Funded projects
Browse projects funded by the Knowledge Foundation. The list includes projects awarded funding from 2017 onwards. Projects are organised according to the current programme structure, even if they were awarded funding under earlier programme names.
| Project title | University | Programme | Status | Year granted | Granted amount | Subject areas | Project duration | Reference number | Project manager | Abstract |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JOIN 5.0 - International visiting professor Jorge Muniz Junior | University West | Capacity building | 2 | 2025 | SEK 1,107,000 | Engineering and Technology, Social Sciences | May 15, 2026 - May 14, 2027 | 20250054 | Kristina Eriksson | The advent of Industry 4.0 (I4.0) characterized by novel smart technologies and the emerging paradigm of Industry 5.0 (I5.0), emphasizing sustainability, human-centric and resilience, presents transformative opportunities for the manufacturing sector. However, these advances pose significant challenges, including the integration and implementation of new technologies, workforce adaptation, need for upskilling and reskilling, and change management. Addressing these multifaceted challenges necessitates inter- and transdisciplinary research approaches that integrate innovation with a strong human-centric focus. Such efforts are critical to realizing the full potential of I5.0 to build smarter, more sustainable, and inclusive manufacturing systems. Manufacturing companies today face increasingly complex challenges such as smart digitalization and the pursuit of social sustainability. These issues span multiple fields and cannot be effectively addressed within the confines of a single discipline. Interdisciplinary efforts, particularly the integration within Primus of Industrial Work-Integrated Learning with Production Systems are essential to develop holistic solutions. Therefore, initiatives that support partner companies across all organizational levels, from operators to executive management, through continued learning, and applied knowledge exchange, are needed. The international visiting professor brings recognized expertise in I5.0, with specific focus on social systems in future manufacturing and knowledge management within production systems. Prof. Muniz Junior’s contribution can significantly enhance the Primus research environment by strengthening its national and international profile and positioning. The synergistic integration of production systems and industrial work-integrated learning aligns with strategic objectives to foster industrial sustainable development and growth. Prof. Jorge Muniz Junior is today working as full professor at Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Sao Paulo, Brazil. As such, Prof. Muniz Junior demonstrates strong and extensive academic competence in the fields of I5.0 and I4.0, with a particular focus on sustainable, human-centric, and socially responsible manufacturing systems. His work is characterized by inter- and transdisciplinary approaches, integrating insights from engineering, social sciences, and management. |
| BiTHRA: Bio-based THermoset Resins for Abrasive applications | Linnaeus University | Research projects | 1 | 2025 | SEK 4,800,000 | Agricultural and Veterinary sciences, Engineering and Technology | June 1, 2025 - May 31, 2029 | 20240129 | Reza Hosseinpourpia | Thermosetting resins are widely used in many industrial applications such as automotive, computing, aerospace, and building. Apart from their high performance and durability, they are almost exclusively synthesized from fossil sources. To cope with increasing consumer awareness, legal requirements, and alarming climate change, innovative advancements in resin production are essential to reduce the dependency on fossil fuels in current binders and offer a solution from renewable sources with biodegradability and recyclable potential. The development in this area is, however, merely focused on the adhesive sector, and the development in the thermoset resins with bio-based polymers for abrasive materials, where the thermal degradation stability of the resin is critical, remains largely unexplored. This can be tackled through close collaboration between strong academic research and business partners at the forefront of development in resin and abrasive materials manufacturing, as well as renewable materials suppliers, which are all grouped in the BiTHRA project. The research environment at Linnaeus University (LNU) includes expertise along the entire forest value chain, more specifically regarding sustainable forestry, forest biomaterials, bioeconomy, energy technology, and sustainable wood construction. This encompasses research and expertise required in different work packages, including biopolymer characterization and resin synthesis, material testing, and climate and market analysis. The BiTHRA project is built upon the scientific competencies that exist in LNU and seven committed companies active in the value chain, from raw materials suppliers to resin developers and manufacturer of abrasive materials. Crucial aspects identified in dialogue with industry partners concern 1) characterization of different lignin types and alternative furanic compounds for the development of bio-based thermoset resins (bio-resin); 2) pilot manufacturing of bio-resins; 3-) utilization of bio-resin for manufacturing abrasive materials; 4) manufacturing prototype products with integration of new bio-resin in the industrial process; and 5- determination of climate and market benefit of bio-resin in abrasive products. The researcher addresses each aspect within a specific work package in close collaboration with companies that are profoundly interested in the aspect. The contribution of the companies encompasses active involvement in sharing experience and knowledge through regular communication, access to pilot and industrial production facilities for validation and integration of bio-resin with the production process and manufacturing abrasive products and performing particular testing. The project also benefits from the direct support of Swedish and international forest industries for supplying raw materials. This strong team of scientists and business partners in BiTHRA actively contributes to many platforms for disseminating research findings. |
| Adjunct Lecturer in Software Engineering for Complex Software Systems | Mid Sweden University | Capacity building | 1 | 2025 | SEK 484,266 | Natural Sciences | June 1, 2025 - May 30, 2027 | 20240161 | Felix Dobslaw | This project aims to recruit Dr. Truong Ho-Quang from Volvo Cars Corporation (VCC) as an adjunct lecturer in software engineering at Mid Sweden University (Miun). Dr. Ho-Quang’s integration into the Software Engineering and Education (SEE) group will provide critical expertise in software architecture and quality assurance, aligning with our mission to address the complex demands of modern software systems, including AI-augmented testing and verification. Through a 20% position over two years, Dr. Ho-Quang will bridge academia and industry, advancing collaborative research and enriching the educational environment at Miun. Dr. Ho-Quang’s involvement will be instrumental in advancing SEE’s objectives of producing impactful research that addresses real-world industry challenges. His background in software architecture and experience in academia and industry make him ideally suited to support our group’s strategic growth in complex software system development, testing, and quality assurance. With a focus on high-impact research output, Dr. Ho-Quang will contribute to at least two co-authored publications in leading software engineering venues, providing insights that strengthen our research and teaching initiatives. This collaboration will also enhance regional industry outreach, providing tangible benefits to local organizations and promoting research collaborations with Miun. We anticipate new opportunities for collaborative grant applications and project proposals through his involvement, thereby establishing a sustainable framework for future industry-academia research initiatives. Additionally, Dr. Ho-Quang will actively support the development of our forthcoming master’s program on AI transformation, contributing valuable insights into industry-relevant curriculum design. A risk assessment was conducted and produced a minimal risk outcome regarding potential challenges, including confidentiality, intellectual property, and time commitment. We are confident that Dr. Ho-Quang’s recruitment will significantly advance Miun’s research capabilities, deepen our ties with critical industry stakeholders, and contribute to Sweden’s strategic position in addressing globally relevant software challenges. This recruitment aligns directly with Miun’s mission to foster innovation at the intersection of academia and industry, positioning the SEE group at the forefront of research in complex, safety-critical software systems. |
| Associate Senior Lecturer in AI-based Computer Vision (A-VISION) | Mid Sweden University | Capacity building | 1 | 2025 | SEK 2,880,000 | Natural Sciences | August 1, 2025 - July 31, 2029 | 20240128 | Mårten Sjöström | Industry and society at large have a rapid growth of digital technology that increasingly focused on visual data to communicate and analyse various processes and phenomena. Not the least, areas such as autonomous and remote operation systems, healthcare, IoT, robotics, virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) have received more focus to promote innovations, new products and services. This development has created a demand for expertise and knowledge in areas of computer vision, artificial intelligence and 3D imaging. The business sector has in a survey expressed a need for competences in visual data, machine learning, and mathematics. These companies require corresponding new knowledge and skills to remain competitive in the rapidly advancing industry focusing on Visual AI. To meet these needs, the capacity of key expertise must be strengthened at Mid Sweden University, which will also develop its research environment TransTech. This action creates value for academia, the business sector, and the society through i) dedicated 2nd and 3rd cycle education and ii) advancement of state-of-the-art research in Computer Vision and Model-Based Machine Learning. |
| OPErationalising Human Rights in the Design of AI-supported Digital Health (OPEHRA) | Karlstad University | Research projects | 1 | 2025 | SEK 4,792,142 | Natural Sciences, Social Sciences | July 1, 2025 - June 30, 2028 | 20240114 | Leonardo Iwaya | The emergence of the new EU Artificial Intelligence (AI) Act underscores the importance of taking a 'Human Rights by Design' (HRbD) approach when developing AI-based systems. For instance, the AI Act stipulates the use of Human Rights Impact Assessments (HRIAs) carried out at the onset of high-risk digital initiatives (e.g., health and social care). However, a significant gap exists between the legal and software engineering worlds, making it challenging to operationalise HRIA and HRbD strategies that go beyond legal compliance and truly support companies embedding human rights in the software engineering process. Currently, HRIA methodologies work at a 'policy level' assessment, which is too vague and abstract to communicate effectively with the software development teams. This superficial approach often results in such assessments by a legal team in complete isolation. The OPEHRA project aims to investigate engineering strategies to help software organisations operationalise human rights in software design by adapting and enhancing methodologies. Specifically, existing methods for HRIAs, risk assessments, and other threat modelling techniques can be improved and employed at the earlier stages of digital health initiatives and evaluated in practice, ensuring that they can meaningfully inform software practitioners and other stakeholders. Furthermore, this project focuses on co-production with industry and public sectors, with a consortium of four partners, including Mavatar, inTechrity, Pfizer, and the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions. Three main goals guide our work activities: Goal 1 - “Landscape Mapping of Human Rights Engineering Approaches for AI in Digital Health” to provide a holistic “engineering view” of human rights for AI-supported systems; Goal 2 - “Operationalising HRIAs in the Design Process,” leveraging action research case studies with the business partners to assess AI-based digital health solutions rigorously; Goal 3 - “Co-Producing Training and Awareness Programmes with Industry,” co-developing training and awareness-raising activities and materials with our business partners through iterative and hands-on workshops. As a result, we can advance the state-of-the-art practical operationalisation of HRIAs and HRbD through concrete real-world AI-based digital health systems. The business partners greatly benefit from OPEHRA by leveraging human rights-based approaches as a competitive advantage, ensuring compliance with AI regulations, and generating trustworthy and responsible innovation in the digital health sector. Furthermore, the research outputs will follow open science best practices, and data will be made FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable), benefiting the Swedish industry sector more broadly. |
| Adjunct senior lecturer in foundation models for multimodal perception systems | Örebro University | Capacity building | 1 | 2025 | SEK 1,443,028 | Natural Sciences | August 15, 2025 - August 14, 2028 | 20240176 | Martin Magnusson | The proposed adjunct senior lecturer position at Örebro University (ORU) aims to bridge academia and industry through integrated research, supervision, and teaching responsibilities, supported by close collaboration with Volvo Construction Equipment (VCE). The research project focuses on developing advanced sensor fusion and robust perception systems using multimodal generative AI methods for autonomous construction machinery, tackling critical challenges such as low-visibility environments and sensor data distortion. The project includes applied research on integrating multimodal sensor data through foundational models, fostering reliable and adaptive perception pipelines. Key milestones involve data collection, algorithm development, and testing under real-world conditions at VCE facilities. Simultaneously, the position will contribute to supervising Ph.D. students, refining research objectives, and embedding practical industry challenges into academic studies. Teaching responsibilities will span courses such as deep learning, digital image processing and autonomous robotics, emphasizing the integration of industry-relevant case studies to enrich student learning. VCE’s active involvement will enhance the project through access to autonomous machinery, cutting-edge perception sensors, and AI cloud computing platforms, alongside joint workshops, mentorship, and testing opportunities. Building on a successful history of collaboration between ORU and VCE, this project ensures research outcomes remain relevant and impactful. The initiative will result in open-access publications, datasets, and codebases, advancing both academic knowledge and industrial innovation while promoting sustainable and safer construction practices. This partnership not only addresses critical industry needs but also enriches education by bringing real-world insights into academia, preparing students for impactful careers. |
| Avans Maxi: Resilient Operations and Supply Chain Management | Karlstad University | Second cycle education | 1 | 2025 | SEK 2,316,159 | Engineering and Technology | August 1, 2025 - December 31, 2027 | 20240193 | Siri Jagstedt | The aim of the master's program in "Resilient Operations and Supply Chain Management" is two-fold. Firstly, it sets out to address a need in industry and society for expertise in managing operations and supply chains in an increasingly dynamic and uncertain environment. Secondly, the master’s program will complement the existing specialization within the Industrial Engineering and Management program and thereby enable an increase in the number of students admitted to a program with high demand and strong employability. Global developments are increasingly characterized by uncertainty related to for instance war, climate change, and radical technological advancements. In particular, the Covid-19 pandemic highlighted the need for flexible yet robust value chains to adapt to radically changing societal needs. Industry highlights a rising demand for specialized skills that encompass a deep understanding of operations and supply chains, combined with the ability to enhance resilience against disruptions. Together, such an understanding contributes to long-term sustainability. This program will provide the students with a solid foundation in operations and supply chain management. Throughout the program, there is a particular focus on perspectives, methods, and tools to enhance resilience against disruptions and foster robust operations and supply chains. The program will integrate education with research and practice. It will leverage the strengths of established research and educational environments at Karlstad University, including Industrial Engineering and Management, DAMI and CTF (Service Research Center). Connecting to these established environments, the program and the environments can mutually contribute to each other’s development in areas such as service and service innovation, the use of digital technology, and sustainability in industry. Herein, the program adds through a systems perspective on both operations and supply chains aimed at enhancing resilience against disruptions. The pedagogical development aims to enhance students' ability to analyse issues from multiple perspectives, as well as to apply methods and digital tools to analyse and improve the robustness of real operations and supply chain environments. The program will be built on a practice-oriented pedagogy that utilises problem-based methods such as case studies, role-playing, and scenario-based exercises. This approach fosters a long-term continuous exchange of knowledge between academia and industry. Students will work on real-life cases from the business sector, and will thereby develop their problem-solving and analytical skills in a real setting, as well as their understanding of practical applications. At the same time, companies will gain new insights into how they can increase resilience in their operations, enhancing their perspectives. Through this close collaboration with industry, the program’s content will remain relevant and up-to-date over time. |
| Microalgal solutions for circular industry waste streams | Linnaeus University | Research projects | 1 | 2025 | SEK 4,076,578 | Engineering and Technology, Agricultural and Veterinary sciences, Natural Sciences | July 1, 2025 - June 30, 2028 | 20240141 | Elin Lindehoff | To achieve sustainability, industries must treat and reuse water, while also recovering CO2 and nutrients from onsite waste streams. Although many efforts focus on reducing water demand, fewer address biogeochemical flows of carbon, phosphorus, and nitrogen (C, N, P). We propose integrating microalgae-based solutions into standard wastewater management. Microalgae use photosynthesis to purify air and water by converting CO2 and nutrients into biomass. The ALGOLAND research group at Linnæus university has demonstrated the recovery of C, N, and P into valuable biomass from various industrial waste streams (e.g., cement, landfill leachate) using large-scale outdoor algal cultivation in SE Sweden. Algal solutions’ potential to enhance industrial circular water economy warrants further exploration. This project aims to optimize recovery of C, N and P from industrial waste streams. It will evaluate the potential of converting microalgal biomass into high-quality fodder for land-based fish cultivation and explore achieving potable water quality for reuse in industrial processes or restoring safe water to natural systems within a circular economy framework. Our consortium includes forest-based industry, Södra Cell, (pulp) and KalmarEnergi (energy), which will provide flue gas as a CO2 source for photoautotrophic microalgal cultivation. Pond Fish and Greens will test the resulting algal biomass as fish feed in a circular system. The consortium’s diverse process waters, rich in nutrients and organic content, present challenges for biological cleaning and recovery of C and N. The project will implement and study the effects of adding a biofilm step (algae-bacteria-fungi) to mixotrophic algae production, which can utilize both photosynthesis and organic carbon. Experiments will be conducted at each industry site using two operational photobioreactors of different design for microalgal production. The quality and safety of the produced biomass will be assessed, and the product tested in feed trials as fish fodder. The project will evaluate of risks and benefits of implementing combined biological treatment of industrial water achieve potable quality. Additionally, a series of industry water seminars will be organized to raise awareness among stakeholders and assess public acceptance of using recycled industrial water. The goal is to enhance CO2 capture from flue gas via microalgae, helping partners lower their carbon impact. If successful, this will pioneer a method to purify process water to a reusable state through biological treatments, improving circular water economy. Additionally, it will test a new algal-based fish fodder as a local alternative to wild-caught fish meal for the growing land-based fish production sector. Proposed HÖG24 project will strengthen and renew the research group ALGOLAND and integrate high-quality research in co-production with industry to the excellent basic research of its research environments at Linnæus university. |
| Associate senior lecturer in energy- and climate-efficient construction | Linnaeus University | Capacity building | 1 | 2025 | SEK 2,867,480 | Engineering and Technology | September 1, 2025 - August 31, 2029 | 20240175 | Ambrose Dodoo | The Research Profile Competitive Timber Structures, granted in May 2023, identified the need for recruitment of competence in research and education for energy- and climate-efficient construction. This expertise is crucial for advancing sustainable building practices, meeting national climate goals, and preparing students for industry demands, including the new regulation on climate declarations of buildings. Sweden's building and construction sector plays a vital role in achieving national energy and climate targets, including the goal of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045. A key strategy in reaching these targets involves substituting non-renewable, carbon-intensive construction materials with wood-based alternatives to reduce fossil energy use and lower greenhouse gas emissions. To increase awareness and reduce the climate impact of construction, the government has introduced new legislation on climate declarations for buildings, effective from 1 January 2022, with plans to tighten regulations and introduce limit values from 1 July 2025. These changes require companies in the construction business to develop new processes, create innovative construction solutions, and build expertise to accurately assess, optimize, and declare buildings' climate impacts. While wood-based construction materials offer a significant opportunity to reduce the climate impacts of the building sector, optimizing their performance from resource efficiency, life cycle primary energy, and carbon footprint perspectives is complex. The recruitment of an associate senior lecturer will address these challenges by conducting research on optimizing energy and climate performance of both wood and non-wood structures, developing innovative strategies, construction materials, tools, and guidelines that enable building designers and companies to make early design decisions aligned with regulations while reducing overall climate impact. The associate senior lecturer will collaborate with industry to exchange research issues and translate findings into practical applications, as well as develop and teach courses related to energy and climate impact of buildings in the forthcoming 5-year Master of Science in Engineering programme in Building Technology and an expert competence (Expertkompetens) course in circular construction and climate declaration of buildings. This recruitment aligns with Linnaeus University's strategic research objectives by ensuring that its research and education remain relevant for the construction sector while fostering collaboration with academic and business partners. These will increase the competitiveness of business partners while strengthening Linnaeus University's standing in research and education that fosters sustainable societal development within the profile area of Forest Values. |
| AI-CAST ― Artificial Intelligence-based Quality Assurance of High-Pressure Die-Casting Using Data-Driven Analytics & Machine Learning Approaches | University of Skövde | Research projects | 1 | 2025 | SEK 4,192,497 | Engineering and Technology, Natural Sciences | July 1, 2025 - June 30, 2028 | 20240107 | Rohollah Ghasemi | The AI-CAST project aims to establish a novel real-time monitoring Artificial Intelligence (AI) based approach to implement and develop a robust optimization quality assurance strategy for producing sound High-Pressure Die-Casting (HPDC) Magnesium (Mg) components. This development will be achieved through the integration of AI-models (using Data-Driven Analytics (DDA) and Machine Learning (ML) techniques) into the HPDC manufacturing process. The target alloy(s) selected for this project is high-performance challenging-to-cast Mg-RE based alloy(s). Casting of this unique alloys is one of the today’s main challenges for both industrial and academic sectors dealing with sustainable and robust manufacturing concepts where the weight reduction combined with improved performance are important concerns. Our planned strategy in this project improves the overall casting quality by reducing at least 20% casting defects (mainly gas and shrinkage porosities) as well as eliminating die-sticking (soldering) issues. Apart from its industrial benefits, AI-CAST project will help our school (ING) to further develop our research environment and teaching programs towards integrating the AI-techniques and advanced materials characterizations in completely new manufacturing processes and field of research. Moreover, this strengthens and expands our industrial networks for future collaborations. To meet these expectations, this project engages a diverse range of competences and expertise where the whole value chain of identifying the critical process parameters, mold design, casting technique improvement, including mold designer, casting suppliers, and end-users are co-operating. |
| Associate senior lecturer in building physics | Linnaeus University | Capacity building | 1 | 2025 | SEK 2,867,480 | Engineering and Technology | September 1, 2025 - August 31, 2029 | 20240171 | Thomas K. Bader | The need for recruitment of, among others, competence for research and education in building physics is identified in the Research Profile Competitive Timber Structures, granted in May 2023. Building physics is crucial for the holistic engineering design of timber buildings, addressing energy efficiency, moisture safety, indoor climate quality, material durability, and acoustic performance. It supports moisture-safe construction, energy-efficient production, and long-term durability, essential for sustainable and circular construction. Several of the knowledge gaps, efficiency optimization requirements and risks associated with building with wood are related to moisture, heat and acoustics. Thus, there is a clear need of the construction sector in general and the business partners in the application in specific, to further develop the knowledge base and scientific methods. The development of advanced calculation methods for moisture and heat transport and mold growth in combination with experimental investigations, for example, will lead to a deeper understanding of the physical processes as well as to improved performance and safety of wood-based products and buildings. The recruitment aims to strengthen and maintain in a long-term perspective the scientific expertise in building physics and filling competence and resource gaps in the research environment. This is going to strengthen advanced education in building technology, within the master’s program Sustainable Structural Engineering, the further education program for Sustainable Building with Wood and a future Master of Science in Engineering education. The recruitment also provides opportunity for further collaborations with other disciplines for developing deeper insight into the physical behaviour of materials and structures, such as through combinations of physics informed machine learning. The research and education environment within Linnaeus University’s research profile and the collaborations with business partners and international scientific partners provide perfect conditions and support. Needs and commitments from business partners who represent forest owner association and forest industry groups, construction companies, and real-estate companies, as well as a research foundation, were matched with research questions and tasks presented in this application. By strengthening and extending the research in building with wood along the wood construction value chain, the academic environment aims for increasing scientific knowledge for international positioning of Linnaeus University, increased competitiveness of business partners, and a sustainable societal development, within Linnaeus University’s profile area Forest Values. |
| Expertkompetens Mini: Physical activity in neurological disease | The Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences | Education for working professionals | 1 | 2025 | SEK 5,958,112 | Medical and Health Sciences, Natural Sciences | September 1, 2025 - August 31, 2028 | 20250034 | Maria Ekblom | Research increasingly demonstrates that physical activity is an important element in both the prevention and rehabilitation of neurological conditions. Many healthcare professionals seek further education to effectively promote exercise and physical activity that benefit the health of individuals with neurological diseases or injuries. However, healthcare staff often find it difficult to prioritize time-consuming training programs. More focused and tailored short courses could be more accessible and provide greater benefit. The research and educational environments E-PABS (a Center of Excellence in Physical Activity, Healthy Brain Functions, and Sustainability) and SwePa (the Swedish Parasport Academy) are collaborating on this project to explore methods for developing continuing education tailored to the needs of professionals. These courses will be developed, planned, and implemented in partnership with knowledge partners from the private sector. The project is conducted in collaboration with Camp Pro Ortopedteknik, Neurocampus, Activage, Monark Exercise, and Neurology Clinic, with the goal of educating professionals in the application of physical activity for neurological disease and injury. The target audience includes professionals who work with individuals with neurological conditions and who wish to learn how to prescribe exercise as treatment for common neurological diseases, as well as how to manage and deliver suitable activities related to such prescriptions. Additionally, the courses will address how different parts of the healthcare system can facilitate physical activity and the potential effects on function and quality of life. E-PABS researchers bring expertise in how physical activity influences brain health, while SwePa researchers specialize in how equipment impact function. Participating companies complement the researchers with knowledge of neurological conditions, the integration of physical training in wellness, rehabilitation, and prevention, and the risks associated with certain contexts and conditions. These companies will also contribute with practical applications and case studies to the training. |
| Långsiktig hållbar utveckling av mjukvaruintensiva produkter och tjänster | Blekinge Institute of Technology | Research projects | 1 | 2025 | SEK 4,778,310 | Natural Sciences, Social Sciences | November 1, 2025 - October 31, 2028 | 20240140 | Javier Gonzalez Huerta | Context: Software is central to most products and services. The ever-increasing pace and demand for new features push organizations to continuously improve how software is developed and delivered. Most organizations are aiming at using data and metrics to inform decisions about optimizing their ways of working. Challenges: Considering internal metrics only, e.g., lead time and delivery frequency, and internal asset quality, leads to local optimizations, which may harm overall value delivery. Using internal metrics alone does not answer one of the foremost important questions - to what extent do internal improvements lead to better products for customers and, by extension, market success and the overall advancement of technology and society? Aims: In this project, we aim to explore the interrelations between the software delivery process performance, asset quality, and the overall economic and technical sustainability of the software. How do we measure the true external effects (technical and economic sustainability) of the software delivery process (lead time, deployment frequency, asset degradation)? How do we combine internal and external data to fine-tune the software delivery process? Methods: We will use longitudinal case studies to gather product usage data characterizing the economic and technical sustainability perspectives (Step 1), connect process performance and asset quality data (Step 2), connect process and asset data to usage data (Step 3), and explore the applicability of this new feedback loop to inform process and product decisions (Step 4). We will conduct action studies to validate our results from the case studies. Finally (Step 5), we will explore the potential use of RAGs (Reality Augmented Generation) to give LLMs the specific context of our analyses and make the outcomes of the models broadly accessible to stakeholders without technical knowledge through prompts. Expected results: With this project, we aim to develop and transfer to our two industrial partners first and to the software development industry in general, improved data-driven methods to drive continuous improvement. More specifically, we aim to develop a handbook to help organizations to: i) define their external customer value proposition; ii) collect actionable external indicators for its measurement, such as customer behaviour; and iii) how those can be used to drive decisions regarding the process and asset quality using internal indicators; and finally, iv) how to drive process improvements and investments in asset quality considering broader long-term effects on economic (i.e., customer satisfaction, product usage) and technical sustainability (i.e., longevity, q, and address asset degradation) |
| Efficient Utility and Privacy Estimations for Synthetic Data | Karlstad University | Research projects | 1 | 2025 | SEK 4,786,834 | Natural Sciences | September 1, 2025 - August 31, 2029 | 20240143 | Sebastian Herold | In the era of big data and artificial intelligence, the demand for high-quality data has never been greater. However, obtaining relevant real-world data often presents significant challenges, including privacy concerns, data scarcity, and high acquisition costs. Synthetic data emerges as a potentially powerful solution to these issues. By generating artificial data that mirrors the statistical properties of real datasets, engineers of data-driven solutions can overcome limitations associated with traditional data acquisition methods. Synthetic data promises to limit the risk of exposing private and sensitive information and complement or substitute real data where it is scarce, at comparably low costs for its generation. Therefore, synthetic data is considered a pivotal driver for innovation in businesses across all sectors as it allows adopting AI-based and other data-driven technologies more quickly and efficiently. Ensuring the quality of synthetic data is crucial, particularly in terms of utility and privacy protection. It is essential to be able to estimate these quality properties early after the generation of synthetic data to guarantee that the data is both safe and effective for its intended use. Early estimations help to ensure that synthetic data is only further processed if it meets desired quality requirements and avoid expensive and unsustainable development steps such as training AI models unfit for their intended purpose. However, current measures for utility and privacy protection of synthetic data are not reliable enough to provide accurate estimations early. The research project SyntIA aims to fill this gap and develop technological solutions for assessing synthetic data w.r.t. its levels of utility and privacy protection before it is used in complex and expensive processes like big data analytics or the training of AI models. Accurate and efficiently computable estimation measures for both utility and privacy, taking into account the specific characteristics of the dataset under assessment, will be developed to enable quantitative evaluations of both properties early after data generation. We will furthermore develop techniques to optimize the generation process of synthetic data based on these estimation measures to reduce the costs and impact on sustainability associated with the generation itself. All solutions will be developed and evaluated in collaboration between academia and industry and integrated in existing technical platforms in use at SyntIA’s industrial partners for generating and using synthetic data. The results of SyntIA are expected to help generate high-quality synthetic data more quickly, efficiently, and sustainably. They will therefore benefit all businesses and organizations that may profit from using synthetic data to accelerate their adoption of data-driven technologies and, hence, to innovate more quickly with AI- and ML-based solutions. |
| ACID - Advanced Cooling of harvester bars for Improved Durability | University of Gävle | Early academic career | 1 | 2025 | SEK 2,397,115 | Engineering and Technology | June 2, 2025 - May 31, 2028 | 20240182 | Pavel Romanov | This project aims to develop a controlled cooling process to enhance the durability and performance of harvester bars used in forestry and produced by Iggesund Forest, leveraging impinging jet technology with computational materials engineering. Current cooling methods lead to distortions that require costly, labor-intensive straightening. By implementing a controlled cooling process using impinging water jet, the project intends to minimize deformation, improve mechanical properties, and optimize energy efficiency. Combining expertise in FEM simulations, heat transfer, material science, and AI, this approach will contribute to sustainable hardening processes for steel components in forestry applications. The project is structured into five work packages (WPs) that contribute to the goal of producing highly durable harvester bars with tailored microstructures. WP2 and WP3 will focus on experimental and numerical studies of the cooling process, that will be conducted at the University of Gävle (UoG), enabling precise control over cooling rates and phase transformations. Using AI-based simulations, led by Ferritico’s specialized software, the project will model cooling processes and predict material properties. WP4 will validate these models, ensuring alignment with real-world results through microstructural analysis, hardness testing, and tensile strength assessment to refine the cooling approach. Collaboration with industry partners Iggesund Forest and Ferritico will ensure that project results directly address real manufacturing needs. Iggesund Forest will provide the harvester bars and share insights on production challenges, while Ferritico’s expertise in material simulation will enhance the precision of the simulation models. This partnership supports the development of harvester bars with improved hardness, wear resistance, and resistance to plastic deformation, essential for withstanding operational stresses. The project will also strengthen the research and educational environment at UoG. Led by Dr. Romanov, with support from an experienced academic reference group, this project advances controlled cooling techniques for academic and industrial use. Additionally, it includes a master’s thesis and several scientific publications, supporting UoG’s strategic goals in energy systems and sustainable industry. This project promises economic and environmental benefits, reducing energy usage and extending the lifespan of forestry tools, aligning with Sweden’s sustainability goals and positioning UoG as a leader in sustainable manufacturing innovations. |
| BioBreath - Exhaled Breath for Biomonitoring of Quartz Dust Exposure and Lung Health | Örebro University | Research projects | 1 | 2025 | SEK 4,796,767 | Medical and Health Sciences, Engineering and Technology, Natural Sciences | June 1, 2025 - May 31, 2028 | 20240127 | Alexander Hedbrant | The purpose of this project is to improve the safety for workers exposed to hazardous quartz dust by exploring the use of exhaled breath samples for biomarker discovery as well as for quartz exposure assessment. The study includes a cohort of 60 iron foundry workers and 40 controls, from whom quartz dust air measurements and collection of breath samples are performed in collaboration with the Department of Occupational and Environmental Health (AMM) at Örebro University Hospital. Biomarkers of exposure and biomonitoring methods, i.e., measure of the actual lung burden of quartz, are lacking, which is why the samples of the cohort will be used for discovery of biomarkers indicating harmful exposure levels and for the development of novel biomonitoring tools for quartz exposure. This kind of data would provide great value for the three Swedish iron foundry companies participating in the study. To execute the aim of the study, a novel breath sampling instrument will be applied in the project. This has been developed by the co-funding company PExA AB, and they will by their participation support with expertise and knowledge, while getting valuable input back on the application scope of the PExA samples. For biomarker analysis indicating harmful exposure levels of quartz using exhaled breath samples, different state-of-the-art methods will be explored, including detection of proteins by the Somascan proteomics platform and lipid mediators by UPLC MS/MS performed in-house. For biomonitoring of quartz exposure, HSE Science and Research Centre, UK, will contribute with high-tech particle ICP-MS/MS methods for detection of silicon containing particles in the PExA samples. In addition, early signs of harmful lung exposure will be explored using lung-oscillometry, a lung-function test method novel in the setting of quartz exposure. The project will by its design renew and strengthen the host environment iRiSC by contributing in multiple aspects: i) by renewing the environment by adding focus to the respiratory system, compared to previous studies on biomarkers that have studied effects in blood, ii) by allowing iRiSC to enter a new research area, Biomonitoring of exposure, iii) by bringing new sampling methods and analytical techniques to iRiSC’s toolbox, including breath sample collection of biomolecules originating from the lungs, single particle ICP MS/MS for particle analysis and Proteomics analysis by Somascan, iv) by introducing new key collaborations, including new academic partners (HSE Science and Research Centre, UK, Biomarkers in Exhaled Air at University of Gothenburg, Engineering mathematics at Mälardalen University), while continuing to build on the strong collaboration with AMM, and v) by establishing cooperation with new business partners, including Scania CV AB, holding one of Sweden’s largest iron foundry facilities that will provide further awareness of the needs and challenges in the Swedish industry. |
| Avans Maxi: New Masterprogram Leading Sustainable Business | Halmstad University | Second cycle education | 1 | 2025 | SEK 2,400,000 | Social Sciences | June 1, 2025 - May 31, 2028 | 20240191 | Ludvig Lindlöf | The purpose of the project is to develop a 60-credit master’s program in business administration with a focus on organization and leadership, under the working title *Leading Sustainable Business*. The program, scheduled to launch in the fall of 2026, addresses the growing need for business professionals capable of leading sustainable transitions in various types of organizations. The program will be offered to both Swedish and international students and will be designed as a fourth year for the Civilekonom program at Halmstad University. This creates a natural progression for students while establishing an attractive program for global applicants. A program advisory board consisting of 10 organizations has been established. Dialogue with the business representatives on the advisory board highlights that the program addresses a significant and growing need for professionals who can: 1) Understand the business implications of sustainability-related decisions, 2) Identify and create business opportunities around sustainability, and 3) Enable sustainability-related transformations within organizations. The advisory board expresses strong confidence in the idea of educating business professionals with a sustainability focus. They emphasize the substantial demand for skills related to sustainable transitions, which require viewing sustainability and profitability as synergistic to drive meaningful change. This involves, for instance, designing new business models and fostering innovative customer and supplier relationships to enhance circularity. It may also include translating regulatory requirements, such as the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), into actionable plans and organizational change efforts. Furthermore, it entails significant communication work—internally, to align diverse perspectives and establish shared goals, and externally, to ensure that sustainability efforts benefit customers and suppliers alike. In the short term, the program is expected to: - Increase the number of master’s students at Halmstad University. - Strengthen the internal ProActS research environment. - Boost the university’s visibility among international students In the long term, it aims to: - Enhance the university’s sustainability profile and international recognition. - Support the private sector’s sustainability transition. - Attract expertise at the intersection of business administration and sustainability. - Increase research collaboration between academia and industry. The project comprises ten work packages, including program and course development, pedagogical strategy, competence development, collaboration with the private sector, and the recruitment of students and faculty. |
| Associate Senior Lecturer in Chemistry, specialisation Biochemistry/Biotechnology | Karlstad University | Capacity building | 1 | 2025 | SEK 2,880,000 | Natural Sciences, Engineering and Technology | October 1, 2025 - September 30, 2029 | 20240166 | Miguel Fernandes | The project at Karlstad University aims to recruit an Associate Senior Lecturer (ASL) in Biochemistry/Biotechnology, focusing on fermentation, which is an expertise currently lacking in the Department of Engineering and Chemical Sciences (DECS). This position is expected to significantly enhance both research and education within the Pro2BE research environment, which is dedicated to optimizing the circular use of biobased materials. Ambition and plans: The Pro2BE environment aims to evolve into a KK-profile area within the next few years, with plans to submit the necessary application. Additionally, there are intentions to apply for EXACT+, which will continue the current industrial research school. The department will also introduce two new MSc programs in Chemistry and Construction Engineering, enhancing educational offerings. A key focus is to strengthen collaboration among research groups and expand the network of external partners. Recruiting new personnel is essential to achieving the critical mass needed to address more complex research challenges, pursue EU-level funding, and enhance the educational environment. DECS is characterized by a dynamic atmosphere that is well-suited for associate senior lecturers, whose recruitment will bring fresh perspectives and vital expertise for long-term growth. Research Contributions: The successful applicant will bring expertise in fermentation, enabling the department to conduct business-relevant research, particularly in the area of “Cascade use of side-streams”, one of the focus areas of Pro2BE. This includes exploring fermentation processes, anaerobic and aerobic water treatment, and the management of side-streams from the pulp and paper industry. Such research is crucial for advancing the department’s goals and aligning with industry needs. Educational Contributions: In addition to research, the ASL will contribute to the development of new courses in Biotechnology for the planned MSc in Chemistry and create innovative PhD courses. This will enhance the educational offerings and improve the quality and attractiveness of the programs. The ASL will also co-supervise PhD students within the EXACT+ industrial research school, fostering a collaborative academic environment. Overall Impact: The addition of this position is expected to strengthen the department’s capacity for novel research projects and increase PhD supervision capabilities. This growth will not only attract more students but also improve the chances of securing funding from various sources, including EU research programs. The integration of fermentation expertise will provide new perspectives and long-term contributions to both research and education, ultimately benefiting the department and its collaborations with industry partners. |
| SAWED - Innovative circular saw blades for thinner cuts via differentiated thermal treatment | University of Gävle | Research projects | 1 | 2025 | SEK 4,756,422 | Engineering and Technology | August 1, 2025 - July 31, 2029 | 20240130 | Mattias Calmunger | Swedish wood industry production of sawed products was around 19 million m3 in 2021 and the Swedish wood industry was the third largest exporter of sawed wood products in the world 2020. If the complete wood industry is accounted, i.e. including paper and pulp, the Swedish wood industry is the fourth largest exporter in the World. Thus, the Swedish wood industry is globally a major wood product producer. 80% of Swedish wood products were exported to a value of about 164 billion SEK in 2021. More than half of the forest harvest goes to sawmills and is processed into various types of timber and processed products. For Swedish saw product and sawmill companies Micor AB, LSAB, AriVislanda and Stenvalls Trä, it is very important to be able develop new thin circular saw blades with maintained or superior properties. The circular saw blades have great potential to be thinner, they simplified contain of a steel body and hard-metal teeth. Due to the removal of sawdust during the cutting process, the teeth are always larger than the body in thickness. However, the teeth do not limiting the thickness of the cut, it is the thickness of the body, since it should withstand all the forces during the cutting operation. Hence, to reduce the thickness of the cut reducing sawdust, the steel body needs to be reduced in thickness. To withstand the cutting forces the steel body need to be stiff and structural stable under dynamic loading. One unexplored innovation route to optimize this is using differentiated heating and cooling to obtain a structural stable and stiff steel body. Where parts of the steel body are localized heated and subsequently cooled faster to get hard martensite while others are cooled slower to get more ductile steel phases such as bainite. Also residual stresses from both temperature gradients and phase transformation can be used to improve the mechanical properties of the steel body. The SME, Ferritico, develops an artificial intelligence (AI)-based simulation tool, to obtain continues cooling diagrams that give the relationship between thermal management and steel phases. The knowledge and understanding of the steel phases are vital and create a basis for describing and understanding the steel body of the circular saw blade. To obtain differentiated heating and cooling, localized heating, e.g. induction heating and advanced cooling, e.g. impinging jet, are needed to be able to precisely control heating as well as quenching rates to the correct properties of the steel body. Differentiated cooling can also be used to control the residual stresses created in the steel body. The proposed project aims to develop an innovative new steel body for circular saw blades based on localized heating and differentiated cooling. Since graded microstructures is wanted, it is important to be able to understand the whole picture of the thermal process, which means knowing the spatial and temporal heating and cooling behaviour at each point of the steel body. |
| Avans Maxi: Performance wear - artistic and applied design | University of Borås | Second cycle education | 1 | 2025 | SEK 2,378,904 | Humanities and the Arts | July 1, 2025 - June 30, 2027 | 20240187 | Hanna Landin | The goal of this project is to thoroughly develop the existing international Master programme in textile and fashion design at the Swedish School of Textiles, Faculty of Textiles, Engineering and Business, Högskolan i Borås (HB). This by completely renewing one of its specialisations: Performance wear (120 HE credits). The design education at HB holds a strong position today both nationally and internationally, for example, the Swedish School of Textiles is ranked among the top 10 fashion schools in the world (by CEOWORLD.biz). However, the number of programmes in design at HB and their directions has more or less been the same since they were first established. The specialisation of Performance wear was however introduced in 2023 with the idea to broaden the education to be able to still give excellent artistic education at the same time as providing a more applied design thinking. The aim was to enhance innovation and professional skills through a particular focus on sustainable functional textiles and performance apparel, this to support areas such as activewear, sportswear, athletic wear, and outdoor clothing. However, we are not there yet and the programme needs to be developed in closer collaboration with the industry in order to reach this, hence this application. While we have a strong tradition in the creation of artistic textiles and clothing, collaboration in design between HB and the industry is an area we need to pick up again and develop further. The design environment has very well-developed collaborations with other universities internationally but is weaker on valuable collaborations with companies, today they are often ad hoc. This project would facilitate collaborative innovation and development between HB and the textile and fashion industry. It would enrich the overall research and education environment in textiles and fashion, including textile material technology and textile management, by broadening the education and research field of textile and fashion and enhance cross-disciplinarity. The project should for example support interplay between textile technologies and human-centered design factors, as well as considerations related to production processes and consumption behaviour. A strong specialisation in performance wear would add more technical skills and competencies to our artistic environment, required by the business. This would nurture cutting-edge research and technology, as well as networking opportunities for students, faculty, and industry partners with deepened connections that could lead to potential collaborations, research partnerships, increased business opportunities and innovation. |
