Alfrek -A marketplace turning research into action
| Reference number | |
| Coordinator | Alfrek AB - SUP 46 |
| Funding from Vinnova | SEK 500 000 |
| Project duration | December 2014 - December 2016 |
| Status | Completed |
Purpose and goal
The objective of the project was to launch Alfrek.com as a marketplace for the use of research results. To achieve this a method was developed and tested for making research accessible and a technological platform was launched in a beta-version. Partnerships were established with industry associations and firms, but no concrete sales were conducted as a consequence of shortcomings in the inflow of solutions from researchers. This has resulted in a reformulation of the marketing strategy and the choice of aspiring for a slower approach to the market.
Expected results and effects
Out of the planned 100 solutions 35 were completed. Out of the planned 70 paying customers, none have yet received an offer as a result of lacking inflow of solutions and the new marketing strategy. The consequences of this is to apply a slower launch and to make the platform free. Future revenues will be limited to reporting solutions for universities that wish to attain aggregated data concerning their utilization. For this purpose, we have established contact with individuals involved in the utilization work at Chalmers, University of Gothenburg and University of Halmstad.
Planned approach and implementation
Ayond AB has functioned as a technical partner and supported the service design.We have also activated a group of master students from the School of Business, Economics and Law that did their vocational training at Alfrek. This was complemented through IT students that have worked with the technological operations and maintenance as well as further development from the beginning of 2016. The ability to activate significant personell resources through students, a volunteer and our own time has resulted in a good effectiveness in the project.