Chalmers was founded in 1829. The university is named after the major benefactor, William Chalmers, one of the directors of the successful Swedish East India Company in Göteborg. The first president was the industrialist Carl Palmstedt. The link with industry and commerce has therefore been natural from the very beginning. Thanks to Palmstedt's close friendship with the famous chemist Berzelius, Chalmers focused on science right from the start, a very unusual phenomenon for the time. Chalmers is a university of technology in which research and teaching are conducted on a broad front within technology, natural science and architecture. Our inspiration lies in the joy of discovery and the desire to learn. Underlying everything we do is a wish to contribute to sustainable development both in Sweden and world-wide. Our research work deals ultimately with improving people’s conditions, and we often cross traditional boundaries in order to solve the problems of the future. Chalmers has become strong within several areas of science, and some of our research leads its field internationally. We wish in particular to develop and strengthen our research in the fields of bioscience, information technology, environmental science and nanotechnology. Chalmers is a pioneer in Europe in the field of start-up companies, and has built up an efficient system of innovation in order to find applications in research into the formation of companies. Chalmers has great aspirations to develop continually by opening doors to the outside world and by thinking innovatively. We have a close and productive collaboration with business and society at large. In this way we reinforce our own development, at the same time as we contribute to the growth of society.