| Senior lecturer in environmental science with specialisation in water and sewage systems, climate adaptation and nature-based solutions | Kristianstad University | Capacity building | 1 | 2025 | SEK 3,174,360 | Natural Sciences, Engineering and Technology | September 1, 2025 - August 31, 2029 | 20240159 | Ingemar Jönsson | Climate change is one of the biggest challenges facing humanity, and the transition both to lower emissions of CO2 and to managing the effects that climate change already has and will have in the future requires extensive development of new knowledge and innovations. The ability for collaboration and cooperation between academia, business, the public sector and civil society will be of great importance in this transformation. The climate's effects on the water conditions in the urban and rural landscape through more variable precipitation and rising sea levels are one of the major challenges, and there is a great need to develop adaptation measures both in the cities' technical infrastructure for water/wastewater (W/WW) and in agricultural/forestry industries where drought and floods lead to production problems. Businesses will be affected and involved in this work in many ways, both as suppliers of goods and services and through climate change's direct negative impact on companies' operations. There is great interest today in climate adaptation measures that use "nature-based solutions" where natural (often biological) systems are used to create resilience in W/WW systems. Different types of ponds and wetlands are examples of this. Nature-based solutions also provide opportunities to create multifunctional systems that contribute to ecosystem services and biodiversity. In the Kristianstad area, there is already today a very large and broad interest in water issues and nature-based solutions. The multidisciplinary research environment Sustainable Multifunctional Landscapes (SMULA) within the Department of Environmental Science at HKR has broad expertise in areas that connect to nature-based solutions, including in W/WW, environmental chemistry, environmental technology, physical planning and ecosystem services, and the department also has several environmental science educations with a strong connection to this area. SMULA therefore has the ambition to develop in the coming years towards a strong and leading educational and research environment within nature-based solutions linked to V/WW and climate adaptation, where co-production with businesses is a central link. In order to be able to work target-oriented towards this ambition, key competence in the delimited area of nature-based solutions needs to be added, and we are therefore looking for funds to recruit a senior lecturer in environmental science with a focus on W/WW, climate adaptation and nature-based solutions (4 years). The recruitment would build on and provide great added value to SMULA's existing multidisciplinary competence. The lecturer's main duties within the framework of the KK foundation's funding will be to conduct and develop new research in the subject in close collaboration with a broad group of participating partners from businesses and public organizations. The lecturer will also be involved in the strategic work for environmental science education at advanced level. |
| The Role of Dietary Metabolite “TMAO” in Chronic Diseases | Örebro University | Synergy project | 1 | 2025 | SEK 11,993,823 | Medical and Health Sciences | November 1, 2025 - October 31, 2030 | 20250003 | Isak Demirel | The SYNERGI24 project aims to investigate the role of the dietary metabolite Trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) as a common link between three highly prevalent chronic inflammatory diseases: cardiovascular disease (CVD), chronic kidney disease (CKD), and periodontitis. These conditions contribute significantly to global morbidity, mortality, and healthcare costs, making the need for integrated research and targeted interventions critical. Emerging evidence indicates that elevated TMAO levels, derived from gut microbial metabolism of dietary nutrients, exacerbate systemic inflammation, endothelial dysfunction, and tissue damage, driving the progression of these diseases. However, the exact molecular mechanisms and therapeutic targets remain poorly understood. SYNERGI24 employs a multidisciplinary approach combining clinical cohort analyses (SP1), in vitro cellular and molecular studies (SP2), in vivo mouse models (SP3), and comprehensive data integration and dissemination (SP4) to address these knowledge gaps. Clinical cohorts will be analysed to identify TMAO-related biomarkers and their association with disease severity and progression. Cellular and molecular mechanisms will be dissected through in vitro models of vascular, renal, and gingival cells, exploring pathways regulated by TMAO. In vivo studies will validate these mechanisms using unified mouse models optimized to study the combined effects of TMAO on CVD, CKD, and periodontitis. Interventional studies with probiotics and molecular inhibitors will assess their potential to modulate TMAO's detrimental effects. The project also emphasizes data integration and knowledge transfer, employing advanced bioinformatics tools to link clinical, molecular, and mechanistic findings into predictive models. These models will guide the development of therapeutic strategies based on the shared pathophysiological mechanisms modulated by TMAO in these chronic diseases. Collaboration with industry partners (Redoxis AB, QIAGEN AB, PROBI AB and Bio Rad Laboratories AB) and stakeholders ensures the translation of findings into real-world applications, fostering innovation in diagnostics, therapeutics, and dietary interventions. By elucidating TMAO’s role as a common denominator in chronic inflammatory diseases, SYNERGI24 not only advances deeper scientific understanding but also provides actionable insights for improving public health, reducing healthcare costs, and supporting sustainable healthcare strategies. Through integrated research and stakeholder collaboration, the project sets the stage for novel approaches to manage the global burden of chronic inflammatory diseases. |
| GENESIS: Generative AI agents for Software Engineering: Skills, Integration, and Satisfaction | Blekinge Institute of Technology | Research projects | 1 | 2025 | SEK 4,694,863 | Natural Sciences, Engineering and Technology | September 1, 2025 - August 31, 2028 | 20240109 | Niklas Lavesson | The GENESIS project explores the potential of Generative AI (GenAI) to transform the field of software engineering, focusing on automating code and documentation generation. Collaborating with industry leaders like Ericsson and Axis Communications, the project aims to enhance productivity, reduce development costs, and improve software quality, ensuring Sweden’s software-intensive industries remain globally competitive. Sweden, a leader in digital innovation, faces challenges as AI advances in countries like the U.S., China, and Canada. GENESIS addresses this by developing AI solutions tailored to the needs of Swedish companies, aiming to integrate GenAI tools into their workflows. The project focuses on four key challenges: required upskilling, workflow adaptations, adoption barriers, and the cost-benefit analysis of GenAI integration. Central to GENESIS is the use of GenAI agents in coding and documentation workflows, highly resource-intensive areas in the software development life cycle. These agents automate tasks like code generation, refactoring, and documentation, allowing developers to focus on creative problem-solving. The project will conduct studies to evaluate the impact of GenAI on developer workflows, software quality, and project efficiency. It aims to identify the skills required for successful GenAI adoption, workflow changes needed for integration, and metrics to quantify costs, quality, and benefits. Ericsson and Axis, both exploring GenAI tools like GitHub Copilot, face specific challenges in maximizing AI benefits and overcoming adoption barriers. GENESIS will provide tailored solutions for each company, identifying high-impact use cases for GenAI and examining workflow modifications to optimize AI integration. In addition to industrial impact, GENESIS will strengthen the research and educational environment at the Software Engineering Research Laboratory (SERL) at Blekinge Institute of Technology (BTH). It will expand SERL’s collaboration with industry, create new research opportunities, and attract additional funding. GENESIS will also contribute to BTH’s educational programs by developing new course materials and case studies on GenAI-assisted software development, enabling students and researchers to gain cutting-edge knowledge and practical skills. Scientifically, GENESIS aims to produce high-impact publications, contribute to Swedish knowledge on AI in software engineering, and establish best practices for AI adoption. GENESIS is a key initiative to ensure Sweden remains competitive in the global AI development. It addresses critical challenges in AI adoption, enhances collaboration between academia and industry, and builds AI expertise within Sweden’s software engineering sector, driving innovation and growth in the digital economy. |
| Associate senior lecturer in precision toxicology | Örebro University | Capacity building | 1 | 2025 | SEK 2,879,998 | Natural Sciences, Medical and Health Sciences | September 1, 2025 - August 31, 2029 | 20240158 | Magnus Engwall | The research centers MTM and iRiSC have identified Precision Toxicology as a shared strategic priority. This emerging field leverages advanced experimental methods and data-driven approaches to elucidate the toxicological mechanisms of environmental and industrial pollutants, identifying health effect biomarkers, while addressing interindividual variability and advancing New Approach Methodologies (NAMs). Progress in this area is essential to deepen our understanding of the risks posed by the complex array of chemicals and particles to which individuals are exposed. To support this growth and to train future research leaders, we seek to recruit an Associate Senior Lecturer in Precision Toxicology. This role will lead the development of cutting-edge toxicity testing and assess the variability in health impacts of particles and chemicals, employing next-generation methods that include high-content imaging and multi-omics. In addition to advancing research, this position will enrich the University’s educational offerings by incorporating Precision Toxicology into undergraduate and graduate programs in Biology, Environmental Science, Environmental Forensics, and Arctic Environmental Forensics, all organized by MTM, and the education curriculum in Biomedicine involving iRiSC. MTM and iRiSC are committed to translating research insights into practical applications with external partners. We view this knowledge as crucial for the adoption of toxicologically safe and sustainable manufacturing methods across industries, including additive manufacturing, recycling, and packaging. This recruitment will significantly enhance our capacity for efficient knowledge transfer, promoting rapid implementation of sustainable practices in these sectors. |
| Assosiate senior lecturer - OPTI-LEG: Optimisation of lower leg and foot prostheses for performance in activities of daily living and parasports participation. | The Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences | Capacity building | 1 | 2025 | SEK 2,636,790 | Engineering and Technology, Medical and Health Sciences | January 12, 2026 - January 11, 2030 | 20240162 | Toni Arndt | The Swedish Parasport Academy (SwePa) and the Laboratory for Biomechanics and Motor Control (BMC) at GIH perform leading research and development in sports biomechanics and performance for people with functional impairments. Two areas that require strengthening have been identified in these environments: to strengthen GIH's education in physical activity and sport for people with functional impairments, and to conduct research and development of foot and lower leg prostheses in daily living and in sports. GIH plans to recruit an associate senior lecturer to strengthen SwePa and BMC. The project's collaboration partners are 1) Camp Pro Ortopedteknik AB (Camp Pro), 2) Motionmetrix AB, 3) Parasport Sverige and 4) Stiftelsen Promobilia. These partners contribute with unique knowledge in 1) developing orthopedic aids and prostheses, 2) technical competence in prosthesis gait function, 3) inclusive sport for all, and 4) innovative solutions for improved quality of life for people with functional impairments. Apart from their knowledge and competence contributions, the partners will also contribute by establishing relevant and well-formulated research questions for future projects. Camp Pro will co-finance the salary. The tasks of the associate senior lecturer will be to: • Conduct the research project ”OPTI-LEG: Optimisation of lower leg and foot prostheses for performance in activities of daily living and parasports participation” in collaboration with partners. The newly developed foot prosthesis ”Meracus One” by Allard Support for Better Life AB (which includes Camp Pro) will be evaluated to optimise individual application and performance, by analysing biomechanical parameters during standing, walking and running. The experiments will be performed in BMC with the help of a newly acquired unique treadmill with registration of three-dimensional forces. The project has clear relevance for sustainable and healthy physical activity and sports. The project is planned during 2025 and 2026. • Collaborate with the partners to design and write a Synergy application to KKS in the field of biomechanics, prosthesis development in health and sports providing a strengthened long-term GIH research profile. The inclusion of additional industry, academic and societal partners in the Synergy project will be investigated. The aim is to develop biomechanically individually optimised end economically sustainable lower leg prostheses available to more patients in Sweden and internationally providing these people with an improved quality of life by facilitating possibilities for physical activity and sports participation. It is planned to submit this application to KKS during 2026. • Teach the topic of sport, physical activity and health for people with functional impairments at GIH. • Establish new education on function and performance of foot and lower leg prostheses in collaboration with industry and academic partners with assigned and elective courses at GIH. |
| TexAI Knowledge in AI-Driven Innovation for Circular Ecosystems in the Textiles and Fashion | University of Borås | Research profiles | 1 | 2025 | SEK 48,000,000 | Engineering and Technology, Humanities and the Arts, Natural Sciences | September 1, 2025 - August 31, 2033 | 20250013 | Nawar Kadi | The TexAI research profile at the University of Borås (UB) aims to position UB as a global leader in sustainable textile innovation, digital transformation, and circular economy practices. The project integrates AI-driven solutions across textile technology, textile and fashion design, textile management, and business-oriented IT to tackle sustainability challenges in the textile and fashion industries. TexAI focuses on five research areas (RAs): 1. AI-Assisted Textile Recycling and Manufacturing – Developing AI-powered separation, fiber recovery, and defect detection tools to enhance the efficiency of textile recycling and improve fabric formation processes. 2. AI in Textile Printing and Functionalization – Optimizing dyeing, printing, and functionalization of recycled textiles through AI-assisted process adjustments, reducing waste, and improving material performance. 3. AI-Driven Sustainable Textile and Fashion Design – Creating AI tools for design ideation, market forecasting, and the integration of recycled materials into fashion, promoting circular fashion principles. 4. AI for Textile Ecosystem Optimization – Utilizing AI for supply chain analytics, circular business models, and digital servitization, enhancing sustainability through real-time tracking and intelligent decision-making. 5. AI Foundry for Textile Data-Driven Innovation– Establishing a digital infrastructure to develop, test, and deploy AI artifacts, fostering human-AI collaboration in textile production and design. The research agenda is driven by interdisciplinary collaboration between UB’s Swedish School of Textiles (THS) and the Department of Information Technology, combining expertise in material science, AI, digital business, and design. TexAI supports UB’s strategic goals by strengthening industrial partnerships, enhancing research excellence, and integrating findings into educational programs, including new bachelor’s and master’s programs. With a strong focus on sustainability and resource efficiency, TexAI will develop AI-powered tools to reduce textile waste, improve recycling processes, and optimize production methods, ensuring long-term environmental and economic impact. The project collaborates with leading industry partners and policymakers to advance textile circularity, setting a foundation for a more sustainable, data-driven textile industry. |
| International guest professor in big data systems | Mälardalen University | Capacity building | 1 | 2025 | SEK 720,000 | Natural Sciences, Engineering and Technology | June 1, 2025 - January 31, 2027 | 20240170 | Cristina Seceleanu | The Computer and Data Science (CDS) research environment at Mälardalen University (MDU) applies for an international visiting professor in the area of <>. The invited visiting professor - Professor Alfredo Cuzzocrea - will cooperate for 12 months on didactic and research activities and will spend 6 months at MDH starting in May 2025. The tasks and activities planned for the visiting professor will be related to the formal analysis of big data systems, focusing on artificial intelligence, digital twin systems and autonomous systems in (industrial) distributed systems. We organize this within a project (BDV@CDS) aimed at advancing the knowledge and expertise of the group at CDS. The activities will be intertwined with the execution of running projects at CDS (SATISFIES and RITES) and outside CDS (PerFlex, D-RODS, RENEW and OREO), focusing on ML/AI and V&V challenges within large learning or operating data sets. The activities will be executed with higher intensity during the actual presence of Professor Cuzzocrea at CDS, but the common understanding is that, while less intense, they will continue during the whole execution of BDV@CDS. Alfredo Cuzzocrea is Distinguished Professor of Computer Engineering at the University of Calabria, Rende, Italy, where he is the Founder and Director of the Big Data Engineering and Analytics Laboratory (iDEA Lab). He also covers the role of Full Professor in Computer Engineering at the University of Paris City, Paris, France, as holding the Excellence Chair in Big Data Management and Analytics. He is Honorary Professor of Computer Engineering at the School of Engineering and Technology of the Amity University, Noida, India. He is also Research Associate of the National Research Council (CNR), Rome, Italy. His current research interests span the following scientific fields: big data, database systems, data mining, OLAP, data warehousing, and knowledge discovery. He is the author or co-author of more than 800 papers in international conferences, international journals and international books. The BDV@CDS activities, focusing on modern design and operation solutions based on ML, are bound to expand the research environment's research areal. Addressing concerns of Swedish industry as per mentioned projects (and potentially others at MDU level), the outcomes will significantly impact the research direction development. The research and education benefits of BDV@CDS will extend to MDU, but also to our industrial partners. The intended position is mainly meant to establish (where applicable), or to strengthen MDU position on international stages. This is especially valid for CDS, a new research direction, for identification as such at important international levels. We aim to achieve this via BDV@CDS by exchanges of personnel, invited lectures, promotion at high-level events via article cooperation and participation in common actions (e.g. national or EU projects). |
| Senior Lecturer in AI based Measurment Systems - AssIst | Mid Sweden University | Capacity building | 1 | 2025 | SEK 3,284,654 | Engineering and Technology, Natural Sciences | November 1, 2025 - October 31, 2029 | 20240125 | Mattias O'Nils | This project aims to enhance AI-driven measurement systems by recruiting a Senior Lecturer in machine learning and deep learning within the Sensible Things that Communicate (STC) research center at Mid Sweden University. As part of the university’s Transformative Technologies (TransTech) initiative, this position will advance the university's strategic focus on integrating AI with IoT to foster industrial innovation. The recruited faculty member will join the AI-based IoT and Measurement Systems (AIMS) group, that have high-impact research and collaborations with academic and industry partners. This recruitment addresses the group’s growing need for sustainable, long-term expertise to support advanced research in machine learning for measurement, data analysis, and real-time industrial applications. The lecturer will engage in ongoing projects with key partners, including Plantvation, MacGregor, and IKEA. Key research initiatives include the application of deep learning to monitor forest growth cycles, improving the localization accuracy of autonomous cranes, and enhancing LiDAR data by reducing multi-path interference (MPI) noise. These collaborations demonstrate the cross-application benefits of AI in diverse contexts such as forestry, maritime, and sensor technology. By developing new research directions and co-producing innovative solutions with industry partners, the recruited lecturer will strengthen STC’s reputation as a important initiative for AI-based IoT systems. This role also includes significant educational responsibilities, from developing courses in deep learning to supervising BSc, MSc, and Ph.D. students, further integrating the latest research with the university’s academic offerings. Through this recruitment, the AIMS group aims to sustain its position as an internationally recognized in the area, fostering technological advancements that drive regional and global industrial transformation. |
| Associate Senior Lecturer in Analytical Chemistry expertise in GC (AC-GC) | Karlstad University | Capacity building | 1 | 2025 | SEK 2,880,000 | Natural Sciences | October 1, 2025 - September 30, 2029 | 20240172 | Jörgen Samuelsson | This proposal aims to recruit an Associate Senior Lecturer (ASL) in Analytical Chemistry, specializing in analytical gas chromatography (GC). Currently, expertise in GC is underrepresented in our environment, and adding this specialist will bring valuable new perspectives, contributing to long-term impacts in both research and education. GC expertise is highly relevant in today’s research landscape, and its significance is expected to grow as the Pro2BE initiative expands into biorefinery and waste stream utilization. This expertise will drive both short- and long-term advancements in current and planned research at Karlstad University, fostering collaborations with local private-sector companies. Within the KaU environment, GC will be essential for thermal chemical processes such as biochar and pyrolysis oil production, waste stream analysis, quantifying volatile extractives from paper and building materials, and analyzing volatile compounds from fermentation (biorefinery). The ASL will contribute immediately by bringing expertise to current and planned research, facilitating collaborations with nearby private-sector companies and organizations (e.g., Cambrex, Paper Province, Stora Enso, and Calamo), and supporting the development of novel methodologies to optimize and advance separation techniques. Additionally, companies have expressed a strong need for expertise in product and process analysis related to volatile compounds in drug production, as well as those produced in steel electropolishing and pulp and paper industries. Furthermore, a GC expert would be an excellent addition to cross-disciplinary research collaborations between Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, and Environmental and Energy Systems, with the aim of establishing an industrial separation science group. This group focus on both analytical separation and preparative adsorption processes, combined with systems analysis, building critical mass to effectively address a wide range of industrial separation challenges. In terms of education, the ASL will add significant value in the short term by enhancing the quality of undergraduate courses in Analytical Chemistry and Organic Chemistry. In the long term, the ASL will contribute to the development of the planned Master’s program in Chemistry and PhD courses. We believe this project, if granted, will have a significant impact on Chemistry at Karlstad University, providing the ASL candidate with a platform to develop as an independent researcher and gain qualifications in both research and teaching to meet the requirements for promotion to Senior Lecturer, in line with the department’s ambitions. |
| Place design - the way to sustainable rural ecosystem (PDE) | Karlstad University | Research projects | 1 | 2025 | SEK 3,985,200 | Social Sciences | September 1, 2025 - October 31, 2028 | 20240116 | Lotta Braunerhielm | Many rural areas, often characterised by seasonality and recruitment difficulties, face the challenge of skill shortages. The challenges correspond with key factors identified as obstacles to rural development in both Sweden and the Nordic countries. Results from our recently finished project Smart Villages revealed that many businesses, industries and sectors operate in silos, limiting cross-collaboration or collaborating on resources and skills. Building on previous research, this project is based on research on place design, tourism, and service ecosystems, contributing to sustainable rural ecosystems. By concretising a collaboration with local manufacturing industries, tourism businesses and the public sector in a service ecosystem, a networked collection of actors, we strive to enable cross-collaboration and multifunctional solutions to the identified challenge of skills shortage. Our aim is to contribute to the economic and social sustainability of vibrant rural businesses and communities. We will use place design as a method to create collaboration and synergies between industries and sectors, thus promoting resilient and sustainable rural ecosystems. Our primary research question revolves around jointly solving resource utilisation in rural places and skill supply challenges. The project is divided into three work packages with three stages that build on each other. Each of these work packages corresponds to the three steps in our methodology. WP 1 – Inventory of needs and resources WP 2 – Creating ideas and concepts through joint work with local actors WP 3 – Testing and evaluating emerging ideas and solutions Based on Participatory Action Research (PAR) and our method for place-based digital development and innovation, we have designed a conscious way of working and collaborating to investigate and solve specific social problems or issues. To increase the relevance of research on place and community development for sustainable rural ecosystems, our project will involve researchers from multidisciplinary environments at Karlstad University, including the Centre for Geomedia Studies (project owners) and the Centre for Service Research (CTF). Our empirical work will concentrate on manufacturing industries from forestry and automotive industry, and tourism businesses, accommodation facilities, in western and northern Värmland, representing other rural areas in Sweden and the Nordic countries with similar challenges. The results will be relevant for rural places and community development in general. The activities in the project will lead to in-depth data collection on stakeholder needs, challenges, the creation of new meeting places, new collaborations, knowledge transfer and new development opportunities for participating companies. The project will contribute to the further development of our method in a broader context, i.e. in an ecosystem. |
| Developing novel target and non-target biosensors to assess pollutant impacts on innate immunity – PolluSense | Örebro University | Early academic career | 1 | 2025 | SEK 1,936,328 | Medical and Health Sciences, Natural Sciences | June 1, 2025 - May 31, 2028 | 20240183 | Matthew Herring | The link between inflammasome activation and cell morphological changes per se and in response to particulate pollutants remains unknown. The PolluSense project will develop an advanced biosensing tool by integrating inflammasome activation markers into high-throughput, phenotypic profiling by Cell Painting assay to detect specific morphological signatures of inflammasome activation in response to industrial particulate pollutants. The PolluSense project is a collaborative effort involving an interdisciplinary network of academic (iRiSC, MTM, AASS, and AMM) and leading business partners with a unique know-how. The business partners will play a critical role by providing real-life particulate pollutants, characterizing the particles' physicochemical properties, and offering expertise in developing and applying live cell stains for time-resolved imaging. The project will also include inter-institutional mobility to facilitate knowledge exchange, thereby strengthening both scientific expertise and the practical application of acquired knowledge. To achieve set objectives, the project is structured into four interdependent work packages (WPs), each addressing a key aspect of biosensor development. WP1 will integrate Cell Painting with ASC-GFP tracking, enabling visualization of inflammasome assembly (via ASC specks) in response to particle pollutants. WP2 will advance the field with Live-Cell Painting development, which will allow time-resolved tracking of pollutant-induced morphological changes, capturing dynamic cellular responses over time. WP3 will translate this approach by applying Live-Cell Painting to primary human macrophages, under both acute and sub-chronic exposure scenarios. This approach will also emphasize a sex-based perspective to discern potential variability in the inflammasome- and morphology-related responses to particle exposure. In WP4, PolluSense will employ machine learning approaches to analyze high-dimensional Cell Painting and inflammasome readout data, identifying patterns and biomarkers unique to specific pollutant types. By combining the knowledge generated in the four interconnected WPs, the project will develop a groundbreaking Live-ASC-GFP Cell Painting assay in human primary macrophages. This will offer unique advantages over existing tools: i) it will be established in human primary cells, capturing interindividual variability; ii) it will incorporate the NLRP3 inflammasome, a common target of particulate pollutants in innate immune cells; and iii) it will detect an “overall” cellular response to pollutant exposure, even when cells do not activate the inflammasome, ensuring that subtle yet significant effects of pollutants are not overlooked. Development of such biosensor will maintain the iRiSC/MTM alliance at the research forefront, provide leading-edge knowledge that will enrich educational curricula, and most importantly, provide grounds for the development of a future research leader. |
| Avans maxi: Complete renewal of Solar Energy Master Program | Dalarna University | Second cycle education | 1 | 2025 | SEK 2,384,292 | Engineering and Technology | June 1, 2025 - June 30, 2028 | 20240188 | Frank Fiedler | Solenergiutbildningen vid Högskolan Dalarna (HDa) har en lång historia med start av ett internationellt ettårigt masterprogram i solenergiteknik 1999 följt av ett tvåårigt masterprogram 2014. Vid starten var programprofilen unik i världen. Programmen lockade 30-40 studenter från hela världen, men få från Sverige. På grund av brist på resurser för att utveckla programmen för att matcha den snabba utvecklingen av solenergisektorn, långsammare visumprocesser för icke-europeiska studenter och tuffare konkurrens från andra program internationellt, har antalet studenter minskat under de senaste 3 åren. Samtidigt har energiomställningen accelererat, vilket resulterat i behov av stora förändringar i programstruktur och innehåll, samtidigt som behovet av kompetenta solenergiingenjörer ökar. Huvudsyftet med projektet är att göra en fullständig revidering av det tvååriga masterprogrammet för att möta kompetensbehoven på den nuvarande och framtida arbetsmarknaden för solenergiingenjörer. Ambitionen är att erbjuda ett campusbaserat masterprogram och fokusera på rekrytering av svenska och europeiska studenter samtidigt som studenter från länder utanför Europa kommer att bidra väsentligt. Svenska studenter kommer också att kunna studera online. Ett mer personligt sätt att nå ut till potentiella studenter med hjälp av alumner och nuvarande studenter kommer att utvecklas och implementeras inom projektet, med betoning på de nya campusfaciliteterna, närheten till personalen och den långa traditionen av utbildning och forskning inom solenergi. HDa har flyttat in på ett nytt campus i Borlänge, med toppmoderna undervisningslokaler. Detta är viktigt eftersom kurserna kommer att undervisas i hybridform med studenter både på campus och online. Projektet kommer att dra nytta av dessa nya faciliteter och ha ett genomtänkt förhållningssätt till nya pedagogiska metoder i hela programmet med hjälp av brädspel, AI-verktyg, nya examinationsmetoder och distanslaborationer. Över 20 alumner har hjälpt till att ta fram en omfattande uppsättning önskade nyckelkompetenser och färdigheter som behövs inom solenergibranschen. Den övergripande programstrukturen och kursplanerna har sedan tagits fram för att säkerställa att alla kompetenser och färdigheter ingår i minst två av kurserna. Program samt alla kursplaner är formellt godkända. En analys av innehållet i dessa nya kurser och befintliga undervisningsmaterial visar att utvecklingsbehoven är stora: 17,5 hp av kurserna är helt nya, 32,5 hp kräver större revidering och 35 hp måttlig revidering. Detta projekt är viktigt för att göra masterprogrammet i solenergiteknik konkurrenskraftigt på studentmarknaden och för att bidra till att tillhandahålla nyrekryteringar till den snabbt utvecklande solenergisektorn i Sverige och Europa. Det är också en viktig del av vår utbildningsportfölj och går hand i hand med utvecklingen av forskning och laborativ miljö vid Högskolan Dalarna, där solenergi är ett fokusområde. |
| Avans Mini: BAM—Business Analytics Master's Program | Blekinge Institute of Technology | Second cycle education | 1 | 2025 | SEK 598,299 | Social Sciences, Engineering and Technology, Natural Sciences | September 1, 2025 - August 31, 2026 | 20240194 | Martin Svensson | The Business Analytics Master’s program (BAM) is designed to meet the growing demand for data-savvy professionals who can address complex industry challenges with advanced analytical skills, economic and managerial acumen. Business analytics has become essential for innovation, growth, and sustainability in sectors like technology, energy, and finance. However, there is a gap between the theoretical knowledge provided by current programs and the practical application of analytics in business settings. BAM addresses this gap by integrating advanced data analytics tools, economic theory, and artificial intelligence within a practical, industry-focused curriculum, preparing students for the requirements of a data-driven economy. Unlike other programs, which focus on basic data analytics or narrow specializations, offered in Sweden and internationally, BAM provides a distinctive two-year engineering-based curriculum. BAM includes foundational courses with a economic-technic intersection, like Business analytics, Project management in business analytics, and Business data visualization and dashboarding, ensuring students can extract insights, lead business analytics projects, and communicate results effectively. Tailored tracks accommodate students with varied educational backgrounds, ensuring inclusivity and accessibility. By applying Pedagogical Technological Content Framework (PTCK), the courses will integrate modern technological tools like ML platforms and data visualization, promoting active learning through project-based experiences and real-time data analysis. The program emphasizes sustainability and inclusivity by teaching skills to optimize processes, reduce waste, and promote gender equality in flexible, high-paying roles. It also prepares students to develop equitable, data-driven solutions by addressing societal biases in data. BAM is supported by industry partners that each contributes with expertise. These key partners – Ericsson, Densitet, Nortic, and ROLF – add unique value to the Business Analytics program by being reservoirs for diverse data and provide domain specific insights. This collaboration enriches students' learning by offering real-world analytics challenges across various contexts, including large-scale, SME-focused, transactional, and qualitative data. Academic partnerships with international institutions, including the University of Bergamo and the University of Surrey, enhances research opportunities and attract diverse student cohorts. BAM accounts for Sweden’s sustainability goals by integrating business analytics into green technologies and corporate sustainability efforts. Outreach efforts focus on engaging local and international students, leveraging digital campaigns, alumni networks, and academic fairs. With its comprehensive curriculum, inclusive approach, and industry focus, BAM contributes to Sweden’s leadership in the global transition to a sustainable, digital society. |
| ANNSKA -Guestprofessor Anna Sigridur Islind | University West | Capacity building | 2 | 2025 | SEK 367,851 | Natural Sciences, Social Sciences | May 1, 2026 - April 30, 2027 | 20250052 | Livia Norström | The recruitment of Dr. Anna Sigridur Islind as a guest professor at University West is a strategic initiative to strengthen research and education within Industrial Work-Integrated Learning (I-WIL). With expertise in ethical and sustainable digitalization, AI, and data governance, Islind will contribute to interdisciplinary research, curriculum development, and academia-industry collaboration. Her work addresses critical challenges such as AI bias, data privacy, and sustainable digital infrastructures, aligning with the goals of the KK-environment Primus and enhancing projects like ISLESCD1, LeadHybrid2, and SusDig. Through her international network and experience, she will also foster long-term partnerships and exchange between Sweden and Iceland. |
| NITROSHIELD - Enhancing Corrosion and Hydrogen Embrittlement Resistance in High-Strength Steels through Optimized Nitriding | Jönköping University | Research projects | 1 | 2025 | SEK 3,078,563 | Engineering and Technology | January 1, 2026 - December 31, 2027 | 20250063 | Guilherme Antonelli Martiniano | High-strength steels are widely used in demanding industrial applications due to their excellent mechanical properties. However, their susceptibility to corrosion and hydrogen embrittlement limits their use in aggressive environments, particularly in hydrogen-fuelled systems, where water formed as a combustion byproduct accelerates material degradation. To address this critical challenge, this project aims to develop and optimize a nitriding-based surface treatment that produces a nitrogen-enriched passive layer capable of simultaneously improving corrosion resistance and reducing hydrogen uptake in high-strength steels. The innovative approach involves avoiding nitride precipitation by promoting interstitial nitrogen diffusion through carefully controlled nitriding parameters, guided by thermodynamic modelling. The treated steels are expected to exhibit a “stainless-like” surface that is both adhesive and resistant to environmental degradation. The study will include advanced characterisation, electrochemical corrosion testing via potentiodynamic control tests and hydrogen embrittlement evaluation via thermal desorption spectroscopy and slow strain rate testing. The project is a collaboration between the School of Engineering at Jönköping University (JTH), responsible for material testing and analysis; Ovako, supplying high-strength steel; Bodycote, performing low-temperature nitriding; and Härdservice Norden, to carry out high-temperature nitriding. The project is planned to run for 24 months (Jan. 2026 till end of Dec. 2027), with an overall in-kind contribution of 2.55 MSEK from partners, and 2.5 MSEK requested funds from KK-stiftelsen. The expected outcomes include new knowledge, optimised industrial processes, and more durable steel components, contributing to sustainable and hydrogen-compatible material solutions. |
| CyProd - Cybersecurity Awareness in Production | Jönköping University | Research projects | 2 | 2025 | SEK 4,915,316 | Natural Sciences, Engineering and Technology | April 1, 2026 - March 31, 2030 | 20250064 | Erik Bergström | Cybersecurity incidents significantly disrupt the operations of organizations, where small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in manufacturing are particularly vulnerable due to limited internal cybersecurity expertise and informal governance practices. Existing cybersecurity awareness (CSA) training programs frequently fall short, as evidenced by a continuous increase in security breaches primarily attributable to human errors. A critical issue is the absence of robust, effective Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to measure and improve CSA, coupled with unclear guidance on how to govern CSA within organizational contexts. To address these gaps, the CyProd project aims to develop a comprehensive framework and actionable KPIs tailored specifically for SMEs, integrating a multi-level organizational learning approach. This framework will enhance SMEs’ capabilities to evaluate, govern, and continuously improve their CSA initiatives. The project involves a multidisciplinary team and adopts a Design Science Research Methodology (DSRM), engaging researchers from Jönköping School of Engineering (JTH), CSA provider Junglemap, IT provider Dizparc, and manufacturing SMEs Detab and Inlead. Collaborative development and evaluation of a KPI- and governance-centered framework will evolve through iterative co-production workshops and comprehensive qualitative and quantitative data collection, including interviews, focus groups, diaries, and surveys. The expected benefits include strengthened organizational cybersecurity practices, reduced human-factor-related incidents, and improved governance structures adapted to SME contexts. The project is scheduled from 2026 to 2030. The outcomes will be disseminated through scientific publications, practical guidelines, and workshops, enhancing both academic understanding and practical implementation of CSA governance and evaluation within SMEs. The total cost is budgeted to 8 676 192 SEK (of which KKs funds 3 996 192). |
| CyDev - Development of a two-year master's programme in cybersecurity | Jönköping University | Second cycle education | 1 | 2025 | SEK 607,809 | Natural Sciences | March 1, 2026 - February 28, 2027 | 20250065 | Erik Bergström | The goal of CyDev is to contribute to the development of collaboration between academia and industry and to strengthen the educational offering at the School of Engineering (JTH), Jönköping University (JU), by developing two areas at the master’s level. The two areas in focus are: Human-centered Cybersecurity (HCC) and the intersection between Cybersecurity and AI. Based on the outcome of this project, we envision that two courses will be developed and included in the proposed two-year master’s program in computer science with a specialization in cybersecurity (CybSec) at JTH, which is planned to start in the fall of 2026. The proposed program is a development of an existing one-year master’s program in cybersecurity. In addition, will the project identify what other courses in the program could or should add modules focusing on the areas described above. We believe that AI is important for staying relevant and that HCC could be the program’s future focus. The program will be offered as a stand-alone master’s program with national and international admissions. The prerequisites are planned to be inclusive and accept IT students with various backgrounds (e.g., web developers, programmers, network technicians). CybSec is a natural continuation for students in our bachelor’s program in networking, infrastructure, and cybersecurity (NICS). The program will also accept and recruit students from the bachelor’s program in graphic design and web development and our bachelor graduates in Computer Engineering. All four of these programs serve as a recruitment base for CybSec, offering a new opportunity for students to continue their studies at JTH. CybSec strengthens JTH’s educational portfolio by complementing it with a new two-year master’s program. The program also enables companies regionally and elsewhere to recruit students in an area lacking skilled talents. |
| InCorE InViS - Informed and Confident Object Recognition in Industrial Vision Systems | Jönköping University | Research projects | 1 | 2025 | SEK 4,919,383 | Natural Sciences, Engineering and Technology | January 1, 2026 - December 31, 2029 | 20250059 | Florian Westphal | This project focuses on advancing computer vision systems in industrial applications, such as blueprint analysis, product recognition, or defect detection, where machine learning-based models often require frequent retraining to adapt to new inputs or varying product conditions. The primary challenge lies in the need for extensive, human-labeled training data and the resulting uncertainty in model performance across diverse inputs [1], [2]. To address this, the project aims to reduce reliance on large, human-labeled datasets by utilizing pre-trained models, such as foundation models, integrating expert knowledge into the vision system, or both. Additionally, it seeks to quantify output certainty using methods from the Predicting with Confidence (PwC) framework, including conformal prediction-based approaches [3], enabling more informed decision-making or manual oversight when uncertainty arises. The project is expected to produce publications, algorithms, prototypes, and best practices. The industrial partners involved in this project are Herenco AB, Itab Shop Products AB, and GKN Aerospace Sweden AB. The project will run from 2026–01–01 to 2029–12–31 and its total cost is budgeted to 8749298 SEK (of which KKS will fund 3 999 498 SEK). |
| INHOUSE - Industrialized Housebuilding Supply Chain Strategies | Jönköping University | Early academic career | 2 | 2025 | SEK 2,062,526 | Engineering and Technology | July 1, 2026 - July 31, 2028 | 20250066 | Petter Haglund | The Swedish housing sector is facing significant challenges, with more than half of the country’s municipalities reporting a housing shortage. Industrialized Housebuilding (IHB) has been proposed as a solution, enabling higher production volumes and increased productivity by relocating parts of the construction process to factory settings. Despite this, complex challenges remain regarding deliveries, coordination between factory and construction site, and information sharing among supply chain actors. The InHouse project aims to develop strategies for designing and operating efficient and coordinated supply chains within the IHB sector. The focus is on three key challenges: how IHB companies plan their internal flows, how first-tier suppliers manage varying customer demands, and how information sharing between IHBs and suppliers can be improved. These issues are addressed through a co-production-based research approach, where academic researchers and industry partners jointly formulate problems, collect data, and develop solutions. The project involves two industry partners: Hjältevadshus (IHB) and Elitfönster (window manufacturer). Through workshops, roundtable discussions, and reference group meetings, the project will generate both practically applicable results and scientific insights. The project will run for 2 years, from July 2026 to July 2028, and is funded through a combination of academic time and in-kind contributions from the industry partners. Expected outcomes include improved planning capabilities for IHB companies, enhanced delivery precision for suppliers, and increased competitiveness through the transfer of value-adding activities. The project also contributes to the academic field by highlighting the delivery site as a production node and by advancing the understanding of logistics in site-based production systems. |
| INMOST - Industrial Large KNowledge Model fOr Smart ManufacTuring | Jönköping University | Research projects | 1 | 2025 | SEK 4,919,289 | Natural Sciences, Engineering and Technology | January 1, 2026 - December 31, 2029 | 20250058 | He Tan | Large language models (LLMs) have demonstrated powerful capabilities in general-purpose applications, but their deployment in specialized industrial environments, often characterized by fragmented and poorly managed data, remains challenging. The project aims to address these challenges and leverage LLM-based AI solutions to tackle a common industrial problem: bridging the gap between industrial raw, operational data and actionable knowledge. This work is driven by strong co-production with industrial partners Comptech AB and CONSID, supported by a reference group including GARO and Volvo CE. The project is anchored in the casting domain to ensure deep, domain-specific understanding, however, the methods, tools, and demonstrators will be designed and developed to be adaptable and generalizable, enabling broader uptake across Sweden’s manufacturing in its drive toward digital transformation. From a research perspective, the project will contribute to key research areas, including knowledge extraction, semantic modelling, hybrid reasoning, and the broader field of applied AI in manufacturing. |
| Supplifier - Support for analysis of the environmental and economic lifecycle impact of reconfigurable production | Jönköping University | Early academic career | 1 | 2025 | SEK 2,459,354 | Engineering and Technology | March 1, 2026 - February 29, 2028 | 20250067 | Filip Skärin | The ability to adapt and change production systems is crucial in order to cope with e.g. new product introductions and fluctuating demand, ultimately leading to efficient usage and a prolonged lifetime of production systems. This ability to adapt and change the production system, i.e. reconfigurability, implies incrementally updating and modifying the production system which enables long-term, resource-efficient development, as only minor modules need to be changed rather than the entire system in order to cope with various changes. However, a key issue is ensuring that the entire lifecycle is considered during the development of production systems, ensuring that an adequate evaluation of the benefits of e.g. reconfigurable production is accounted for. Conducting life cycle analyses of both the environmental impacts, through LCA (life cycle analysis), and the economic impact, through LCC (life cycle costing), is a gateway for succeeding in evaluation and motivation of production systems to develop systems which are efficient during use and have a prolonged lifetime. Currently, difficulties exist in conducting such analysis for production systems, which might result in severe struggles for Swedish manufacturing companies, and the development of production systems insufficient of efficiently coping with the aforementioned required changes, ultimately causing the need for termination of the system long before the technical lifetime actually is imminent. Due to the currently limited knowledge in this field, further research is highly needed. Thus, the scientific target of this project is to develop support for conducting LCA and LCC of production systems to aid the manufacturing industry in the transition a circular economy. Also, the project aims to support the project manager's professional development and strengthen his qualifications for a continued academic career by independently leading a research project and strengthening collaboration with industrial partners. |
| GRIT - Green Industrial Transitions through Strategic Collaboration between RISE and JTH | Jönköping University | Capacity building | 2 | 2025 | SEK 2,951,755 | Engineering and Technology | April 1, 2026 - March 31, 2029 | 20250068 | Kristina Säfsten | By recruiting Ulrika Harlin, RISE, as adjunct lecturer (50% employment, 2026–2029) to JTH, the GRIT project will strengthen and develop SPARK’s Area of Strength in:sure. The recruitment of the adjunct lecturer formalises and deepens long-term collaboration between JTH and RISE, creating conditions for the co-production of knowledge and contribution to education and research projects that strengthen industrial green transitions. The adjunct lecturer will specifically be contributing with expertise in interactive research, sustainable and circular production systems, as well as strengthening organisational capabilities to manage industrial transitions, ensuring both academic excellence and industrial relevance with assignments in three work packages (WPs): Research (WP1): GRIT complements the research profile GRACE with a focus on the organisational prerequisites required for the transition to circular and sustainable product realisation. Industrial case studies will address prioritised industrial challenges identified in ProValue, i.e., one of the research projects in GRACE. Expected deliverables are at least three peer-reviewed articles and guidelines, validated in industry, for supporting the transition to circular and sustainable product realisation, considering the key factors of active ownership, collaboration, and learning. Co-production (WP2): GRIT will expand in:sure’s national and international networks, support long-term co-production between academia and industry, and strengthen JTH’s scientific profile in industrial green transitions. Expected deliverables are 1-2 new joint research applications. Education (WP3): The adjunct lecturer will contribute to education with industrial perspectives. Expected deliverables are course modules and mentoring at different levels. The project period is from 2026-04-01 to 2029-03-31, with a 50% employment of an adjunct lecturer, with a total cost of 2 399 801 SEK (excl. OH). The project manager is Kristina Säfsten, JTH. |
