO.
In this way, Saab will connect the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing (FER) of the University of Zagreb and the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) in the fields of cooperative robotics and autonomy, which will result in the establishment of a dynamic and innovative cluster in Croatia.
The primary range of services will include software and system development, cybersecurity and technical publications. The focus will be on areas of defence, aviation, telecom services, public sector, transportation and mobility.
Interestingly, Saab is one of the companies which have sent their bids for Croatia’s tender for the acquisition of new military fighter jets. The decision on the selection of the winning bid is expected by the end of this year. It is not known whether the latest initiative for Saab’s cooperation with Croatia is in any way linked with the tender.
Translated from Večernji List.
