5.2. Short History of Bifok company
Bo Karlberg
Bifok before the FIA era
The Bifok company was founded in 1970. It was as a small consulting company and the name is an acronym of the Swedish "Biologisk Forskingskonsult" (biological research consultant). The founders were Rune Lundin together with four other colleagues. The main business idea was to perform biological and environmental analyses and to explore inventions related to biology and medicine. Several unique sampling and analysis devices for venereal diseases were, for instance, developed. Rune Lundin was sales manager at that time working full time at Bergman & Beving, a Swedish importer and distributor of laboratory instruments and accessories and he kept this employment also after the foundation of Bifok. The Bifok company was managed in his free time and was thus regarded to be a private side business.
In 1976, the main analytical chemistry event in Sweden, Analysdagarna (The Analytical Days), took place at Lund University, southern Sweden. Analysdagarna is like a Swedish PittCon. Lectures are given by invited international and national experts in analytical chemistry and the Torbern Bergman Medal [1] is awarded to a distinguished analytical chemist. Alan Walsh received the award in 1976 (and Jarda Ruzicka in 1985). In addition, an instrumental exhibition was arranged thereby attracting both academic and industrial participants.
Torbern Bergman Medal http://www.analysdagarna.se/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/TorbernBergmanMedal.pdf