| KOLS 2 - Competence Development for the Organization and Leadership of a Digitalized and Sustainable Society | University West | Education for working professionals | 2 | 2025 | SEK 11,068,528 | Social Sciences | January 1, 2026 - December 31, 2029 | 20250051 | Christian Master Östlund | The aim of the project is to, in close collaboration with Swedish industrial companies, create short and flexible advanced-level courses in the areas of digitalization, organization and leadership, and sustainable development. The goal is to contribute to increased expert competence and thereby strengthen the region's competitiveness. The industry's transition to more sustainable production is progressing rapidly, while digitalization and the fast development of artificial intelligence are intensifying. This highlights the need for continuous learning to meet both current and future demands, and soft skills are becoming increasingly important in high-tech companies. Competence in developing, organizing, and leading operations in a changing society—with a particular focus on digitalization and sustainability—plays a crucial role in ensuring the business sector's access to the right skills. The project is based on work-integrated learning (WIL), both as a philosophy for knowledge development and as a pedagogical method. As a philosophical approach, WIL means that advanced knowledge is created in many parts of society, and that collaboration between academia and industry is essential to address complex societal and industrial challenges. It is through co-creation between the parties that the learning process and knowledge are deepened, and new knowledge is developed. In this project, courses are tailored—meaning the project, together with companies in the Västra Götaland region, identifies competence development needs and co-produces courses. Furthermore, with WIL as a pedagogical method, where the student's learning is connected to working life, conditions are created to focus on real challenges and thereby build expertise on how these challenges can be addressed and managed in various types of industrial companies. The target group for the project's educational initiatives is professionals, including both staff and managers at various levels working in management, development, and change processes, who wish to strengthen their competence and thereby contribute to the development of their own organization. |
| Avans Maxi: International Master in Engineering Physics | Mid Sweden University | Second cycle education | 1 | 2025 | SEK 2,400,000 | Natural Sciences, Engineering and Technology | May 31, 2025 - June 1, 2028 | 20240197 | Henrik Andersson | Mid Sweden University (Miun) proposes the establishment of an international Master’s program in Engineering Physics (120 ECTS) to address the pressing need for engineering skills in northern Sweden. The program will be based on year 4 and 5 of the MSc in Engineering Physics (Civilingenjör) program currently running, to take advantage of some joint teaching and ahared courses. The aim is to attract 10–20 new international students annually, and the new program will strengthen Miun’s relevance in education and provide industries struggling with competence shortages in northern Sweden with potential employees. For Miun, there is a challenge in offering a broad selection of elective courses at the master’s level due to the small number of students usually enrolled in advanced-level courses. At the same time, to be able to attract students it is essential to have a wide selection of elective courses to choose from. For the program, we will develop three new courses at Miun. However, to further increase the number of elective courses we will also develop new courses in collaboration with regional companies and adapt courses given by international universities so that they can be given for our students at the same time they are given at the partner universities. By combining interdisciplinary learning with a strong industry focus, the program seeks to deliver a flexible, future-oriented curriculum that aligns with real-world challenges. We will use innovative pedagogical methods such as problem-based learning and digital tools. Partnerships with companies will ensure that the courses are tailored to industry needs, offering students hands-on experience and connections to potential employers. International cooperation, particularly with European universities such as Polytecnic of Turin, will provide opportunities for student exchanges through ERASMUS agreements, fostering a globally connected academic environment. The program is also committed to promoting diversity and inclusion, with gender mainstreaming initiatives ensuring an equitable educational experience and encouraging participation from a wide range of students. To increase visibility and enrollment, Miun will implement a robust international marketing strategy, leveraging digital platforms, research networks, and outreach to attract students from across the globe. Running from 2024 to 2028, with a budget of approximately 3.4 million SEK, the project will leverage Miun’s research expertise in materials science and strong industrial ties to create a program that not only meets regional development needs but also establishes itself as an attractive choice for students worldwide. |
| WIN - International visiting professor Winifred Ijomah | University West | Capacity building | 2 | 2025 | SEK 369,000 | Engineering and Technology, Social Sciences | June 1, 2026 - May 31, 2027 | 20250055 | Kristina Eriksson | I takt med att de globala miljöutmaningarna intensifieras och resursbegränsningarna blir mer pressande, står tillverkningssektorn inför ett ökande tryck att gå över till mer hållbara metoder. Detta driver företag att söka innovativa lösningar som balanserar ekonomisk prestanda med miljömässigt och socialt ansvar. Trots det växande erkännandet av återtillverkning som en kritisk strategi för att uppnå hållbar tillverkning, finns det fortfarande en betydande klyfta mellan dess potentiella fördelar och de nuvarande nivåerna av förståelse, implementering och innovation inom området. Antagandet av återtillverkningsmetoder hindras av olika utmaningar, t.ex. tekniska begränsningar, ekonomisk skalbarhet, regulatoriska begränsningar och samhälleliga uppfattningar. Att ta itu med dessa hinder är väsentligt för att frigöra den fulla potentialen för återtillverkning i modern industri. Industrin erkänner i allt högre grad återtillverkning som en nyckelfaktor för hållbarhet för att bevara råvaror, minska avfall och koldioxidutsläpp och förlänga produkternas livscykel. Att återtillverka, reparera, återställa och uppdatera begagnade produkter till som nya eller förbättrat skick bevarar miljöresurserna. Integreringen av principer för cirkulär ekonomi i produktionssystem erbjuder en väg att anpassa ekonomisk utveckling till miljöansvar. Som sådan spelar återtillverkning en avgörande roll för att främja miljömässig, ekonomisk och social hållbarhet, vilket bidrar till en grönare, mer motståndskraftig och rättvis industriell framtid. Den föreslagna internationella gästprofessorn är välkänd inom området återtillverkning. Prof. Ijomah har långvarig forskningsexpertis (>20 år) inom återtillverkning både från akademi och industri. Hennes erfarenhet omfattar olika industrisektorer t.ex. flyg- och fordonsindustrin och fokuserar på både mekaniska och elektromekaniska aspekter. Denna unika kompetens kommer effektivt att stärka Högskolan Västs (HV) ambition att främja forskning och utbildning inom området. Prof. Ijomahs forskning fokuserar på uttjänta produkter, särskilt återtillverkning, och spänner över både produkt- och processdesign i syfte att öka potentialen för en cirkulär ekonomi. Winifred Ijomah arbetar som professor vid Design, Manufacturing and Engineering Management (DMEM) at University of Strathclyde, Storbritannien. Prof. Ijomah är grundare och chef för The Scottish Institute for Remanufacturing (SIR), ett expertnav i hela Skottland som etablerats för att gå i spetsen för cirkulär ekonomi med hjälp av produktåtervinning. SIR är väletablerat har ett brett nätverk av forskargrupper i hela Storbritannien och över hela världen, samt är en del av ett världsomspännande nätverk av återtillverkningscentra. |
| MMGI - Mould-metal-gas interface-related materials and phenomena | Jönköping University | Early academic career | 1 | 2025 | SEK 2,919,909 | Engineering and Technology | January 1, 2026 - June 30, 2028 | 20250061 | Dinesh Sundaram | The Innovative Foundry Technology (IFT@JKPG) research profile is a flagship project within the research and educational environment SPARK. It has been bult successively during the last 25 years mainly in cooperation with the leading Swedish companies Volvo and Scania. At this moment four different research domains are active in synergy to form IFT@JKPG. One of these domains is the Mold-Metal Gas Interface related material and phenomena- MMGI where the applicant has contributed with his research activity as a PhD student. The MMGI prospect project is a collaborative initiative together with Volvo Group Truck Technology, Scania CV AB to establish a mature researcher in the moulding materials research domain. The targeted research domain is an important part of a larger knowledge coproduction effort between Jönköping University and the Swedish foundry industry, where the partners have successfully co-created scientifically and industrially relevant knowledge during the last decades. The project aims to tackle fundamental issues related to the sand-casting process that have traditionally been difficult to observe/measure experimentally. With modern tools and experimental capabilities, the research project aims to address phenomena related to molding materials that affect the properties and quality of the component produced. Specifically, gas evolution during the sandcasting process, which results in defects and contributes to harmful emissions from the foundries will be focussed. Binder systems that hold the sand grains together contribute to a significant amount of gases and the overall heat absorption capacity of molding sands. A high volume of gases results in a build-up of pressure in the cores/molds, which significantly contributes to defects in components produced through the sand-casting route. One of the main aims of the project will be to study the evolved gases and measure the pressure build-up. The project will be an opportunity for the project manager to further his expertise in molding materials used in the casting process and strengthen the research domain. The molding materials research domain forms an integral part of the larger research profile of Innovative foundry technology and this project will help the project manager to establish himself as a critical resource to drive this strategically important research direction forward. The foundry industry finds the need to have an established research group (that is currently missing) in this field and the project manager aims to build a wider network of industrial partners in the future and strengthen the cooperation further. The project will also help the project manager to develop into a matured, independent researcher and will help qualify for an academic career. |
| Game Development Research Centre | University of Skövde | Special initiatives | 1 | 2025 | SEK 29,176,172 | Natural Sciences, Engineering and Technology, Social Sciences | February 2, 2026 - January 31, 2031 | 20250053 | Per Backlund | Sverige har en mycket framgångsrik spelindustri med över 1000 företag, en omsättning på cirka 35 miljarder kronor och välutvecklade utbildningar, forskningsmiljöer och inkubatorer. Ekosystemet är starkt, men den svagaste länken är bristen på företagsnära forskning. Mycket av dagens spelforskning är inte tillämpningsinriktad eller fokuserad på andra branscher, vilket gör det svårt att engagera industrin i forskningsprojekt. För att möta den snabba utvecklingen i branschen behövs en nationell satsning på spelutvecklingsforskning. Bristen på sådan forskning påverkar även utbildningarna, som inte är tillräckligt forskningsförankrade. Detta leder till svagare forskarutbildningar och få doktorander inom fältet, eftersom industrin lockar bort talanger. Starkare spelutvecklingsforskning skulle stärka utbildningarna och kompetensförsörjningen till branschen. Syftet med satsningen är att bygga en brygga mellan industrins behov och akademisk forskning. Högskolan i Skövde är ledande inom akademin vad gäller spelutveckling i Sverige och har starka nätverk med andra lärosäten, inkubatorer och företag. Vi föreslår att etablera ett centrum för svensk spelutvecklingsforskning, Game Development Research Centre (GDRC), ett nationellt forskningscentrum i samarbete med Blekinge Tekniska Högskola, Malmö universitet och Karlstads universitet. Game Development Research Centre ska fokusera på fyra centrala områden: • Artificiell Intelligens • Grafik och teknik • Verktyg • Affärsutveckling och management. Målet är att etablera spelutveckling som en egen forskningsdomän som stärker svensk spelindustris konkurrenskraft. Centret ska finansiera seniora forskare, yngre forskare och doktorander med målet om minst en doktorandgrupp per område. Centret ska vara öppet för fler lärosäten och forskare, vilket möjliggör gemensam handledning och kursverksamhet. Även forskningsinstitut, industri och inkubatorer inkluderas. Initialt genomförs aktiviteter och forskningsprojekt som visar hur forskning kan stärka industrin. Under uppbyggnadsfasen etableras nätverk med företag och branschaktörer samt bemanning av forskningsområdena. I nästa fas prioriteras spridning av resultat, fler samarbeten, forskningsprojekt och gemensamma forskningsansökningar, exempelvis till EU:s program. Ett viktigt mål är att bygga upp industrins förtroende för forskning som stöd för små, medelstora och stora spelbolag. Detta ska även leda till ansökningar inom KK-stiftelsens ordinarie samverkansprogram. Centret ska även stärka förståelsen för hur spelindustrin förändras och hur utbildning och forskning bäst utformas för att Sverige ska bli Europas ledande spelnation. |
| RECOAT - Towards Resource Efficient and Sustainable Industry through Coatings | University West | Research profiles | 2 | 2025 | SEK 49,200,000 | Engineering and Technology | April 1, 2026 - March 31, 2034 | 20250050 | Mohit Gupta | ReCoat takes a comprehensive approach on sustainability to provide a platform that could contribute to the climate targets through development of advanced coatings for application in diverse sectors, while also ensuring that work practices transform alongside technological developments. The project will address the industrial needs of sustainability related to different aspects such as reduced material usage and usage of environment-friendly materials, longer component lifetimes, utilisation of alternative fuels, efficient management of transition to a new technology, and life cycle sustainability assessment. The scientific aim is to gain an improved understanding of relationships between thermal spray process parameters, coating characteristics and functional properties utilising diverse coating approaches, as well as to understand organising and learning in industrial transformation for sustainable development. |
| IRS TransTech+ - International Research School in Transformative Technology, second stage | Mid Sweden University | Industrial graduate schools | 1 | 2025 | SEK 15,454,796 | Engineering and Technology, Natural Sciences | May 1, 2025 - April 30, 2030 | 20250041 | Mattias O'Nils | Abstract (Eng) The International Research School in Transformative Technology (IRS TransTech+) at Mid Sweden University (MIUN) marks the second stage of a strategic initiative aimed at driving sustainable industrial transformation through interdisciplinary research and international collaboration. Building on the successful first phase launched in 2023, IRS TransTech+ extends its scope across the entire TransTech research environment, including the newly developed Advanced Materials and Manufacturing (AMP) area, while deepening partnerships with leading universities and industrial companies worldwide. Centered on transformative technologies—such as Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things, advanced materials, additive manufacturing, and green chemistry—IRS TransTech+ orchestrates a portfolio of PhD projects that combine academic rigor with industrial relevance. Each project is carried out in close cooperation with industry partners and international academic institutions, ensuring that research addresses real-world challenges while maintaining the highest standards of scientific excellence. The inclusion of cotutelle (double degree) agreements further enhances academic mobility and global integration. IRS TransTech+ aims to produce significant outcomes, including the expansion of international research networks, the recruitment of highly skilled doctoral candidates, the generation of cutting-edge scientific knowledge, and the co-production of innovation between academia and industry. A key ambition is to generate new international research projects, leveraging global partnerships to access funding opportunities such as Horizon Europe and beyond. The program also seeks to elevate the academic quality of research outputs, targeting high-impact publications, strengthening the international reputation of participating institutions, and positioning MIUN and its partners as leaders in transformative technology research. By integrating advanced research education with industrial engagement and international collaboration, IRS TransTech+ aspires to not only strengthen industrial competitiveness and innovation capacity but also to build a sustainable foundation for future scientific advancements. Through these efforts, the research school contributes to addressing critical global challenges and ensures that the participating organizations remain at the forefront of the evolving landscape of research, technology, and industry. |
| Adjunct researcher to Royal Djurgården | Dalarna University | Capacity building | 1 | 2025 | SEK 1,684,800 | Social Sciences | January 1, 2026 - December 31, 2028 | 20250046 | Maria Thulemark | In this project Maria Thulemark, senior lecturer in Human Geography at Dalarna University's Centre for Tourism Research (CETLER), will be co-opted to the destination Royal Djurgården (KD) on a part-time basis for three years. The main purpose is to advance the collaboration between academia and the hospitality industry to drive innovation, research- and destination development. This will be done by identifying the challenges and opportunities of the business community at KD in order to initiate research and development projects, develop higher education and strengthen contacts between Dalarna University and KD's business community. Nine business actors financially contributes to the project and three more support the project which shows an anchoring in the destination. The businesses see a great need for strengthened knowledge development at the academic level to promote innovation processes. They are looking for an academic perspective on business- and place development as well as structures for joint research and knowledge production, with a focus on, among other things, evaluation of initiatives and a deeper focus on social sustainability. Since 2015, Thulemark has worked with collaboration between industry and academia, such as process manager for KTP (Knowledge Transfer Partnerships) and deputy center director for CETLER. Her research focuses on social sustainability, place/destination development, work and mobility in the tourism industry, often in collaboration with the business community and with funding that requires co-financing from the business community. This gives her a deep understanding of the challenges of the hospitality industry and long experience of building and supporting collaboration. During the three years, Thulemark will prepare research applications in collaboration with the business community and colleagues at Dalarna University, as well as generate projects for students at different levels and further develop tailor-made education. Initially, she will visit the co-funding companies to understand their challenges and opportunities, including participating in or shadowing employees' work. She will also regularly participate in business meetings, such as KDI's morning meetings for the industry and meetings with various strategic groups. The project is expected to lead to several measurable results: at least one application to KK Research Project, at least one application to another research funder, at least five proposals for thesis projects for students, at least three competence-enhancing seminars for the business community and at least five long-term collaboration agreements between activities at KD and CETLER. There is also potential for further course development and to strengthen the opportunities for practice-based doctoral projects. |
| Advancing Oral Health – A patient-centred multidimensional approach | Malmö University | Research profiles | 1 | 2025 | SEK 48,000,000 | Medical and Health Sciences, Natural Sciences | September 1, 2025 - August 31, 2033 | 20250008 | Birgitta Häggman-Henrikson | The Advancing Oral Health profile aims to elevate oral health research by addressing critical challenges related to knowledge of disease mechanisms, integration of findings into healthcare and equal access to oral healthcare. In response to the WHO’s recognition of oral health as a key determinant of overall well-being, this initiative leverages our interdisciplinary expertise in biological profiling of disease, orofacial pain research, and epidemiological phenotyping. By bridging established and emerging research lines, we promote a holistic approach to oral health, emphasizing the bidirectional relationship between oral and systemic health. The profile employs state-of-the-art methodologies, including advanced biomarker discovery and health data integration to address prioritized research questions across four interlinked dimensions: Health and Wellbeing, Sustainable Health, Health Equity, and eHealth. The profile promotes evidence-based dentistry, integrating pre-clinical and clinical trials as well as equality and health-economic perspectives to ensure effective implementation of new treatment protocols. Through close collaboration with healthcare providers, industry partners, other universities and medical disciplines, the Advancing Oral Health profile aims to improve patient outcomes, reduce health disparities, and optimize healthcare provision. The long-term objectives align with Malmö University’s strategic vision of strengthening research excellence, education, and innovation. By advancing digital solutions and sustainable healthcare models, this profile will contribute to shaping the future of oral health research. |
| AI-driven Precision Medicine | University of Skövde | Research profiles | 1 | 2025 | SEK 48,000,000 | Medical and Health Sciences, Natural Sciences | November 1, 2025 - October 31, 2033 | 20250007 | Jane Synnergren | The AI-Driven Precision Medicine (AID-PM) research profile at the University of Skövde aims to establish the university as a national leader and an internationally recognized contributor in Precision Medicine. Precision Medicine is transforming healthcare by delivering personalized treatments, while Artificial Intelligence holds the promise of accelerating this transformation through advanced data analysis, biomarker discovery, and therapeutic optimization, effectively bridging the gap from research to clinical application. AID-PM will leverage the convergence of Artificial Intelligence and Precision Medicine to revolutionize healthcare by integrating cutting-edge Artificial Intelligence research, fostering interdisciplinary collaborations, and driving data-driven innovations. The research will focus on four key areas: digital diagnostics, drug repurposing, 3D biomodelling, and advanced therapeutic medicinal products. AID-PM directly addresses key challenges in drug discovery, precision diagnostics, and personalized therapies by integrating Artificial Intelligence-driven methodologies into Precision Medicine. This initiative seeks to create a dynamic research and education environment, bringing together academia, industry, and healthcare to develop cost-efficient, accessible, and sustainable healthcare solutions. Leading industry partners in pharmaceuticals, digital diagnostics, bioinformatics, and tissue engineering will greatly benefit from the Artificial Intelligence-powered solutions developed through AID-PM. This initiative will be instrumental in strengthening Sweden’s global leadership in Artificial Intelligence-driven Precision Medicine, while positioning industry partners at the forefront of this rapidly evolving sector. A key focus of the AID-PM research profile is to create a collaborative environment where research and education in Artificial Intelligence modelling and Precision Medicine are seamlessly integrated at all levels. The main ambition of AID-PM is to establish the University of Skövde as a pioneer in Precision Medicine research by developing innovative Artificial Intelligence-driven solutions, fostering strong national and international academic collaborations, and ensuring research excellence through sustainable funding and alignment with global standards. |
| Resilience-Driven Manufacturing: Developing Adaptive Solutions for Sustainable and Robust Production (SMART) | University of Skövde | Synergy project | 1 | 2025 | SEK 12,000,000 | Engineering and Technology | December 1, 2025 - November 30, 2029 | 20250024 | Masood Fathi | The SMART project is a strategic initiative designed to strengthen resilience in the Swedish manufacturing industry, aligning with the principles of Industry 5.0. As the core objective, SMART aims to develop a multifaceted adaptive solution that enhances manufacturing resilience while incorporating sustainability and human-centricity. By fostering operational, energy, and socio-technical resilience, SMART enables manufacturers to navigate uncertainties while maintaining environmental and social responsibility. The project is structured into three synergistic sub-projects (SPs), each addressing a critical dimension of manufacturing resilience: Operational Resilience (SP1): This SP focuses on the dynamic reconfiguration of production processes to mitigate disruptions such as machine failures and fluctuating demand. By developing quantitative resilience metrics, predictive disruption models, and advanced simulation-based optimization techniques, SP1 ensures operational continuity and efficiency. Energy Resilience (SP2): To address the challenges posed by volatile energy markets and renewable energy integration, SP2 develops adaptive production scheduling methods that align with fluctuating energy prices and availability. Leveraging machine learning and real-time optimization, SP2 aims to minimize energy costs and carbon footprints while maintaining stable production under dynamic energy conditions. Socio-Technical Resilience (SP3): This SP focuses on safe and adaptive human-robot collaboration in manufacturing environments. It promotes predictive safety systems, dynamic task reallocation between humans and robots, and adaptive safety zones using advanced sensing and machine learning technologies. These innovations enhance worker safety while optimizing productivity in human-centric manufacturing cells. The project's final outcome will be an integrated resilience platform that combines the tools and solutions developed in all SPs, equipping manufacturers with the capability to respond dynamically to uncertainties while maintaining efficiency. SMART aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN-SDGs), particularly SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure), SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), and SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being). SMART is a collaborative effort between the University of Skövde and industry, bringing together four industrial partners—ABB, Volvo Penta, Daloc, and Xylem Manufacturing AB—and the business partner IDC West Sweden. The project partners will actively co-develop innovative solutions, and the project’s outcomes will be validated through industrial demonstrators, facilitating knowledge exchange with national and international stakeholders and showcasing practical applications of the developed solutions. The project has a total budget of 20 MSEK, with equal funding contributions of 10 MSEK requested from the Knowledge Foundation and 10 MSEK provided in-kind support by the partner companies. |
| Expertkompetens Maxi: Sustainable Production powered by Industrial Digitalisation | Mälardalen University | Education for working professionals | 1 | 2025 | SEK 14,397,600 | Engineering and Technology, Natural Sciences | September 1, 2025 - August 31, 2030 | 20250032 | Jessica Bruch | Sweden depends on competitive manufacturing companies for sustainable economic development. The Swedish manufacturing industry accounts for almost 20% of the business sector's value added and employs 1.2 million people. Teknikföretagen reports that skills supply is the biggest obstacle to growth, and a skills survey from 2022 shows that 8 out of 10 companies have been affected by difficulties in finding the right skills. Digitalisation and green transition are identified as crucial for competitiveness and require increased engineering skills. The SPID project addresses this skills shortage. The project is an innovative initiative in which Mälardalen University co-produces with partner companies and stakeholder organisations to offer education in industrial digitalisation for sustainable production. The project combines theoretical courses with an applied project course, and a decentralised structure enables adaptation to various locations in Sweden where there is a pronounced need for skills development. Within SPID there is a strong industrial consortium with strong partner companies that see great potential in the project. SPID will therefore result in strengthened co-production between Mälardalen University and industry and enable professionals to continuously develop their skills. Furthermore, the competitiveness of the companies is strengthened with project course carried out within the partner companies with a focus on transformation towards sustainable production. SPID strives to integrate new course modules for professionals with existing undergraduate programmes, providing increased industrial feedback to the programmes and opportunities for co-production. SPID's courses focus on four themes in production, flexible production processes, intelligent technologies, digital twins and the transition towards circular production. The project is expected to enroll 20 students per course initially, with an increase to 30 students per course over time. Sustainable success is based on engaging more companies and ensuring a continuous influx of students through a targeted marketing strategy towards companies and individual professionals. SPID will become a key player in meeting the skills needs of the Swedish manufacturing industry and promoting sustainable development. |
| Ensuring sustainability in the upstream supply chain | University of Gävle | Synergy project | 1 | 2025 | SEK 11,964,804 | Engineering and Technology, Social Sciences | August 1, 2025 - May 31, 2029 | 20250023 | Per Hilletofth | Due to new directives from the European Commission requiring companies to address sustainability across the entire supply chain, Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) are under increasing pressure. Their sustainability impact is often more significant in the upstream supply chain than within their own direct operations. Given their extensive supplier networks, monitoring alone has been recognized as insufficient for achieving sustainability in the upstream supply chain. This has led to the following research question: How can OEMs ensure sustainability in the upstream supply chain? To address this question, the Synergy research project is structured into three interconnected sub-projects, each focusing on a critical aspect of ensuring sustainability in the upstream supply chain. These aspects are: (1) Measuring sustainability in the upstream supply chain, (2) Selecting suppliers aligned with sustainability goals, and (3) Developing suppliers’ capabilities for sustainability. The sub-projects build on various methods, including surveys, case studies, and workshops, and draw from different theoretical foundations, such as environmental systems analysis, decision theory, and capability building. The project's synergy is achieved through an interactive research approach based on co-production with industry partners. Through a series of workshops, the findings of the sub-projects will be synthesized, interdependencies will be explored, and the results will be integrated to meet the project’s objectives: investigate new systemic approaches to ensure sustainability in the upstream supply chain, explore the transition from monitoring to collaboration with suppliers and examine how this shift impacts sustainability in the upstream supply chain, and identify practices and strategies that facilitate sustainability in the upstream supply chain, including understanding enablers, barriers, and strategies to enhance or overcome these factors. The expected results of the project include a comprehensive framework and decision-support tools to help OEMs ensure sustainability in their upstream supply chains. This collaboration bridges research and practice by fostering mutual learning and refining the framework and tools in real-world settings. |
| SAFE SLUDGE Toxic free circulation of sludge | Örebro University | Synergy project | 1 | 2025 | SEK 8,089,852 | Natural Sciences | August 1, 2025 - July 31, 2029 | 20250022 | Maria Larsson | The "SAFE SLUDGE" project aims to tackle the critical challenge of sewage sludge management within the context of a circular economy, with a focus on reducing hazardous substances and promoting a toxic-free recycling process. The European Commission’s recognition of mineral phosphorus in sewage sludge as a critical raw material for fertilizers underscores the urgency for sustainable management practices. The core question of the project is: What is required to recycle sewage sludge without spreading hazardous substances? To address this, the project aims to develop a comprehensive strategy by targeting the sources of hazardous chemicals, optimizing pyrolysis processes, and evaluating the environmental impacts of biochar. The project is divided into four subprojects (SPs). The first SP focuses on identifying and locating the most significant sources of hazardous substances in sewage and sludge; the second SP investigates the pyrolysis process to produce a toxic-free and usable biochar from sewage sludge; the third SP examines the potential desorption and bioaccumulation of hazardous substances in plants and earthworms when biochar is used as a soil amendment, and its role in reducing the availability of contaminants in polluted soils. A novel combination of effect-based and chemical analytical methods will be used across the three SPs to detect and characterize both known and unknown hazardous substances, ensuring a comprehensive understanding of their behaviour and risks. The fourth SP acts as a hub, integrating the findings of all subprojects and disseminating results to stakeholders through targeted communication and knowledge-sharing activities. The primary objective of the "SAFE SLUDGE" project is to create a collaborative platform that brings together academic, industrial, and regulatory partners to develop effective strategies for safe sewage sludge recycling. Specific goals include tracking hazardous substances, optimizing pyrolysis practices, assessing bioavailability and uptake of pollutants from sludge biochar in soil, and resolving regulatory challenges. This project is strategically important for advancing expertise and developing methods and tools for pollutant characterization in sewage sludge. It aligns with Örebro University’s focus on research for a sustainable future and contributes to the “Pollutants and Society” research profile. The collaboration with industry partners also provides valuable real-world experience for students, fostering education in environmental chemistry and sustainability. In conclusion, the "SAFE SLUDGE" project offers a comprehensive approach to sewage sludge management, emphasizing collaboration, scientific innovation, and effective communication to support a safer and more sustainable circular economy. |
| REEDEAM IGS: Industrial Research School on Climate Neutral Production, Electrification, Digitalization and Automation for the Raw Materials Based Value Chain | Mälardalen University | Industrial graduate schools | 1 | 2025 | SEK 32,400,000 | Engineering and Technology | September 1, 2025 - August 31, 2031 | 20250031 | Konstantinos Kyprianidis | Swedish heavy industry is undergoing a fundamental technological shift stemming from the need to curb its CO2 footprint and climate impact, combined with an industry-wide automation and digitalization of products, services, and production processes. From a technological perspective, the core of the transition comes from the development and widespread deployment of new technologies in renewable energy technology, energy storage and grid flexibility, use of H2 in metallurgical processes, novel circular processes, artificial intelligence, and advanced robotics. The industrial environment requires efficiency, safety, and security considerations. The transition stands on past investments and requires integration with existing production systems and IT and energy infrastructure. This shift provides fundamental challenges for tomorrow's industry, as in-depth knowledge of the metallurgical processes, energy generation technology, and the overall industrial, energy, and investment ecosystem is necessary for success. The green transition context requires heavy industry and its energy supply infrastructure to deploy transformative industrial technologies. This transition is the core focus of the REEDEAM industrial graduate school. The focus area's potential to reduce climate impact while increasing productivity is enormous. However, according to the World Economic Forum, at least half of all industrial employees need upskilling and reskilling to use the potential of automation, digitalization, advanced metallurgy, and energy technology. Therefore, the prediction is that over 40% of the core skills required to perform existing jobs will change. Furthermore, the participating industrial partners have expressed this need in the REEDEAM Competence Development sister-Project (REEDEAM CDP) and have, therefore, formed the core content and plan for the REEDEAM Industrial Graduate School (REEDEAM IGS). In the rest of the document, we use the term REEDEAM IGS for the planned industrial graduate school and REEDEAM CDP to refer to the ongoing KKS-funded 2nd cycle education development project. |
| Cor-Bridge - Bridging between academia and industry in corrosion and surface treatment | Jönköping University | Capacity building | 2 | 2025 | SEK 442,437 | Engineering and Technology | August 1, 2026 - March 31, 2028 | 20250062 | Donya Ahmadkhaniha | The proposed recruitment project contains an outgoing fellowship for an assistant professor, transitioning from academia to industry, with the strategic goal of developing stronger collaboration between the two sectors. By bridging academia and industry, the fellow will enhance mutual understanding of needs, methodologies, and working practices, which facilitates future collaboration and technology transfer. The thematic research area of the project is corrosion and surface treatment, and the host organisation is Volvo Cars. The car industry is experiencing a paradigm shift in how to construct cars. New materials and alloys are used. Components are manufactured and assembled in new ways, which can change the corrosion conditions and demands on surface treatment. In addition, Volvo Cars has the mission to go for a cleaner industry, and due to that, they have to modify their previous treatment and develop a cleaner surface treatment for the car bodies. The role of the applicant will be to support the implementation of new technologies, transfer academic knowledge, and identify critical technological challenges in corrosion and surface treatment, which are aimed at serving as the foundation for future collaborative research and innovation projects. JTH and Volvo Cars are involved parties in this project, which starts in August 2026 and finishes in March 2028 with a total budget of 399 705 SEK. |
| International guest professor in timber engineering | Linnaeus University | Capacity building | 1 | 2025 | SEK 903,540 | Engineering and Technology | April 1, 2026 - September 30, 2026 | 20250045 | Carmen Amaddeo | Timber is a sustainable structural material with wide application in multi-story buildings and emerging as a novel solution in special structures, for example, wind turbine towers. Timber offers benefits like reduced weight and lower carbon emissions compared to traditional reinforced concrete or steel structures. Despite recent advancements in timber engineering, challenges related to floor vibration during serviceability, fatigue, and long-term performance of timber elements and connections remain key barriers for a wider implementation in buildings and in special structures. Existing design codes provide simplified criteria for vibration assessment, but these are not well calibrated against full-scale experimental data. Recent developments in monitoring technologies, probabilistic modeling, and Bayesian model updating provide a unique opportunity to advance timber engineering. By combining experimental data with probabilistic digital twins (PDTs), structural models can be continuously updated to improve predictions of long-term performance. For timber, however, this approach is underdeveloped due to the orthotropic material behavior, its sensitivity to moisture, and the variability in the material behavior and connections. Advancing this field is essential to realize the full potential of timber as a sustainable structural material. This project will recruit Dr. Andre R. Barbosa, a leading expert in structural dynamics and timber engineering from Oregon State University, USA. The research, which will be carried out at Linnaeus University, will expand knowledge in three directions: a) advancing vibration serviceability models for timber floors through Bayesian model updating of experimental; b) developing PDT for multi-story buildings and wind turbine towers; and c) establishing reliability assessment methods under long-term conditions. These efforts will generate methodological advances and practical tools for industry. Collaboration with industrial partners (Modvion, Dewesoft, Södra, Simpson Strong-Tie, and Skanska) and the integration of the planned activities into the ongoing research profile Competitive Timber Structures will ensure the applicability of the results in practice and a strategic strengthening of the research and education environment. This project, moreover, strengthens the collaboration between Linnaeus University and Oregon State University in education through lectures, supervision of PhD and MSc students, and the integration of findings into graduate curricula at both LNU and OSU. By combining scientific excellence, innovation, education, and strong industry collaboration, the project advances the safe, reliable, and sustainable use of timber in buildings and in special structures, and contributes to the transition towards a greener, climate-neutral building sector. |
| International Guest Professor in Robotics and AI | Linnaeus University | Capacity building | 1 | 2025 | SEK 1,119,340 | Natural Sciences | September 1, 2026 - August 31, 2027 | 20250048 | Amilcar Soares | This project aims to strengthen Linnaeus University’s research and educational environment in robotics, tactile sensing, and artificial intelligence (AI) for dependable industrial systems, with a strong focus on collaboration with Swedish industry. It is designed around two interconnected research themes: (1) Robotics and Tactile Sensing for Intelligent Interaction, and (2) AI and Time-Series Analysis for Dependable Industrial Systems. Together, these themes address urgent industrial needs for safe robotic manipulation of delicate and irregular objects, and for robust AI methods capable of predictive maintenance, fault detection, and anomaly detection in complex production environments. The appointment of Dr. Vinicius Prado da Fonseca as International Visiting Professor will contribute unique expertise at the intersection of robotics and AI. He will advance research, co-develop prototypes, and lead the creation of open-source datasets and tools in tactile sensing and time-series analytics. Industrial partners Sigma Technology and Interior Clustering Sweden will play an integral role, engaging in co-production through workshops, case studies, and prototype validation. By aligning research with industrial priorities, the project ensures direct benefits for Swedish competitiveness in digital transformation and Industry 4.0. Educationally, the project will strengthen MSc and PhD training in robotics and AI, with contributions to course development in the civilingenjör programs in Computer Science and Software Engineering, as well as the forthcoming track in Robotics and Artificial Intelligence. International co-supervision will connect doctoral students at Linnaeus University with Dr. Fonseca’s networks abroad, enriching graduate education and promoting mobility. Overall, the project will generate internationally visible research, concrete industrial applications, and enhanced educational opportunities. By combining scientific excellence with industrial relevance, it will consolidate Linnaeus University’s position as a leader in dependable AI and robotics, while enabling Sigma Technology and Interior Clustering Sweden to innovate and thrive in rapidly evolving markets. |
| InScale - Supporting InnerSource Transformation at Scale | Blekinge Institute of Technology | Research projects | 1 | 2024 | SEK 4,774,228 | Natural Sciences | November 1, 2024 - October 31, 2027 | 20230095 | Deepika Badampudi | Software companies are increasingly adopting InnerSource (IS), a practice that applies open-source development principles and practices within a corporation. IS promotes collaboration, transparency, and knowledge sharing among individuals, teams, and business units. IS offers several benefits, including accelerated time-to-market, enhanced code reuse, knowledge sharing, improved cross-team collaboration, and improved product quality. Based on the latest 2023 survey[1] of IS practitioners, companies are currently prioritizing the implementation of IS across their entire organization. However, they face challenges in doing so, particularly in the case of large companies with diverse teams across multiple locations. Solutions to support large-scale transformation exist, such as large-scale agile transformation. In addition, software ecosystems (SECOs) provide a framework for managing shared assets and collaboration among different stakeholders, including suppliers and consumers, in the context of open-source software. However, the existing solutions are not evaluated in a large-scale IS context. The InScale research project aims to investigate IS transformation from an ecosystem perspective. In addition, the project will focus on measuring the health of the IS ecosystem. The objective is to leverage existing solutions to provide valuable insights and best practices for organizations seeking to scale their IS initiatives. In this context, scaling involves extending IS across diverse business units, teams, and projects, often within large, geographically distributed companies. InScale aims to increase the number and variety of IS projects for collaboration, such as collaboration on code assets, guidelines, metrics, and documents. We also intend to add AI-based IS projects where collaboration among different organizational roles is pivotal. Ericsson AB and IKEA IT AB, partners in the InScale project, aim to expand collaborative IS initiatives to a wider range of business units, teams, and projects. In summary - The main objective of the InScale project is to create and evaluate supporting frameworks for companies to successfully carry out large-scale IS transformations. The project aims to achieve this by identifying, developing, and validating the best practices and success factors essential for large-scale IS transformations. Furthermore, the research will take an ecosystem perspective to investigate IS initiatives. The focus will be on identifying, developing, and validating measures to monitor the health of an IS ecosystem. [1] https://innersourcecommons.org/learn/research/state-of-innersource-survey-2022-2023/ |
| Expertkompetens Mini: CyberGuard Academy: Empowering Expert Competence in Cybersecurity and Digital Forensics | Halmstad University | Education for working professionals | 1 | 2024 | SEK 3,005,421 | Natural Sciences | September 2, 2024 - August 30, 2027 | 20240023 | Mohamed Eldefrawy | The CyberGuard Academy, a component of the Expertkompetens program, is designed to cater to professionals seeking ongoing education in cybersecurity, digital forensics, and critical infrastructure protection. Positioned at an advanced level, the program consists of two courses, each carrying five credits, with a flexible format tailored to work professionals' needs. Distinguished by its emphasis on advanced education in cybersecurity, forensics investigation, and incident response, the program aligns seamlessly with Halmstad University's strategic focus as a KK environment. Notably, it expands the university's collaborative network with industry partners, contributing to its standing in cybersecurity and digital forensics science within Sweden. While Halmstad University serves as the academic partner, the initiative garners support from five industrial partners in the Swedish service industry. Halmstad University, specifically the School for Information Technology (ITE) and the Department for Computing and Electronics for Real-Time and Embedded Systems (CERES), is the organizer and the applicant for the Expertkompetens program. |
| Mälardalen University Automation Research Centre (MARC) | Mälardalen University | Research profiles | 1 | 2024 | SEK 47,985,295 | Natural Sciences, Engineering and Technology | October 1, 2024 - September 30, 2032 | 20240011 | Thomas Nolte | The research profile Mälardalen University Automation Research Center (MARC) is dedicated to advancing digitalisation and automation in industry through a comprehensive approach involving multiple research areas and industrial partnerships. The expected scientific achievements include the development of innovative solutions in portable and smart automation, robotics and control, as well as digital infrastructure. These advancements will enable significantly enhanced production flexibility, responsiveness, and sustainability, aligning with the vision of creating a leading research and education environment. MARC's overall objective is to enhance the level of digitalisation and automation in industry by addressing three major challenges: (1) improving the flexibility of automation systems and solutions, (2) advancing the application and automation of robotics and control, and (3) strengthening digital infrastructures. We will bring together academic and industrial experts, providing a unique opportunity for tangible impacts on academic and industrial practices. MARC will combine the collective resources and expertise of diverse research areas in an interdisciplinary approach that combines state-of-the-art research with industrial relevance and impact. In MARC the research at Mälardalen University (MDU) will capitalise on synergies primarily between the two research environments Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) and Innovation and Product Realisation (IPR), and provide a solid base for junior researchers to grow into future research leaders. Combined with industrial partnerships, this aligns with the mission to combine research excellence with industrial relevance, emphasising co-production with external partners. MDU will put significant resources into MARC with the purpose of strengthening and focusing the existing interdisciplinary collaboration around industrial automation. Collaboration with industrial partners is a central element of the research plan, bringing together expertise from academia and industry. This partnership aims to tackle real-world challenges, to facilitate knowledge transfer, and to foster innovation as well as technology and competence transfer in both directions. The collaboration is expected to yield practical solutions applicable in various industrial contexts, thereby enhancing the competitiveness of Swedish and European industry. In summary, MARC aims to deliver significant scientific advancements, foster the development of MDU's research capabilities, and create impactful collaborations with industrial partners, all contributing to the broader goal of digital transformation and automation in the industry. |
| Lecturer in electrical power with a focus on power systems | University West | Capacity building | 1 | 2024 | SEK 2,910,676 | Engineering and Technology | January 1, 2025 - December 31, 2028 | 20230121 | Boel Ekergård | The purpose of senior lecture is to enhance our research and education activities in electric power technology with a focus on the stability of the electrical power grid. The high strategical importance of the project and recruitment has been identified together with relevant industrial partners. A four-year roadmap for joint development of research and education at University West within electric power technology has been developed, together with the industry, to enable the university to further contribute to the urgent need for competence and research to be able to meet the major changes that are expected in the Swedish power system in the coming years. In addition to knowledge enhancement, senior staff are needed to supervise doctoral students, project management and to seek external research funding to enable an expansion of this important research area. The recruitment also intends to meet the need for teachers in our electrical engineering programs at advanced levels. Several new courses in the area need to be developed, courses that also will be offered to professionals. In addition, courses will be developed for distance education to facilitate the skills development of professionals. The project aims to meet both the industry needs and the development needs of higher education and to strengthen the university´s profile in work-integrated learning. |
