About SC
The idea of creation of Swedish Centers was born in TEMPUS SWEDEN in the process of implementation of the Universities as Engines of Regional Development project after several years of cooperation between universities of the Volga region and Sweden. Swedish Centers started in 1998 by the initiative of Staffan Mellvig, the Swedish TEMPUS Director and were financed by TEMPUS SWEDEN, i. e. by the Ministry of Education of Sweden.
Swedish Centers have premises of about 200 square meters large, including an office, a library, an exhibition center, in which different enterprises and universities are represented and rooms for negotiations. Swedish Centers are well repaired and have communication devices (the Internet, phones, and fax). The Swedish Center is a piece of Sweden where any one can turn to for information and with business offers. The Swedish Center is also a cultural center, which organizes exhibitions, festivals, children's art competitions, etc. Swedish Centers open Swedish Clubs providing opportunities to learn the Swedish language.
The concept of the Swedish Center in Nizhny Novgorod greatly differs from a common style of work typical for a cultural center of a foreign country. The main purpose of this new center is creating business contacts, especially in the areas of transfer of technologies and innovation activities.
The Swedish Center is also a service structure. It deals with organizational issues, preparation for and carrying out of different events and official visits, including official invitations and visa support, advertisement in the local mass media (TV, press, the Internet), booking of hotel rooms, transportation, interpreters/translators service, searching for partners, organization of meetings, business visits, excursions, etc.