| International visiting professor in Artificial intelligence and game development | University of Skövde | Capacity building | 3 | 2024 | SEK 358,261 | Natural Sciences, Humanities and the Arts, Social Sciences | September 1, 2024 - August 31, 2025 | 20230136 | Per Backlund | Digital games are a blend of technology and creative cultural expression, fostering a diverse landscape of game research, spanning various academic disciplines and paradigms. The multifaceted nature of game studies extends its influence into adjacent domains such as business administration, social sciences, and innovation science, offering a broad range of research opportunities. The University of Skövde (UoS) has a longstanding experience of combining different scientific subjects to achieve a synergistic strength in the intersection. Recognizing the needs from Swedish game industry UoS is strategically positioning itself at the crossroads of game development and Artificial Intelligence (AI). Encouraging cross-disciplinary collaboration, UoS seeks to harness the intersection between the GAME research group and Skövde Artificial Intelligence Lab (SAIL), envisioning a new research area for UoS in collaboration with Swedish game industry. In pursuit of this goal, UoS aims to appoint Julian Togelius as an international visiting professor at UoS. Professor Togelius, who is a distinguished AI researcher and director of the Game Innovation Lab at New York University (NYU), embodies the requisite expertise to advance this ambitious undertaking. His research profile in AI for games, encompassing player modeling, procedural content generation, and AI-driven gaming, closely aligns with the needs of the gaming industry. Furthermore, his experience in leading AI-focused startup companies provides practical insights and valuable contribution to the convergence of academia and industry. The overarching goal of UoS in appointing Julian Togelius as a visiting professor encompasses two primary objectives: to strengthen research and education in AI and game development, and to stimulate advancements within the game industry. This strategic initiative aligns with ongoing projects such as Level Up Regional Game Industry (LUR) and Level Up Swedish Game Industry (LUS), which seek to unify regional and national stakeholders, reinforce infrastructural frameworks, and advance research within the game sector. Outlined into four structured work packages, Togelius’ engagement involves development of research strategies, improvement of game education curricula, facilitation of international collaborations with NYU Game Innovation Lab, and development of the local/regional game industry. Anticipated outcomes from this collaboration encompass scholarly publications, educational enhancements, strategic realignment, keynote presentation, and deeper collaboration between academia and the gaming industry. The proposed collaboration between Togelius, UoS, and the gaming industry holds great potential to strengthen each entity and charting new pathways for AI integration in game development. With this appointment, UoS is poised to not only strengthen research but also deepen our understanding of the pivotal role AI can play in shaping the future of gaming and game industry. |
| SafeBat - Sustainable thermal runaway protection of batteries | Mid Sweden University | Research projects | 1 | 2024 | SEK 1,476,000 | Engineering and Technology | September 1, 2024 - August 31, 2026 | 20230069 | Magnus Hummelgård | Today, lithium-based batteries have a hazardous phenomenon called thermal runaway, which can be initiated due to an internal fault in the battery. Technically, this is caused by an internal short circuit of the battery terminals which leads to escalating higher currents and which in turn produces heat where the battery eventually catches fire or explodes. The high energy density combined with a large electrical conductivity that increases during the short circuit due to the melting of the battery's internal separator is the main reason for this rampant behavior. A new type of electrode separator can therefore be constructed that can change the battery's electrical behavior in the opposite direction in response to the temperature increase and this by making itself an obstacle that blocks both ion transport and the ongoing short circuit through the battery. The separator then gets a new protective safety function in addition to its usual function. Commercial separators are made of plastic material and are normally thermally sensitive in themselves and therefore in this project and to increase sustainability, a new paper-based separator technology is used instead which is based on our previously developed and more environmentally friendly technology. The paper is combined in this project with a coating of a thermosensitive microsphere material developed by the project partner Nouryon Pulp and Performance Chemicals and then a thermal protection function is obtained. The developed paper separator will be studied both electrochemically and materially to find out its improved protective function. A unique part of the project is that piloting trials are carried out where this technology's process compatibility for large scale implementation is evaluated via the project partner UMV Coating System's pilot facilities and in this way, results are also obtained regards to the technology's resource and energy requirements both important if going to be used at the large volume requirements of battery industry. |
| Associate senior lecturer in Information-driven care – Implementation research | Halmstad University | Capacity building | 1 | 2024 | SEK 2,736,000 | Medical and Health Sciences | January 20, 2025 - January 20, 2029 | 20230130 | Petra Svedberg | Recruiting an associate senior lecturer specializing in AI implementation research for healthcare is a strategic move aligning with the university's broader goals in Information-Driven Care (IDC). This initiative aims to bridge the gap in understanding the slow integration of AI into clinical practice, addressing a significant lack of research on overcoming implementation barriers. The appointee will focus on developing expertise to support effective AI deployment in healthcare, fostering collaboration with providers and industry stakeholders. This associate senior lecturer will focus on developing the knowledge and skills necessary to support the effective deployment of AI in healthcare settings. Collaboration with healthcare providers and industry stakeholders through research and co-production is essential. Our research group at Halmstad University has together with business and public partners developed an implementation framework (AI-QIF) to provide guidance and support for planning, executing, and evaluating the implementation of AI applications in healthcare (an outcome of the funded project National innovation environment in IDC by Vinnova). The research for the associate senior lecturer aims to advance the AI-QIF's development, exploring its facilitation of collaborative efforts and dependencies among various actors, ensuring effective application in real-world scenarios. Specific needs for this research are identified in two ongoing co-production projects together with Mölnlycke healthcare AB and Capio Sverige AB. In both these projects, the overall objective is to investigate how implementation strategies and tailored AI technologies for new ways of working can increase both efficiency and value for the patient. The development of AI-QIF adapted for industry will be investigated in co-production with the companies regarding planning, data collection, analysis and interpretation and reporting and dissemination. The research outcomes will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications and international conferences, contributing to the advancement of knowledge in AI implementation in healthcare practice. The project will be organized in three work packages related to the long-term goals of the recruitment: 1. Create knowledge on decision making processes when implementing, procuring, and adopting AI systems in healthcare practice (WP1). 2. Contribute with knowledge and competence in AI implementation to existing joint projects and future project applications as well as to disseminate research outcomes to healthcare organizations and private companies (WP2). 3. Integrate the knowledge with current education within the university as well as to contribute to the establishment of procured education for staff in healthcare sector and in relevant companies (WP3). |
| Data Analytics for Stabilising peak load in district heating networks (DAS) | University of Borås | Research projects | 1 | 2024 | SEK 4,795,200 | Natural Sciences | October 1, 2024 - October 1, 2027 | 20230101 | Gideon Mbiydzenyuy | The objective of this project is to develop a predictive machine learning framework for evaluating energy peak-load control strategies in DH networks by addressing the following scientific challenges 1) Study trade-offs between centralized versus distributed predictive peak load modelling , 2). Combine predictive models with simulation (hybrid simulation) to study peak-loads, 3) Study the use of Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) to enrich data for predictive modeling, 4) Evaluate peak energy control strategies using Re-enforcement Learning in a simulated environment. By addressing these scientific challenges the project will contribute to addressing the following industrial challenges: 1) provide building facility operators with strategies to effectively manage building energy loads especially when peaks occur, 2) strategies to effectively manage the supply of heat energy to the network based on demand variation due to peak loads, 3) evaluate and improve heat energy control strategies 4) evaluate and benefit from capabilities such as Federated Learning in the management of heat energy loads. 4) Contribute to improving energy savings in DH networks thereby helping companies to meet the Near Zero-Energy Buildings (NZEBs) directive 2010/31/EU as well as decarbonization and digitalization in line with the Swedish Government objectives. The overall research approach shall be based the design science research method and the CRoss Industry Standard Process for Data Mining (CRISP DM). The choice of this strategy is to ensure that the development of the proposed solutions are in line with the business strategies at our industrial partners participating in the project. Thus, the project shall unfold incrementally and iteratively in a build-evaluate, build-evaluate collaboration with industrial partners. To facilitate this strategy the project is designed into six work packages each addressing a specific challenge relevant to the overall objective. By addressing the scientific challenges the project will result in applying existing algorithms, extension of such algorithms as well as new algorithms for managing peak heat load variation in DH. Evaluation of proposed solutions shall be published in scientific conferences and journals. The DH industry in general and our industrial partners in particular shall benefit from the identification of strategies for effective energy control which shall contribute in improving cost savings. Moreover, the project shall enable our industrial partners to identify the potential in existing sensor data generated from their facilities, meet their various objectives related to digitalization and contributes to sustainable development goals. The project shall equally provide an opportunity to evaluate the application of techniques preserving end-user privacy such as Federated Learning in the domain of DH enabling suppliers of such system to find new business areas. |
| Industrial Graduate School - Electrification for a sustainable energy system | University West | Industrial graduate schools | 1 | 2024 | SEK 25,920,000 | Engineering and Technology | September 1, 2024 - August 31, 2030 | 20240024 | Boel Ekergård | Research within electrical engineering is in strong demand from the industry, as the competence is absolutely necessary for the electrification of society. The challenges in the energy system are growing as electricity conversion from unplanned sources increases, the transmission of electrical energy takes place over longer distances and the electrified society results in even higher electricity consumption. The electrification of society, where the electrification of vehicles is an important part, also leads to new challenges and need for new knowledge. The purpose for the proposed industrial graduate school is to support the industry's competence needs through 12 PhDstudent-projects in the areas that are necessary to enable the electrification. To create as complete projects as possible and increase dissemination, the industrial graduate school is a collaboration between the two institutions of higher education, University West (UW) and Uppsala University (UU) in collaboration with the industry partners Vattenfall, EON, Statkraft and VolvoCars. By combining the close collaboration with industry with the applied research profile at University West and the strong theoretical foundation from Uppsala University, the industrial graduate school will create a renewal of postgraduate studies at both institutions. This unique collaboration in research education provides a combination of research projects that are based on an in-depth theoretical understanding but also directly applicable to be implemented in industrial development. The project will prepare the participating companies for the continued electrification by achieving required knowledge and increase the collaboration between industry and academia as well as spreading knowledge within the companies. The proposed industrial graduate school will have two clear tracks: Power Systems and Electric Drivelines. As the number of electric vehicles is constantly increasing, the electric vehicles will also have a significant impact on the electric grid which increases the importance of collaboration between the research for electric vehicles and the power system. The proposed industrial graduate school has a strong connection to the education developed at University West and Uppsala University in the project “Elektrifiering för hållbart energisystem', funded by KK-stiftelsen. |
| SPIRIT - Sustainable Product Innovation for Rewarding Transformation | Blekinge Institute of Technology | Synergy project | 1 | 2024 | SEK 11,999,829 | Engineering and Technology | October 1, 2024 - September 30, 2027 | 20240015 | Göran Broman | According to the United Nations, humanity is in the decisive decade for transitioning society to sustainability. The business sector’s power of change and especially the leveraging potential of product development must be utilized wisely for this to succeed. Extensive and fast transformation is required in product developing companies. Developing the products that will be increasingly in demand in society’s sustainability transition is a complex task but also implies new major business opportunities. The purpose of this project is to increase companies’ capabilities for developing competitive products that contribute to a sustainable society. Specifically, companies need know-how and methodological supports, e.g., methods and tools, to: (i) anticipate, understand, and manage sustainability-driven changes in stakeholder preferences and market conditions; (ii) assess product sustainability performance; and for this (iii) facilitate effective development work in multidisciplinary teams and decision making at different levels in the company and its value chain. To avoid developing suboptimal solutions, comprehensive consideration of ecological and socio-economic aspects in a systemic, systematic and strategic way is needed. Such a holistic sustainability perspective is therefore a foundation for this project. Integrating it in the early phases of the product development process is in focus since this is where the lifecycle sustainability performance of products is largely determined. The core question, anchored among companies as well as in research, is: ‘How can companies accelerate their transformation to Sustainable Product Development (SPD), with a focus on the early phases of the development process?’ Many companies wish to transform to SPD faster but lack sufficient know-how and methodological supports to do so. Particular problems underpinning the insufficient level of implementation are that many SPD-supports are not designed to function coherently together and that their oftentimes low level of digitalization hampers their integration into today’s highly digitalized development environments. SPD-supports that are based on a common conceptual sustainability foundation, as well as improved digitalization, can address these problems. Based on the above, three subprojects (SPs) will address different but interrelated aspects of the core question. SP1 focuses on Business Opportunities and Risks in Society’s Sustainability Transition. SP2 focuses on Assessing Product Sustainability Performance. SP3 focuses on User-Centered and Visualization-Based Digitalization of SPD Tools. Results from these are compiled and integrated through the core project into the project's aggregated outcomes: (i) a set of conceptually coherent and digitalized methodological supports for early phases SPD work; (ii) best practice demonstrators of co-use of the SPD-supports, and (iii) training modules aiding effective implementation of the SPD-supports. |
| LITMUS: Leveraging Industry 4.0 Technologies for Human-Centric Sustainable Production | University of Skövde | Synergy project | 1 | 2024 | SEK 12,000,000 | Natural Sciences, Engineering and Technology | September 1, 2024 - August 31, 2028 | 20240013 | Sunith Bandaru | Even as manufacturing companies in Sweden rapidly adopt the core technologies of Industry 4.0 to drive digitalization within their businesses, mounting concerns related to the environment, climate, and resources, along with drastic events such as pandemics, wars, and economic crises, necessitate a more holistic approach to industrial digitalization. This shift towards a comprehensive strategy, referred to as Industry 5.0, emphasizes a human-centric and sustainable development focus, integrating advanced digital technologies with a strong commitment to enhancing human well-being, social equity, and responsible consumption in the manufacturing sector. This new era of industrial revolution is not about introducing new technologies, but rather about leveraging existing ones to advance towards human-centric sustainable development. The LITMUS Synergy project has been conceived to serve as a litmus test for how the transition from Industry 4.0 to Industry 5.0 can be managed effectively. By focusing on specific aspects of environmental, economic, and social sustainability through three corresponding and synergistic sub-projects – namely, (i) resource efficiency, (ii) manufacturing productivity, and (iii) human centricity – the project becomes highly relevant for the manufacturing sector. While each sub-project is designed to address challenges specific to these dimensions and contribute to scientific knowledge, the overarching Synergy project aims to address intersectional research questions and co-produce industrial solutions to drive business impact. LITMUS will be coordinated from the School of Engineering Science at University of Skövde. While building upon the knowledge and experience from past and ongoing projects within the Virtual Engineering research environment, LITMUS also complements its current research and future ambitions by bringing new perspectives to support the digitalization and transition of the Swedish manufacturing industry towards Industry 5.0. The project’s foundation in production and industrial engineering challenges and exploration of new frontiers of informatics research means that it is ideally positioned to contribute to the School’s education programs at all levels. LITMUS comprises seven business partners that are keen on collaborating with university researchers and among each other to generate new knowledge and co-produce project deliverables and demonstrators. These partners are: (i) Scania CV, (ii) Volvo Construction Equipment, (iii) Volvo Car Corporation, (iv) Aurobay, (v) Viscando, (vi) Industrial Path Solutions Sweden, and (vii) Industrial Development Center West Sweden. The companies are together contributing 10.5 million SEK as in-kind co-financing, which includes time for five industrial PhD students, as well as that of their domain experts. To meet the needs of these business partners, a corresponding grant of 10.0 million SEK is sought from the Knowledge Foundation. |
| Associate Senior Lecturer in Internet Privacy and Security | Karlstad University | Capacity building | 1 | 2024 | SEK 2,842,954 | Natural Sciences | September 1, 2025 - August 31, 2029 | 20230143 | Anna Brunström | Computer Science at Karlstad University consists of three research groups: DISCO, PriSec, and SQuaD. DISCO is strong in Internet-related communication technologies, while PriSec is particularly strong on privacy within the cybersecurity context. In this project, DISCO and PriSec are seeking to expand their collaboration by recruiting an associate senior lecturer in Computer Science with a specialty in Internet Privacy and Security. In particular, research and development surrounding current and next-generation Internet protocols require team efforts with expertise in privacy, security, performance, and more. Expanding the growing team at the department will strengthen our capacity for high-impact research in close collaboration with our industry partners in existing and future projects. An associate senior lecturer is a missing puzzle piece in our existing collaboration regarding active positions ranging from professors to PhD students. Our environment is well composed to help the right candidate grow in their career by offering a chance to supervise, collaborate, and provide guidance. More broadly, we see a growing societal need nationally and internationally for cybersecurity competence. Computer Science is ideally situated to contribute with our strong background in internet privacy and security. With a new Master's program with cybersecurity and communication at its heart, we are contributing towards educating future cybersecurity professionals. Our ability to contribute is made clear by our support for the project from Compare, Cybercampus Sweden, Dizparc Secured, Mullvad VPN, Nordic Medtest and Sectra, as well as the intent of the newly formed Karlstad Internet Privacy Lab to co-fund the project together with Computer Science and KKS. |
| Knowledge Creation for Efficient and Predictable Industrial Operations (KEEPER) | Halmstad University | Synergy project | 1 | 2024 | SEK 12,000,000 | Natural Sciences | October 1, 2024 - September 30, 2028 | 20240001 | Sepideh Pashami | The KEEPER project aims to develop and demonstrate methods for (semi-)autonomous knowledge creation for optimising the usage phase of various complex assets, including trucks, buses, forklifts, and industrial maritime and networking equipment. It is a collaboration between Halmstad University, Alfa Laval, HMS, Toyota Material Handling, and Volvo Group AB. By analysing on-board and off-board data, KEEPER provides operators, technicians, and managers with the knowledge necessary to improve efficiency, reliability, safety, and maintenance processes, including individualised coaching for drivers and operators. Based on the commonalities across industries and companies, we have identified synergies under the overall theme of “knowledge creation from largely unlabelled data.” More specifically, we envision three sub-projects: DataScape, KnowScape, and DiversiScape. The DataScape sub-project looks at the quality of data, including how unlabelled data can be used to create better features for downstream tasks and for building models that generate synthetic data, enabling upsampling of rare data or sharing of sensitive data – all so that more resources are available for finding solutions. The KnowScape subproject looks at combining expert and domain knowledge with AI/ML models, including both a priori domain knowledge and collaborative feedback, based on techniques such as active learning and meta-learning. The DiversiScape subproject looks at the diversity among sub-populations of industrial equipment, specifically how knowledge and data from one domain or a set of systems can be utilised to learn a better model in a new domain or on new systems, where data is often very scarce. It concerns fields such as transfer learning and federated learning. All three sub-projects contribute to the overall Synergy question. The KEEPER collaboration provides a broad perspective and opens doors for sharing knowledge between companies and exploring new research paths to increase the competitiveness of the Swedish industry. This can be only achieved by providing theoretically sound research results that are put together into practical, industry-relevant solutions, fostering an ecosystem-driven approach. In this context, the project includes a series of "AI Strategic Outlook" workshops to discuss the possibilities and challenges that come with the new AI technologies and legislations, providing opportunities to exchange ideas across industries. KEEPER is a four year project spanning from October 1, 2024, to September 30, 2028, with a total budget of 22.5 MSEK. Seven industrial partners, Alfa Laval, HMS Networks, Toyota Material Handling, Volvo Group Truck Technology (Aftermaket & Electromobility), Volvo Group Connected Solutions, Volvo Buses, and Volvo Trucks, contribute 11.2 MSEK in-kind, and Halmstad University participates with 1.3 MSEK in-kind, and the requested KK-Foundation funding is 10 MSEK. |
| Microstructure, Mechanical properties, Manufacturing processes, and Components - m3c | Karlstad University | Industrial graduate schools | 1 | 2024 | SEK 15,120,000 | Engineering and Technology, Natural Sciences | September 1, 2024 - September 1, 2030 | 20240020 | Mikael Grehk | The theme of the proposed industrial graduate school is the correlation between Microstructure, Mechanical properties, Manufacturing processes, and Components (m3c). It is submitted by a consortium of researcher in materials engineering from three Swedish universities: the project coordinator and applicant Karlstad University, Jönköping University, and University of Gävle. The participating Universities have for over more than two decades built up strong research profiles in co-production with industrial partners, including courses in different and complementing specialization areas. The research scope of m3c: to contribute to the development of advanced alloys by enhancing a fundamental understanding of how different types of defects evolve and how they influence the performance, has been developed based on the common strength of the Universities and seven leading industrial partners. The term defect structure is central to the m3c graduate school, and it is defined as a flaw in a perfect manufactured alloy or component (i.e. non-metal inclusion in steels and intermetallic inclusion in stainless steel) or an imperfection that develops as a result of the in service condition (i.e. wear patterns in a sliding contacts, and erosion structures and thermal softening that arise in die casting due to the interaction between the melted aluminum and the tool steel of the mould). Defect structures are often life-limiting factors for the in-service lifetime of advanced alloys. The multidisciplinary research topic is focused on four topics: T1 Microstructure characterization, T2 Mechanical properties (including fatigue and tribology), T3 Manufacturing processes (including AM, die casting, and heat treatment), T4 Components (including material design and simulation). The m3c graduate school has the ambition to advance the state of art with the different themes T1: in situ experiment with EBSD and synchrotron based X-ray diffraction and tomography and application of machine learning in computer vision that are sub-field of artificial intelligence for microstructural image detection, analysis of process monitoring data and defect assessment for defect-free manufacturing. T2: continues the development of thermal and very high cycle fatigue technique and implementation of refined tribological testing to obtain data that can be used for evaluating different tribological situations, i.e. lubricated contact (bio-compatible lubricants) and the influence of temperature on different metal pairs. T3: optimization of process parameters to manufacture of defect free components and understanding of process-microstructure-properties correlation, and process monitoring in the AM process for in-situ defect identification and quality assessment T4: constitutive models for fracture of interior ballistics materials and uncertainty quantification for fragmentation of various components. |
| Assessment of research and co-production at Halmstad University 2024 – ARC24. | Halmstad University | Övrigt | 3 | 2024 | SEK 2,000,000 | Natural Sciences, Medical and Health Sciences, Social Sciences | January 1, 2024 - December 31, 2024 | 20240028 | Eva-Carin Lindgren | Halmstad University will carry out an assessment of research and co-production in 2024. The evaluation concerns all research at the University and is also a follow-up to the evaluation carried out in 2013: ARC13. The purpose is for the assessment to form the basis for the University's continued development. |
| TransTech2Horizon - Acceleration Program for Research Leaders | Mid Sweden University | Special initiatives | 1 | 2024 | SEK 6,150,001 | Engineering and Technology | September 1, 2024 - August 31, 2027 | 20240029 | Hans-Erik Nilsson | Transformative Technologies (TransTech) is a strategic research environment that brings together the three technology focused research centers (FSCN, STC and STRC) at Mid Sweden University into a common focus on renewing and digitizing regional and national industries. An important part of TransTech’s strategy is to develop stronger international networks and collaborations; as a result, we have launched an international research school (IRS TransTech. We are now proposing an additional intiative called TransTech2Horizon. The TransTech2Horizon start-up and scale-up program is an acceleration program for new international research leaders with a special focus on building and funding international research collaborations. Although the international position of TransTech has become stronger, there is still a need to improve the international funding within the environment. The Mid Sweden University board has formulated the vision and the identity of the university as: a global university with regional commitment. TransTech2Horizon is an initiative to build the ability to attract/utilize EU funding to provide cross fertilization between our regional/national industry partners and our European research networks. Thus, it is a tool to implement the vision expressed by the university board. |
| Development of Campus Total Defence | Örebro University | Special initiatives | 3 | 2024 | SEK 6,000,000 | Natural Sciences, Medical and Health Sciences, Social Sciences | July 1, 2024 - March 31, 2025 | 20240030 | Johan Schnürer | The reconstruction of Sweden’s total defence involves a significant need for competency supply and new knowledge. A structured collaboration between Swedish higher education institutions can efficiently contribute to quickly meeting this need. Since the autumn of 2023, the vice-chancellors of the Swedish Defence University, Örebro University and Luleå University of Technology have been in intensive dialogue on this matter with relevant policy-makers, the ministries of defence and education, industry, civil defence regions, and various public authorities. The funding applied for will be used to initiate the establishment of a node-based Campus Total Defence (CTF), with the long-term ambition of involving all higher education institutions in Sweden. The establishment of a node office and other initial activities will take place from 1 July 2024 to 31 March 2025, when the government is expected to take over the increased financing of the CTF. During the development phase, personnel will be recruited to the CTF office, operational goals and governance principles will be adopted, and a reference group and partner forum will be formed. Furthermore, existing courses at Örebro University, the Swedish Defence University and Luleå University of Technology will be adapted to quickly offer tailored education, including courses on total defence, protective security and AI, to industry and other total defence actors. The three universities will contribute significant co-financing during the development phase of the CTF. During the period CTF will, in collaboration with the industry, the ministries of defence, MSB, civil defence regions, and various public authorities, start to identify areas of interest for the total defence. Higher education institutions will then collaborate in a national, node-based, structure around these identified areas. Geographic distribution will be crucial for creating a robust system over time. The long term ambition is 5-7 larger areas that is researched by a group of 3-5 higher education institutions. The research can begin during 2025 and should be financed by governmental base funds, complemented by external financing through normal application procedures. |
| REMAKE - Knowledge-based garment modularization system for upscaling remanufacturing in circular textile production | University of Borås | Jubilee Doctoral Students | 1 | 2024 | SEK 3,840,000 | Engineering and Technology, Natural Sciences, Social Sciences | August 1, 2025 - July 31, 2029 | 20240042 | Rudrajeet Pal | Det övergripande syftet för detta doktorandprojekt är att möjliggöra automatiserad demontering av använda kläder för återtillverkning genom utveckling och validering av ett intelligent modulariseringssystem av klädesplagg som kommer att bidra till optimal och effektiv skalning av cirkulär textilproduktion. Till skillnad från innovationer för manuell återtillverkning som saknar industriell skalbarhet på grund av flertalet utmaningar på processnivå, kan automatisering av manuella processer göra textilåtertillverkning till en genomförbar och skalbar lösning. Trots innovativa sömnads processer för att automatisera sammanfogningen av plaggdelar, är plaggdemontering, som är unik för återtillverkningsprocessen fortfarande utan automatisering på grund av dess inneboende komplexitet. För att möta denna utmaning krävs ett hybridsystem för automatiserad återtillverkning som kombinerar: AI-lösningar (kunskapsbaserat system) med hållbar design (ekodesign) och affärsramverk. Ett sådant system skulle bestå av: 1. En hybrid kunskapsbas som kombinerar komplexa egenskaper hos använda plagg med domänspecifik information från klädesdesigners för att fastställa kriterier för återtillverkning. 2. Intelligent modulariseringssystem som hjälper till att kategorisera använda plagg baserat på liknande/kompatibla egenskaper och föreslår demonteringsregler genom avancerade optimeringsmetoder för flera kriterier. Specifikt kommer detta projekt att involvera följande uppgifter: Uppgift 1: Att identifiera de huvudsakliga kriterierna för att välja använda plagg för återtillverkningsprocesser och tekniker för beslutsfattande med flera kriterier (MCDM) för att prioritera dem Uppgift 2: Att utveckla ett kunskapsbaserat intelligent system för plaggmodularisering som kan underlätta optimerad plaggdemontering Uppgift 3: Att skapa riktlinjer relevanta för ekodesign, och för att förstå plaggens lämplighet för återtillverkning och hur sådana beslut kan implementeras i cirkulär produktion Sammantaget kombinerar projektet forsknings- och handledningskompetenser inom industriell ekonomi, textilteknik samt datavetenskap. Inom projektets ramar kommer samarbete att etableras med flera aktörer inom svensk textilindustri som syftar till att skala upp modeåtertillverkning, såsom stora handelsföretag som Lindex och Gina Tricot, återtillverkare (XV produktion och Remake) samt testbäddar (Wargön Innovation och Science Park Borås). Projektet är viktigt för den pågående utvecklingen av strategisk forskning om hållbara textilvärdekedjor inom området Textil & Mode vid Högskolan i Borås, eftersom det sammanför två strategiska områden: digitaliserad textiltillverkning och försörjningskedjor, och cirkulära processer. Detta ligger i linje med agendan för det europeiska partnerskapet för ”Textiles of the Future”. Förväntningarna är att projektet kommer att leda till nya och större forskningsprojekt, och utveckla nya nätverk för industri och akademi inom cirkulär textilproduktion och automatisering. |
| Aesthetic Learning Processes and Subject Didactic Development through Collaboration – A Practice-Based Study of Visual Arts Education | The University of Arts, Crafts and Design | Jubilee Doctoral Students | 1 | 2024 | SEK 3,840,000 | Social Sciences | August 1, 2025 - July 31, 2030 | 20240059 | Simon Ceder | Estetiska lärprocesser samt praktiknära utbildningsforskning utgör fokus för forskningsområdet Visuella och materiella kulturer och lärande vid institutionen för bild- och slöjdpedagogik (IBIS) på Konstfack. Institutionen har en aktiv närvaro i samverkansplattformen Stockholm Teaching & Learning Studies (STLS) och medarbetare vid institutionen är även aktiva inom den nationella försöksverksamheten Utbildning, Lärande, Forskning (ULF). Institutionens doktorander är av samverkanskaraktär, då Konstfack inte har examensrätt för forskarutbildning på vetenskaplig grund. IBIS har i nuläget en doktorand i samarbete med Kungliga Tekniska Högskolan inom programmet Konst, Teknik och Design samt medverkar i Nationella forskarskolan i bildpedagogik och slöjdpedagogik (FoBoS) i regi av HDK-Valand, Göteborgs universitet. Sistnämnda samverkan avses nu få en fortsättning när den nya IBIS-doktoranden kommer att antas och examineras inom HDK-Valands forskarutbildningsämne Estetiska uttrycksformer med inriktning mot utbildningsvetenskap. Projektet är avsett att genomföras i praktiknära samverkan med en eller flera grund- eller gymnasieskolor med inriktning mot undervisning inom ämnesområdena bild/media/design. Fokus för doktorandprojektet är estetiska lärprocesser och ämnesdidaktisk utveckling. Frågeställningen för projektet kommer senare att preciseras i relation till undervisningens specifika förutsättningar. Projektgruppen består av tre personer. Huvudhandledare, tillika projektledare, är Simon Ceder, docent i pedagogik och lektor i utbildningsvetenskap vid IBIS. Till projektet bidrar han med en bred utbildningsvetenskaplig kompetens, med dragning åt de praktisk-estetiska ämnenas pedagogik. Biträdande handledare är Tarja Karlsson Häikiö, professor i visuell och materiell kultur vid HDK-Valand på Göteborgs universitet. Hon bidrar med omfattande erfarenhet av forskarutbildning, bland annat som projektledare för den Nationella forskarskolan i bildpedagogik och slöjdpedagogik FoBoS. Biträdande handledare är också Camilla Gåfvels, fil.dr. i didaktik och lektor i utbildningsvetenskap vid IBIS. Hon bidrar med mångårig erfarenhet av samverkan med skolor genom STLS, samt med erfarenhet som ULF-ansvarig vid IBIS. Projektet har en praktiknära ansats, vilket innebär att den eller de skolor doktoranden kommer att samverka med inte bara är en plats för studien, utan att studien också koordineras utifrån verksamhetens behov av utveckling. Relevansen för de externa parternas medverkan säkerställs på kort sikt genom aktiv dialog under projektets genomförande. På lång sikt öppnar projektet upp för ömsesidigt utbyte mellan akademi och skola som del av verksamhetsutveckling på vetenskaplig grund där relevansen för praktiknära projekt formas gemensamt av lärare och forskare. |
| Robust Additive Manufacturing in production and material re-use (RAMP) | University West | Jubilee Doctoral Students | 1 | 2024 | SEK 3,839,391 | Engineering and Technology | January 1, 2025 - December 31, 2029 | 20240065 | Jörg Volpp | Doktorandprojektet kommer att fokusera på utveckling av övervakningsmöjligheter för tillsatsmaterial för att möjliggöra hållbar bearbetning. Detta kommer att innefatta emissivitetsbaserade mätningar, t.ex. spektral och hyperspektral avbildning för att karakterisera pulver/trådens ytförhållanden före bearbetning. Dessutom kommer effekten av ytförhållanden på laserljusabsorption att utvärderas. Potentiella effekter av materialbeläggningar/lager kommer att utvärderas med hjälp av ytvågsmätningar och höghastighetsavbildning för att härleda påverkan av materialinnehåll på ytspänning och smältpoolsdynamik. Spektral avbildning kommer att ge indikationer om elementets förångning under processen och möjliga legeringsförändringar. Mätningar vid en synkrotron kan vara möjliga för att lära sig om inverkan av strålformning och pulverförhållanden på smältflödesegenskaperna. |
| SPECULATIVE DOCUMENTARY | Stockholm University of the Arts | Jubilee Doctoral Students | 1 | 2024 | SEK 3,840,000 | Humanities and the Arts, Social Sciences | September 1, 2025 - August 31, 2030 | 20240054 | Erik Gandini | Doktorandprojektet SPEKULATIV DOKUMENTÄR kommer att vara en del av forskningsmiljön på ämnesenheten för film och media vid Stockholms konstnärliga högskola (SKH) och ingå i det övergripande forskningsprojektet Framtiden genom samtiden (FgS), lett av professor Erik Gandini. Projektägare kommer att vara vicerektor för forskning Rebecca Hilton. Forskningsprojektet FgS har pågått i över fyra år med flerfaldig finansiering från Vetenskapsrådet och syftar till att förnya dokumentärfilmens narrativa form genom att utforska framtidens frågor, såsom människans relation till arbete och automatiseringens effekter. Filmen After Work, som utvecklats som en del av forskningen, har nått internationell framgång och bidragit till globala diskussioner om arbete, teknologi och framtiden. Doktorandprojektet SPEKULATIV DOKUMENTÄR undersöker hur dokumentärfilm vidare kan gestalta spekulativa och hypotetiska framtidsscenarier och öppnar därmed för nya möjligheter att utforska framtida samhällsutmaningar. Doktoranden kommer att experimentera med ny teknologi som interaktiva medier och Virtual Reality (VR) för att skapa innovativa dokumentära berättelser och kartlägga alternativa distributionssätt för att nå nya publikgrupper, något som är av stort intresse för både etablerade och nya samverkanspartner. Inom ramen för doktorandprojektet förväntas doktoranden arbeta med egna forskningsfrågor och skapa ett nytt filmspråk som utmanar och förnyar dokumentärfilmens roll som nu- och dåtidsskildrare. Dokumentärfilmsestetik som intresserar sig för framtida frågor har en stark position i Norden, och SKH har blivit en viktig aktör inom detta område. Flera erkända regissörer har utbildats på SKH och etablerat sig som konstnärliga forskare. Genom ett nytt dokumentärt filmspråk kommer doktorandprojektet att ytterligare stärka och utveckla såväl forskningsmiljön vid SKH, inom Norden och internationellt, som industri- och samverkanspartners. Inom ramen för utbildningen deltar doktoranden i seminarier, workshops och konferenser, vilket ger möjlighet att utveckla forskningen och skapa långsiktiga kontakter inom film- och forskningsvärlden både nationellt och internationellt. Samverkan med externa parter är en central del av projektet, och doktoranden får tillgång till etablerade samarbeten mellan SKH och den svenska och nordiska filmbranschen, t.ex. produktionsbolag som Momento Film AB och distributörer som Folkets Bio och Nonstop entertainment samt SVT. Genom samverkan kommer doktorandprojektet också att utmana etablerade idéer om dokumentärfilm och inspirera andra forskare, studenter, publik och filmskapare att tänka mer kreativt. Doktorandprojektets budget utformas för att ge doktoranden alla de resurser som krävs för att nå sina mål. Det inkluderar bland annat stöd för produktion av audiovisuellt material, resor och konsultationer. SKH ansvarar för projektekonomin och säkerställer en hållbar och innovativ utveckling av doktorandens forskning. |
| PhD-student Prof. Music educator | The Royal College of Music in Stockholm | Jubilee Doctoral Students | 1 | 2024 | SEK 3,840,000 | Social Sciences, Humanities and the Arts | August 18, 2025 - August 17, 2029 | 20240076 | Susanna Leijonhufvud | Det doktorandprojekt som denna anmälan avser handlar om att beforska musikpedagogisk expertis i en praktiknära kontext. Här ska expertis förstås som något den mycket skicklige pedagogen har förvärvat efter flera års professionellt arbete där en rik repertoar av strategier, exempel, situationer, omständigheter, metoder, elever och elevsammansättningar etc. utgör grund för en musikpedagogisk expertis. Doktoranden kommer, tillsammans med aktuella samverkansparter, att utforma projektets forskningsfrågor varför vi i denna ansökan föreslår ett mer övergripande tema: vad utgör en musikpedagogisk expertis? Vid Kungl. Musikhögskolan i Stockholm (KMH) bedrivs idag forskning och utbildning på forskarnivå i musik, på konstnärlig grund, och musikpedagogik, på vetenskaplig grund. På KMH korsbefruktar dessa ämnen varandra och KMH:s forskare och doktorander är ofta aktiva i flera andra angränsande discipliner. KMH har idag nio doktorandprojekt inom lärosätets två ämnen. Dessa doktorander utgör en gemensam doktorandmiljö vid KMH med regelbundna seminarier såväl som att de fördjupar sig inom respektive forskningsämne. Den musikpedagogiska forskningsmiljön utgörs vidare av institutionens två professorer samt åtta lektorer. Vid KMH har detta ämne fördjupat sin praktiknära inriktning genom ämneslärarutbildningen, kompletterande pedagogisk utbildning (KPU), samt ett nytt masterprogram i musikpedagogik med planerad start HT2025. Det senare är delvis en utkomst av forskningsprojektet ULF samt regeringens nya förslag kring professionsprogam för verksamma lärare och skolledare. Praktiknära forskning skall här förstås som för och med musikpedagoger. Vid KMH finns en stark och väl uppbyggd samverkan med många aktörer inom det musikpedagogiska fältet. De samverkansparter som kommer att vara knutna till doktorandprojektet är: Stockholms stad inklusive deras grund- och gymnasieskolor, Lilla Akademien (fristående grund- och gymnasieskola, Kulturama gymnasium (friskola), Kulturskolan Stockholm och Roslagens kulturskola. Detta urval erbjuder doktorandprojektet såväl bredd som spets inom det musikpedagogiska fältet. I doktorandprojektet kommer samverkan att kunna ske: (i) initialt genom att samverkansparterna medverkar till utformning av forskningsfrågor (ii) under projektets gång genom att samverkansparterna bistår med underlag till själva forskningsprocessen exempelvis genom att empiriinsamling kan utföras i någon av samverkansparternas praktiker, eller (iii) slutligen att på olika sätt samverkansparterna medverkar vid spridning och implementering av forskningsresultat i syfte att utveckla och förädla den musikpedagogiska praktiken. |
| NEXRAM - Next generation refractory metal manufacturing using artificial intelligence and additive manufacturing | Mid Sweden University | Jubilee Doctoral Students | 1 | 2024 | SEK 3,840,000 | Engineering and Technology | April 1, 2025 - March 31, 2029 | 20240057 | Lars-Erik Rännar | Detta doktorandprojekt fokuserar på att optimera additiv tillverkning av refraktära material med hjälp av elektronstrålebaserad pulverbäddsfusion. Genom att integrera in situ-övervakning, maskininlärning och processåterkoppling är målet att uppnå en jämn värmefördelning under tillverkningsprocessen. Denna tvärvetenskapliga forskning kombinerar expertis från maskinteknik, elektroteknik och materialvetenskap. Sensorer, såsom backscatterdetektor, optisk avbildning och pyrometri, kommer att användas för att samla in data. Datan kommer att analyseras och användas för utveckling av maskininlärningsmodeller, som kan implementeras i kommersiell programvara riktad mot tillverkningsindustri som nyttjar additiv tillverkning. Dessa modeller kommer att göra det möjligt att utföra realtidsjusteringar av processen, vilket kan förbättra materialkvalitet, tillverkningspålitlighet och ge en ökad hållbarheten inom additiv tillverkning av metaller. |
| PhD special education music | The Royal College of Music in Stockholm | Jubilee Doctoral Students | 1 | 2024 | SEK 3,840,000 | Social Sciences, Humanities and the Arts | August 18, 2025 - August 17, 2029 | 20240075 | Susanna Leijonhufvud | Enligt grundskolans läroplan framgår vikten av kunskaper i musik för kommunikation, socialisering, personlig växt och mognad samt delaktighet i samhället, något som kan beskrivas som ett kulturellt medborgarskap. Detta begrepp blir särskilt intressant när man beaktar att musikpedagoger idag står inför utmaningen att möta en växande grupp elever med särskilda behov, något som kräver fördjupade kunskaper inom en specialpedagogisk ämnesdidaktik i musik. Det övergripande syftet för detta doktorandprojekt är att få en fördjupad ämnesspecifik kunskap om musikundervisning, som särskilt tar de behov som elever med NPF kan ha, i beaktande. Vid Kungl. Musikhögskolan i Stockholm (KMH) bedrivs idag forskning och utbildning på forskarnivå i musik, på konstnärlig grund, och musikpedagogik, på vetenskaplig grund. På KMH korsbefruktar dessa ämnen varandra och KMH:s forskare och doktorander är ofta aktiva i flera andra angränsande discipliner. KMH har idag nio doktorandprojekt inom lärosätets två ämnen. Dessa doktorander utgör en gemensam doktorandmiljö vid KMH med regelbundna seminarier såväl som att de fördjupar sig inom respektive forskningsämne. Den musikpedagogiska forskningsmiljön utgörs vidare av institutionens två professorer samt åtta lektorer. Vid KMH har detta ämne fördjupat sin praktiknära inriktning genom ämneslärarutbildningen, kompletterande pedagogisk utbildning (KPU), samt nytt masterprogram i musikpedagogik med planerad start HT2025. Det senare är delvis en utkomst av forskningsprojektet ULF samt regeringens nya förslag kring professionsprogam för verksamma lärare och skolledare. Praktiknära forskning skall här förstås som för och med musikpedagoger. Vid KMH finns en stark och väl uppbyggd samverkan med många aktörer inom det musikpedagogiska fältet. De samverkansparter som kommer att vara knutna till doktorandprojektet är: Stockholms stad inklusive deras grund- och gymnasieskolor, Fryshusets gymnasium (friskola), Haninge kulturskola, Kulturskolan Resurscentrum och ShareMusic. Detta urval erbjuder doktorandprojektet en miljö med bredd såväl som spets inom musikens specialpedagogiska fält. I doktorandprojektet kommer samverkan ske: (i) initialt genom att samverkansparterna medverkar till utformning av forskningsfrågor (ii) under projektets gång genom att samverkansparterna bistår med underlag till själva forskningsprocessen exempelvis genom att empiriinsamling kan utföras i någon av samverkansparternas praktiker, eller (iii) slutligen att på olika sätt samverkansparterna medverkar vid spridning och implementering av forskningsresultat i syfte att utveckla och förädla den musikpedagogiska praktiken. |
| Adjunct senior lecturer in Bioinformatics - Expert competence in AI-driven quality control methods for ATMP in Life Science (Expert-ATMP) | University of Skövde | Capacity building | 1 | 2024 | SEK 1,964,378 | Engineering and Technology, Medical and Health Sciences, Natural Sciences | September 1, 2024 - August 31, 2027 | 20230144 | Jane Synnergren | The System Biology research and education environment (SBRE) at the University of Skövde is continuously developing guided by the short- and long-term goals described by its roadmap. To have international competitive education programs and world-leading research, integration of state-of-the-art scientific fields that have strong association with the labour market is a high priority. The proposed recruitment will appoint an adjunct senior lecturer from a leading biotech company to bring expertise in advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs) and artificial intelligence (AI) to the SBRE. Both fields have been dynamic and fast growing over the last few years. ATMPs are innovative medicines for human use based on cells, genes and engineered tissues. They have the potential to cure diseases and injuries that traditional medicines could not treat. ATMPs are currently at the forefront of global scientific innovation in healthcare. Therefore, the University of Skövde foresee large benefits in integrate this scientific field into its research and education environment. The adjunct senior lecturer will be appointed at the Translational Bioinformatics research group (TransBIG) of the SBRE, and will operate to apply AI-algorithms to omics data collected from ATMPs, to develop quality control methods that would serve as time- and cost-effective and 3R (replace, reduce, refine animal trials) supporting alternatives to pharmacopoeial methods. This project is of high importance for the SBRE as the recruit will contribute to the development of research at second cycles programs and courses in bioinformatics and the inclusion of AI application in ATMPs within the courses’ curricula. The recruit will also be involved in teaching different bioinformatics courses and the supervision at second and third cycle levels. Moreover, the recruit will support ongoing projects at the SBRE with expertise and research conduction. Furthermore, the recruit will have tasks within the management of the University to contribute to the strategic development of the SBRE by planning the inclusion of AI application to the ATMP sector in future programs and courses at the SBRE. The project is also of high importance for the business partners as the development of sensitive, cost- and time- effective quality control methods will reduce the burden of the ATMPs production and encourage the development of distinct ATMPs that may revolutionize healthcare. The recruitment is supported by Takara Bio Europe Swedish Filial, AstraZeneca, VERIGRAFT, RISE, and CCRM Nordic. These business partners are involved in the development or the manufacturing of ATMPs. They will contribute with ATMP and regulatory affairs expertise, access to their lab facilities and technology, large-scale data, project design, interpretation, validation, and dissemination of the results. All partners strive to collaborate to integrate competences and exchange knowledge to conduct high quality research to reach joint goals. |
| International Guest Professor in Data Driven Business Innovation | Linnaeus University | Capacity building | 2 | 2024 | SEK 360,000 | Natural Sciences | September 1, 2024 - August 31, 2025 | 20230122 | Anita Mirijamdotter | Over the last decades digital innovation has permeated businesses and society. Digital technologies have become ubiquitous in our daily lives and activities. Further, society and business and industry are becoming increasingly reliant on digital infrastructures; existing business structures and processes are being disrupted. Digital technologies provide limitless prospects in practically every sector of society. Sensor technology, social media, artificial intelligence have become the sources of enormous volume of data that can be used by business organizations for innovation. With the growing instances of data driven innovation, more and more businesses are aiming for harnessing the power of data to improve customer relationship, internal operations, and decision making. However, every business has its own challenges. Thus, there is a need to develop strategies to overcome these challenges and to succeed with data driven innovation. The focus of this project proposal is recruiting a professor in data driven business development to contribute to the ongoing research in this area. The aim of the professorship is to expand knowledge in three directions: a) developing a model for the emergence and evolution of digital platform boundary resources, as well as developing a framework for platform innovation tactics tailored specifically for small and medium enterprises (SMEs); b) understanding the architectural relationships between digital platforms and infrastructure; and c) investigating the paradoxical nature of digital innovation, and how to match the need for business model innovation with rapidly changing digital technology configurations. The research will be done in close collaboration with local and regional businesses in the Småland Region. A recent survey has identified that the SMEs lack expertise required for business model innovation and hence this lack is a major impediment to their growth. We believe that the professorship position will contribute to the growth of the local SMEs, as well as to larger businesses, by obtaining results that can fulfil socioeconomic purposes. This research project aims to facilitate businesses that focus on using data as their primary resource to create new value proposition for their customers and new business models in the circular economy. The research activities can help achieve a sustainable digitalization that has a significant impact on the environmental and social issues that really matter for our lives. Linnaeus University, as reflected in their vision and strategy documents, aspires to be an important driving force in efforts towards a sustainable society. We aim to contribute to this goal by conscientiously integrating data driven business development into our research activities, as defined in this proposal. |
| Associate senior lecturer in energy-autonomous sensor systems | Mid Sweden University | Capacity building | 1 | 2024 | SEK 2,601,513 | Engineering and Technology | October 1, 2024 - September 30, 2028 | 20230120 | Sebastian Bader | During previous research projects at the STC Research Centre of Mid Sweden University, a competence on energy harvesting and energy-autonomous sensor systems has been built up. This has led to a strong national and international position in this domain, as well as significant industrial co-production. The research group working with this competence area currently has two permanent senior staff members. However, a significant portion of the group’s expertise in this field is held by temporary staff members, including PhD students and PostDocs. This expertise particularly involves electromagnetic energy harvesting, as well as systems using this harvesting technique, which has been demonstrated to be an attractive competence to be developed in co-production with our industrial partners and other researchers. In order to secure this competence in the group on long term, and to continuously renew and strengthen our competence base, we apply for the recruitment of an associate senior lecturer within energy-autonomous systems. This associate senior lecturer is intended to contribute to existing and future research efforts of our research profile, as well as educational activities in electrical engineering. Moreover, the recruitment will establish over time an own research track and thus contribute to the development and growth of the research environment. The proposed project will support the recruitment and establishment of the faculty member and defines the initial research and educational tasks. The research within the project will be conducted in co-production with mainly two Swedish companies, namely Revibe Energy and CNET. A case study involving electromagnetic energy harvesting has been defined in dialogue with each company, which will be refined with specific research questions once the new faculty member has been recruited. |
| Associate senior lecturer in psychology, specialization in organisation and leadership | The Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences | Capacity building | 1 | 2024 | SEK 3,278,067 | Social Sciences, Medical and Health Sciences | January 20, 2025 - January 20, 2029 | 20230118 | Victoria Blom | Supported by the Knowledge Foundation, a Center of Excellence in Physical Activity, Healthy Brain Functions, and Sustainability (E-PABS) was established at the Department of Physical Activity and Health, GIH in 2021. E-PABS co-produce knowledge with industry focusing on physical activity's impact on brain health in office workers, school children, older adults, and patients. E-PABS strong corporate links and ties with international research groups have resulted in successful recruitment of talented researchers, attraction of large amounts of external grants and high-quality research production. The societal challenges give an unmistakable increased demand for psychological expertise, encompassing E-PABS environment and network of industrial collaborators. Of particular significance are the research undertakings within E-PABS that are dedicated to sustainable organizational and leadership behaviours for enhancement of brain health. To address these demands and to further cultivate our thriving research environment, we want to expand the domain of psychology within E-PABS. To fulfill these commitments, the department is seeking to appoint an Associate Senior Lecturers in Psychology specialized in organizational psychology, thereby fortifying psychological education and research within GIH. Recruiting an Associate senior lecturer in psychology, a licensed psychologist with strong experience in organization and leadership, will play a pivotal role in disseminating knowledge between GIH researchers and corporate partners as well as to provide a capacity to take on new psychological research projects in collaboration with our national and international research partners. The expert will improve the psychological research- and educational environment within E-PABS as well as expanded to the entire GIH and facilitate the transfer of psychological research into undergraduate and advanced courses. The research will encompass studies using applied behaviour analysis techniques including efforts on individual, group, and organizational level to enhance employee and manager mental health, while also improving organizational outcomes. The expert will closely collaborate with program directors to incorporate psychology in our programs at GIH, with the Psychology group ensuring research and education alignment within psychology as well as with external partners ensuring their needs are fulfilled. The expert will inititally work with research project leaders in ongoing organizational research and then apply for own grants for new projects. The head of the department and mentor will be responsible for introducing the expert to the project group. |
| Robust Active Sensor System in Interfered Enviroments (RASSIE) | Blekinge Institute of Technology | Research projects | 1 | 2024 | SEK 4,351,200 | Engineering and Technology | November 1, 2024 - October 31, 2028 | 20230042 | Mats Pettersson | Radar is indispensable in defense contexts due to its reliability and ability to operate regardless of weather and light conditions. With the security situation in the world, the development of radar systems has intensified. Satellite-based radar systems are being developed to monitor the Earth. These systems are high performing but also high in cost. During the last decade, there has been a breakthrough in semiconductor research, and today, it is possible to manufacture cheap radar sensors with properties similar to those of costly systems. There are already advanced single-chip solutions which offer new applications. Many Swedish companies offer advanced radar solutions in the new market. Many believe this will significantly impact society with new solutions in healthcare, intelligent intrusion protection, and the transport sector. Modern cars are equipped with radar units that support the driver in various traffic situations. Radar is a critical sensor in life-saving advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS). Radar sensors will play a vital role in autonomous vehicles. Advanced driver assistance systems have already been implemented in several commercial vehicles. In congested scenarios, radar transmissions are picked up by adjacent radar receivers. The increasing number of radar-equipped cars on the road is expected to increase this interference, or coexistence problem. The interference issue is expected to be the biggest obstacle to the massive deployment of ADAS functions and autonomous vehicles. These disturbances will also affect other radar systems, which may have serious consequences. For almost two decades at BTH, with the space and defense industries, we have developed radar algorithms that improve interference mitigation. For a few years, we have studied the interference problem that arises with the increasing number of small, cheap radar units on the market. In the proposed project, we will collaborate with our new partners, Axis and SafeRadar. The research is expected to reduce the radar coexistence problem with new algorithms that optimize time-frequency allocation, to minimize mutual interference. The performance will be evaluated through simulations and experiments at industry-provided facilities. In this project, we will start by studying model-based methods and compare them with machine-learning techniques. The goal is to suppress the surrounding disturbances and use them constructively to improve the sensor data. These models will address the specific needs of our partners and support them in improving their algorithms with better performance and product quality. The project plan is detailed with specific project goals and concrete deliverables. The project manager is an experienced professor with a solid track record of successful industry-led research collaborations. The mix of competencies in the project maximizes the chances of a successful outcome. For this, our new recruitments in the environment are crucial. |
| Associated Senior Lecturer in Additive Manufacturing AM-REACH | Mid Sweden University | Capacity building | 1 | 2024 | SEK 2,856,862 | Engineering and Technology | October 1, 2024 - September 30, 2028 | 20230129 | Lars-Erik Rännar | This application, Additive Manufacturing-Related Employment and Academic Career Hiring (AM-REACH), concerns the recruitment of an associated senior lecturer focused on additive manufacturing (AM) in metal. The main motivation is to strengthen the emerging strategic action “Advanced Materials and Processes” at Mid Sweden University and the recruitment will also strengthen the synergy between the AM research and the newly launched AM education at an advanced level. This project will address scientific and industrial challenges in the following areas: 1) Reduce the lead time for process development using machine learning 2) New processing strategies to expand the material portfolio |
| Avans Maxi: Development of Second-Cycle MSc Programme in Game Engineering and Interactive Systems | Blekinge Institute of Technology | Second cycle education | 1 | 2024 | SEK 2,283,613 | Natural Sciences | September 1, 2024 - August 31, 2026 | 20230065 | Veronica Sundstedt | The game development sector is a growing and driving industry. It creates and tests new technologies used in many other areas and industries. Therefore, a degree in game engineering is also attractive in many industries where performance is important outside the gaming world. Digitalisation is also part of everyone's life, and over the last decade, we have seen technologies such as augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR) and extended reality (XR) develop. Furthermore, there have been extensive developments in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML). These two trends will have a huge impact on the digital societies of the future, and the vision of an immersive, present and intelligent virtual environment opens up new opportunities to create an enhanced digital world where users are at the centre of so-called intelligent realities. In these environments, game technologies and innovative immersive interactive systems will play a significant role. The proposed AVANS 23 project aims to develop a new two-year master's programme in game technology and interactive systems to complement the current Master of Engineering programme in Game Engineering at Blekinge Institute of Technology (BTH), which is currently being reworked into a 3+2 model. BTH aims to be the leading Swedish node with a high impact internationally in intelligent realities, with humans at the centre of the next generation of digital societies, including innovative games and interaction environments. The programme development project is in the middle of BTH's strategy towards digitalisation and building focused and complete environments based on strong academic programmes, research expertise and co-production with external partners. The team involved in the project has a strong combination of competencies and experience in games and interactive systems, and the project has clearly formulated plans for project management, collaboration, and future subject relevance. |
| Methods and Tools for Climate-induced Hazards (MaTCH) | University of Gävle | Research projects | 1 | 2024 | SEK 3,140,974 | Natural Sciences | December 1, 2024 - November 30, 2028 | 20230098 | Sven Anders Brandt | Geospatial Information Science researchers at University of Gävle (HiG) have since long done research on river flood modelling and related uncertainties. With this project, we intend to continue this research field, but also expand it to pluvial flood mapping. The aims are to produce methods and tools that can be readily used by the two participating companies Geografiska Informationsbyrån (GIB) and NOAQ Flood Protection AB, while at the same time produce new scientific knowledge. The first company provide high-level expertise in flood modelling and has previously also published scientifically. We therefore anticipate both strong and fruitful research collaboration between GIB and HiG. The second company is one of Sweden’s major actors on flood protection walls. Previously they have developed flood defence plans for riverine areas. With this project, they can also get methods and tools developed (by GIB and HiG) where their walls can be used already at the model stages to produce more cohesive stormwater runoff plans, which also requires strong cooperation between the actors. The first two work packages (WP1–WP2) treat flood modelling and uncertainties. There are already some tools available to model flood extents, but common for them are the production of crisp modelled flood boundaries, with no information on uncertainties. For a specific rainfall amount (or river water discharge) the uncertainties mainly depend on the quality and resolution of the used digital elevation model (DEM). As, e.g., municipalities do not perform flood modelling themselves, it is up to the consulting company to provide this information. Unfortunately, this practically never happens. This is very problematic, as modelled flood boundaries may differ from the real ones with up to several hundred meters, or even kilometers, if the DEM has poor resolution and/or the ground is flat. Hence, it is vital to investigate how the modelled results differ depending on the resolution of the DEM and the slopes of the ground, so sensible tradeoffs can be made between computing speed and accuracy. However, it is also vital to produce methods and tools that can be implemented as a natural part of the workflow so that both results from varying rainfall or water discharge amounts and their associated uncertainties are shown directly on the maps or through other geovisualisation methods. In this project the use of flood protection walls will also be considered to see how and to what extent they influence the results. WP3 will particularly look at how different stakeholders interpret the flood maps and associated uncertainties. Previous research has shown that the understanding differs greatly, e.g., depending on educational backgrounds, and that methods are urgently needed so the uncertainty information is conveyed all the way to the end users. The final WP4 will develop a framework and examples on how to produce stormwater runoff plans, that include the results from the previous WPs. |
| AVANS MAXI: Mechanical Engineering Master program in Data-driven Engineering Design | Örebro University | Second cycle education | 1 | 2024 | SEK 2,398,233 | Engineering and Technology, Natural Sciences | June 3, 2024 - May 29, 2026 | 20230053 | Magnus Löfstrand | Mechanical engineering, and particularly engineering design, is often applied for creation of new innovative, functional, sustainable products and services. Mechanical engineering involves product and production development including operation of machine systems. Science and technology are applied to take conceptual and detailed design decisions, as well as system design and operational decisions, while simultaneously managing diverse and often contradicting constraints. Societal digitalization is an important consideration for future mechanical engineers. Hence, the focus is to develop a state-of-the-art MSc program in data-driven engineering design. The project partners will develop an attractive new mechanical engineering MSc program in data-driven engineering design at Örebro University and establish a structure for continued industrial engagement. This AVANS-project has two main objectives: Objective 1: develop an MSc program (format, contents, and pedagogical design) together with industry partners which becomes novel, industrially requested, and attractive to applicants. Objective 2: develop a structure for how industry partners should contribute to a) the contents of the program, after implementation, and b) continuous development of the program beyond the initial KKS Avans project. The project strongly supports the mechanical engineering research subject and facilitates future expansion of research. The program, and its industrial collaboration, will allow the group to widen its research network and support new collaboration in product development, data management and new business models. The above will bolster the mechanical engineering unit’s reputation as a sought-after research partner, with a clear strategic research profile further developed in the project. In the project, some companies represent product development (machine systems), while others represent production systems, fleet systems and additive materials components and products. Research in these areas will be further developed through data-driven and other digital approaches related to the new program, creating significant research and educational overlap, as well as improving industrial competitiveness. By 2025, projects, skills recruitment & networks will have progressed to where we are perceived as an obvious partner to turn to within our strategic area, i.e., an acknowledged brand within the mechanical engineering subject in Sweden. Some parts of, or the whole program, may be offered to engineers with extensive industrial experience, and even as distance courses, which will improve industry collaboration. Development of pedagogic approaches include implementation of the world-wide CDIO initiative, preparing courses for a) flipped classroom pedagogy, b) remote online teaching over IP-networks and c) considering both formative and summative student evaluations. The project will support recruitment of currently underrepresented, additional female students and staff. |
| Secure Software through Sensible Automation (SESAM) | Blekinge Institute of Technology | Research projects | 1 | 2024 | SEK 4,794,973 | Natural Sciences, Engineering and Technology | November 1, 2024 - October 30, 2027 | 20230087 | Davide Fucci | The escalating concerns surrounding cyber threats necessitate a proactive stance towards secure software development within the IT sector. Proactively addressing security threats is not only crucial for safeguarding the interest of individuals and societies but also for fostering businesses' competitive advantage. Relegating security quality assurance activities to the final phases of the software development life cycle (SDLC) often results in costs and delays due to the late identification and remediation of security vulnerabilities. Shift-Left Security (SLS) is an approach that addresses the challenge of proactive security by pushing the integration of security measures earlier into the SDLC. In such a context, security practices become an integral part of the developer's workflow, starting from the initial design phase through to development, testing, and beyond. The philosophy behind SLS is grounded in the belief that early detection and mitigation of security issues will lead to more secure outcomes and a more efficient development process. It involves a suite of practices such as software testing, code reviews, refactoring, and technical debt management with a security focus and continuous integration of security testing tools. This proactive stance not only enhances the security posture of the developed software but also fosters a culture of security awareness among developers, making security a shared responsibility rather than a domain exclusive to security teams. SLS and the surrounding field of DevSecOps heavily rely on automation to effectively integrate security into the software development lifecycle without significantly impacting the pace of development. Security tools leverage automation to conduct various security tasks, such as static and dynamic code analysis, vulnerability scanning, and dependencies checks. As automated tools can perform tasks faster than manual processes, developers can focus on more complex and creative tasks that cannot be easily automated. However, over-reliance on automation can be detrimental, especially when automation policies—embedding decisions taken by security experts—are used, in the context of SLS, by developers who have varying degrees of security expertise. The SESAM project aims at supporting software development companies achieving SLS by: 1) Helping developers—who are not security experts— better access and consume security-relevant information within their workflows 2) Augment fundamental software development tools and practices to integrate security-related measures. 3) Identify sensible trade-offs in the automation necessary to achieve SLS from the developers' prospective In particular, the SESAM framework will cover automated testing (including GUI testing), code reviews, and technical debt management and will be co-developed and evaluated with three business partners. |
| Artistic co-creation methods for innovation and sustainability AMIS | The Royal College of Music in Stockholm | Research projects | 1 | 2024 | SEK 4,650,240 | Humanities and the Arts, Social Sciences | August 1, 2024 - December 31, 2026 | 20230096 | Klas Nevrin | Truly successful companies establish more profound, meaningful connections and relationships that go beyond the functional with its users and customers. But how should innovation work be organised to include such aspects? Methods for industry innovation have undergone but sparse revision during the last decade and many organisations follow similar basic principles for creative work. Moreover, innovation work arguably needs to address a need for systemic transformation in organisational capacities to navigate increased complexity and uncertainty when working toward goals for sustainability, thus responding to significant pressures today for change in technological, social and ecological areas. This project explores an arts-driven approach to innovation that is centered around artistic methods drawn from improvisation in the performing arts. These methods invite co-creative and transdisciplinary dimensions for participants to become truly generative in the innovation process, thus offering new tools for imagination and new forms of group interaction that open up possibilities beyond existing methods for industry innovation. These possibilities include the strengthening of co-creative idea generation and elaboration in innovation processes. Three companies are invited to participate in a collaborative experience, where each company brings innovation managers that engage as Participatory Action Researchers (PAR). Different themes will engage with how artistic experience and conceptual work can mutually stimulate each other, thereby heightening sensitivity to indeterminacy, what we refer to as “useful vagueness”. The project aims to address the challenges posed by rapid digitalization and socio-ecological pressures. We believe that introducing arts-based interventions into industry innovation practices can enable organisations to adapt to these changes by developing new ways of co-creating value, addressing core business models, and navigating increased complexity, uncertainty, and sustainability requirements. The project will explore how a process-relational approach informed by artistic research can, on the one hand, support the development of "artful" skills that align conceptualization with aesthetic sensibilities and allow for intensifying imagination, for envisioning alternative futures, and for addressing complex problems in more open-ended ways. On the other hand, we will also look at how arts-based methods can enhance co-creation, which in turn has implications for the drawing on diverse competences within an organisation or team, thus engaging with diversity in new ways that can contribute to successful innovation while catalysing systemic transformation. The research setup promotes transdisciplinary collaboration and mutual learning between artists, researchers, and industry partners. This requires feedback loops between artistic and innovation research, as well as a dialogue between conceptual and aesthetic domains, art, and innovation. |
| TeleDrive: Teleoperated and Autonomous Driving of Unmanned Vehicles in Confined Areas | Mälardalen University | Early academic career | 1 | 2024 | SEK 1,912,168 | Natural Sciences, Engineering and Technology | September 1, 2024 - August 30, 2026 | 20230076 | Shahriar Hasan | This project aims to enable the teleoperated and autonomous driving of unmanned vehicles in confined areas, such as quarries, mines, and tailing sites. Teleoperation of heavy work machines can enhance worker safety by reducing exposure to hazardous materials and preventing accidents. Additionally, teleoperated and autonomous driving has the potential to substantially increase production and reduce operational costs, yielding long-term economic and societal benefits. The project's objectives include defining specifications for teleoperated and autonomous driving in confined areas and developing predictable and robust communication strategies for different teleoperation scenarios. Moreover, strategies for predicting communication outages and handling such outages to keep the unmanned vehicles fail-operational will be developed. The developed robust and predictable communication strategies will be utilized to provide the required quality of services and enable smooth control exchanges between the remote operator and the unmanned vehicles. Further, this project aims at identifying potential hazards in confined areas and predicting the identified hazards, air quality inside the mines, accidents, and failures based on the data from the monitoring systems; in case of such hazards, failures, or emergencies, strategies for transitioning the unmanned vehicles into a fail-safe state will be developed. The proposed communication, fault-tolerant, control exchange, and prediction approaches will be evaluated through rigorous field tests at Volvo Construction Equipment (VCE) and Boliden Garpenberg Mine, the business partners in the project. Finally, the requirement specifications, communication technologies, use cases, hazard definitions, required video quality, reliability of the communicated information, etc., that will be obtained from the project will be used to provide inputs to the standardization committees, as no standard regarding teleoperated driving exists to date. This project will be carried out with strong collaboration and co-production between the project manager from Mälardalen University (MDU), VCE, Volvo Autonomous Solutions (V.A.S.), and Boliden AB. In addition, an academic reference group with three senior researchers has been assembled to receive advice and recommendations throughout the project duration. The outcomes of the proposed project are expected to result in high-quality scientific publications, pave the way for standardization, and advance the state-of-the-art. Moreover, upon completing the project, it will enhance the knowledge of VCE, V.A.S., and Boliden in wireless communication technologies, vehicle teleoperation, and autonomous driving, directly impacting mining operations, safety, and efficiency. Further, it will strengthen the industry-academia collaboration of MDU and help develop courses and labs that will induce real-world problem-based student learning activities. |
| Holistic Synthesis and Verification for Safe and Secure Autonomous Vehicles | Mälardalen University | Early academic career | 1 | 2024 | SEK 1,602,907 | Natural Sciences | September 1, 2024 - October 31, 2026 | 20230047 | Rong Gu | The automotive industry is one of the most important industries in Sweden. With the development of AI technologies, autonomous driving (AD) functions are gradually deployed in modern vehicles, such as Autopilot in Tesla cars. However, no matter what the companies claim, the current AD functions actually require full or active supervision of human drivers, which makes the solution not fully autonomous. One of the obstacles that hinder the realization of AD is safety and security. In a fully autonomous vehicle, human drivers cannot be counted on to handle exceptional situations, which means the AD controllers must take full responsibility for any software or hardware errors. However, despite the crucial responsibility and high importance of AD controllers, the most common techniques are either a simple cycle of trial-error-trial or dependent on manual analysis, e.g., fault-tree analysis (FTA). Additionally, security issues have emerged in recent years, and the problem has become even worse in the context of AD vehicles because most of them are interconnected or connected to cloud-computing servers. Hence, the co-design and verification of safe and secure AD controllers are an urgent need for the automotive industry. However, there are many challenges in the synthesis and verification of safe and secure AD controllers and the goal for this project is to overcome these challenges. Briefly, the challenges that are addressed in the project are i) heterogeneity of AD controllers, ii) co-engineering of safety and security functions, iii) synthesis of AD controllers, and iv) trustworthy machine learning in AD. To address those challenges, we will propose a framework that considers the synthesis and verification of safe and secure AD controllers holistically. The framework will be based on the state-of-the-art (SOTA) formal methods, such as probabilistic model checking, and the most advanced machine-learning techniques, such as ChatGPT, and it will integrate the existing tools that are used in the industrial partners, such as fault-tree analysis, and the SOTA tools/methods, which will improve the performance of the existing tools and the quality of the AD functions that are deployed in their products. Most importantly, the research results of this project will advance the SOTA in the following aspects: i) the controller synthesis and verification algorithms will be scalable for industrial problems, which are not fully solved in the community of formal methods, ii) the framework that incorporates the algorithms will support the co-design and verification of both safety and security of the system, and iii) the gap between formal methods community and practitioners who have limited knowledge about formal methods will be bridged by our GPT-powered tool in the context of AD controller synthesis and verification. |
| iNNoPs: Innovation Pedagogics - support for innovation advisors | Mälardalen University | Research projects | 1 | 2024 | SEK 4,773,314 | Engineering and Technology, Social Sciences | October 1, 2024 - September 30, 2027 | 20230079 | Mikael Johnsson | The proposed research, iNNoPs, addresses shortcomings in existing approaches to delivering external innovation support to small and medium-sized client companies (SME). Evidence shows that establishing new innovation capabilities and practices in SMEs is challenging and often disappointing in its results. This failure is due largely to organisational complexity resulting from entrenched and sometimes conflicting routines, practices, technologies and competencies (Blackbright, 2019; Johansson et al., 2019). Implementing change in innovation management practices, we argue, requires methods that address complexity directly. To develop these methods, we draw on insights from Activity-Systems theory and related pedagogics; particularly the notion of ‘expansive learning’ (Engeström 2001). Doing so, the project will develop new approaches that fully addresses organisational complexity and the relationship between complex organisational systems and building durable innovation competencies. Currently, while Activity Theory itself is acknowledged as a key means of conceptualising innovation and change within innovating organisations, tools that facilitate structured intervention based on it do not presently exist. Developing these tools is this project’s focus. This three-year project will focus on developing an activity-system and pedagogic ‘expansive learning’ approach in innovation management support. Research on how advisors, incl. innovation advisors, build their understanding and theorizations of their client’s organisations to deliver interventions remains scarce (e.g Bell & Figueiredo, 2012; Börjesson et al., 2014; Rampa & Agogué 2021). Prior research focuses on management consulting services (Cerutti, 2019), the ‘good practices’ to be adopted by consultants in terms of, such as mode of engagement, required personal competencies and characteristics of the ‘good client’ organisation (Chung et al., 2006; Jang & Lee, 1998). However, research has little to offer on how advisors develop their understanding and theorizations of the client, and it also lacks longitudinal detailed case studies that access practitioner practices. Three research main questions build towards the main objective of the research, which is to develop detailed insights into how innovation advisors develop interventions and the roles that a pedagogic orientation and activity-systems theorization can play in improving the advisors’ practice. To achieve these aims, data will be collected through observations of interventions with advisors and client companies, co-produced workshops, reflective diaries, and structured, in-depth and group interviews throughout the project. Results will be disseminated through newly co-developed methodologies and tools directly to advisors, through industry publications and network events. Academic papers will be published at conferences and peer-reviewed journals to contribute to innovation management research. Further research will be proposed. |
| Creativity and productivity with Generative AI in game development | University of Skövde | Jubilee Doctoral Students | 1 | 2024 | SEK 3,840,000 | Natural Sciences, Engineering and Technology, Social Sciences | September 1, 2025 - September 1, 2030 | 20240045 | Karl Henrik Engström | Utvecklingen och användandet av generativ AI (GAI) har accelererat de senaste åren. Denna tekniska utveckling skapar möjligheter att effektivisera rutinmässiga, arbetskrävande uppgifter. Den ger även nya möjligheter för kreativt skapande och generering av olika typer av media som musik, bilder och texter. Spelindustrin, som är en av Sveriges största kreativa branscher, påverkas stort av GAI-utvecklingen. Det finns en oro inom branschen för de utmaningar som är kopplade till introduktionen av GAI-verktyg i utvecklingsprocessen. Sedan länge finns intressekonflikter mellan produktivitet och kreativitet i spelbranschen. Samma risk finns för GAI-användningen. Spelutvecklare har i hög grad valt sitt yrke för att det ger dem möjlighet att vara kreativa och framgångarna för svensk spelindustri beror till hög grad på att den lyckats producera nyskapande spel. Införandet av GAI i dessa företag behöver ske på ett sätt som möjliggör fortsatt mänsklig kreativitet. Det finns en farhåga att omfattande AI-användning kan leda till en återvändsgränd där nya spel upplevs alltför lika existerande spel. Det finns även stora frågetecken kring hur GAI ska kunna användas på ett etiskt och juridiskt acceptabelt sätt och samtidigt bejaka att olika utvecklarroller har olika perspektiv. Spelbranschen är på flera sätt speciell i förhållande till annan mjukvaru- och produktionsindustri. Spelbranschen kan ses som ett intressant specialfall där de kreativa elementen och användarupplevelse är helt överordnade produktens funktion. Dock finns det liknande utmaningar i andra branscher. Resultaten från detta projekt kommer därför att kunna vara av intresse för andra branscher som brottas med liknande problem men med annan balans mellan funktion, kreativitet och användarupplevelse. Projektet syftar till att studera de specifika utmaningar som finns vid införandet av GAI-verktyg i den kreativa processen i multidisciplinära team som saknar resurser och kompetens till att utveckla egna GAI-modeller. Det fokuserat på små spelföretag (med mindre än 50 anställda) vilket utgör den stora merparten av industrin i Sverige. Dessa företag saknar normalt resurser för omfattande verktygsutveckling utan hänvisas till att använda och anpassa de lösningar som tillhandahålls av externa, ofta multinationella, AI-företag. Doktoranden skall i nära samarbete med spelföretag studera hur införande av GAI påverkar spelutvecklare inom olika discipliner där en central aspekt är hur verktygen kan användas och anpassas på ett sätt så att utvecklare kan få utlopp för sin kreativitet och producera nyskapande spel. Den övergripande forskningsansatsen kommer att vara designvetenskaplig forskning där framtagande och utvärdering av GAI-verktyg i samverkan med spelföretag är en central del. Målet är att få ökad kunskap om hur denna del av industrin ska införa GAI-verktyg på ett sätt som ökar medarbetarnas kreativa kraft. |
| International guest professor of Intelligent Distributed Systems | Mälardalen University | Capacity building | 1 | 2024 | SEK 720,000 | Natural Sciences, Engineering and Technology | May 1, 2024 - April 30, 2026 | 20230147 | Tiberiu Seceleanu | The Electrical and Computer Engineering research environment (ECE) at Mälardalen University (MDU) applies for an international visiting professor in the area of < Axel Jantsch is a full professor of Systems on Chip at the Technical University of Vienna, Austria. Professor Jantsch has a wide area of successful research covering Self-aware Cyber-physical Systems, Embedded Machine Learning, System on Chip and Embedded Systems. He will contribute to the development of novel knowledge within the area of intelligent distributed systems and in particular to the development of new methodologies including machine learning and digital twins. He will be an important part of the development of collaboration projects with the industrial partners, for didactic activities in courses offered in MDU programs and for tutoring master and PhD students. Professor Jantsch will promote at the home university - the Technical University of Vienna, the research and teaching experiences at ECE, and facilitate common research activities and the preparation of EU projects on topics of common interests. During his stay at ECE and MDU Professor Jantsch will also participate in on-going projects at ECE. He will be especially supporting the PerFlex (KKS) and D-RODS (Vinnova) projects. He will take part in the education of engineering students in the field of embedded distributed systems. |
| Avans Maxi: Strategic Innovation and Design for Sustainability (STRIDES) | Blekinge Institute of Technology | Second cycle education | 1 | 2024 | SEK 2,399,960 | Engineering and Technology, Social Sciences | June 1, 2024 - April 30, 2027 | 20230063 | Merlina Missimer | The time window to address social and environmental challenges is narrowing and companies are asked to rethink their business models and operate in wider ecosystems, engaging whole value chains to deliver shared value to business and society at large. This change comes with great challenges for companies who must acquire new knowledge and skills at an unprecedented rate. Professionals in the field facilitating this work need to be equipped with a new set of competencies and a different set of expertise than has been traditionally offered by product development education. The role of academia is to support society in making sense of the changing reality and to equip the different sectors of society with the capabilities needed to navigate it. Engineering education however still falls short in integrating a sustainability perspective into curricula and delivering graduates with the strategic sustainability competencies that are critical for effectively managing the difficult, ill-defined, complex and cross-disciplinary problems within the sustainability challenge. In this project, we will design and develop a new 2-year international master’s programme in Strategic Innovation and Design for Sustainability (STRIDES). The programme will build on the 25-year research and education developments in Strategic Sustainable Development and Sustainable Product Development to prepare a range of technical graduates to work together across disciplines and organisational functions to develop systemic solutions that promote socio-ecologically sustainable and help to strengthen the organisation itself. To design and develop the programme, we will apply a design thinking approach, collaborating with industry while remaining student-centred. We will involve industry partners in discovery of the problem, interpretation of findings, generation of ideas for programme and course design, as well as identification of future collaboration opportunities. The project partners are Northvolt, Afry, GKN Aerospace, Dynapac, Stena Line and The International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics at Lund University. STRIDES will contribute to a more complete research and education environment, benefitting both researchers and students, and complementing the existing portfolio at the University. Graduates of STRIDES will not only carry the necessary knowledge of sustainability science and methods and tools that can be apply immediately in industry, but will also become a new breed of professionals in various technical fields that exhibit the much-needed and asked-for competencies. |
| Senior Lecturer in Image Analysis and Artificial Intelligence | University of Gävle | Capacity building | 1 | 2024 | SEK 1,424,385 | Natural Sciences, Engineering and Technology | January 13, 2025 - May 13, 2027 | 20230085 | Stefan Seipel | This project aims to strengthen Intelligent Industry (II), one of the four strategic research areas at the University of Gävle (UoG), by recruiting a senior lecturer in Image Analysis and Artificial Intelligence (IA&AI). Together, these subject specializations are of strategic importance for the hosting research environments Geospatial Information Science (GiSci) in collaboration with Electrical Engineering (EE), as well as for their industrial and institutional collaborators. This project builds on recent collaborations between GiSci and EE in various projects and will increase their capacity to further develop their collaborations with industrial partners in an area that is rapidly reshaping industries. The activities of the project will be divided into three main tracks. The research track will engage business partners to identify their challenges and map existing research gaps in IA&AI. Based on the state of the art, the project will conduct research-based development activities (e.g., experimental studies, pre-studies, demonstrators) to advance knowledge in the field of industrial IA&AI. In the education track, business partners together with the academy will identify lifelong learning needs within companies and organizations. Academy will develop customized training courses for employees to keep up with their IA&AI competence development. The final track aims to enhance international cooperation, primarily in research, among the hosting academic environments (GiSci and EE) and partner universities within EU Green. The expected outcomes of this project for the academy can be briefly summarized as increased amount of high-quality research within the strategic research area Intelligent Industry, more industrial partnerships which provide opportunities to initiate novel research projects, and an expansion of international academic networks. Business partners involved in the project will gain tangible results produced in the research track helping them to understand the technical readiness level of investigated IA&AI approaches, while also benefiting from competence development of staff involved in lifelong learning activities. They will also have access to academic networks in EU Green, and potentially participate in forthcoming EU Horizon project applications. |
| International guest professor in computer engineering (Tommaso Cucinotta) | Mälardalen University | Capacity building | 2 | 2024 | SEK 720,000 | Natural Sciences | September 1, 2024 - August 31, 2025 | 20230146 | Thomas Nolte | This project aims at, through the KKS International Visiting Professorship program, establishing a collaboration between the Real-Time Systems Laboratory (RETIS) of Scuola Sant'Anna University (SSSA) in Pisa, Italy, and the Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) research environment at Mälardalen University (MDU) in Västerås, Sweden. The collaboration is planned throughout a 1-year project, with Prof. Tommaso Cucinotta from SSSA having a half-time commitment to the project, including several visits to MDU. Prof. Cucinotta will collaborate with MDU on topics that are of great interest to both universities. These topics include real-time scheduling for embedded systems and virtualized/containerized applications and services, focusing on providing real-time performance guarantees with industrial-grade reliability levels to Cloud/Edge-interconnected systems in time-critical application scenarios, aiming at a power-efficient use of the available resources in a distributed heterogeneous Cloud/Edge infrastructure. These topics and the collaboration are also of interest to Ericsson, with which both MDU and Prof. Cucinotta had prior collaborations over the last years. Acting as a kick-start concerning mobility between SSSA and MDU, this project will stimulate collaboration between MDU, initially the ECE research environment, and the RETIS-lab at SSSA, a world leader in real-time systems research. SSSA has over the years, among many other things, made important contributions to operating systems, e.g., the famous SCHED_DEADLINE patch in the Linux kernel, which is something that is of great interest in industry applications. Integrating such research results in mainstream operating systems will increase relevance overall and make research results more available to a broader audience. This project entail added value to several ongoing research projects at MDU, in particular the (continuation of the activities within the) KKS funded synergy project FIESTA, as well as with the industrial PhD school ARRAY where Tommaso will contribute to the PhD project of ARRAY++ PhD-student Carlo Vitucci (as supported by the attached Letter of Intent by Ericsson). |
| New PVD coatings for sustainable machining of additively manufactured tool steel | Karlstad University | Early academic career | 1 | 2024 | SEK 2,271,019 | Engineering and Technology, Natural Sciences | October 1, 2024 - September 30, 2027 | 20230056 | Nataliia Pinchuk | Nowadays an important aspect to develop new products for sustainable manufacturing is the creation of renewable materials that are useful, easy to use and environmentally friendly during creation, as well as the potential impact of their development. Modern complex material products that demands high-strength materials with specific functionality. Commonly, conventional metals and alloys fall short in providing the needed reliability and durability under intense workloads, aggressive environments, and elevated temperatures. In an era of emphazing resource efficiency, the imperative to create and advance novel materials is evident. Understanding the relationship between surface quality parameters and operational features is a key area of research in machining, mechanical engineering, and AM materials. Industrial coatings stand out as a sustainable solution for save various surfaces. Moreover, knowing the mechanisms behind protective coatings can yield valuable concept into predictable and controllable coating technology. This interplay of properties, structure, composition, synthesis, processing, and performance defines the realm of materials science and engineering, particularly in coatings. This project, executed in close partnership between the visiting researcher Dr. Nataliia Pinchuk, the Departments of Engineering and Physics at KAU, Seco Tools AB, Uddeholms AB and Accu Svenska AB. These Swedish companies are leading in cutting tool manufacturing, sustainable machining, with eco-lubricants, addresses these challenges. The research methodology consists in the systematic phase approach, in the range from task description, material selection, to adjusting deposition parameters and also machining tests. Seco Tools AB have industrial capabilities for developing and synthesis of coating. Following steps include conducting and analyzing X-ray structural studies, gauging substructural characteristics, micro- and nanohardness, and tribological studies will be held at KAU. Machining tests utilizing eco-lubricants and Minimum Quantity Lubrication (MQL) system, facilitated by Accu Svenska AB, will be carried out at Uddeholms AB. The outcomes will inform technological strategies to enhance strength and wear resistance. This approach integrates a novel complex analysis, enabling future applications in the anticipated synthesis of coatings with specified properties. Notably, the project findings hold substantial value for stakeholders seeking heightened surface quality and productivity in the manufacturing process. As a result of such a combination, a fundamentally new complex analysis is implemented, which will allow in the future to apply the obtained results for the predicted synthesis of coatings with a given set of properties. The project results are also of high relevance for customers interested in high surface quality and productivity of manufacturing process. |
| Adjunt position Virtual Engineering IPS AB (AVEIPS) | University of Skövde | Capacity building | 1 | 2024 | SEK 1,982,401 | Natural Sciences, Engineering and Technology | June 1, 2024 - May 30, 2027 | 20230145 | Erik Brolin | The objective of the project is to finance a part time adjunct position for Senior lecturer Erik Brolin to work at the company Industrial Path Solutions Sweden AB (IPS AB). The purpose of the project is to further develop the collaboration between the research environment Virtual Engineering (VE) at the School of Engineering Science (ING) at University of Skövde and IPS AB which has shown to be fruitful through a number of research projects and have also resulted in the digital human modelling (DHM) software tool IMMA (Intelligently Moving Manikins). The project is expected to give an increased understanding of the working methods and challenges of the industry and how the type of advanced simulation software that IPS AB provide are really used by engineers in the industry to solve real engineering problems. The project will cover implementation of research results from previous research projects, that will result in an updated software that can act as a virtual test bed for further research and educational activities regarding simulation of product and production ergonomics. This improved software will enable future research to start on a more advanced level and thus have possibility to have higher impact for industry and society. The project will also enable a clearer and more relevant industrial connection in courses and educational programs at ING, and generate knowledge about how software developers, industry and academia can improve collaboration within research projects as well as implementation of research results into useful solutions for industry. The project period is three years, with a planned start May 2024, with a level of employment of 50%. Total budget is 1 835 834 SEK, of which 1 652 001 SEK are applied for from the Knowledge Foundation. |
| Effects of light quality on plant acclimation and production of tree seedlings. | Örebro University | Research projects | 1 | 2024 | SEK 3,599,934 | Agricultural and Veterinary sciences, Natural Sciences | October 1, 2024 - September 30, 2027 | 20230099 | Luis Orlando Morales Suarez | Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) and Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) are the most predominant and economically important tree species in Sweden and Scandinavia. The production of tree seedlings of these species is key for the regeneration of Swedish forests. However, seedlings of these conifers, when grown in forest nurseries, often lack acclimation to high light and high ultraviolet (UV) irradiance present in sunlight. This can lead to photoinhibition and damage of their photosynthetic apparatus, ultimately impeding their growth, fitness, and survival, thus hindering their production. To address this critical issue, the proposed HÖG project aims to use UV and visible light to improve Norway spruce and Scots pine seedling acclimation, reducing damage from high light and UV stress in commercial plant production. UV radiation isn't solely harmful to plants; low levels of UV perceived by the UVR8 photoreceptor trigger photomorphogenic responses and help plants alleviate damage induced by oxidative stress. Yet, the mechanisms by which UV and other light signaling pathways promote acclimation in conifer tree seedlings are not well-understood. Here, we hypothesize that UV treatments triggering the UVR8 pathway will enable these two important conifers tolerate the challenges posed by high light stress. We also aim to formulate spectral treatments that promote the growth and long-term fitness of Norway spruce and Scots pine. To achieve these goals, we will design factorial experiments to examine the effects of various wavebands within the UV region of the spectrum on several plant responses. Whole transcriptome changes induced by different light treatments will be assessed through RNA-seq and changes metabolite profiles through Ultra high performance liquid chromatography. Morphological parameters, accumulation of antioxidants and photosynthetic performance will also be measured. Moreover, we will investigate the impact of genetic variation within these species and identify candidate genes involved in high light and UV stress acclimation. This project gathers a collaborative team with expertise in light signaling from Örebro University, lighting technology from Heliospectra AB, and forest tree seedling physiology and production from Svenska Skogsplantor. The project's expected outcomes have the potential to provide groundbreaking insights into how integrating UV radiation with other light signaling pathways affects the acclimation of Norway spruce and Scots pine. The data generated could be a valuable foundation for indoor cultivation of hardier tree seedlings, potentially revolutionizing our understanding of UV and light signaling in these conifers, with significant benefits for indoor tree seedling cultivation. |
| Avans Mini: IDEAL: Interaction Design Program Expansion and Alignment with Market Needs | Linnaeus University | Second cycle education | 3 | 2024 | SEK 600,000 | Natural Sciences, Social Sciences | September 1, 2024 - August 31, 2025 | 20230059 | Mexhid Ferati | Linnaeus University’s Informatics Department has been successful in deliver an Interaction Design (IxD) program for a long time. However, this program is currently offered at the bachelor's level, leaving a noticeable gap for those seeking to advance their knowledge in IxD at the master's level. While the university offers a master's program in Information Systems, it lacks a comprehensive focus on IxD, with only one course dedicated to this area. Recognizing the significant demand for a master's program in IxD, a preliminary feasibility study involving input from current and former IxD students, as well as industry stakeholders, has revealed the necessity to bridge this gap. The goal of this project is to design and develop two essential courses and integrate them with an existing master's-level course, along with a dedicated thesis course, resulting in a specialized track in IxD within the Information Systems master's program. To achieve this, we are planning on developing two courses: one in Accessibility and Universal Design and another in Data Insights, each of 7.5 credits. The first course directly addresses the growing demand for digital solutions to be universally accessible, regardless of age or ability. This aligns with the legal requirements and the pressing need for companies to provide inclusive solutions. The second course, Data Insights, caters to the ever-expanding volume of data in both corporate and societal contexts. The demand for professionals who can extract valuable insights from this data is on the rise. Furthermore, the need for skills in these areas has been strongly expressed by former and current students of the IxD program and our aim is to equip students with the expertise to meet these demands. The coproduction of these courses will be closely connected to the current needs and demands in the labor market. Building upon previously conducted workshops, we aim to have a coproduction integrated throughout the lifecycle of these courses. The interaction design skills and approaches are in high demand by Swedish companies, thus we aim to involve SMEs and large companies up to international corporations in the coproduction process. Through the coproduction with companies like Sigma Technology, InteriorCluster, IKEA, and Bontouch, we will ensure that industrial needs are met with the latest research insights. Company involvement will be from the identification of the needs, through conceptualizing course syllabuses till supporting courses with teaching activities and possible student recruitments. We consider that this way of coproduction will ensure that our courses will meet the needs of the industry when it comes to the IxD knowledge and skills as well as represent state-of-the-art developments in the field. The successful outcome of this project is expected to contribute significantly to the realization of our vision to establish a comprehensive master's program in IxD in the near future. |
| GREEN ACCELERATION THROUGH INTEGRATED AND PLATFORM-ENABLED PRODUCT REALISATION (GRACE) | Jönköping University | Research profiles | 1 | 2024 | SEK 49,200,000 | Engineering and Technology | April 1, 2024 - March 31, 2032 | 20230037 | Kristina Säfsten | The proposed research profile ´GRACE - Green acceleration through integrated and platform-enabled product realisation´ aims at positioning and strengthening the sub-environment ´in:sure´, one of three sub-environments within SPARK. Green acceleration refers to ongoing the green transition, i.e., the shift towards a more sustainable economy, where economic growth is decoupled from environmental degradation. The goal of the green transition is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, preserve natural resources, and promote economic and social well-being. The manufacturing industry is an essential actor for the fulfilment of the Paris agreement, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), circular economy policies, environmental regulations, etc. Overcoming the challenges associated with the green transition require collaboration, innovation, and a commitment to sustainability from all stakeholders in the industry. Future competitiveness and sustainability in the manufacturing industry is closely linked to the ability to integrate product and production development, and it is essential to manage the integration efficiently. In addition, extended product lifecycles, new user scenarios and circular manufacturing in combination with new emerging technologies will increase the complexity of products, production and the product realisation processes. The overall objective for the research profile GRACE is to support long-term ability for the manufacturing industry to succeed with the green transition through integrated and platform-enabled product realisation. GRACE will contribute with new and better processes, knowledge, and support for product realisation, which from the very beginning consider sustainability aspects during the entire lifecycle of products and production systems. In addition, GRACE aims at strengthening and positioning the sub-environment ´in:sure – Integrated product and production development for sustainability and resilience´ at JTH. |
| International guest professor in AI ethics | Halmstad University | Capacity building | 3 | 2024 | SEK 360,000 | Medical and Health Sciences, Humanities and the Arts | May 1, 2024 - May 1, 2025 | 20230131 | Petra Svedberg | The recruitment of an international guest professor aims to advance the multidisciplinary research area of the Information driven care (IDC) program, specifically focusing on the integration of ethical perspectives into the ongoing research portfolio. The International guest professor’s expertise will contribute to enriching projects with ethical perspectives, generating knowledge, models, and tools for integration within the research program in collaboration with industry and healthcare partners. The recruitment goals encompass creating added value through deeper ethical understanding in research projects, increasing relevance for the healthcare sector and companies developing or/and implementing AI products, and integrating research outcomes into education. The international guest professor Thomas Ploug already has a position as Professor at the Department of Communication and Psychology, Aalborg University in Denmark. It is feasible for him to devote 25% of his time to collaboration with Halmstad University. His impressive expertise lies in the realm of applied ethics, encompassing a wide array of domains, including bioethics, data ethics, AI ethics, and medical ethics. The work will specifically involve co-production with Visiba Care AB and Capio Sverige AB. Both these companies have, within the CAISR Health profile, together with the researchers, identified a significant need to enhance knowledge and expertise in the ethical aspects of AI development and implementation in healthcare. Thus, the goals of the recruitment are to: 1. create added value through deeper understanding and increased ethical expertise in research and co-production projects focusing on the development and implementation of AI in healthcare. 2. create added value and relevance for healthcare sector and for companies that develop and provide healthcare with AI products and systems. 3. integrate the outcomes from research with current education, especially for advanced level, within the university to provide students with knowledge and skills in enhancing ethical expertise in the development and implementation of AI in healthcare. The CAISR Health research profile is one of the major and overarching projects in the IDC research program. The most prominent collaboration we foresee Thomas Plough to contribute with is within the case studies and seminar activities within the CAISR Health research profile, on both a strategic and operative level. The company partners within CAISR Health, together with us researchers, have identified a significant need to enhance knowledge and expertise in the ethical aspects of AI development and implementation in healthcare. Planned resources to be linked to the recruitment belong to the IDC and the CAISR Health profile. CAISR health have an established infrastructure, and researchers meet each other continuously in five specific research projects and on a more comprehensive CAISR Health level through seminars, workshops, and conferences. |
| Adjunct professor in Computer Engineering with focus on integrated sensing and communicaition | Mid Sweden University | Capacity building | 1 | 2024 | SEK 771,575 | Engineering and Technology, Natural Sciences | June 1, 2024 - May 30, 2026 | 20230126 | Mikael Gidlund | The recruitment project ISAC aims to recruit and appoint an adjunct professor to bolster research and collaboration within the research profile NIIT at Mid Sweden University, where Communication Systems and Networks (CSN) group is a vital component. Dr. Peter Karlsson, a senior technology director at u-blox, an internationally recognized company brings extensive expertise in wireless communication, positioning, strategy management, and collaboration networks in Sweden and Europe. Integrated sensing and communication (ISAC) will play a pivotal role for future wireless networks and industrial IoT, including the future 6G standard. The CSN group is increasing its activity in this field and have identified a critical knowledge gap, that the adjunct professor will help to fill. Dr. Karlsson will also co-supervise one Ph.D. student in indoor positioning. Our long-term goal is to foster collaboration in education and research with u-blox, which in the end could explore new partnerships with other national and regional companies. This initiative promises to inspire cutting-edge advancements in integrated sensing and communication and enhance competence within the STC research centre. The potential benefits for regional companies are significant, as these partnerships can lead to shared knowledge, innovation, and the development of new solutions that will be instrumental in shaping the future of transformative technologies in the region and beyond. |
| SEASON - Seasonal variation of the fate, availability, and toxicity of priority pollutants at the sediment-water-interface | Örebro University | Synergy project | 1 | 2024 | SEK 11,585,451 | Natural Sciences | September 1, 2024 - August 31, 2028 | 20240010 | Steffen Keiter | Society must prepare for the consequences of alterations in environmental quality parameters caused by climate change. Therefore, it is critically important to develop comprehensive and integrative scientific approaches to sustain society with one of its most important natural resources, water. In this project, we combine the state-of-the-art techniques in environmental toxicology, analytical chemistry, and hydrogeochemistry to develop conceptual models for observing and predicting the impact of climate change on the fate, bioavailability, and toxicity of pollutants in the aquatic environment. Lacustrine sediment serves as a highly relevant case due to its role as a sink and source for environmental pollutants, which is altered by climate change. By focusing on the impact of temperature-driven speciation of critical elements and compounds in relation to the biological responses, we aim to gain an increased understanding of these complex processes in the aquatic environment. This integrated knowledge is then summarized and made operational through the development of models to assess environmental quality. Process-determining chemical parameters, concentrations, and toxicological endpoints are measured in comprehensive laboratory studies using sediment samples from relevant field sites. A set of empirical procedures provides information used in an ecotoxicological context to understand which parameters are significant. Modeling the behavior of organic and inorganic pollutants and the related biological response plays a major role in the study, allowing for a rational evaluation of complex interactions. The model’s predictions are compared with empirical quality data from the system. Through this comprehensive approach, the project aims to answer critical questions regarding the measurement and observation of the fate, bioavailability, and toxicity of pollutants in aquatic systems, as well as the prediction of such parameters. The knowledge gained from the SEASON project will be used to support the development of environmental risk assessment of contaminated sediments, considering climate change conditions. In addition to the scientific work, the proposed project also has a strong focus on the dissemination and exploitation of the project results. To achieve this, the project employs a combination of training programs, active collaboration with stakeholders, and a specific communication strategy. |
| Avans Mini: Course development: resource recovery - industrial engineering and management | University of Borås | Second cycle education | 3 | 2024 | SEK 594,182 | Engineering and Technology, Natural Sciences, Social Sciences | August 1, 2024 - May 31, 2025 | 20230043 | David Eriksson | The project aims to develop three new courses within a new master's program in industrial engineering with a focus on resource recovery at the University of Borås. The planned courses are "AI in Industrial Economics", "Theorizing Logistics and Supply Chains", and a preparatory course "Stochastic Optimization and Modeling of Complex Systems". The main focus of the project is on the first two courses, while "Stochastic Optimization" is being developed in collaboration with mathematicians from the university based on the design of the AI course. The project integrates industrial economics within the existing main area of resource recovery, which already includes disciplines such as biotechnology, sustainable energy processes, and polymeric materials. The new courses will be partly read in conjunction with other disciplines and contribute to strengthening the link between undergraduate and postgraduate education in resource recovery. The project is carried out in cooperation with the business community, including the companies Almedahls, Blåkläder, and ProFlow, all contributing their expertise in sustainability, logistics, and supply chains. Their involvement is central to ensuring the relevance and quality of the courses. The project is led by David Eriksson from the University of Borås, whose responsibilities include company contacts, meeting planning, project reporting, and budget management. The project uses an iterative development cycle to collaborate with key personnel from participating companies and integrate their insights into course development. Gender equality aspects are considered, especially given the male dominance in engineering education. There is a focus on increasing women's representation and involvement in both education and the business community. Pedagogical development work is an important part of the project, focusing on creating content that is relevant to both the business community and the research environment. The courses are planned to include practical elements, project-based learning, and discussions to provide students with useful tools and knowledge. Student recruitment is a key component, with the goal of attracting students by offering a unique and relevant education that differs from similar programs at other Swedish and international universities. |
| Rich Testing of Software | Mälardalen University | Early academic career | 1 | 2024 | SEK 1,758,836 | Natural Sciences | September 1, 2024 - August 31, 2026 | 20230054 | Peter Backeman | Asserting program correctness is a main component of most software development projects, often achieved by the means of software testing. This is a highly time-consuming activity and takes up a significant portion of project development resources. In RITES, we use a test analysis framework (TAF), which utilizes the power of formal methods while retaining the practicality of testing. With a TAF we introduce the concept of rich tests, which are enrichments of ordinary tests with capabilities impossible to realize in an ordinary test execution setting. In RITES, we choose to focus on three enrichments: automatic mocking/stubbing, testing of non-functional constraints and proof-based coverage. These enrichments tackle current research topics, and at the same time addresses challenges found not only at the industrial partners, but in the business in general. ABB and Arcticus Systems are two companies working with testing, each in different ways. In the ABB use case, RITES will look at how to support the writing of unit tests. By incorporating suitable extensions to rich tests, it will be possible to write fewer tests, with larger coverage, still retaining the practicality of ordinary testing. Arcticus Systems, on the other hand, is looking for a method of incorporating testing of non-functional requirements in an effective manner. With a test analysis framework, it is possible to enable the testing of certain such requirements (e.g., memory usage) in a manner which is hard to achieve with ordinary test execution. In RITES we look in how to use a theoretical foundation of test analysis, to design and implement the proposed enrichments in a unified framework. A prototype implementation will be created and integrated into both ABB and Arcticus Systems testing software and evaluated to measure the effectiveness of rich testing. This will help solving challenging problems faced by industry, address state of the art, while demonstrating the usefulness of the approach. |
| Applied Explorations in Transitions for Sustainability | The University of Arts, Crafts and Design | Jubilee Doctoral Students | 1 | 2024 | SEK 3,840,000 | Humanities and the Arts | August 1, 2025 - July 31, 2030 | 20240060 | Martin Avila | Doktorandprojektet med titeln “Applied Explorations in Transitions for Sustainability” syftar till att utforska hur man genom design kan möta de förändringar klimatkrisen medför. Projektet fokuserar på att, genom gestaltande, utveckla förslag som stöder övergången till hållbara levnadssätt och ökar samhällets resiliens. Genom kritiska perspektiv och metoder kommer olika scenarier att undersökas med hjälp av prototyper, där estetiska och sociala aspekter beaktas i processen. Detta arbete sker i samarbete med partnerorganisationer och utmanar antropocentrism genom att ta hänsyn till en mängd livsformer, inte bara människan. Sociala normer och värderingar ifrågasätts, och alternativa materiella kulturer, anpassade till lokala förhållanden, utforskas. Exempel på övergripande frågeställningar som utforskas inom doktorandeprojektet skulle kunna vara: Hur kan artefakter skapa relationer till andra livsformer än människan på ett sätt som främjar biologisk mångfald och därmed hållbar utveckling? Vilka alternativa materiella kulturer kan utvecklas för att möta lokala behov i klimatkrisen? Hur kan estetiska val i gestaltningsarbetet stödja skapandet av sociala och kulturella normer som bidrar till hållbarhet? |
| Collaborative approaches to marketing healthy food to young adults: Healthcare meets marketing expertise | Kristianstad University | Jubilee Doctoral Students | 1 | 2024 | SEK 3,834,480 | Medical and Health Sciences, Agricultural and Veterinary sciences, Social Sciences | July 1, 2025 - June 29, 2029 | 20240046 | Lina Anna Sofia Behm | Forskningsmiljön: Forsknings- och utbildningsprofilen Centre for Food Health and Retail Kristianstad (FOHRK) vid Högskolan Kristianstad planerar för att inkludera doktorander i sin verksamhet. Föreliggande projekt är strategiskt viktigt för att kunna uppnå FOHRKS mål och vision att stärka gränsöverskridande och multidisciplinära samarbeten mellan hälso- och sjukvården, handeln och akademin inom områdena mat, hälsa och handel. Doktoranden kommer att vara inskriven vid Fakulteten för Hälsovetenskaper vid Högskolan Kristianstad samt kommer vara en del i FOHRK. Bakgrund: En fjärdedel av Sveriges befolkning löper risk att drabbas av kostrelaterade sjukdomar som hjärt-kärlsjukdomar, diabetes och cancer på grund av ohälsosamma matvanor. Bidragande faktorer inkluderar ett högt kaloriintag, låg konsumtion av fullkorn och baljväxter samt en hög konsumtion av rött och processat kött och salt. Unga vuxna (16-25 åringar) befinner sig särskilt i en kritisk fas där de utvecklar sina matvanor, ofta utan tillräcklig kunskap om kost och hälsa, så kallad food literacy. Denna grupp konsumerar ofta för lite frukt, grönsaker och fullkorn, samtidigt som de överkonsumerar processade livsmedel, socker och salt, vilket leder till olika hälsoproblem. Marknadsföring av mat påverkar deras matvanor i hög grad och kan användas för att främja hälsosammare val. Hälso- och sjukvårdspersonal har en central roll i att främja hälsosamma matvanor genom att erbjuda person centrerade samtal om matvanor, vilket i praktiken är en form av marknadsföring. Genom samarbete mellan hälso-och sjukvården och handeln kan insatser riktade mot unga vuxnas matvanor stärkas och bli mer effektiva. Syfte: Projektet syftar till att undersöka och förbättra food literacy bland unga vuxna genom att utveckla effektiva marknadsföringsstrategier. Målet är att, genom samarbete mellan hälso- och sjukvården och handeln, skapa riktade kommunikationsstrategier som främjar hälsosamma matvanor för denna demografiska grupp. Metod: Projektet består av 4 studier med olika metoder för att nå syftet. Projektet inleds med att undersöka attityder och acceptans till hälsosamma matvanor, vilket kommer att analyseras med hjälp av psykometriska och beskrivande statistiska metoder. Vidare kommer individuella intervjuer att genomföras med unga vuxna för att identifiera hinder och möjligheter till hälsosamma matvanor. Intervjuerna kommer analyseras med tematisk analys. Därefter kommer fokusgrupper att undersöka unga vuxnas reaktioner på marknadsföringsstrategier med hjälp av foto-elicitering. Slutligen kommer en experimentell design att testa effekten av olika marknadsföringsstrategier på matval genom en virtuell köpsimulering. |
| REACT - REcycled Aluminium Casting for sustainable Transformation | Jönköping University | Synergy project | 1 | 2024 | SEK 12,298,959 | Engineering and Technology | March 1, 2025 - February 28, 2029 | 20240101 | Caterina Zanella | The global demand for Al is surging, driven by its increasing use in the automotive, aerospace, and packaging industries. This trend highlights the urgent need for sustainable recycling practices. Cast aluminium, in particular, constitutes a substantial portion of aluminium products. REACT aims to develop and optimise innovative recycling methods for tolerant cast aluminium components to enhance material recovery, reduce energy consumption, and minimise environmental impact. The project addresses the challenges associated with current recycling practices by leveraging advanced techniques in materials science, foundry technology, and durability. Our approach focuses on improving the efficiency and quality of melting processes, enhancing the microstructural tolerance, and developing novel alloying strategies to meet specific industrial requirements and durability standards. Through this initiative, we intend to contribute significantly to the circular economy as it will increase the secondary material yield, thus lowering the CO2 footprint, extending the lifecycle of aluminium products and reducing the reliance on primary aluminium production, which is associated with high carbon emissions. The project's outcomes will benefit the aluminium casting industry and align with global sustainability goals, promoting a more resilient and sustainable manufacturing sector. The consortium comprises researchers with backgrounds in foundry technology, material science and characterisation, corrosion and electrochemistry at JU and industrial partners covering the different roles in the value chain. The industrial partners are STENA Aluminium as the provider of recycled aluminium, foundries like Lundberg Pressgjuteri and Ljunghäll, industrial product producers and end users of cast Al parts like Fagerhult Belysning, Scania CV and Volvo Cars and a testing lab Cotec Labs. This collaborative effort ensures a comprehensive approach to advancing the recycling of cast aluminium components. |
| CIRCULATIONS | Stockholm University of the Arts | Jubilee Doctoral Students | 1 | 2024 | SEK 3,840,000 | Humanities and the Arts, Social Sciences | September 1, 2025 - August 31, 2030 | 20240056 | Chrysa Parkinson | Doktorandprojektet CIRCULATIONS kommer att ingå i forskningsmiljön vid Stockholms konstnärliga högskola (SKH) inom ämnesområdet dans. Doktoranden kommer att antas till SKH:s forskarutbildning Performativa och mediala praktiker. Utbildningen består av det dokumenterade konstnärliga forskningsprojektet CIRCULATIONS (doktorsavhandling) samt av kurser motsvarande ett års heltidsstudier. Doktoranden ska även anordna olika seminarier, offentliggörande av dokumenterat konstnärligt forskningsprojekt och disputation. CIRCULATIONS kommer att ingå i det övergripande pågående forskningsprojektet Authorship, Ownership and Control: Dancers' roles and materials (AOC) som leds av professor Chrysa Parkinson, som kommer att vara huvudhandledare. Ett vanligt antagande är att en upphovsperson är en unik, kreativ person som äger och kontrollerar det arbete som hen producerar. I många koreografiska sammanhang skapar dock dansarna roller, material och till och med metoder som de varken äger eller behåller upphovsrätten till. AOC utforskar, på plats och online, olika innovativa metoder som att till exempel utveckla en ordlista över dansares kreativa material eller en konstnärlig licens för dansare att dokumentera erfarenhetsmässig upphovsrätt. AOC har finansiering från Vetenskapsrådet och samverkar med många internationellt erkända konstnärer, forskare och partnerorganisationer. Genom att tillämpa resultat och metoder från AOC i sammanhang som ligger bortom dansstudion, galleriet och scenen, utforskar CIRCULATIONS hur förkroppsligad kunskap kan förstås och manifesteras som kunskap i olika akademiska, konstnärliga, sociala och samverkansmiljöer. CIRCULATIONS syftar till att bidra med förkroppsligad expertis, utvecklad genom konstnärlig praktiker, till den pågående diskursen och debatten. Vilka möjligheter och utmaningar erbjuder förkroppsligad kunskap till mer traditionella former av forskning och till andra sociala sammanhang och branchorganisationer? Doktoranden kommer att genomföra konstnärliga residenser inom befintliga SKH-partnerorganisationer och samverkan, bland andra Posthumanities Hub, Mälarbackens äldreboende och Hägerstensåsens medborgarhus, i syfte att utforska hur förkroppsligad kunskap som utvecklats genom forskning bedriven av dansare inom dans, kan fungera i förhållande till dessa andra sammanhang. Att medvetet bädda in doktorandprojektet i akademiska och professionella sammanhang innebär att dessa kortsiktiga samarbeten har potential att utvecklas till långsiktiga ömsesidiga partnerskap mellan den akademiska världen, organisationer och näringsliv. Projektbudgeten har utformats för att stödja produktionen av CIRCULATIONs kreativa material, resor och konsultationer, vilket säkerställer en hållbar och innovativ utveckling av forskningen. Doktoranden förväntas bidra till AOC och till andra ämnesområden och tematiskt relevanta seminarier, workshops och forskningsprojekt, både inom SKH och i samverkan med branschorganisationer. |
| Camouflaging strategies: Methods in situated art practices in city development | The Royal Institute of Art | Jubilee Doctoral Students | 1 | 2024 | SEK 3,840,000 | Humanities and the Arts | August 1, 2025 - July 31, 2029 | 20240077 | Jonas Dahlberg | I förhållande till KK-stiftelsens Jubileumsdoktorander 2024 har Kungl. Konsthögskolan valt att fokusera på två av våra tvärdisciplinära områden inom konst och arkitektur där samhällsperspektivet redan har en stor betydelse: konstnärlig livsmiljö och ombyggnadskultur. Det är områden som har stor relevans i samtiden eftersom man inom dem adresserar samhällets stora miljömässiga och sociala utmaningar, och tydliggör konsten och arkitekturens viktiga roll inom utvecklingen av vår gemensamma livsmiljö. Med hjälp av KK-stiftelsens jubileumsdoktorander önskar KKH att stärka sina forskningsmiljöer kring konstnärlig livsmiljö och ombyggnadskultur för att skapa ny kunskap och utbilda expertis för framtiden. Of Public Interest (OPI) Lab är en multidisciplinär forskningsmiljö och en hub inom området för konstnärlig livsmiljö som ställer följande frågor: Vad händer om vi skapar förutsättningarna för konstnärer att arbeta inom liknande tidsspann, scheman, skalor och budgetar som stadsplanerare och stadsutvecklare gör? Vilka frågor ställer vi? Vilka frågor svarar vi på? Och vilken typ av alternativa världar skapar vi? Och hur gestaltas de? Kopplat till området för konstnärlig livsmiljö, finns sedan 2021/2022 vidareutbildningskursen OPI Lab (60 hp) vid Kungl. Konsthögskolan. Kursen ges årligen på konstnärlig grund inom fältet mellan konst och arkitektur på avancerad nivå och attraherar många sökande, varav många internationella, från olika professioner såsom t.ex. yrkesverksamma konstnärer, arkitekter, stadsplanerare, landskapsarkitekter, kulturproducenter, beslutsfattare, m.fl. KK-stiftelsens Jubileumsdoktorand inom Konstnärlig Livsmiljö kommer vara knuten till OPI Lab, dess metoder och forskning inom konstnärlig livsmiljö utifrån en pågående fallstudie i Lövholmen/Gröndal (Stockholm). På OPI Lab:s konstnärliga platskontor i Gröndal bedriver doktoranden praktikbaserad forskning, experimenterar och testar saker i skala 1:1 genom att samarbeta med OPI Lab, grannskapet i stort, ett befintligt upparbetat kontaktnät, samt etablerar nya kontakter genom de samarbetspartners från näringslivet som knyts till doktorandprojektet. Genom detta upplägg är doktorandens arbete ständigt i dialog med forsknings- och utbildningsmiljön men också med samhället i stort, de boende och aktörerna som verkar i området. Genom OPI Lab:s metoder och lokal blir hela området doktorandens faktiska ”laboratorium” där praktiska experiment kan göras kring samverkan. Då doktoranden är försänkt i och omgiven av den miljö hen forskar om så skapas förutsättningar för att på helt nya sätt, och med nya typer av tidsperspektiv, arbeta fram strategier och metoder för hur konstnärliga språk kan ta plats i våra gemensamma rum. Kungl. Konsthögskolan har inte examensrätt för utbildning på forskarnivå. Ett nytt samarbete etableras därför med Konstfack inom deras övergripande forskarutbildningsämne: Konstnärlig gestaltning inom bild, form, rum, med den konstnärliga doktorsexamen som mål. |
| Characterization of solar photovoltaic energy systems using luminescence imaging and data driven solutions | Dalarna University | Jubilee Doctoral Students | 1 | 2024 | SEK 3,840,000 | Engineering and Technology, Natural Sciences | March 1, 2025 - February 28, 2030 | 20240064 | André Filipe Rodrigues Augusto | Solenergi från solceller växer snabbt över hela Europa, och Sverige är också en del i den utvecklingen. Under de senaste tre åren har andelen solenergi i Sveriges elproduktion ökat från att vara under 1% till 3 %, med prognos att nå 15 % 2030, givet ökad elektrifiering av fordon och efterfrågan på industriellt grönt väte. Dalarna som region spelar en viktig roll i denna energiomställning, med bidrag från många lokala solenergiföretag och offentliga aktörer. Detta doktorandprojekt syftar till att utveckla en snabb, kostnadseffektiv och skalbar lösning för övervakning av solcellsanläggningar med hjälp av bildbehandling och maskininlärning. Nuvarande tekniker för övervakningen av solcellsanläggningar på tak och i större anläggningar begränsas av höga kostnader och stor tidsåtgång. När andelen solenergi i elnätet ökar, blir förbättrade utvärderingstekniker avgörande för utvärdering av nätstabilitet och ekonomi kopplat till anläggningarna. En teknik för storskalig övervakning är att anpassa luminescensavbildning – som traditionellt används inomhus – för utomhusbruk för att utvärdera solcellssystem, från takinstallationer till multimegawattanläggningar. Doktoranden kommer att utveckla och testa en metod där luminescens används för avbildning tillsammans med en maskininlärningsmodell för att bedöma solcellssystems prestanda. Maskininlärningsmodellen kommer att tränas på bilder av olika typer av solcellsmoduler och driftsförhållanden, för att sedan tillämpas på verkliga fältanläggningar. Metodiken med att kombinera maskininlärning och bildbehandling som avses i projektet kommer att ge högupplöst data som visar solcellsmodulernas kvalitet, defekter och degradering, en teknik som är både skalbar och kostnadseffektiv. Projektet kommer att kräva omfattande experiment och datainsamling i högskolans nya solcellslaboratorium. Samarbete med industripartners och andra intressenter ger tillgång till att demonstrera metoden i verkliga solcellsanläggningar, vilket säkerställer att resultaten kan utnyttjas kommersiellt. |
| Co-production of work-integrated learning in the era of Industry 5.0 – CoWORK 5.0 | University West | Jubilee Doctoral Students | 1 | 2024 | SEK 3,839,050 | Social Sciences, Engineering and Technology, Medical and Health Sciences | April 1, 2025 - March 31, 2029 | 20240036 | Ingrid Kristina Areskoug Josefsson | Doktorandprojektet Co-production of work-integrated learning in the era of Industry 5.0 (CoWORK 5.0) bidrar med nya forskningsinsikter om samskapande av arbetsintegrerat lärande (AIL) industri 5.0 med fokus på människo-centrerade perspektiv. Ett människocentrerat perspektiv är nödvändigt i industrin för att bemöta de snabba förändringarna av arbetsmiljö och relaterade kompetensutvecklingsbehov för att förändra organisationer och förebygga organisatoriska och individuella risker. Detta kräver en transdisciplinär forskningsansats, för att förstå komplexa organisatoriska utmaningar och skapa möjligheter för ett hållbart arbetsliv,livslångt lärande och anpassning till förändringar. Industri 5.0 består av tre pelare: människocentrering, hållbarhet och resiliens. Tyngdpunkten i samskapande är delad makt, tillit, relationer och ömsesidig respekt för kompetens och expertis, för skapande av delad kunskap. AIL omfattar lärprocesser relaterade till förändringar i arbetslivet, där kunskap från praktik och akademi integreras och fördjupas för att möta arbetslivets utmaningar. CoWORK 5.0 tar upp komplexa organisatoriska utmaningar, hållbart arbetsliv, industriella omställningar för hållbar utveckling och livslångt lärande. Syftet är att identifiera och analysera människocentrerade perspektiv, individuella och organisatoriska förmågor och åtgärder som krävs för samskapande av AIL i industri 5.0 med fokus på arbetsrelaterad hälsa, risk- och förändringsledning. Fokus i projektet är den pågående och ständigt transformerande karaktären av de fenomen som studeras. Detta kräver en forskningsmetodik som fångar uppfattningar och insikter om rådande förhållanden, processer och effekter. Det finns utrymme att anpassa projektet till de specifika styrkor som den rekryterade doktoranden kommer att tillföra. AIL är Högskolan Västs (HV) profil och ett växande transdisciplinärt forskningsfält. HV har examenstillstånd för forskarutbildning i AIL, där doktoranden kommer att bli inskriven. Den kompletta akademiska miljön i AIL (KAM AIL) och doktorandprojektet är nära kopplade till forskningsområdet industriellt arbetsintegrerat lärande (I-AIL), som är ett delat kärnområde med den KK-finansierade forskningsmiljön PRIMUS. Därför överbryggar, bidrar och utökar doktorandprojektet CoWORK 5.0 forskningsmiljöerna KAM AIL och PRIMUS. CoWORK 5.0 bidrar till den strategiska förstärkningen av forskningssamarbetet mellan I-AIL och produktionssystem med ett människocentrerat perspektiv. CoWORK 5.0 är nära länkat till det KK-finansierade synergiforskningsprojektet Human-Centric Smart Automation (PROWIL) 2024-2027, som har ett tvärvetenskapligt tillvägagångssätt som kombinerar produktionsteknologi (PT) och AIL. CoWORK 5.0 och PROWIL är kompletterande projekt, som skapar värde och delar lärande mellan projekten, vilket ger maximalt värde av projektdeltagande. |
| Strengthened mental and physical health through health conversations and mental wellbeing counseling by human versus AI-based Avatar | University of Skövde | Jubilee Doctoral Students | 1 | 2024 | SEK 3,840,000 | Medical and Health Sciences, Natural Sciences, Social Sciences | January 1, 2025 - December 31, 2028 | 20240073 | Jenny Hallgren | Projektet fokuserar på AI-baserad digital teknik som har potential att bli ett komplement i ett mycket omfattande hälsoarbete. Hälso- och sjukvården står inför ett antal stora utmaningar, vilket inkluderar en åldrande befolkning, ökad psykisk ohälsa och ökad ojämlikhet i hälsa. Det behövs därför en snabb och effektiv omställning till en vård som utgår från personens behov och förutsättningar, en person-centrerad vård, som är proaktiv och hälsofrämjande. Om individuella rekommendationer förmedlade genom en AI-baserad Avatar ger god effekt, kan resurser frigöras för att använda på annan verksamhet för att främja såväl psykisk som fysisk hälsa med minskad risk för kostsamma långvariga hälsoproblem. Psykisk ohälsa och ofrivillig ensamhet är vanligt i samhället bland alla åldrar. Ofrivillig ensamhet har visats vara associerat med nedsatt psykisk och fysisk hälsa som depression, kognitiv nedsättning, funktionsnedsättning, sömnsvårigheter, stress, högt blodtryck, hjärt- och kärlsjukdom och ökad dödlighet. Regeringen har uppmärksammat problemet och har i flera omgångar infört extra satsningar inom detta område i form av miljardbelopp till bland annat hälsosamtal. WHO belyser utmaningen att ge en vård och omsorg i samhället som stödjer ett hälsosamt liv och åldrande. Den digitala utvecklingen inom hälsoområdet, inte minst vad gäller artificiell intelligens, möjliggör andra scenarier. I tider med minskade resurser och ökad geografiskt avstånd är det viktigt att skapa hållbara digitala lösningar till stöd för kontakt, upprätthållande av kommunikation och meningsfull aktivitet för bevarad och ökad hälsa, välbefinnande och livskvalitet. Här kan användning av en AI-baserad Avatar med mänskligt utseende ge nya förutsättningar till att upprätta kontakt med enskild person, initialt kartlägga hälsa och livssituation samt identifiera behov av stöd och meningsfulla aktiviteter, vilket kan bidra till ökad hälsa, välbefinnande och livskvalitet. Utveckling av en Avatar för detta ändamål är en potentiellt hållbar, resurs- och tidsbesparande- samt kostnadseffektiv lösning där individuella hälsosamtal och välbefinnanderådgivning kan initieras och genomföras vid upprepade tillfällen. Utifrån ovanstående planeras i nuläget fyra delstudier med det övergripande syftet att öka kunskapen om att proaktivt stödja individuell hälsa genom att undersöka implikationer av att använda AI-baserade Avatarer för att främja psykisk och fysisk hälsa. Våra samverkanspartners i projektet kommer att få direkt tillgång till den allra senaste forskningen och expertisen inom området. Projektet kommer dessutom att ingå i den högskoleövergripande samverkansarenan och testbädden Skaraborgs Hälsoteknikcentrum (SHC) vilken är en plattform för samverkan med näringsliv, offentlig sektor, akademi och civilsamhälle med fokus på livskvalitet och vård med stöd av hälso- och välfärdsteknik. |
| Assessment of chemical risks in plastic recycling | Örebro University | Jubilee Doctoral Students | 1 | 2024 | SEK 3,837,699 | Natural Sciences | April 1, 2025 - March 31, 2029 | 20240081 | Anna Kärrman | Doktorandprojektet med titeln "Bedömning av kemiska risker vid plaståtervinning", ligger i linje med ORU:s strategiska fokus på profilen "Föroreningar och samhälle" och universitetets Plattform för en hållbar framtid. Projekt tar sig an den växande utmaningen med kemikaliesäkerhet vid plaståtervinning som är en del i övergången till en cirkulär, giftfri ekonomi enligt EU´s Gröna Giv. Plast är betydelsefullt för det moderna livet men utgör även betydande hälsorisker på grund av skadliga kemikalier. Med den globala plastproduktionen på uppgång finns det ett akut behov av att identifiera och hantera farliga kemikalier, eftersom upp till 62 % av kemikalierna som används i EU är potentiellt skadliga. Detta projekt kommer, tillsammans med industrin, att identifiera farliga kemikalier i återvunnen plast, med fokus på deras miljö- och hälsorisker. Genom att integrera kemiska och toxikologiska analyser utvecklar vi verktyg för att bedöma plastens säkerhet och hållbarhet vilket kommer att stödja designen av säkrare produkter och bidra till en cirkulär ekonomi genom att säkerställa att återvunnen plast inte utgör hälso- eller miljöhot. Forskningen är uppbyggd kring fyra nyckeluppgifter som bidrar till en övergripande förståelse för kemiska risker med plaståtervinning. Den första uppgiften fokuserar på att karakterisera plast med hjälp av metoden Cell Painting, som undersöker hur kemikalier i plast påverkar celler på en subtil nivå innan giftiga effekter blir uppenbara. Genom att profilera dessa tidiga cellförändringar syftar projektet till att identifiera tidiga tecken på giftighet och utveckla en prediktiv modell för att bedöma kemiska effekter. Den andra uppgiften innebär att använda bioreporter-analyser för att bedöma den cancerframkallande och hormonstörande potentialen hos kemikalier som finns i plastmaterial. Dessa analyser ger en effektbaserad övervakning och fångar upp hur komplexa kemiska blandningar påverkar både människors och miljöns hälsa. I den tredje uppgiften kommer högupplöst masspektrometri att användas för att identifiera och kvantifiera specifika kemikalier i plast. Genom att kombinera effektanalys med detaljerad kemisk analys kommer projektet att identifiera giftiga ämnen, vilket kallas effektstyrd analys (EDA). Den sista uppgiften integrerar de verktyg och metoder som utvecklats i de tidigare faserna för att genomföra en omfattande farobedömning av återvunnen plast. Detta steg kommer att utvärdera förekomsten av toxicitetsfaktorer i olika plaståtervinningsströmmar, vilket ger värdefulla insikter för återvinningsindustrin och tillsynsmyndigheter om möjligheterna att hanterar och minskar kemiska risker i återvunnet material. Branschsamarbete är centralt i projektet för att forma projektets mål och säkerställa att dess resultat är relevanta för plastproduktion och plaståtervinning. På lång sikt syftar projektet till att påverka policy och praxis genom att öka medvetenheten om de hälso- och miljörisker som kemikalier i plast utgör. |
| From Compliance to Competitiveness: Swedish Organizations and CSRD’s Social Sustainability Mandates | Malmö University | Jubilee Doctoral Students | 1 | 2024 | SEK 3,839,559 | Social Sciences | January 1, 2025 - December 31, 2029 | 20240067 | Sayaka Osanami Törngren | Doktorandprojektet, “Från regelefterlevnad till konkurrenskraft: Svenska organisationer och CSRD:s sociala hållbarhetsmandat,” kommer att genomföras inom ämnesområdena Global Politik och/eller Internationell Migration och Etniska Relationer vid Malmö Universitet. Projektet syftar till att studera hur svenska privata organisationer anpassar sig till Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), som träder i kraft i Sverige från 2025. Projektet kommer att skapa en databas för Corporate Sustainability Reporting (CSR) för att förbättra den svenska industrins kapacitet, konkurrenskraft och trovärdighet i sociala hållbarhetsinsatser. Projektet kommer att betona mångfald, rättvisa och inkludering (DEI) och adressera behovet för svenska industrier att hantera ojämlika anställningsmöjligheter, löner och arbetsroller bland olika demografiska grupper. Det kommer att analysera CSR-rapporter från svenska företag med över 250 anställda, med fokus på transparensåtgärder, variationer i rapportering och prestationer per sektor, kapital, intäkter och ledarskapsmångfald. Projektet är knutet till Malmö Institute for Migration Studies (MIM) och har väckt intresse från privata företagsorganisationer som EY Sweden, IKEA och Avonova Hälsa AB. Det kommer att dra nytta av expertisen hos internationellt erkända forskare och forskningskluster vid Institutionen för Globala Politiska Studier (GPS) och dess aktiva deltagande i internationella forskningsnätverk. Projektet kommer att genomföra en longitudinell analys (2022-2028) av numeriska och kvalitativa data, med fokus på CSRD S1-krav för rapportering och Global Reporting Initiative-indikatorer. Årliga rundabordssamtal med affärspartners kommer att förbättra kunskapsutbyten och samproducera förståelse för styrning, effektmätning, policyimplementering och framgångsrika resultat. Genom att samproducera evidensbaserad kunskap om CSRD med privata affärspartners kommer projektet att adressera hur CSRD-mandat påverkar organisatorisk kapacitet, kapitalmarknader och verkliga effekter. Denna kunskap kommer att hjälpa organisationer att förbättra sitt offentliga anseende, förbättra ekonomiska resultat och öka global konkurrenskraft genom rättvisa och inkluderande arbetsplatsinsatser. Dessutom kommer projektet att gynna BA- och MA-studenter genom att erbjuda forskningsbaserad undervisning, integrering av CSR-databasen, praktikplatser, nätverkande och kompetensutvecklingsmöjligheter. Projektet kommer aktivt att engagera sig i kunskapssamproduktion och bidra till det bredare KK-stiftelsenätverket genom regelbundna kontakter, projektmöten och gemensamma konferenser. Det kommer också att involvera webbinarier, webbsändningar och deltagande i praktikkonferenser för att rikta sig till den bredare svenska privata sektorn och EU-engagemang. |
| Dual-use innovation methodology for defense and marine technology innovation | Blekinge Institute of Technology | Jubilee Doctoral Students | 1 | 2024 | SEK 3,817,796 | Engineering and Technology | January 1, 2025 - December 31, 2029 | 20240085 | Tobias Larsson | Detta projekt syftar till att utveckla en innovationsmetodik som kan tillämpas inom både civila och försvarsorienterade sektorer med fokus på marinteknik. Projektet bygger vidare på BTHs starka forskningsmiljö inom Model Driven Development and Decision Support, en tvärvetenskaplig miljö som sedan 2013 fått betydande stöd och positiva utvärderingar från finansiärer som KKS, VINNOVA och EU. Forskningsmiljön omfattar flera discipliner och har producerat över 300 publikationer samt utbildat ett stort antal doktorander. Med Region Blekinges satsning på 50 miljoner kronor för forskning inom marinteknik, där även försvarsindustrin ingår, är projektet särskilt inriktat på "dual use innovation." Det innebär att forskningen utvecklar teknologier och innovationer som kan tillämpas både i civila och försvarssektorerna, inklusive totalförsvaret. Projektet kommer att använda etablerade forskningsmetoder och verktyg för att stödja organisationers innovationsförmåga och anpassningsförmåga i mötet med nya utmaningar. Forskningsmetodiken baseras på Design Research Methodology (DRM), vilket möjliggör en strukturerad och iterativ process för att lösa både akademiska och industriella problem. Genom de olika faserna av DRM kommer forskarna att identifiera och raffinera forskningsfrågor, samla in data, utveckla demonstratorer och slutligen utvärdera hur de nya lösningarna påverkar företagens prestanda och innovationskapacitet. Doktoranden som deltar i projektet kommer att fokusera på maskinteknik med koppling till systemteknik, vilket speglar projektets tvärvetenskapliga karaktär. Teamet som stöttar doktoranden har expertis inom innovation, försvarsfrågor och systemteknik, och projektet genomförs i nära samarbete med företag som Saab, FMV, FM samt andra partners som Volvo CE och GKN Aerospace. Projektets mål är att stärka organisationers innovationsförmåga genom utveckling och implementering av nya metoder och verktyg, med särskilt fokus på försvars- och marintekniska tillämpningar. Samverkan mellan akademi och industri är central, och projektet bidrar till ett långsiktigt samarbete med näringslivet samtidigt som det skapar en modell för effektiv forskarutbildning i nära samverkan med industriella partners. |
| Interplay of Long-Term Stress, Physical Activity, and Accelerated Biological Brain Aging: An Interdisciplinary Doctoral Project | The Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences | Jubilee Doctoral Students | 1 | 2024 | SEK 3,839,481 | Medical and Health Sciences, Natural Sciences, Social Sciences | May 15, 2025 - May 15, 2029 | 20240066 | Rui Wang | Biologiskt åldrande av hjärnan är en naturlig del av åldrandet, men kan påskyndas av riskfaktorer som långvarig stress och fysisk inaktivitet. Sambandet mellan långvarig stress och accelererat åldrande av hjärnan är dock fortfarande oklart, likaså i vilken utsträckning specifika typer eller mängder av fysisk aktivitet kan mildra detta samband. Föreliggande doktorandprojekt använder observationskohortstudier från UK Biobank och SLOSH-MRI-studien, med fokus på deltagare 45 år och äldre. Med omfattande data om MRI-markörer, miljömässiga och psykosociala stressfaktorer, biologiska stressmarkörer och fysiska aktivitetsmätningar, syftar projektet till att utforska det intrikata sambandet mellan långvarig stress, fysisk aktivitet och accelererat biologiskt åldrande av hjärnan. Doktorandprojektet utgör en del av Center of Excellence in Physical Activity, Healthy Brain Functions, and Sustainability (E-PABS) vid GIH och syftar till att förbättra forsknings- och utbildningsmiljön genom att tillföra ytterligare kunskap, bredda forskningsagendan och främja tvärvetenskapligt samarbete mellan psykologi, neurovetenskap och epidemiologi. Ett mångsidigt handledarteam av experter från E-PABS, Stressforskningsinstitutet och Stockholms universitets Brain Imaging Center tillhandahåller skräddarsydd utbildning och ramverk för samarbete mellan universiteten. Doktoranden kommer att spela en central roll i utformningen av projektets design och metod samt delta i den pågående datainsamlingen för SLOSH-MRI-studien för fördjupad förståelse för dataanalys och tolkning. Vi planerar att samarbeta med 2-3 företag som är specialiserade på coachning av fysisk aktivitet, sjukförsäkring, specialiserade kliniker, och hälsotjänster för att tillsammans skapa skräddarsydda produkter som tillgodoser specifika behov och öka kunskapsspridningen. I samarbete med ett företag som coachar kring fysisk aktivitet kan vi exempelvis utveckla individuella träningsprogram, skräddarsydda efter en specifik kundprofil, och därigenom hjälpa kunder att navigera och hantera olika livslånga stressfaktorer. Genom samarbete med ett försäkringsbolag (t.ex. Skandia) kan vi utveckla samproducerade produkter, såsom en screeningmetod för accelererat hjärnåldrande, genom att inkludera enkäter som bedömer livslånga stressfaktorer och mönster av fysisk aktivitet. Genom att delta i aktiviteter och nätverk som organiseras genom projektet Jubileumsdoktorand hos KK-stiftelsen kan vi stärka forskningssamarbeten och utbyta värdefulla pedagogiska insikter. I gengäld kan föreliggande projekt bidra till dessa nätverk och gemensamma aktiviteter genom ökad förståelse för hållbart leverne, med fokus på hur stress, fysisk aktivitet och hjärnans åldrande samverkar för att stödja långsiktigt välbefinnande. Resultaten av detta doktorandprogram kan bidra till att leverera betydande värde till akademin, utbildning, företagspartners, kliniskt yrkesverksamma och samhället i stort. |
| Expertkompetens Maxi: AI Management (AIM) | Jönköping University | Education for working professionals | 1 | 2024 | SEK 11,070,000 | Natural Sciences, Engineering and Technology, Social Sciences | January 1, 2025 - December 31, 2028 | 20240102 | Joakim Wikner | Artificial Intelligence (AI) has an increasingly central role in many contexts and from a industrial perspective, data-driven AI is particularly interesting. Digitization and business systems provide large amounts of data, but major challenges remain in terms of how this data can be converted into managerial decision support and contribute to increased competitive advantages. The characteristic of data-driven AI software is that it can handle these ever larger and more complex amounts of data to provide decision support to people or even perform automated decisions. When these individual solutions are handled separately, it becomes a product or service-based challenge, but when applied in an industrial business and in different combinations, they also offer new challenges and opportunities for management and control of industrial operations, which here is summarized with the term management. Many AI technologies are mature, meaning that there are other factors that today prevent the Swedish industry from an increasing and more successful AI utilization. The focus of the proposed project is to offer business-oriented education that focuses on how AI can be used in different ways for management and control of industrial operations. The proposed Graduate Professional Development Program (GPDP) is called AI Management (AIM). The project addresses the issue that many companies and organizations face in terms of lack of knowledge for how to initiate, lead and manage data-driven projects as well as how to leverage AI use in day-to-day business. The perspective of AIM is explicitly that AI technologies should be designed and implemented according to human needs, not the other way around. Similarly, AIM assumes that all AI technology must be credible and ethical. These starting points are, of course, well-aligned with the concept of “human-centered AI”, which is central to the SPARK sub-environment HCIAI. |
| Mission 0 House Stage 1A | Karlstad University | Special initiatives | 1 | 2024 | SEK 50,185,535 | Natural Sciences, Engineering and Technology | January 1, 2025 - December 31, 2029 | 20240105 | Karin Granström | Mission 0 House är en missionsdriven gemensam plats med en enda uppgift - att eliminera antropogena utsläpp av växthusgaser (GHG) från hela produktionskedjorna. Initiativet har som mål att bli en världsledande samarbetsarena inom området med en vision om att nå en nivå av 75 forskare och ingenjörer som varje dag, sida vid sida under samma tak, arbetar med den viktiga och utmanande uppgiften att skapa moderna material utan växthusgasutsläpp - för en hållbar framtid. Idag finns det många ännu inte lösta utmaningar när det gäller att producera växthusgasfria material. Detta väcker en oro för att samhället, akademin och industrin inte agerar på scope 3-utsläppen tillräckligt skyndsamt eller med högsta prioritet, vilket gör det mycket tveksamt att uppnå en klimatneutral framtid i tid. Mission 0 House är fast beslutna att vidta nödvändiga åtgärder. Pilotfasen som har pågått under 2024 i det gemensamma kontoret i Göteborg har byggt upp ett förtroende hos berörda aktörer för att det fysiska gemensamma huset är direkt avgörande för att möjliggöra utsläppsfri teknik inom rimligt tid. Alla gör stora ansträngningar och vidtar åtgärder i de tidiga faserna av materialförsörjningskedjan, inte bara fokusera på scope 1 och 2 av företagens egna utsläpp. Motivationen driver alla partners att göra det lilla extra och tillsätta personal till den gemensama lokalen i Göteborg. Under 2025 går vi in i upprampningsfas, där detta förslag är en del av de kommande initiativen som kommer att fylla huset. Detta förslag gör det möjligt för postdoktorer från 5 universitet (Borås, Jönköping, Karlstad, Mitt och Väst) att arbeta tillsammans med ingenjörer från Borgstena, Polestar, Sekab och SSAB med utsläppsfri produktion av metaller, högpresterande textilier, biobaserade polymerer, förnybara flockningsmedel och växthusgasfri supersortering av återvunnet material. För varje universitet innebär detta samarbete en möjlighet att stärka forskningsområden, genomföra värdefulla studier och stödja postdoktorer i deras karriärer. Dessutom ger det insikt i industriellt viktiga områden och ger värdefull input för utbildningsutveckling vid universitetet - särskilt att förstå de kompetenser som behövs i industrin och som bör ingå i utbildningen av nästa generations ingenjörer. Det ger också erfarenhet av att arbeta i en verklig samproduktionsmiljö, vilket kan inspirera till framtida samarbeten vid universiteten. Industrin som arbetar tillsammans med forskare i huset kommer i sin tur att få insikter i forskningsområden som är relevanta för deras tekniska utveckling. De kommer därmed att ha tillgång till ett bredare spektrum av kunskap för att bygga innovativa lösningar för sina företag. Detta förväntas även vara mycket attraktivt för nya partnerskap. Sammantaget kommer detta initiativ att möjliggöra ett gemensamt hus där forskare och ingenjörer, sida vid sida, arbetar med eliminering av växthusgasutsläpp från tillverkning av framtida moderna material och produkter. |
| Small scale testing and cracking behaviour of Ni-based LMDp repairs (SCALABLE) | Jönköping University | Early academic career | 1 | 2024 | SEK 2,460,000 | Engineering and Technology | January 1, 2025 - December 31, 2026 | 20240100 | Alireza Nazarahari | High-performance alloys, despite their advancements, still suffer damage at high temperatures. Repairing these components, rather than scrapping them, promotes sustainability by reducing waste and greenhouse gas emissions. Laser Metal Deposition (LMD) is a promising repair method due to its control over process parameters. However, most aero-engine components are made by casting and forging, which can cause discrepancies in microstructure and performance between the original and LMD-repaired parts, potentially leading to premature failure and safety risks. To ensure the integrity and safety of repaired components, it’s essential to understand material properties at the repair site and the interface between repaired and base parts. Conventional mechanical testing methods are often impractical for these dimensions, necessitating the development of small-scale testing methods. The SCALABLE project aims to develop and utilize small-scale mechanical testing for repaired Ni-based superalloy aerospace components (e.g., IN-718, Haynes 282). Testing within an electron microscope allows detailed observation of material cracking behavior, providing crucial information for optimizing repair operations. This will enhance the lifespan of Ni-based components and improve sustainability by reducing the need for remanufacturing. SCALABLE is a collaboration between Jönköping University (JU), GKN Aerospace Sweden AB (GKN), and Härdservice AB (Härdservice). GKN will supply repaired components, Härdservice will conduct heat treatments, and JU will handle the development, validation, and execution of small-scale mechanical testing and materials characterization. The project will run from January 1, 2025, to December 31, 2026, with a total funding of 4.58 million SEK (exl. OH), including contributions from the companies, KK-Stiftelsen, and JU. |
| Promoting Healthy Brain Functions through Balanced Screen Use in Adolescents: An Intervention Study | The Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences | Jubilee Doctoral Students | 1 | 2024 | SEK 3,836,481 | Medical and Health Sciences, Social Sciences | August 15, 2025 - August 15, 2029 | 20240055 | Björg Helgadóttir | I ett samhälle där digitalt innehåll är en integrerad del av vardagen är barn och ungdomar särskilt utsatta och behöver strategier och verktyg för att undvika negativa konsekvenser av överdriven skärmanvändning. Detta projekt ger evidens för en intervention och verktyg som kan implementeras i olika miljöer. Syftet är att utveckla en intervention som utrustar ungdomar med strategier för att minska sin skärmtid, som att ersätta den med fysisk aktivitet och främja en mer balanserad skärmanvändning, vilket kan leda till förbättrad mental hälsa och kognition. Ungdomar tillbringar tre fjärdedelar av sina vakna tid stillasittande, och en betydande del av den tiden ägnas åt skärmaktiviteter. Skärmtiden har ändrats drastiskt sedan lanseringen av den första smartphonen i Sverige 2008 och år 2022 hade i stort sett alla ungdomar 13 år eller äldre en smartphone. Ungdomar rapporterar att skärmanvändning påverkar deras dagliga liv, inklusive fysisk aktivitet samt bok- och läxläsning. Överdriven skärmtid kan leda till sämre mental hälsa, störd sömn, sämre skolresultat och ökad risk för övervikt och fetma. Nyligen publicerade Folkhälsomyndigheten en rapport om skärmtid som drog slutsatsen att det behövs interventionsstudier av hög kvalitet. Dessa bör inte enbart fokusera på skärmtid utan även beakta vilket innehåll användaren tar del av samt hur detta påverkar dem. En viktig aspekt i utvecklandet av en framgångsrik intervention är att involvera slutanvändaren, i det här fallet ungdomar. Vi föreslår därför en intervention baserad på tidigare forskning samt feedback från fokusgrupper med ungdomar för att lägga till komponenter och därigenom förbättra interventionen. En pilotstudie kommer att genomföras där kvantitativa och kvalitativa metoder används för att utvärdera förbättringar av skärmtidsvanor, mental hälsa och kognitiv funktion. Projektet är kopplat till Centre for Excellence in Physical Activity and Brain Health (E-PABS) där forskare arbetar med beteendeförändringar, ungdomar och hjärnhälsa. Denna starka forskningsmiljö utgör en stödjande atmosfär för samarbete där doktoranden kan utvecklas och dra nytta av befintlig expertis och erfarenhet. Projektet kommer att genomföras i samarbete med två föreslagna partners: Generation Pep, en ideell organisation inriktad på att förbättra barns hälsa, och Skandia, ett försäkringsbolag vars syfte är att öka trygghet och hälsa hos barn och unga. Generation Peps nätverk kan bidra till att sprida interventionen om den visar sig effektiv, medan Skandias expertis och räckvidd kan öka projektets synlighet och långsiktiga genomslagskraft. Det föreslagna projektet kommer att främja samverkan och nätverksbyggande, färdigheter som är avgörande för framtida akademiska och professionella prestationer. Kunskaper som erhålls under projektet kan även gagna gemensamma workshops, där doktorander från olika discipliner kan dela insikter och utveckla långsiktiga nätverk. |
| Avans Maxi: Software Engineering for Machine Learning (SE4ML) | Jönköping University | Second cycle education | 1 | 2024 | SEK 1,845,000 | Natural Sciences | January 1, 2025 - December 31, 2026 | 20240099 | Ulf Johansson | Developing software containing AI (intelligent and/or learning systems) is radically different from standard program development. For the industry, getting access to AI system programmers and software engineers will most certainly be a challenge. To the best of our knowledge, this master program is the first of its kind in Sweden, and there are actually very few similar programs internationally. While we expect this to change in the near future, there should be an early adopter’s advantage, both for JTH and for the regional industry and other employers who need highly qualified IT professionals. The project will develop a master program in computer science, focused on software engineering for machine learning, commonly referred to as SE4ML. The proposed new program will be offered as a stand-alone master program, starting in 2026, with international and national admission, and also serve as a new specialization for year 4+5 on the existing Computer Science and Engineering (CSE – sv. Civilingenjör datateknik) program, enabling students to choose between this and the existing AI Engineering track. This setup is in line with JTH strategies for “Programme start 2025”, where stand-alone master programs are coordinated with 5-year Civilingenjör programs. |
| WISER – Wales In SwEden on Resilience | Jönköping University | Capacity building | 1 | 2024 | SEK 639,108 | Natural Sciences | June 1, 2025 - May 31, 2026 | 20240097 | Joakim Wikner | Data analytics is gaining in importance with the abundance of data being available. A key objective in a supply chain context is to provide appropriate decision support requiring a systematic and interdisciplinary approach, integrating Decision Theory perspectives. While Operations Research is well-established in Decision Theory and extensively used in Supply Chain Management, its exploitation in sustainable and resilient supply chains is underdeveloped. Prescriptive Decision Theory emphasizes considering rational calculations alongside behavioural aspects. We aim to employ the Cynefin (Welsh for habitat) framework to understand how structured and unstructured circumstances, exploiting quantitative and qualitative data, influence decision-makers. This will help to exploit data to probe, sense, respond and recover to developments, establishing models that are integrate uncertainty contrasting with previous approaches that desire simplicity. This proposal emphasizes the growing importance of integrating criteria such as environmental impact, social needs and monetary costs in designing competitive, sustainable and resilient supply chains. It highlights the need for new methodologies to address such increased complexity in supply chain design. The literature points out that many studies treat green and resilient aspects separately, but to achieve a sustainable and resilient supply chain, both aspects should be considered concurrently. The proposal will consider the interconnectedness between resilience and environmental sustainability, where previous studies have described sustainability as normative and resilience as descriptive. We propose that there is a need for data driven decision making from sustainability and resiliency perspectives simultaneously to enhance the development of environmentally sustainable and resilient supply chains, with only some recent research looking at how this may be done e.g. from a supplier selection perspective. |
| International guest professor in Data Management in AI-integration in operations (DOMAIn) | Jönköping University | Capacity building | 1 | 2024 | SEK 368,984 | Engineering and Technology, Social Sciences | April 1, 2025 - March 31, 2026 | 20240096 | Annika Engström | The project aims to develop a closer collaboration between Jönköping University, School of Engineering (JTH) and University of Udine, Polytechnic Department of Engineering and Architecture, Italy. Specifically, the project intends to support international collaboration within the SPARK area of strength “Human-Centered Industrial AI” (HCIAI) and fill a competence gap in the research profile AFAIR and at the Supply chain and operations management (SCOM) department , concerning data and quality management. Partner companies involved in AFAIR (some of them also strategic partners to JTH) have shown a strong interest in research about data and quality management, but currently such competence is missing among the researchers. Within the research area “Leading and organizing for AI transformation (TRAIL) in AFAIR, a relationship with the research group of Management engineering in Udine has been established. The research group in Udine focuses on research in complexity management and strategic management; innovation management; operations and supply chain management; quality management; and sustainability and Industry 4.0. The group is highly competent in data management in these areas and primarily conducts mixed-methods research, with great skills in quantitative data analysis. The project “Quality Management in AI-Integrated Operations” strives to further develop and deepening the relationship with this research group by connecting one of the professors, expert in data and quality management, with the SCOM department at JTH. |
| SusDig - Collaborative practices and approaches for sustainable digital transformation of the leather industry value chains | University West | Research projects | 1 | 2024 | SEK 4,917,464 | Natural Sciences, Social Sciences | April 1, 2025 - March 31, 2029 | 20240089 | Livia Norström | As one of the worst industries in the world in terms of human and environmental abuse, the textile and leather industry urgently needs sustainable development. Suppliers and employees in the Global South belong to a particularly precarious group of actors in the leather industry value chain. Social audit is a practice that companies use to measure, understand, and report on social and ethical performance in their value chain. However, research shows that social audits only marginally improve value chain employees’ rights. Therefore, the discussion of going beyond social auditing towards more collaborative approaches in the value chain is becoming attractive. Now a digital data flow can be established that enables actors in the value chain to act jointly towards more sustainable practices. Developing this data flow in context poses an interesting and urgent challenge for research and practice. For this research proposal we investigate new approaches and practices for sustainable transformation of the leather industry value chain. The focus is the area of traceability and transparency in the leather industry. We propose an alternative set of collaborative practices and approaches, including 1) dialogue and capacity building of value chain actors about social and environmental sustainability 2) a digital self-assessment tool for leather employees’ working conditions; 3) an enriched digital product passport including both social and environmental sustainability data. Our research and development will complement current, flawed social audit programs and spur collaboration and sustainable transformation of the leather industry. |
| Guestprofessor Paulo Leitao | University West | Capacity building | 1 | 2024 | SEK 369,000 | Natural Sciences, Engineering and Technology | July 1, 2025 - June 30, 2026 | 20240090 | Mikael Ericsson | This project is a recruitment of an International Guest Professor within the core area of the Production System of University West’s (Högskolan Väst, HV), research environment Primus (Knowledge Foundation (KK) environment) with a specialization in Flexible Automation focusing on a Plug and Produce concept using multi-agent technology. The main purpose of the recruitment is to strengthen the core area with an internationally recognized professor within the domain of flexible industrial automation. With this recruitment, a key competence within flexible automation and research leader will be connected to the research group to support the strategic development of the research group. |
| Adjunct professor VM | University West | Capacity building | 1 | 2024 | SEK 1,923,397 | Engineering and Technology | March 1, 2025 - February 29, 2028 | 20240092 | Henrik Eriksson | Goal: To establish a long-term collaboration between VM’s customers (VM-Virtual Manufacturing Sweden AB) and HV for co-production with digital tools and methods that supports Production systems and managing future trends and demands, so PRIMUS environment will be stronger and to create a complete academic environment for the area Production system. Scientific state-of-the-art will be worked out during the project in order to always be in the forefront in applied science. Research and education questions: To develop knowledge and skills in how to utilize, integrate and interact with digital tools and methods that supports production management processes and managing future trends and demands. How to integrate/implement new digital tools and methods into HV’s master programs and research. |
| Senior lector in logistic | University West | Capacity building | 1 | 2024 | SEK 3,032,199 | Engineering and Technology | June 1, 2025 - May 31, 2029 | 20240091 | Lena Aggestam | The need for sustainable and efficient logistics systems is obvious. Experiences from covid-19 and the war between Russia and Ukraine confirm this and show additional needs and logistical challenges. Technology and Industry 5.0 provide opportunities, but also challenges, and there is a need for companies to develop strategies, knowledge and skills in order to get the most out of technology and at the same time build resilient organizations. Research and education contribute strategies, knowledge and tools that companies need to continue developing their logistics systems and their collaboration in efficient and robust value flow chains. The current position will have a special responsibility for building up applied research in logistics towards manufacturing companies, which by its nature takes place in close collaboration. Developing the skills of professionals as well as having a central role in the development and quality assurance of the new program 'Master in Logistics and Operations Management' are other important parts of current recruitment. |
| Associate lecturer in CS (Computer Science) | University West | Capacity building | 1 | 2024 | SEK 2,751,401 | Natural Sciences, Engineering and Technology | January 9, 2025 - August 31, 2029 | 20240088 | Fatiha Djebbar | Algorithm design is a niche expertise needed in a range of production industries be it to optimally place the sensors or process sensors data. Design a secure distributed sensor network with edge processing, investigate source of failure or to develop AI algorithms to monitor the factory floor. There is a need to strengthen the knowledge in applied industrial algorithm design. This is one of the key enablers to increase the level of automation and achieve a sustainable production in the manufacturing industry. In addition, there is a need for teachers at University West in this field, mainly due to the introduction of the new master programs in AI and Automation, Cybersecurity and Software Engineering but also the conection to research needs in automation and manufacturing processes. |
| Digital Product Passports and AI-Driven Decision Support System for Product End-of-Life Management to Enable the Circular Economy (DPP-AIDE) | Jönköping University | Early academic career | 1 | 2024 | SEK 2,459,268 | Natural Sciences | January 1, 2025 - December 31, 2026 | 20240095 | Rahel Kebede | The transition towards a circular economy (CE) in the built environment necessitates innovative approaches to End-of-Life (EoL) management of products. EoL management refers to the strategies employed at the end of a product’s life to recover value or properly dispose of the product. It involves handling products after the original user discards them, aiming to extract as much value as possible through strategies such as reusing, repairing, remanufacturing, repurposing, and recycling. However, the efficient management of EoL strategies for products in the built environment is hindered by the lack of comprehensive, accessible, and structured lifecycle data. The challenge also lies in developing a system that can capture, organize, and utilize detailed product information to optimize EoL decisions. This project addresses this challenge by exploring the use of an AI-driven decision support system (DSS) that employs ontologies for knowledge representation and reasoning. Central to this approach is the development of ontology-based Digital Product Passports (DPPs) to capture detailed product lifecycle information related to EoL. The DPP ontologies will serve as input for the AI-driven DSS to optimize EoL strategies for various products. This system aims to make EoL management more efficient by providing stakeholders with actionable insights based on lifecycle data recorded in DPPs. It will facilitate the identification of the most sustainable EoL pathways for products, thereby benefiting CE practices and reducing the environmental impact of products. |
| Digital Product Passport Systems for Sustainability (PASS4Sustainability) | Jönköping University | Synergy project | 1 | 2024 | SEK 9,340,599 | Natural Sciences, Engineering and Technology | April 1, 2025 - September 30, 2028 | 20240094 | Annika Moscati | The coming regulations mandated by the European Commission will soon require the compulsory implementation of Digital Product Passports (DPPs) in the manufacturing industry. This requirement has surfaced as a contemporary challenge for the industrial sector. The industrial sector is aware of the inevitability of DPP implementation, yet it struggles with uncertainties regarding infrastructural and architectural mechanisms, economic implications, and operations and maintenance. DPPs are designed to enhance transparency, facilitate product traceability, facilitate the Circular Economy, and more broadly, strengthen sustainability practices. For many firms, implementing DPPs will require digital transformation on a fundamental level while other firms have already taken steps towards implementing DPPs. Despite the level of DPP maturity, there will be a need for good examples and guidelines on different levels to deal with DPPs in a coherent and structured way. This research goal is to investigate the possibilities related to the DPPs in terms of benefits that can be brought to the environment, users and manufacturers, and other stakeholders in the product lifecycle. The project aims to develop different instrumental support for making informed decisions about DPP implementation, and information management and to propose an architecture for the DPP usage phase. The focus of the project is on the usage phase with its non-compulsory content and what opportunities and challenges this creates forwards (reuse, refurbish, end-of-life) and backwards (product development and production) in the value chain. To reach the project objectives, a consortium of nine senior researchers from three departments within the School of Engineering at Jönköping University will cooperate with six partner companies. The initiative will further engage two PhD students, appointed to foster interdisciplinary synthesis across the three subprojects. |
| Securing development and transfer of knowledge for Swedish battery industry competitiveness – focusing industrialization and production | Mälardalen University | Special initiatives | 1 | 2024 | SEK 7,998,000 | Engineering and Technology | January 13, 2025 - January 8, 2027 | 20240200 | Helena Jerregård | Mälardalen University (MDU) is very concerned about the current crisis at Northvolt and its risks for the Swedish and European battery sector, and ultimately, the electrification as part of the urgent green transformation for the climate. MDU has therefore taken actions within knowledge and competence development, with a special focus on the advanced R&D and pilot production site in Västerås. It is of national and European interest to secure the battery product realization process, from R&D to industrialization and production operations. While most attention is on product development (including material and chemistry), we want to address the downstream perspective, starting with the industrialization of the product (from design and engineering prototype phase) preparing for production, to start-of-production and ramp-up to planned volume. Developing the knowledge and competence base for battery cell industrialization and production is the focus of this application. It sets the preconditions for productivity and profitability in the battery industry. From an academic perspective, it complements other Swedish universities’ profiles. From an industrial view, it addresses the challenge of starting up and scaling production. The current situation in battery cell industrialization and production in Sweden underscores the need to accelerate the development of education at both basic and expert levels, besides developing new knowledge. Recruiting experts with critical knowledge laid off from Northvolt is part of this strategy. We propose to build a small, competent, and efficient team to coordinate necessary actions within industrialization and production. Actions have already been taken to initiate the process, with interviews with former Northvolt employees. MDU applies for funding of 6 + 2 MSEK (optional) for a strategic project from KKS to recruit competence and build knowledge in battery cell industrialization and production. The aim is to recruit experts from Northvolt with in-depth knowledge of battery cell production, which could help build and integrate knowledge into the research and education environment at MDU, as well as initiate a competence retention in Sweden. As part of the project, both a state-of-the-art study and a state-of-the-practice study will be performed, and a potential Northvolt use case within the new MARC profile funded by KKS will be planned. Developing new education material for training and education is part of the project and the plan to retain competence in Sweden. Additionally, we propose an optional but important work package to strengthen relations with Northvolt via adjunct or affiliated persons to MDU. Finally, the project will involve developing a research strategy for the next step. |
| Resilience, redundancy and robustness for space based services | The Swedish National Defence College | Jubilee Doctoral Students | 1 | 2024 | SEK 3,840,000 | Engineering and Technology, Social Sciences | February 3, 2025 - February 3, 2029 | 20240050 | Thomas Frisk | Med avstamp i det försämrade internationella politiska läget med Rysslands invasion av Ukraina har regeringen varit tydlig med att FHS bör bredda och fördjupa den egna forskningen och undervisningen på grund- och avancerad nivå i ämnet rymdbaserade förmågor och tjänster. Doktorandprojektets syfte är att identifiera existerande och planerade rymdbaserade tjänster som är kritiska för det svenska samhället samt för Sveriges totalförsvar. Den övergripande frågeställningen är: vilka rymdbaserade tjänster är kritiska för det svenska samhället? En fortsättning på forskningsfrågan är hur redundans eller resilient förmåga kan erhållas för identifierade rymdbaserade tjänster med höga tillgänglighetskrav. Ett flertal internationella aktörer har de senaste åren demonstrerat och driftsatt kommersiellt lönsamma system, där kostnaderna har varit väsentligen lägre än tidigare. Eftersom användandet av dessa tjänster nu ökar dramatiskt, så finns goda affärsmöjligheter för svenska företag att på kort sikt öka robusthet, redundans och resiliens i svenska kommunikationsnät, finansiella tjänster m.m. På lång sikt finns också goda möjligheter för svenska företag att bygga egenägd rymdbaserad infrastruktur och tillhandahålla säljbara robusta tjänster, samt erbjuda resiliensförmåga. |
| Total Defence, the Business Sector and Sweden as a NATO Ally | The Swedish National Defence College | Jubilee Doctoral Students | 1 | 2024 | SEK 3,840,000 | Social Sciences | January 20, 2025 - January 20, 2030 | 20240051 | Kersti Larsdotter | I en alltmer turbulent omvärld, med krig och konflikter i Sveriges närhet, och ett ökat hot mot en regelbaserad världsordning, både från statliga och icke-statliga aktörer, har vikten av ett väl fungerande totalförsvar och ett robust samhälle ökat. Det civila försvaret utgör en viktig del av totalförsvaret, och ansvarar för att samhället kan fortsätta att fungera även vid höjd beredskap, kris och krig. Företag verksamma i Sverige har en viktig roll i att bidra till och upprätthålla ett motståndskraftigt samhälle och har en självklar roll i det svenska totalförsvaret. I och med det svenska Nato-medlemskapet sker dock en stor förändring i svensk säkerhetspolitik och försvar. Vad får det för konsekvenser för svenska företags bidrag till totalförsvaret? Vilken roll spelar näringslivet i ett starkt och väl fungerande totalförsvar i Sverige och i andra Nato-medlemmars försvarsförmåga? Hur kan samverkan mellan privata företag, nationella och internationella myndigheter/försvarsmakter bäst organiseras? Vilken roll har Nato-medlemmars näringsliv i ett svenskt totalförsvar? Syftet med projektet är att skapa en bättre förståelse för hur svenska företag och myndigheter (särskilt Försvarsmakten), i Sverige och i övriga Nato, kan organiseras för att tillsammans bidra till ett starkt försvar av Sverige och svenska medborgare, men också av andra Nato-medlemmar. Projektet syftar även till att skapa nätverk och ökad förståelse mellan viktiga aktörer i uppbyggnaden och upprätthållandet av ett starkt totalförsvar. |
| Specialization and Integration. On the relations between professions in the construction of our living environment | Södertörn University | Jubilee Doctoral Students | 1 | 2024 | SEK 3,839,997 | Humanities and the Arts | September 1, 2025 - August 31, 2029 | 20240061 | Håkan Nilsson | Doktorandprojektet ”Specialisering och integrering. Om professionernas relationer i byggandet av vår livsmiljö” utgår från den centrala forskningsfrågan om hur olika yrkesgruppers specialiseringar kan integreras bättre i stadsutvecklingen. Projektet utgör en del av vår pågående forskningssatsning ”Gestaltad livsmiljö i samverkan”. Gestaltad livsmiljö är namnet på den samlade kulturpolitik för gestaltningen av våra bostadshus, kontor, skolor, sjukhus, parker och torg som sjösattes med propositionen Gestaltad livsmiljö (2017/18:110). Det övergripande målet är att genom arkitektur, konst och design bidra till en socialt och ekologiskt hållbar stadsutveckling som adresserar samhällsutmaningar kopplade till klimat, globalisering samt segregation. För att bidra till en utveckling som kan svara upp mot de höga krav på samverkan som kommer med en sådan helhetstanke, har ämnet konstvetenskap i samarbete med Konstfack och olika företrädare för näringslivet tagit fram en magisterutbildning för yrkesverksamma för dem som arbetar inom fältet. Under processen med detta arbete påbörjades också miljöbygget ”Gestaltad livsmiljö i samverkan” där vi snabbt identifierade många tvärvetenskapliga forskningsfrågor. Det sökta doktorandprojektet är en viktig del av detta bygge. Doktorandprojektet ”Specialisering och integrering. Om professionernas relationer i byggandet av vår livsmiljö” med sitt fokus på samarbetet mellan professioner i byggandet av vår gestaltade livsmiljö kommer att bidra till ny kunskap som är användbar i yrkeslivet. Det kommer också kunna bidra med nya forskningsfrågor och metoder. Projektet rör sig bland dagens samhällsbyggare och analyserar hur de arbetar med livsmiljöernas gestaltning. Målet är att identifiera hinder för samarbete och strategier för att övervinna dessa. Forskningsfrågan utgår från problemet om hur implementeringen av de politiska ambitioner som återfinns i med socialt och ekologiskt hållbar stadsutveckling ser ut i praktiken. Projektet kommer att kunna belysa den nya kulturpolitikens föreställningar om en sömlös samsyn och samverkan mellan konstens domän och andra involverade aktörer inom exempelvis bygg- och förvaltningssektorn ser ut i praktiken, samt identifiera de svårigheter och målkonflikter som uppstår när dessa sektorer samverkar inom specifika stadsutvecklingsprojekt. Resultaten från doktorandprojektet kommer att vara näringslivet och samhället till gagn på flera plan. Projektet skapar ny kunskap om hur aktörer från näringslivet svarar mot de ambitiösa kulturpolitiska målen om en socialt och ekologiskt hållbar samhällsutveckling. Det kommer att på djupet analysera hur de politiska målen om kulturmiljön och estetiska värden implementeras i praktiken. På lång sikt kan forskningsprojekts resultat ge näringslivet verktyg och insikter som bidrar till en ökad samverkan med konstnärlig och arkitektonisk yrkeskompetens, och en ökad samsyn om hur kreativitet och konstnärlig kvalitet ska kunna prägla samhällsutvecklingen. |
| Transformative change and corporate sustainability reporting | Örebro University | Jubilee Doctoral Students | 1 | 2024 | SEK 3,688,393 | Social Sciences | September 1, 2025 - August 31, 2030 | 20240038 | Linda Soneryd | EU:s gröna giv är ett ambitiöst och systematiskt försök att påverka finansiella flöden och därigenom indirekt påverka marknadsnormer och företagens praktik. I detta projekt fokuserar vi genomförandet av den europeiska gröna given genom att analysera hur begreppet hållbarhet formas i och av rapporteringsprocessen hos företag enligt direktivet om företags hållbarhetsrapportering (CSRD). Projektet bygger på fallstudier och nära samarbeten med företag i deras praktiska arbete med att uppfylla de nya kraven. Det vetenskapliga bidraget och originaliteten i projektet uppnås genom att transformativ expertis studeras i en företagskontext. Litteraturen om transformativ expertis har hittills fokuserat interna vetenskapliga diskurser och praktiker. Vi kommer att använda och anpassa begreppet transformativ expertis till vårt empiriska fokus på företagen och hållbarhetsrapporteringen. I relation till detta formulerar vi tre övergripande forskningsfrågor: 1. Hur formas begreppet hållbarhet i och av rapporteringsprocessen? 2. Vilken expertis mobiliseras i dessa processer? 3. Hur kan vi förstå företagens och hållbarhetsrapporteringens roll och potential att bidra till transformativ förändring? Projektet kommer att anställa en doktorand i sociologi. Projektgruppen samlar professorer och docenter inom miljösociologi med lång erfarenhet av forskning om miljöreglering och styrning. Dessutom involverar teamet expertis inom hållbarhetsvetenskap. Örebro universitet erbjuder flera forskningsnätverk och miljöer. Projektet kopplar också till värdefulla nationella och internationella nätverk. Doktorandprojektet kommer att bidra till att stärka forskningsmiljöernas konceptuella utveckling samt kompetensen inom transdisciplinär forskningsmetodlogi genom de nära samarbetena med företagen. |
| Future Socially Sustainable Student Housing: A Tiny Living Lab approach (FLUSH) | Halmstad University | Jubilee Doctoral Students | 1 | 2024 | SEK 3,840,000 | Social Sciences, Natural Sciences | January 1, 2025 - December 31, 2029 | 20240068 | Vaike Fors | Detta projekt syftar till att samproducera designkoncept för socialt hållbara studentbostäder på campus vid Högskolan i Halmstad, Halmstad i samverkan med externa intressenter samt studenter. Projektet är en integrerad del av det tvärvetenskapliga forskningsprogrammet REBEL vid Högskolan i Halmstad och ingår i högskolans profilområde ‘Smart Cities and Communities’, som fokuserar på att utveckla kunskaper och metoder för hur framtidens smarta livsmiljöer kan samproduceras med aktörer i både den privata och offentliga sektorn med utgångspunkt i förståelse av människors vardagsliv och lokala värden. Projektet innehåller därför både samproducerande metodutveckling med externa intressenter, samt användar-involverande design av studentboenden på campus. Doktoranden kommer att handledas av ett team av forskare med lång erfarenhet av tvärsektoriell, transdisciplinär forskning, med ett särskilt intresse för samverkansmodeller. Studentkåren och Studentkåren kommer att vara nyckelpartner, medan industri- och offentliga organisationer som HFAB och Intea kommer att delta på grund av sitt engagemang i utvecklingsprojektet Campus 2030. Carlstedts Arkitekter, tillsammans med IKEA, har visat intresse på grund av sitt intresse för användar -involverande utformning av socialt hållbara boenden och livsmiljöer. Projektet kommer att utgå från de övergripande teoretiska och praktiska ramverken inom REBELs och konkret arbeta med att etablera samskapande utrymmen på campus, så kallade 'Tiny Living Labs', där studenter, forskare och externa intressenter ska utforska, samskapa och tillsammans för att förverkliga nya koncept för framtida studentliv. ’Tiny Living Lab’ ansatsen kommer i sig att bli en utkomst från projektet. De samproducerade designkoncepten kommer sedan att omvandlas till praktiska demonstrationer av de olika typologierna av studentbostäder som kommer att identifieras, samt ge en grund för att utveckla en ‘social byggnorm’. Projektet avser att undersöka och ta itu med de många faktorer som påverkar upplevelsen av studenternas livsmiljö för att skapa attraktiva, inkluderande campus-lösningar i Halmstad som potentiellt kan inspirera utvecklingen av studentbostäder på andra håll i Sverige. Projektet kommer också att ta sin utgångspunkt i att integrera fysiska material med digital teknik för att undersöka vilken roll smart teknik kan spela i framtida campus-bostäder bortom enkla förgivettaganden vad som gör ett hem ‘smart’ och istället fokusera på en mer radikal omformning av vad inkluderande, jämlikt och hållbart boende faktiskt betyder, till utseende och erfarenhet, för de yngre generationerna. |
| AI to streamlining idea management for innovation | Karlstad University | Jubilee Doctoral Students | 1 | 2024 | SEK 3,840,000 | Engineering and Technology, Natural Sciences | September 1, 2025 - August 31, 2030 | 20240070 | Peter Magnusson | Det tänkta doktorandprojektet ska övergripande utforska hur företag kan använda GenAI för att stärka sin konkurrenskraft. Mer specifikt är tanken att undersöka möjligheterna att effektivisera de tidiga faserna i innovationsprocessen, till exempel, hur idéer kan utvärderas, men även hur nya idéer kan genereras med hjälp av GenAI. Doktorandprojektet innefattar forskningsområdena innovationsledning och datavetenskap. AI har tidigare främst utnyttjas för mekaniska/analytiska beräkningar där beslut görs strikt rationellt. Den tekniska utvecklingen har möjliggjort att AI i allt högre omfattning även kommer att kunna klara mer intuitiva uppgifter där en större kontextuell förståelse krävs (Huang och Rust, 2018). AI används redan idag i innovationsprocessen, där projekt med hög AI-användning i idéutvecklingen har en nästan fyrfaldigt högre framgångsgrad (Zhang et al., 2021). Projektet kommer att kunna utnyttja egna data, form av ett tusental expertutvärderade idéer, från mer än 20-års forskning inom idea management vid CTF för att studera hur man kan lära en AI-bot att automatiskt utvärdera idéer. Ett ytterligare tänkbart spår är att utgå från identifierade problem för att undersöka hur GenAI skulle kunna utnyttjas för att skapa olika innovativa lösningar till dessa problem. Projektet avser även bidra med kunskap avseende de organisatoriska förmågor som krävs för att implementera och applicera GenAI i idéhanteringsprocesser, men också att belysa de organisatoriska utmaningar som följer av en sådan implementation. En aspekt som bedöms särskilt intressant är att studera ”könsbias” vid användningen av AI inom idea management. En tydligare avgränsning kommer att göras när doktoranden har rekryterats. |
| Safe in place with GeoAI | University of Gävle | Jubilee Doctoral Students | 1 | 2024 | SEK 3,811,207 | Natural Sciences | July 1, 2025 - June 30, 2030 | 20240062 | Stefan Seipel | Den senaste utvecklingen inom geografisk AI (GeoAI) förändrar avsevärt hur rumsliga data bearbetas, analyseras och tillämpas och medför ökad effektivitet och noggrannhet i geografiska beslutssituationer. Till exempel i stadsplanering kan AI-driven bearbetning av geodata bidra till att optimera stadens infrastruktur, trafikflöde och resurshantering. Inom miljöövervakning används GeoAI för krishantering, klimatmodellering och spårning av avskogning eller föroreningar. Därutöver kan GeoAI öka precisionen för GPS och navigationssystem, vilket gynnar logistik, transporter och allmän säkerhet. Samtidig uppstår betydande risker när GeoAI blir alltmer dominerande i analys och generering av geodata. Beroende på kvaliteten hos indata och de inblandade modellerna riskerar GeoAI att skapa ojämlikheter, osäkerhet, feltolkningar eller vilseledande information. I kritiska beslutssituationer innebär det potentiellt allvarliga konsekvenser för privat och offentlig verksamhet. Projektet syftar till att förstå och kunna hantera dessa risker genom att vidareutveckla och studera GeoAI-metoder för analys och generering av geoinformation. På övergripande nivå kommer projektet att öka kunskapen om tillförlitligheten och säkerheten hos GeoAI, vilket är en samhällsrelevant utmaning och rentav nödvändig för en hållbar och motståndskraftig utveckling. I och med det angriper projekt inte bara relevanta frågeställningar hos potentiella externa samarbetspartners. Det är även strategiskt viktigt och i linje med Högskolan i Gävles (HiG) verksamhetsmål om att "forma framtiden genom utbildning och forskning som löser samhällsutmaningar och genom samverkan skapa en hållbar värld." Jubileumsdoktoranden kommer att vara ett värdefullt bidrag från KKS i den fortsatta etableringen av Geospatial Informationsvetenskap (GIV) som en profilerad och stark akademisk miljö vid HiG, vilket möjliggör att ytterligare bredda relationerna med externa partners för ökad samproduktion. Projektets förväntade resultat är: Doktorandgruppen växer, vilket även leder till fler möjligheter för yngre forskare till handledning och därigenom bygga sina akademiska meritportföljer. Den tematiska inriktningen mot AI kompletterar de senaste trenderna i utvecklingen av utbildningar på grund- och avancerad nivå vid institutionen. Därigenom kommer kopplingarna mellan forskning och grundutbildning stärkas. Projektet går även hand i hand med flera nyare och för närvarande pågående rekryteringar av lektorer inom området AI, vilket resulterar i synergier och ökad kritisk massa. De tekno-kritiska frågeställningar som projektet tar upp är högaktuella och relevanta. Externa samarbetspartners som vi inledningsvis har delgett projektplanerna, har visat stort intresse för forskningsfrågorna. Vid bifall av ansökan förväntas projektet kunna etablera produktiva samarbeten med externa parter inom relevanta offentliga och privata verksamheter. |
| Supporting Individual Prosthetic Design Preferences (SIP-DP) – Development and evaluation of an AI based patient decision aid. | Jönköping University | Jubilee Doctoral Students | 1 | 2024 | SEK 3,788,550 | Medical and Health Sciences, Engineering and Technology | August 18, 2025 - August 17, 2029 | 20240040 | Nerrolyn Ramstrand | Trots betydande framsteg och ett ökande antal behandlingsalternativ för personer som behöver proteser upplever patienter i Sverige att de inte får tillräcklig information om sina alternativ. Detta projekt syftar till att åtgärda detta genom att utveckla och utvärdera ett AI-baserat patientbeslutsstöd (PDA) som ger tydlig och evidensbaserad information om olika behandlingsalternativ, samt hjälper patienter att göra informerade val angående den estetiska utformningen av sina proteser. För att identifiera de variabler som har störst potential att förutsäga preferenser för protesdesign kommer en tvärsnittsstudie att genomföras. Informationen från detta initiala arbete kommer att användas för att stödja utformningen av patientbeslutsstödet, som kommer att utvecklas genom en användarcentrerad designprocess med involvering av projektpartners och protesanvändare. En randomiserad kontrollerad studie kommer att utvärdera de relativa effekterna av att använda PDA för patienternas nöjdhet med proteser och tjänster de får från projektpartners. Slutligen kommer en kvalitativ studie att utforska erfarenheterna hos ortopedingenjörer och patienter som använder PDA vilket kommer att stödja vidare utveckling och förfining av verktyget. Det förväntas att PDA kommer att stödja delat beslutsfattande i konsultationer mellan ortopedingenjörer och deras patienter, och att användningen av beslutsstödet kommer att leda till ökad patientnöjdhet med de proteser som tillhandahålls av våra projektpartners. |
| Water, waste and energy- resource use/reuse with zero climate impact and system perspective | Mälardalen University | Jubilee Doctoral Students | 1 | 2024 | SEK 3,840,000 | Engineering and Technology | June 1, 2025 - September 30, 2029 | 20240074 | Eva Thorin | Detta doktorandprojekt, som ska genomföras i samarbete med MDU:s strategiska partners – VEMM-gruppen, som inkluderar Mälarenergi AB, Eskilstuna Energi och Miljö AB och VafabMiljö – syftar till att utforska och utveckla innovativa, kostnadseffektiva och flexibla lösningar för att hantera vatten, avfall och energi samtidigt som man uppnår noll klimatpåverkan och inkluderar möjliga framtida livsmedelsproduktionssystem. Inspirerat av den extrema resurseffektiviteten hos rymduppdrag fokuserar projektet på att utveckla koncept för hypercirkulära system som integrerar resursanvändning i ett slutet system. Dessa system kommer att integrera AI-baserade verktyg, avancerade modelleringstekniker och realtidsövervakning för att optimera resursanvändningen och minimera klimatpåverkan. Projektet kommer också att utforska potentialen för integration av dessa system i urbana miljöer, vilket bidrar till hållbar stadsinfrastruktur och hållbara system för byggnader. MDU:s avancerade testbäddar, inklusive fullskaliga vertikala odlingssystem, kan användas som plattformar för experiment och validering i verkliga system. Scenarioanalys kommer att ingå i projektet och tvärvetenskapligt samarbete med inkludering av till exempel ekonomiska, sociala och policydimensioner, kan ingå för att utveckla hållbara och skalbara lösningar som erbjuder långsiktiga miljömässiga och ekonomiska fördelar. Ämnet för doktorsexamen kommer att vara energi- och miljöteknik. Projektet kommer att utföras inom forskningsinriktningen Framtidens energi vid MDU, med handledare inom energiteknik, miljöteknik och byggnadsteknik och med erfarenhet av doktorandhandledning i tvärvetenskapliga företagsforskarskolor. Doktoranden kommer att ingå i samarbeten med företag och arbeta nära med partners för att adressera operativa utmaningar, lösningar och utveckling i linje med deras strategier. Det är planerat att doktoranden arbetar med organisationerna inom VEMM-avtalet och i kontakt med samarbetspartners i deras nätverk. I doktorandstudierna kommer det att ingå litteraturstudier, doktorandkurser och publicering av resultat vid internationella konferenser, i vetenskapliga tidskrifter samt i workshops och seminarier med partners och andra intressenter. |
| The circular factory | Mälardalen University | Jubilee Doctoral Students | 1 | 2024 | SEK 3,840,000 | Engineering and Technology | January 1, 2025 - January 25, 2030 | 20240084 | Mats Jackson | För att svensk tillverkningsindustri ska nå klimatmålen och leda den gröna omställningen behövs en innovativ ansats för produktionsutveckling. Dagens fabriker följer ett linjärt tänkande som bygger på ständigt nya resurser och låser in enorma investeringar i icke-cirkulära byggnader, maskiner och utrustning i decennier. Nya fabriker måste kunna uppfylla framtidens klimatmål och höga krav på cirkularitet. Doktorandprojektet ”Den cirkulära fabriken” fokuserar på att utveckla metodik för produktionsdesign som stödjer både nyetablering och omställning, med målet att skapa insikt i, och kunskap om hur fabriker måste förändras för att bli mer cirkulära. Den övergripande forskningsfrågan är helt enkelt; Hur skulle ett generiskt produktionskoncept för omställning mot ett cirkulärt fabriksupplägg kunna se ut? Eller än mer kortfattat: Hur ser ett cirkulärt fabrikskoncept ut? Med utgångspunkt från detta ser vi redan ett stort antal intressanta delfrågor som behöver utredas. Projektet är tvärvetenskapligt och kommer att bedrivas i samproduktion med industrin baserat på etablerade samarbeten med ABB Robotics, Alfa Laval, Hitachi Energy, Northvolt, Scania och Volvo CE som alla nu genomför stora fabriksinvesteringar. Rubriken för doktorandprojektet är ”Den cirkulära fabriken - Produktionsdesign för omställning till den cirkulära fabriken”. Ämnet för examen på forskarnivå är ”Industriella System” som handlar om framtagningen av hållbara produkter, produktionssystem, tjänster och tillhörande digital teknik. Forskningen inom industriella system kräver tvärvetenskaplig kompetens och omfattar inslag från både datavetenskap och produkt- och produktionsutveckling. Forskningen har ett ingenjörsperspektiv och handlar om att undersöka möjligheter, utmaningar och lösningar som rör både anpassning, integrering och införande av teknik såväl som organisations- och ledningsfrågor inom de industriella systemen. |
| Regional Cybersecurity Awareness for SMEs in Production | Jönköping University | Jubilee Doctoral Students | 1 | 2024 | SEK 3,840,000 | Natural Sciences | September 1, 2025 - August 31, 2030 | 20240071 | Joakim Mattias Eddie Kävrestad | Cyberattacker inträffar regelbundet, och cybersäkerhet har därmed blivit en viktig del av att driva företag. Många av dessa attacker riktar sig mot små och medelstora företag (SMF), som dessutom är särskilt sårbara eftersom de ofta saknar de kompetenser och resurser som större företag besitter. Detta projekt fokuserar därför på cybersäkerhet i SMFer, med särskilt fokus på den tillverkande industrin. Anledningen till att fokusera på tillverkande SMFer är att de har identifierats som en grupp med särskilda utmaningar och låg kunskap om cybersäkerhet. Cybersäkerhet har historiskt setts som något tekniskt, men de flesta framgångsrika cyberattacker utnyttjar användare och användarbeteende snarare än teknik. Därför måste användare göras medvetna om de cyberattacker de kan utsättas för och hur de kan undvika dessa. I litteraturen beskrivs flera olika sätt att öka medvetenheten hos användare, men dessa är inte effektiva om de inte implementeras på rätt sätt. Tidigare forskning visar att tillverkande SMFer har svårt att implementera medvetandehöjande åtgärder på ett effektivt sätt. Syftet med detta projekt är därför att undersöka hur medvetandehöjande åtgärder kan implementeras effektivt i tillverkande SMFer. Projektet kommer att genomföras i nära samarbete med partners från industrin. En referensgrupp, bestående av både tillverkande SMFer och företag som arbetar med cybersäkerhetsmedvetenhet, kommer att etableras. Referensgruppen kommer att stödja projektet både med praktisk domänkunskap och genom att tillhandahålla fall där forskningsaktiviteter kan utföras. Metodansatsen är kollaborativ forskning där vi planerar att utveckla en artefakt som SMFer kan använda för att utvärdera sin egen nivå av cybersäkerhetsmedvetenhet samt få hjälp med att välja lämpliga åtgärder för att höja densamma. Forskningsaktiviteter kommer att genomföras i nära samverkan med medverkande företagspartners, och för att stödja projektets doktorand kommer därför en befintlig kurs i samproduktion att vidareutvecklas och inkluderas i forskarutbildningen. Projektet kommer att kopplas till styrkeområdet in:sure i miljön SPARK vid Jönköping University (JU). Cybersäkerhet är en del av hållbar och resilient produktutveckling, som är en central del av in:sures kärna. Cybersäkerhet har dock tidigare fått mindre uppmärksamhet. Med detta projekt kan vi stärka in:sure genom ökad cybersäkerhetsforskning och samtidigt skapa nya samarbeten inom JU och med nya industriella partners. Projektet kommer också att inkluderas i nationella nätverk, inte minst det nyskapade Cybercampus, där projektet kommer att bidra till att etablera JU inom svensk cybersäkerhetsforskning. |
| Language development beyond the classroom: A collaborative study of adult migrants in the workplace | Linnaeus University | Jubilee Doctoral Students | 1 | 2024 | SEK 3,840,000 | Humanities and the Arts, Social Sciences | September 1, 2025 - August 30, 2029 | 20240082 | Robert Walldén | Integrationen av migranter på den svenska arbetsmarknaden är en av vår tids stora utmaningar. Trots omfattande insatser kvarstår betydande skillnader i sysselsättningsgrad mellan inrikes och utrikes födda, samtidigt som det råder brist på kvalificerad arbetskraft inom flera branscher. Ansvaret för att vuxna migranter får utveckla de språkkunskaper de behöver i arbetslivet faller i hög utsträckning på utbildningen svenska för invandare (sfi), men forskning tyder på att utbildningen inte förbereder eleverna för den språkliga verklighet de möter utanför klassrummet (Walldén, 2024). Därtill har studier visat att integrering av arbetsplatspraktik i sfi-utbildningen inte heller nödvändigtvis erbjuder elever goda möjligheter till språkutveckling (Agebjörn & Walldén, 2024). Det behövs därför mer kunskap om vilka språkliga krav olika typer av arbetsplatser ställer och vilka möjligheter till språkutveckling de erbjuder. Mot denna bakgrund föreslås doktorandprojektet Språkutveckling bortom klassrummet: En samverkande studie av vuxna migranter i arbetslivet. Syftet är att, genom samverkan mellan Linnéuniversitetet och näringslivet, undersöka hur vuxna migranter använder svenska språket på olika typer av arbetsplatser och hur arbetsplatserna kan bidra till att främja de anställdas språkutvecklingen. Samverkan med näringslivet etableras via sydsvenska sfi-utbildningar som genom satsningar på yrkessvenska och arbetsplatspraktik har goda kontakter med olika företag (Walldén, 2024). Projektet designas som en flerfallsstudie. Deltagarna är vuxna migranter som arbetar inom minst två olika branscher. I en första fas genomförs intervjuer med deltagarna och observationer på arbetsplatserna. I en andra fas hämtar projektet inspiration från aktionsforskning, så till vida att doktoranden tillsammans med migranterna och nyckelpersoner på arbetsplatserna diskuterar, planerar och följer upp hur arbetsplatsen kan utvecklas för att stödja migranternas språkutveckling. Projektet har stor potential att bidra med kunskaper både om hur näringslivet kan utveckla förutsättningar för språkutveckling på olika typer arbetsplatser och om hur sfi-utbildningen kan utvecklas för att mer effektivt förbereda eleverna för den språkliga verklighet de möter i arbetslivet. Detta är av central betydelse för Sveriges konkurrenskraft. Projektet skulle vidare dra nytta av en nyrekryterad gästprofessors specialkompetens om svenska för invandrare och därmed vidga Linnéuniversitetets forskningsmiljö kring flerspråkighet med relevans för flera professionsutbildningar vid lärosätet.. Agebjörn, A., & Walldén, R. (2024). Språkpraktik och språkutveckling – en textbaserad studie om svenska för invandrare. Nordand, 19(1), 38–56. https://doi.org/10.18261/nordand.19.1.4 Walldén, R. (2024). Adult migrants’ voices about learning and using Swedish at work placements in basic language education. Studies in the Education of Adults, 56(1), 43–65. https://doi.org/10.1080/02660830.2023.2246763 |
| Elective courses at advanced level; Collaborative Sustainable Textile and Fashion Design | University of Borås | Special initiatives | 1 | 2024 | SEK 2,400,000 | Humanities and the Arts | December 1, 2024 - November 30, 2027 | 20240034 | Karin Landahl | Högskolan i Borås står inför en unik möjlighet att fördjupa och förlänga samverkansprojekt med FN och regionalt näringsliv, med stark inriktning mot hållbar design och produktion inom textil och mode. För närvarande har Textilhögskolan vid Högskolan i Borås, som första lärosäte sedan starten 1952, fått det prestigefyllda uppdraget att designa och producera en ny klädkollektion för guiderna på FN-högkvarteret i New York. Grundpelare i uppdraget är att arbeta utifrån FN:s globala hållbarhetsmål, samt med ledorden innovation och inkludering. En grupp designstudenter genomför designutvecklingen inom ramen för en fristående kurs, vid institutionen för design på Textilhögskolan. Kursen och projektet genomförs nu med lansering av färdig kollektion i april 2025 på UN HQ. Det nuvarande uppdraget/projektet innefattar designutveckling av klädkollektion till guiderna samt produktion av plaggen i samverkan med regionala/nationella produktionsaktörer. Att formge profilkläderna till FN:s guider är ett uppdrag som tidigare gått till modehus som Dior, Benetton, Mondrian mfl. Kollektionen som nu utvecklas består av sju plagg samt accessoarer och varje plagg produceras i kvantitet om 85 stycken. FN ser gärna en fortsatt samverkan med Högskolan i Borås och våra designstudenter och då att kollektionen skulle kunna uppdateras med något mindre tillägg som tex en accessoar eller mindre produkt genom ny designutveckling och ny samverkan med svensk textilindustri. Vi söker medel för utveckling och genomförande av ny fristående kurs på avancerad nivå, som förlängning och vidareutveckling av nuvarande samverkansprojekt. Finansiering söks för kursutveckling och genomförande av kurser under en treårsperiod i samverkan mellan Institutionen för design vid Textilhögskolan, svensk textilindustri och FN. De 17 globala målen för hållbar utveckling är utgångspunkt i kurserna för design- och produktionsutmaningar. Genom de tre parterna i projektets samverkan; Textilhögskolan (akademin), svensk textilproduktion (näringsliv) och Förenta Nationerna (global mellanstatlig organisation) finns möjligheter för unik utveckling av och nya lösningar för hållbarhetsfrågor i praktiken inom textil och modesektorn för studenter och producenter. Syftet är att utifrån erfarenheter och kunskaper från nuvarande projekt och kurs utveckla en ny fristående kurs på avancerad nivå med fokus på samverkan och samarbete inom hållbarhet utifrån ett designperspektiv som kommer ges två gånger under en treårsperiod vid designinstitutionen på Textilhögskolan, Högskolan i Borås. Kursen samverkar med svensk textilindustri och varje kurstillfälle kan resultera i en produktion av en mindre produkt som kan adderas till befintlig guidekollektion på FN för daglig användning. |
| Rebuilding Culture: Analytical models and architectural method development and collaboration methods in existing buildings | The Royal Institute of Art | Jubilee Doctoral Students | 1 | 2024 | SEK 3,840,000 | Humanities and the Arts, Natural Sciences | August 1, 2025 - July 31, 2029 | 20240078 | Lone-Pia Kjaer Bach | I förhållande till KK-stiftelsens Jubileumsdoktorander 2024 har Kungl. Konsthögskolan (KKH) valt att fokusera på två av våra tvärdisciplinära områden inom konst och arkitektur där samhällsperspektivet redan har en stor betydelse: konstnärlig livsmiljö och ombyggnadskultur. Det är områden som har stor relevans i samtiden eftersom man inom dem adresserar samhällets stora miljömässiga och sociala utmaningar, och tydliggör konsten och arkitekturens viktiga roll inom utvecklingen av vår gemensamma livsmiljö. Med hjälp av KK-stiftelsens jubileumsdoktorander önskar KKH att stärka sina forskningsmiljöer kring konstnärlig livsmiljö och ombyggnadskultur för att skapa ny kunskap och utbilda expertis för framtiden. Ombyggnadskultur vid KKH utforskar dessa praktiska och teoretiska perspektiv utifrån kritiska analyser och stimulerar till att söka möjliga svar på komplexa frågor genom konstnärliga arkitektoniska processer. Genom att knyta KK-stiftelsens jubileumsdoktorand till detta kunskapsområde finns möjlighet att utveckla det teoretiskt, metodologiskt och konstnärligt, med fokus på en komplex förståelse av begreppet hållbarhet. Utgångspunkten för kunskapsområdet ombyggnadskultur är att samtliga redan byggda miljöer utgör en grundläggande del av våra livsramar. Hur de omformas och utvecklas har stor betydelse för människors livskvalitet, inte bara nu utan i ett längre tidsperspektiv. En hållbar samhällsomställning är beroende av hur vi utvecklar och integrerar våra existerande miljöer. Området ombyggnadskultur har en årlig heltidskurs knuten till sig på 60 hp som inrättades läsåret 2022/2023. Tillsammans bildar kursens lärare en väl etablerad forsknings- och utbildningsmiljö, där jubileumsdoktoranden blir en integrerad medlem. Den forskningsorienterade undervisningen bedrivs genom projektbaserade, undersökande studier av befintliga miljöer och arkitektoniska gestaltningsprocesser. Fallstudier etableras utifrån olika frågeställningar genom samverkansprocesser. Fokus ligger på att undersöka och utveckla metoder för att balansera olika mätbara och icke mätbara värden med hjälp av arkitektoniskt gestaltande praktiker. Ombyggnadskultur har en etablerad samverkan med företag, myndigheter, kommuner och andra aktörer inom byggsektorn. Arbetssättet utgår från en förståelse av komplexa samverkansfaktorer, med syftet att ställa om byggsektorn mot en utveckling som håller samhället inom de planetära gränserna. Doktorandens forskningsprojekt är avsett att fördjupa och konsolidera ämnesområdet ombyggnadskultur, och därigenom bidra till dess fortsatta teoretiska, metodiska och konstnärliga utveckling. Fokus kommer att ligga på hur samverkan kan interagera med forskning inom ämnet. Kungl. Konsthögskolan har inte examensrätt för utbildning på forskarnivå. Ett nytt samarbete etableras därför med Konstfack inom deras övergripande forskarutbildningsämne: Konstnärlig gestaltning inom bild, form, rum, med den konstnärliga doktorsexamen som mål. |
| Attractive jobs in welfare professional organisations: skills supply in schools, health care and social care | Linnaeus University | Jubilee Doctoral Students | 1 | 2024 | SEK 3,834,240 | Social Sciences | August 18, 2025 - August 17, 2030 | 20240079 | Ylva Louise Ulfsdotter Eriksson | Kompetensförsörjning är en utmaning för välfärdsprofessionella organisationer, inom såväl privat som offentlig regi. Svårigheten att tillgodose behovet av högutbildade yrkesgrupper, s.k. välfärdsprofessioner, riskerar att fördjupa personalbristen och öka ansträngningarna hos befintlig personal. Det behövs mer kunskap om hur välfärden skapar attraktiva arbeten för professionella yrkesgrupper, samt ökad samverkan mellan arbetsgivare och fackförbund för att tillsammans, och utanför förhandlingar, utveckla kunskap, förståelse och strategier för att attrahera och behålla personal inom välfärden. Syftet med projektet är att i samarbete med arbetsgivare och fackförbund utforska hur privata och offentliga organisationer i välfärden utvecklar attraktiva arbetsvillkor, samt hur dessa uppfattas av anställda professioner. Projektets mål är att skapa en grund för utvecklade strategier för kompetensförsörjningen i välfärdsprofessionella organisationer. Projektet består av tre projektdelar som genomförs parallellt: Del 1, Organisatoriska perspektiv på attraktivt arbete inom välfärden, utforskar genom kvalitativa intervjuer med representanter från skola, vård och social omsorg, hur organisationer arbetar för att skapa attraktiva arbeten avseenden t.ex. arbetsmiljö, löner, arbetstider. Del 1 fokuserar på 3 frågor: 1) Hur arbetar olika aktörer med att skapa attraktiva arbeten inom välfärden? 2) Vilka villkor och förutsättningar i arbetsvillkoren fokuseras? 3) Vilka skillnader finns mellan privat och offentlig sektor samt mellan företrädare för arbetsgivare respektive arbetstagare? Del 2, Professionellas uppfattningar om villkor och förutsättningar för attraktivt arbete, utforskar genom enkätstudier hur anställda inom skola, vård och social omsorg (ex. lärare, sjuksköterskor, läkare, social arbetare) uppfattar arbetets villkor för att kartlägga attraktivitet i yrke och organisation. I detta anknyter projektet till tidigare enkätstudier av professioners villkor och värderingar för att möjliggöra komparation över tid. Följande 3 frågor besvaras: 1) Hur uppfattar professioner inom välfärden villkor och förutsättningar för att utföra arbetet?; 2) Har uppfattningar om villkor och förutsättningar förändrats över tid?; 3) Vilka variationer i uppfattningar och förväntningar finns beroende på profession, arbetsgivarens ägandeform, samt individens bakgrund? Del 3 avser samproduktion med arbetsmarknadens parter, där vi etablerar ett konsortium. Konsortiets syfte är bidra till forskningsdesign och preliminära analyser, men också för kunskaps- och erfarenhetsutbyten genom diskussioner av utmaningar och ”best practice”. Syften med konsortiet är att: 1) Öka relevans, kvalitet och kreativitet i forskning och lärandeprocess; 2) Stödja ”action learning” och dela exempel på ”best practice”, samt att skapa utvecklade strategier för kompetensförsörjningen i välfärdsprofessionella organisationer; 3) Öka spridning av aktuell och relevant forskning inom området. |
| Transitioning towards a circular economy in manufacturing companies. The role of circular metrics for business model and supply chain design | University of Gävle | Jubilee Doctoral Students | 1 | 2024 | SEK 3,840,000 | Engineering and Technology, Social Sciences | September 1, 2025 - August 31, 2030 | 20240048 | Per Rolf Eje Hilletofth | Detta doktorandprojekt är en fortsättning på ett pågående samarbetet mellan forsknings- och utbildningsmiljöerna Industriell ekonomi och Miljövetenskap vid Högskolan i Gävle. Projektet möjliggör en unik kombination av teorier, modeller och metoder som syftar till att stödja tillverkande företag i övergången till en cirkulär ekonomi. Doktoranden kommer att undersöka hur cirkulära mått kan integreras i design av affärsmodeller och försörjningskedjor. Detta sker genom att kartlägga drivkrafter och utmaningar, samt analysera i vilken utsträckning olika cirkularitetsstrategier bidrar till att implementera cirkulära affärsmodeller och försörjningskedjor. Projektet kommer att genomföras med en samskapande forskningsstrategi där kunskap samdesignas, samproduceras och samutvärderas tillsammans med nyckelintressenter från tillverkningsindustrin. Detta inkluderar ett nära samarbete med tillverkningsföretag genom användning av olika forskningsmetoder samt kontinuerliga diskussioner med referensexperter inom området. Resultaten kommer att ge nya insikter om faktorer som möjliggör integrering av cirkularitetsmått vid utveckling av cirkulära affärsmodeller och försörjningskedjor. De kommer även att ge en djupgående översikt över strategier för att uppnå detta och föreslå förbättringsmetoder. Dessa kan inkludera ett vägledande ramverk för hur man kan närma sig övergången till ökad cirkularitet, samtidigt som man tillgodoser affärsbehov. Projektets fokus och struktur möjliggör för doktoranden att producera vetenskapligt rigorösa och praktiskt tillämpbara resultat, vilket banar väg för medverkande företag att öka sin cirkularitet på kort sikt och bidra till bredare industriella förändringar mot en cirkulär ekonomi på lång sikt. |
| Optimizing Process Optimization – transitioning from conventional approaches to next-generation artificial intelligence | Dalarna University | Jubilee Doctoral Students | 1 | 2024 | SEK 3,840,000 | Natural Sciences, Engineering and Technology | February 28, 2025 - February 28, 2029 | 20240069 | Moudud Alam | Processoptimering är en kritisk men komplex uppgift inom industrisektorn. I detta projekt utvärderas tre tillvägagångssätt: För det första den traditionella expertstyrda processen, där erfarna yrkesverksamma förlitar sig på sin erfarenhet för att göra förbättringar. För det andra tillämpas statistiska optimeringsmetoder, där data används för att anpassa modeller som föreslår förbättringar av produktkvaliteten. För det tredje integreras stora språkmodeller ”Large Language Models” (LLM) i expertarbetsflödet, vilket gör det möjligt för LLM att lära sig från tillverkningsrapporter och ge nya, datadrivna insikter. Vi kommer sedan att jämföra effektiviteten hos dessa tre tillvägagångssätt – expertbedömning, statistiska modeller och LLM – för att identifiera den mest effektiva strategin för optimering av industriella processer. Med två industripartners involverade har vi möjlighet att validera dessa tre metoder i olika sammanhang och säkerställa att våra resultat är robusta och tillämpliga i olika industriella miljöer. |
| Using AI to address staffing challenges and workforce planning in healthcare | Halmstad University | Jubilee Doctoral Students | 1 | 2024 | SEK 3,840,000 | Medical and Health Sciences, Social Sciences | January 1, 2025 - December 31, 2029 | 20240080 | Jens Martin Nygren | Detta doktorandprojekt fokuserar på den digitala transformationen och användningen av AI i svensk sjukvård, och tar upp den växande komplexiteten i sjukvårdssystemen. AI är ett värdefullt verktyg för att förutsäga, optimera och hantera bemanning och arbetsflöden i komplexa sammanhang med mycket data, med potential att förbättra kvalitet, effektivitet och arbetsförhållanden. Personalutmaningar och personalplanering är kritiska frågor inom hälso- och sjukvården, som förvärras av variationer i patientkrav, regulatoriska begränsningar, brist på kvalificerad personal och ett ökande antal pensionsavgångar. Förändringar på arbetsplatsen väcker ofta ambivalens, särskilt oro för hur den tekniska utvecklingen påverkar individers arbete och arbetsvillkor. Trots dessa farhågor är forskningen om anställdas erfarenheter av digitalisering inom vården begränsad, särskilt när det gäller hur AI påverkar professionell kunskap, arbetsuppgifter och arbetsrutiner. Det finns en anmärkningsvärd kunskapslucka kring hur AI påverkar arbetsmiljön, effektiviteten och vårdens kvalitet. Den här forskningen syftar till att undersöka hur AI-tillämpningar kan hantera utmaningar inom bemanning och personalplanering inom hälso- och sjukvårdssektorn. Projektet är i linje med ett pågående WHO Europe-initiativ som fokuserar på samarbete för planering av arbetskraft över olika delar av hälso- och sjukvårdssystem. Den preliminära titeln på projektet är 'Using AI to Address Staffing Challenges and Workforce Planning in Healthcare'. Projektet använder sig av en mixad metod och samlar in empirisk data genom intervjuer med vårdledare och vårdpersonal från olika case för att identifiera utmaningar och möjligheter för planering av arbetskraft. Samtidigt kommer kvantitativa data om arbetskraftsutnyttjande och arbetsmiljö att samlas in från varje case, vilket kan bidra till en heltäckande förståelse av AI:s roll i att förändra planeringen av arbetskraft inom hälso- och sjukvården utifrån insikter från analys av befintliga data. |
| Dimorphdiversify: Origins of diversity in organisms with separate sexes | Karlstad University | Special initiatives | 1 | 2024 | SEK 16,655,355 | Natural Sciences | January 1, 2025 - December 31, 2029 | 20240052 | Stephen Paul De Lisle | Hur har oberoende utveckling av könen påverkat mångfaldsdynamiken under livets historia? För de allra flesta metazoaniska djur sker evolution via urval och anpassning i två distinkta grupper: hanar och honor. Ändå vet vi lite om huruvida och varför oberoende evolution av könen har påverkat dynamiken i diversifiering – det vill säga mönster av artbildning och utrotning. DimorphDiversify kommer att förena den osäkra roll som evolutionär divergens mellan könen har spelat i uppkomsten av mångfald. Jag hävdar att oberoende evolution av könen kan spela en underlättande roll i diversifiering, eftersom sexuell monomorfism begränsar adaptiv evolution när fenotypiska optima (nischer) är könsspecifika, vilket tillsammans antyder evolutionär divergens mellan könen kan spela en nyckelroll i både artsbildning och undvikande av utrotning . Jag kommer att testa denna hypotes genom att överbrygga tidsskalor och tillvägagångssätt för att avslöja rollen av sexuell divergens i artbildning, utrotning och makroevolution. Först kommer jag att utnyttja kompletterande experimentella tillvägagångssätt i labbet (Drosophila flugor) och i fältet (Triturus salamanders) för att förstå respektive anpassningen mellan naturligt och sexuellt urval och rollen av divergens till könsspecifika nischer under de tidiga stadierna av artbildning. För det andra kommer jag att ta ett jämförande tillvägagångssätt med hjälp av nya egenskapersdatabaser som spänner över metazoerna för att förstå rollen av sexuell dimorfism i samtida befolkningsdynamik, och slutligen på makroevolutionär nivå för att förstå rollen av sexuell divergens som en drivkraft för diversifiering av härstamning på djupet. DimorphDiversifiy kommer att avslöja den roll som evolutionen av separata kön har spelat i ursprunget till mångfald. Om min nya hypotes är korrekt kan detta vara en underlättande roll, där evolutionärt oberoende av separata kön har underlättat diversifiering till annars otillgängliga nischer. |
| Cultural policy as security policy: the role of culture in national mobilization | University of Borås | Jubilee Doctoral Students | 1 | 2024 | SEK 3,840,000 | Social Sciences | June 1, 2025 - May 31, 2030 | 20240058 | Jenny Johannisson | I ett försämrat säkerhetspolitiskt läge har behovet av en stärkt beredskap aktualiserats även inom kulturområdet och kulturpolitiken. Ansvariga myndigheter konstaterar att kultur å ena sidan spelar en viktig roll för nationell sammanhållning, men att denna funktion å andra sidan måste balanseras mot den autonomi och integritet som kultur behöver besitta för att kunna spela sin roll i ett demokratiskt samhälle. Doktorandprojektet tar avstamp i detta spänningsförhållande och undersöker vilka verktyg för politisk styrning som blir tillgängliga samt hur verksamma inom kultursektorn definierar och prioriterar bland olika, ibland motstridiga, uppdrag. Det empiriska materialet kommer att inkludera såväl styrdokument som intervjuer med olika aktörer på kulturområdet. Dessa aktörer verkar inom både offentlig och privat sektor, men också i det civila samhället. Doktorandprojektet genomförs inom ramen för landets största forskarutbildning i biblioteks- och informationsvetenskap vid Bibliotekshögskolan, Högskolan i Borås, där forskning och utbildning om kulturpolitik är ett centralt inslag i miljöns utbildningar till bibliotekarie på både grundnivå och avancerad nivå. Projektet kommer att bidra till att utveckla forsknings- och utbildningsmiljön genom att vidareutveckla existerande samverkan med det omgivande samhället, men också genom att forskningsresultaten används i såväl utbildning som forskning. Det aktuella temat har fokus på kulturpolitik, men involverar många av miljöns olika forskningsintressen vilket kommer att generera flera ansökningar om externa forskningsmedel. Möjligheterna till samarbeten även med andra lärosäten, såväl i Sverige som i övriga nordiska länder, är mycket goda tack vare miljöns omfattande nätverk. Projektgruppen, tillika handledarteamet, besitter sammantaget en djupgående ämneskompetens i såväl biblioteks- och informationsvetenskap som forskning om kulturpolitik, liksom gedigen erfarenhet av samverkan mellan akademi och omgivande samhälle. Forskarutbildningen kommer att genomföras till en omfattning av 80 procent under totalt fem år, där resterande 20 procent ägnas åt institutionstjänstgöring. Samverkan kommer att utgöra ett centralt inslag i såväl kurser som avhandlingsarbete, men också i institutionstjänstgöringen där Bibliotekshögskolans verksamhet överlag präglas av en stark professionsanknytning. KK-stiftelsens finansiering om 3 200 tkr kommer att användas för att finansiera godkända direkta kostnader, dvs. lönekostnader för doktorandens forskarutbildning och handledning, men även kostnader för etikprövning och doktorandens arbetsplats, liksom kostnader för litteratur samt resor i samband med materialinsamling samt externa kurser och konferenser som krävs för att doktoranden ska kunna genomföra forskarutbildningen. Högskolan i Borås finansiering uppgår till 60 tkr och avser resekostnader för doktorand och handledare i samband med KK-stiftelsens samverkansträffar under forskarutbildningen. |
| Application of Technology Shifts to Enable Resilience | Karlstad University | Jubilee Doctoral Students | 1 | 2024 | SEK 3,840,000 | Engineering and Technology | September 1, 2025 - August 31, 2030 | 20240083 | Anna Ericson Öberg | Detta doktorandprojekt, med titeln "Implementering av teknikskiften för att möjliggöra resiliens", syftar till att undersöka hur användandet av avancerade teknologier kan förbättra företags resiliens, det vill säga gör det möjligt för dem att bättre förbereda sig för och reagera på oväntade händelser. Doktoranden kommer att vara knuten till Karlstads universitets forskningscentra DAMI och CTF, och bidra till en tvärvetenskaplig miljö som integrerar industriell ekonomi, digitalisering och innovationsledning. Projektet kommer att undersöka olika valda teknologier, exempelvis autonoma fordon, additiv tillverkning, digitala tvillingar och deras påverkan på organisatorisk resiliens. Genom att undersöka detta i fallstudier i samarbete med företag kommer forskningen att ge praktiska insikter i hur framgångsrik implementeringen av dessa teknologier påverkar resiliens. Handledarteamet, lett av adjungerad professor Anna Ericson Öberg, inkluderar experter med omfattande akademisk och industriell erfarenhet, vilket säkerställer relevant handledning för doktoranden. Projektet stöds också av ett nätverk av forskare och industrirepresentanter, vilket främjar doktorandens forskningsmiljö. |
| Attractive, Sustainable and Healthy – the development of future foods | Kristianstad University | Jubilee Doctoral Students | 1 | 2024 | SEK 3,839,640 | Agricultural and Veterinary sciences, Medical and Health Sciences | July 1, 2025 - June 29, 2029 | 20240044 | Karin Wendin | Forskningsmiljön: Forsknings- och utbildningsprofilen Centre for Food Health and Retail Kristianstad vid Högskolan Kristianstad (HKR) planerar för att inkludera doktorander i sin verksamhet. Det doktorandprojekt som beskrivs i denna ansökan planeras att fokusera på utvecklingen av attraktiva, hållbara och hälsosamma livsmedelsprodukter. Detta projekt är strategiskt viktigt för att kunna uppnå profilens mål och vision genom att stärka gränsöverskridande och multidisciplinära samarbeten mellan industri och akademi. Doktoranden kommer att vara heltidsanställd vid HKR, vara affilierad till forsknings- och utbildningsprofilen samt inskriven som doktorand vid Örebro universitet (ORU). Akademisk personal från både HKR och ORU kommer att vara handledare. Huvuddelen av forskningen sker vid HKR och stora delar av det praktiska arbetet kommer att göras hos de samverkande företagen, Solina och Pågens. Doktorandprojektet: WHO har definierat fetma som en global epidemi, med ett snabbt växande antal drabbade personer, år 2022 var 2,8 miljarder feta eller överviktiga. I Sverige är fler än 50 % av invånarna feta eller överviktiga. Bland annat diabetes, hjärt- och kärlsjukdom och ett flertal cancerformer kan hänföras till övervikt och fetma. Denna övervikt medför stora kostnader för samhället samt sätter hård press på vården. En alltför hög konsumtion av energitäta livsmedel leder till en ohälsosam viktökning och fetma. Bristen på attraktiva och hälsosamma livsmedel anses vara en viktig faktor för att välja ohälsosamma och energitäta livsmedel framför nyttig mat. Nordiska Näringsrekommendationer (NNR) ger råd baserade utifrån både hållbarhets- och näringsperspektiv. NNR har påpekat vikten av att äta en till största delen växtbaserad kost som är rik på fibrer. Utmaningar för livsmedelsindustrin är att hitta sätt att använda restfibrer och utveckla attraktiva, hållbara och hälsosamma livsmedelsprodukter. Vilket är helt i linje med syftet för detta projekt, dvs att utforska hur man kan utveckla attraktiva och näringsmässigt välbalanserade vardagsmatprodukter baserade på hälsosamma, hållbara och framtida livsmedelsingredienser. Projektet består av fyra arbetspaket omfattande studier av matvanor, acceptans och attityder till mat samt studier om smak- och aromkänslighet. Vidare, studier baserade på experimentell design och optimeringstekniker som kan användas i utvecklingen av attraktiva, hållbara och hälsosamma livsmedelsprodukter. Doktorandprojektets resultat kommer att vara till nytta för både samhället och deltagande företag, genom att nya nya verktyg för produktutveckling och optimering av framtida livsmedelsprodukter kommer att tillhandahållas. |
| Balancing correctness and efficiency of GenAI in time-sensitive decision scenarios | Blekinge Institute of Technology | Jubilee Doctoral Students | 1 | 2024 | SEK 3,808,269 | Natural Sciences | April 1, 2025 - March 29, 2030 | 20240063 | Michael Unterkalmsteiner | Generativa AI (GenAI) modeller har blivit tillgängliga i många områden och domäner. Tidig forskning indikerar att generativ AI kan användas för att effektivisera och höja kvalité. Men en utmaning, och ett grundläggande antagande i generativa modeller, är att de kan producera inkorrekt utdata, även känt som hallucinationer. Man kan därför inte anta att utdatan är korrekt. Detta är särskilt problematiskt i känsliga område, t.ex. juridik eller vård, där besluten som fattas baserat på den genererade utdatan påverkar liv. Det är också problematiskt i tidskänsliga område, där utdatans användbarhet avgörs av möjligheten att använda den inom en viss tid, t.ex. vid bearbetning av sensordata eller rekommendationssystem för beslutsfattande i realtid. Software Intensive Products and Services (SIPS), såsom t ex bilar, telefoner, flyg- och militärutrustning, utvecklas mer och mer för att kunna erbjuda funktionalitet som GenAI möjligjör. I denna kontext förväntas användare snabbt fatta beslut baserat på den utdata som genereras av GenAI-modellen. Om utdatan är missvisande, felaktig eller fördröjd, så påverkas tilliten till systemets beslutstödsförmåga. För att komplicera saken ytterligare varierar användarnas förmåga att bearbeta och verifiera utdatan, vilket gör systemets användbarhet till en funktion av både systemet och dess användare. Förmågan att verifiera systemets utdata i realtid avseende fel (från hallucinationer till faktiska fel), det vill säga korrektheten, är avgörande för all operationell användning av generativa modeller som komponenter i SIPS-system. Detta projekt syftar till att undersöka potentiella metoder för att verifiera GenAI-resultat i tidskänsliga system. Det finns två intressanta forskningsinriktningar: 1) Vilka metoder kan användas för att upptäcka till exempel hallucinationer, och 2) vilka metoder kan användas för att låta användaren snabbt verifiera resultatet. Detta skulle göra det möjligt för företag och slutanvändare att utnyttja denna nya teknik mer effektivt i sina organisationer och beslutsprocesser. |
| Sustainable development within Swedish island and archipelago communities | Södertörn University | Jubilee Doctoral Students | 1 | 2024 | SEK 3,801,178 | Social Sciences | September 1, 2025 - August 31, 2029 | 20240043 | Tommy Larsson Segerlind | Doktorandprojektets primära syfte är att bidra med kontextuell anpassning och utveckling av modeller och processer för lokal och regional hållbar utveckling samt med kunskap om hur modellerna kan implementeras inom små ö-samhällen i Sverige. Projektet genomförs i samverkan med skärgårdsbefolkningens intresseorganisationer på nationell (SRF) och på regional (SIKO) nivå och lokalt med i första hand de företag samt organisationer från civilsamhället och från det offentliga, som forskningsmiljön Forum för Ö-studier vid Södertörns högskola har upparbetade relationer med. Den övergripande samproducerande frågeställningen för doktorandprojektet är: Vilka är lärdomarna från tidigare och pågående utvecklingsprojekt kopplade till social, kulturell, ekonomisk och ekologisk hållbarhet, samt vilka är projektens erfarenheter från deras tillämpade utvecklingsmodeller, för små ö-samhällen i en svensk kontext. Projektets potentiella bidrag är att tillsammans med ö-samhällenas olika intressenter utveckla och sprida valid kunskapen om modeller, arbetssätt och verktyg samt policys, som är kontextuellt anpassade för att främja hållbara och levande ö- och skärgårdssamhällen i en svensk kontext. En forsknings- och utbildningsmiljö på Södertörns högskola har de senaste tio åren blivit en nod i Sverige för samverkan kring forskning rörande hållbar utveckling inom svenska små ö-samhällen. Ett långsiktigt och systematiskt arbete av forskarmiljön på SH har pågått och pågår med att bygga och stärka tillitsfyllda relationer med svenska skärgårdssamhälles intressenter, för att utveckla forskningsfältet Ö-studier (Island studies) i första hand utifrån en svensk kontext. Dessa relationer, uppbyggda förtroenden och samverkans-nätverk är en förutsättning för att bedriva forskning med och om våra svenska ö-samhällen. Doktorandprojektet kommer vara en integrerad del i denna miljö. Ö-befolkningens intresseorganisationer såväl som skärgårdsföretagare uttalar ett uppdämt behov att tillsammans med forskarsamhället kunna validera deras lokala och regional kontextuella kunskap och deras upplevda utmaningar. Många av de uttalade utmaningarna men också möjligheter, handlar om omställning till hållbara ö-samhällen och skärgårdar (social, ekologisk, ekonomisk och kulturellt). Forskningsöversikter gällande hållbar utveckling på öar tyder på att lokalt ledd verksamhet och öbornas delaktighet är essentiella vid utveckling av ö- och skärgårdssamhällen. Vi ser även utveckling i forskningen med ett tydligare fokus på ”agency” och lokal entreprenöriell initiativförmåga. Projektets utgår ifrån ö-befolkningen och skärgårdsföretagarnas perspektiv och initiativkraft, där entreprenöriella aktiviteter och förmågor är i fokus, inom entreprenöriella ekosystem.. |
| Characterizing the therapeutic potential of high-density lipoprotein nanoparticles in oral squamous cell carcinoma | Malmö University | Jubilee Doctoral Students | 1 | 2024 | SEK 3,822,141 | Medical and Health Sciences | May 1, 2025 - April 30, 2029 | 20240072 | Rita Del Giudice | Det föreslagna doktorandprojektet syftar till att undersöka den terapeutiska potentialen hos nanopartiklar av högdensitetslipoprotein (HDL), framför allt rekonstituerat HDL (rHDL), i behandlingen av oral skivepitelcancer (OSCC). HDL är främst känt för sin roll inom hjärtkärlhälsa tack vare sina antiinflammatoriska, antioxidativa och kolesteroltransporterande egenskaper. Dock pekar ny forskning på att HDL och rHDL-nanopartiklar kan ha terapeutiska tillämpningar vid cancer. OSCC är en vanlig och aggressiv form av cancer med dålig prognos och begränsade behandlingsalternativ. Noterbart är att patienter med OSCC har signifikant lägre blodnivåer av HDL, vilket tyder på ett samband mellan HDL-dysreglering och cancerprogression. Trots detta har de potentiella anticancer- och antiinflammatoriska egenskaperna hos rHDL vid OSCC inte utforskats. Detta projekt syftar till att fylla denna kunskapslucka genom att studera effekterna av rHDL på 3D-cellmodeller och biopsier från OSCC-patienter. Studien kommer att utvärdera hur dessa nanopartiklar påverkar OSCC-cellernas livskraft, inducerar celldöd och påverkar kolesterolmetabolism, oxidativ stress och inflammation. Studien kommer att fokusera på mekanismer i hur rHDL modulerar cancercellers metabolism, migration och tumörens mikromiljö. En viktig aspekt av projektet kommer att vara att optimera fosfolipid- och proteinkompositionen i rHDL-formuleringar för att optimiera den terapeutiska effekten. Den kliniska relevansen av dessa resultat kommer att valideras med hjälp av OSCC-biposier och överbrygga gapet mellan laboratorieforskning och potentiella terapeutiska tillämpningar. På kort sikt förväntas detta projekt visa rHDL-nanopartiklars effektivitet i att minska OSCC-cellernas livskraft och påverka viktiga molekylära processer i både 3D-modeller och OSCC-biopsier. På lång sikt syftar studien till att utveckla optimerade rHDL-formuleringar med förbättrad terapeutisk potential. Dessa resultat kan lägga grunden för framtida prekliniska och kliniska studier samt potentiellt erbjuda mindre toxiska och mer riktade behandlingsalternativ för patienter med OSCC. Projektet kommer att handledas av Dr. Rita Del Giudice, expert på struktur och funktion hos HDL i hälsa och sjukdom, och Dr. Zdenka Prgomet, specialist inom oral biologi och cancerforskning. Samarbeten med Spiber Technologies AB och Biolamina AB kommer att tillhandahålla extracellulära matrixliknande mikrofibrer och proteiner, vilket möjliggör utvecklingen av robusta och pålitliga 3D-cellmodeller av OSCC. Dessutom kommer Dr. Liv Kroona från odontologiska fakulteten att bidra med klinisk expertis inom oral patologi för att säkerställa projektets kliniska relevans. Handledarna är också aktivt involverade i utbildningen av biomedicin- och farmacistudenter, och detta projekt kommer att erbjuda möjligheter för studentdeltagande på både kandidat- och masternivå, vilket främjar synergier mellan utbildning, forskning och industri. |
| Lifelong learning as a strategic resource for organisational development in an increasingly digitalised financial sector | Mid Sweden University | Jubilee Doctoral Students | 1 | 2024 | SEK 3,840,000 | Social Sciences | September 1, 2025 - August 31, 2030 | 20240047 | Peter Öhman | Centrum för forskning om Ekonomiska Relationer (CER) vid Mittuniversitetet har ett uttalat fokus på bank, försäkring, pension, det vill säga en av de sektorer där Sundsvallsregionenen har en stark arbetsmarknadskoncentration. CER har byggt upp ett Triple Helix-nätverk, som består av 29 medlemsorganisationer (varav majoriteten privata företag) och ett stort antal övriga medverkande parter på regional, nationell och internationell nivå. Under senare år har verksamheten breddats, bland annat till följd av finanssektorns behov av kompetensförstärkning. I dag är forskningsfälten ”Digital bankverksamhet” och ”Livslångt lärande och organisationsutveckling” två profilområden och de pågående samarbetsprojekten i gränslandet mellan dessa områden torde vara unika i Sverige. Ett exempel är att CER, i samverkan med åtta CER-nätverksorganisationer inom finanssektorn, utvecklat en modell för korta flexibla teknikstödda kurser och ett utbud på runt 30 sådana kurser. Det aktuella doktorandprojektet är tänkt att bedrivas inom ramen för den företagsekonomiska och pedagogiska forsknings- och utbildningsmiljö som finns vid CER. KK-stiftelsens jubileumsdoktorand kommer att ingå naturligt i CER-nätverket och även affilieras till den nationella tvärvetenskapliga forskarskolan GRADE (där nio svenska lärosäten ingår) och vars fokus är lärande och digitalisering. Våra egna studier i gränslandet mellan företagsekonomi och pedagogik visar att strategiska insikter kan stärka medarbetarnas kompetensförstärkning samtidigt som detta kan bidra till organisationens långsiktiga utveckling. Det krävs dock genomtänkta insatser för att bistå organisationer i den finansiella sektorn med detta. En särskild utmaning för dessa organisationer, som verkar i en digitalt präglad omvärld, är att skapa lärgemenskaper via informellt lärande för att på så sätt forma en kultur som stärker organisatorisk utveckling. Utifrån detta kommer jubileumsdoktoranden att angripa två preliminära forskningsfrågor: Hur kan organisationer inom den finansiella sektorn använda livslångt lärande som en strategisk resurs? Hur kan livslångt lärande bidra till organisatorisk utveckling inom den finansiella sektorn? För att utveckla ytterligare samverkansaktiviteter med näringslivet och säkerställa praktisk relevans i projektet kommer Länsförsäkringar Västernorrland och Nordea att medverka, dels för att vara behjälpliga med datainsamling och dataanalyser, dels som referensgruppsrepresentanter och stöd för de tre handledarna. Handledarkonstellationen kommer i sin tur att bidra med företagsekonomisk och pedagogisk kompetens med särskilt fokus på finansiell sektor, livslångt lärande och digitalisering. Ambitionen är att doktoranden ska vara en medarbetare bland övriga medarbetare och av det skälet erbjuds även institutionstjänstgöring med 20%. Det innebär att den totala tiden för forskarutbildningen kommer att vara fem år. Institutionstjänstgöringen finansieras av CER och företagsekonomiämnet. |
| SEINE: Automatic Self-configuration of Industrial Networks | Mälardalen University | Research projects | 1 | 2023 | SEK 4,799,204 | Natural Sciences | December 1, 2023 - November 30, 2026 | 20220230 | Saad Mubeen | The emergence of new production paradigms, such as Industry 4.0, comes with the promise of more efficient, cost-effective, and flexible production systems. The traditional communication infrastructures in the automation domain support the requirements on reliability and timing predictability but at the cost of low accessibility of data and increased complexity of network configurations. Consequently, the configuration of large industrial networks (like Profinet and Time-Sensitive Networking) becomes unmanageable using the state-of-the-art configuration techniques. The existing techniques mainly support static configurations of the network that are performed at the design time. If the network needs to be reconfigured to meet dynamic needs at runtime, then parts of the system or even the entire system is shut down, reconfigured and then restarted. This makes these adaptations very costly and hampers with the realisation of the industry of the future with existing infrastructures. To address this challenge and bridge the gap in the state of the art, SEINE's vision is to support the networks with novel configuration mechanisms to automatically adapt to changes at run-time, providing the timing predictability and reliability guarantees, without disrupting the correct operation of the systems. We aim at realising this vision by developing novel techniques to provide the Automatic Network Configurator, which will have the complete view of the network capabilities and requirements. We will focus on Ethernet-based real-time networks, like Profinet and Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN), that offer a promising solution to provide high-bandwidth, low-latency, and predictable backbone communication for industrial communication systems. The proposed configurator is envisaged to consist of several mechanisms including: (i) automatic network monitoring, (ii) automatic network configuration and dynamic reconfiguraiton, (iii) feasibility and predictability verification, and (iv) configuration deployment. The project consortium consists of three partners, including the project coordinator Mälardalen University (MDU), ABB and Arcticus Systems. The project will also develop proof-of-concept prototypes of the techniques by extending the Rubus tool chain (provided by Arcticus), which has been used in the industry for over 25 years. The project will also develop an integrated industrial demonstrator to validate the results in ABB’s industrial settings. A unique trait of this consortium is that it offers a clear value chain from development of new techniques in academia (MDU); through their implementation in industrial tool prototypes by a tools developer (Arcticus Systems); to their utilisation by an end user of the technology in the industry (ABB); and back-propagation of the feedback on usability of the techniques and tool prototypes for their refinement. The project is planned to start in December 2023 and will run for 3 years. |
| HOPE- HOme-based PErsonalized and Self-administered Neuromuscular Rehabilitation Interventions facilitated by Fully-Integrated Textile Electrode Systems –Towards Implementation of Three Different Rehabilitation Scenarios | University of Borås | Research projects | 1 | 2023 | SEK 3,877,210 | Engineering and Technology, Medical and Health Sciences | September 1, 2023 - September 30, 2026 | 20220222 | Li Guo | World Health Organization (WHO) statistics show that global rehabilitation needs continue to be unmet due to multiple factors. A central one is associated with low efficiency caused by low adherence to treatment, particularly adherence to home-based training. Low adherence is mainly associated with uncomfortable or painful exercise, treatment complexity, lack of access, forgetfulness and demotivation. We strongly believe that smart textiles, the prime focus of this proposal, is on the “tipping point” to provide a significant contribution to improve adherence to various rehabilitation settings; textile-based electrodes can contribute usability qualities and facilitate the user/patient to “just put on” a sensorized garment and press the start button on a smartphone or tablet “app”. Results from our previous projects, supported by The Knowledge Foundation, shows that with the textile electrode and biofeedback system, home-based Phantom Limb Pain (PLP) treatment is achievable. However, there are still parts of the concept reported by the study participants that need further research. Therefore, in coproduction with the same industrial partners, i.e. Bola AB, Integrum AB and Daralabs AB, we propose the project HOPE, to investigate how patients/users can improve their neuromuscular status by using the developed innovative smart textile-based rehabilitation concepts in their home environment. The project consists of both the technology development focus on improving the functionality and usability of the smart textile-based products, and technology implementation. This will be conducted in three case studies, i.e. PLP treatment at home in a double-arm comparison study; Post-stroke rehab for chronic patients at the out-patient stage (not necessary at home) and muscle training before the eOPRA surgery at the in-patient and/or out-patient stage. Our ultimate goal is to develop a smart textile platform that can provide solutions to various neuromuscular treatment concepts based on the recording of electrophysiological signals from muscles (EMG), the heart (ECG) and the brain (EEG), enabling home-based, personalized and self-administered rehabilitation at different rehabilitation stages. HOPE focuses on and addresses issues of high technical and social relevance, which require continued interdisciplinary cooperation of the project consortium established during the previous two KK funded projects to make a scientific breakthrough towards implementation of the three different rehabilitation concepts studied. Thus, HOPE will combine the cutting-edge technologies of smart textiles (application) and materials science at the university of Borås (UB), and the industrial knowledge of three industrial partners to strengthen the market position of the participating companies Bola AB, Integrum AB, and Daralabs AB. |
| Green Clouds - Load prediction and optimization in private cloud systems | Blekinge Institute of Technology | Research projects | 1 | 2023 | SEK 4,172,448 | Natural Sciences | September 1, 2023 - August 31, 2026 | 20220215 | Håkan Grahn | In the 'Green Clouds' project, we will develop load prediction and optimization models for private clouds. These models will make it possible to minimize the use of electricity while still making sure that the service level agreements are met, thus reducing the energy cost and the environmental footprint for the cloud. The project will be carried out in the strong research and education environment in computer science at BTH. The computer science environment will be vitalized and renewed by this project since a new and relevant company will be added to our network (Cleura AB). An even more important improvement and source of renewal for the computer science environment and BTH as whole is that this project bridges BTH's two strategic foci: applied IT and sustainability. Creating such bridges is a priority for BTH and for the research and education environment in computer science. For a long time, we have wanted to use our competence in computer science for creating a better and sustainable world. From a BTH perspective, this project provides an excellent and unique opportunity for doing this. The approach used in this project is to do load predictions and optimizations in private clouds with applications from two application domains: telecom and finance. There are three reasons for considering private application domain specific clouds: (i) predictions models for application domain specific, and thus more homogeneous, loads are expected to be more accurate, and thus more useful for our industrial partners, (ii) we have access to experts from industry that are familiar with loads from these two application domains, (iii) our industrial partners will provide real world data for building and validating prediction models for these two domains. The project leader is an experienced professor. In the project team there are two full professors, and two other persons with a doctoral degree; one of these comes from industry. In addition, we will recruit a post doc. This means that the project will be carried out by staff with a high level of scientific competence. The project is divided into six phases. Each phase has well defined goals and the division of work between BTH and the industry partners is clearly defined for each phase. In their LoI the involved companies have expressed their contribution to the project and how the project is expected to contribute to the development of their company. |
| Advanced School on Circular Metal Components for the Swedish Manufacturing Industry (CIRCUMET) | Jönköping University | Special initiatives | 1 | 2023 | SEK 30,000,000 | Engineering and Technology | May 1, 2023 - May 1, 2029 | 20220190 | Ehsan Ghassemali | As an export-heavy sector that contributes to a large share of CO2 emissions, metal component manufacturing requires urgent competence supply focused on climate change. Moving towards a circular economy requires a revisit to the entire value chain of component manufacturing. This includes controlling the material and scrap flow and functional recycling of materials/components, i.e., sorting the material based on their chemical composition and then remelting alloys within a specific class into new advanced alloys. The use of scrap/reflow material is not new but the urgent need to fight the climate challenge requires new solutions and cannot be accomplished without needs-adapted training and competence development in the industry and academia. Such effort is also key for sustainable growth and competitiveness in the field, which can lead to improved income and employability for society as well. This emphasizes the important roles of future materials engineers that must include circularity, sustainability, and digital and virtual solutions for the integration of materials and manufacturing. CIRCUMET initiative has the ambition to develop and execute tailored and concise needs-motivated advanced courses (80-90 credits in total) related to mentioned topics for the metal component manufacturing sector, with the fight against climate change as the core concept. The main purpose is to provide the much-needed competence supply for the export-heavy Swedish component manufacturing industry that leads to increased competitiveness and sustainability at the international forefront, both technologically and commercially. Top-tier Swedish higher educational institutes (HEIs) active in metal component manufacturing (Tekniska Högskolan i Jönköping, Chalmers Tekniska Högskola, Högskolan Väst), create a comprehensive task force, together with RISE (SWECAST and IVF) as a research institute, and major industrial partners in the field (10 companies = Volvo Cars, Scania CV, GKN Aerospace, Ovako, Stena Metal International, Sandvik Coromant, AGES, Comptech, Husqvarna, Fagerhult). The industrial partners include both large companies and SMEs in the entire value chain of metal component manufacturing, from material suppliers to manufacturers, and end-users of metallic components in various sectors ranging from household appliances to automotive and aerospace. Moreover, CIRCUMET has gathered related associations that are integrator nodes for marrying the research and educational activities between the industry, HEIs, and RISE (Jernkontoret, Gjuteriföreningen, Svenskt Aluminium, FKG, and Tunga Fordon). The developed courses will be available as freestanding courses and/or will be integrated into existing or new master programs at HEIs. To provide the business community with broader access to the competence supply at higher levels, the courses developed in CIRCUMET will be used as the base for developing an industrial research school. |
| Electrification for sustainable energy system | University West | Special initiatives | 1 | 2023 | SEK 26,788,532 | Engineering and Technology | March 1, 2023 - February 29, 2028 | 20220189 | Boel Ekergård | Education on advanced level in electrical engineering is in strong demand from the industry, as that competence is absolutely necessary for the electrification of society. The challenges in the energy system are growing as electricity production from unplanned sources increases, the transmission of electrical energy takes place over longer distances and the electrified society demands ever higher electricity consumption. The electrification of society, where the electrification of vehicles is an important part, also leads to challenges and the need for new knowledge. The purpose of this project is to meet the industry's knowledge needs by developing courses in the areas that are necessary to enable the electrification. In order to create as complete courses as possible, the project is a collaboration between the two institutions of higher learning, Högskolan Väst (HV) and Uppsala University (UU) in collaboration with industry partners. By combining the close collaboration with industry with the applied courses at HV and the strong theoretical foundation from UU, the developed courses will mean a renewal at both institutions. This combination provides courses that are both directly applicable and provide an in-depth theoretical understanding. The courses will be offered both as individual courses for professionals and as parts of future education programs. By mixing students and professionals, interactions between industry and academia are created and the resources of higher education institutions are used more efficiently. At HV, several of the developed courses will be the foundation for a Master's in electrical engineering, 60 credits with the specializations 'Electric vehicles' and 'Sustainable electricity production and electric power systems'. The program offers opportunities for engineers, both with and without work experience, to receive a master's degree in one year. At UU, the courses developed for professionals can be part of, among other things, the existing Master's programs Electrical Propulsion Systems and Renewable Electricity Generation and Brain-Inspired Electronic Systems which are under development. Even the engineering programs in Electrical Engineering can use the developed material. Relevant industry partners will be involved in the development of all courses. Their contribution consists of guest lectures, study visits, development of course materials, experimental and digital laboratories, scheduled Q&A sessions and receiving project work and degree work. A granted application is planned to be reinforced with a research school, with a focus on the challenges of electrification in electrical engineering. Examples of projects within the research school could be the design of an electric motor free of rare earth metals, the design of an electric driveline adapted to the aviation industry, power and energy storage in the electric grid, more efficient HVDC transformer and development of semiconductor components. |
| Training in stochastic modeling of real-world scenarios: statistics, data-driven algorithms, and computation | Karlstad University | NU | 3 | 2023 | SEK 1,800,000 | Natural Sciences | June 1, 2023 - May 31, 2025 | 20230010 | Adrian Muntean | This project initiative has an ideal timing. In the last year, Maths@KAU has internationally recruited two senior lecturers and two postdoctoral researchers in the field of applied analysis and related fields. Now is the time to attract excellent graduate (MSc and PhD) students to join us to propel our growth. We offer training at the advanced graduate level in the stochastic modeling of real-world scenarios: statistics, data-driven algorithms, and computation. A package of two online master-level courses will be developed, run, and, after successful evaluation, integrated within a new international masters program in Industrial and Computational Mathematics. The proposed package of courses will be important tool facilitating Maths@KAU to meet several university, industry, and societal needs. The expected benefit is multifold: (1) Sustain the competitive edge of companies; (2) Increase the number of graduate students in applied and industrial mathematics in Karlstad; (3) Promote interdisciplinary; (4) Increase national and international visibility; (5) Catalyze new mathematics-industry collaborations in Värmland, at the national as well as at the international level. |
| Digital tools for improved decision-making in the development of steels via advanced cooling (DIGITOOL) | University of Gävle | Research projects | 1 | 2023 | SEK 4,703,992 | Engineering and Technology | June 1, 2023 - December 31, 2026 | 20220209 | Mattias Calmunger | World steel production was 1 912 million tons in 2021 and the Swedish steel industry share was almost 0.2% or 4.7 million tons. Thus, the Swedish steel industry is globally a minor steel producer, but most Swedish steel companies are world leaders in different product segments. Almost 80% of Swedish steel products are exported to more than 140 countries. The export worth of the Swedish steel products was about 53 billion SEK 2020. The Swedish steel companies with in-house high level of specialization have succeeded in developing special types of steel within selected market niches. Material development and heat treatment process are key factors for the Swedish steel industry's success. Efficient and environmentally smart steel products from Sweden contribute to less material utilization, longer service life, less wear and tear and improved energy efficiency. Alleima and Ovako's ambitions are to bring superior products into the market. Controlling accurately the thermal treatment of duplex stainless steel and bearing-grade steel bar products both spatially and temporally are key factors of optimizing the properties of the products. Alleima and Ovako have a need for increased knowledge of how to optimize the heating and cooling cycles for steel products, in order to achieve the same, or improved, properties. The proposed method for developing steel products needs new cooling technology, supported by lab tests in a well-controlled environment, and supported by modelling tools and field measurements as well as skilled personnel. Ferritico develops an artificial intelligence based simulation tool for predicting continuous cooling transformation (CCT)-diagrams that will improve the method of the proposed project since it gives more accurate CCT-data predictions compared with empirical and Ferritico can improve their tool from the produced results. There is continuous industrial demand for more advanced thermal management methods in the steel industry to make production with improved quality and material performance, and to reduce the use of expensive alloy materials and thus cost. Water impinging jet and water spray impinging have proven to be flexible techniques to be applied in industry for cooling of the steel. The project aim is to develop tools for intelligent decision-support to develop and produce steel products with excellent properties via a newly developed cooling technology. The research relies on both experimental and numerical investigations and is divided into five work packages, which will be jointly conducted by the researcher at University of Gävle, Alleima, Ovako and Ferritico. Steels from both companies will be produced, tested and analyzed. In this way, enhanced knowledge will be co-produced by all project partners and new contact arenas for further co-production will arise. |
| Circular Electrification Solutions for Decarbonized Freight Transport | Örebro University | Research projects | 1 | 2023 | SEK 4,792,960 | Social Sciences | October 1, 2023 - September 30, 2026 | 20220207 | Vojtech Klézl | Commercial road freight transport vehicles account for approximately 2% of all vehicles on the road in the EU but are the source of more than 23% of the greenhouse gases in the transport sector. A transition that decarbonizes the sector through electrification will be crucial in coming years to reach the national climate target set by the government, cutting CO2 emissions from the heavy haulage industry by 70% until 2030 and towards reaching net-zero by 2045. So far, the demonstration projects focus on developing single technological solution to enable a drive-train substitution from fossil fuels to batteries. There is a lack of research that takes on a system perspective to explore how the introduction of circular practices can contribute to solving economic, societal, organizational, technological, and political uncertainties of such sector-wide transition. This project studies the opportunities of a variety of circular electrification solutions e.g., the use of on-site electricity generation from photovoltaic panels in combination with second-life energy storage to charge vehicles on autonomous charging platforms or the conversion of existing internal combustion engine trucks to battery powered vehicles (BEV). The project consortium consists of a university (ORU), a transport group (Närkefrakt), a charging ecosystem technology provider (EVIAS), a BEV producer (Rearq) and a local policy maker (Region Örebro Län). To collaboratively built knowledge on how to accelerate the transition of road freight transport, the project seeks to answer the main research question: How can charging technology, novel business models & shared financing approaches be combined to form resource- and cost-effective circular solutions that contribute to accelerated electrification of freight transport? The project focuses on three key areas: (1) business & financing, including the development of business models and incentives for implementing the circular charging ecosystem; (2) technological interoperability of the proposed solutions, requirements and safety regulations; and (3) business practices & potential behavior changes to the day-to-day business of the transport providers. The project is following the transition design approach as a main scientific framework. Backcasting workshops to gain an understanding of each stakeholders’ perspectives on the ongoing transition and co-create visions about a future sustainable road freight system serve as a main data gathering method. The project contributes to ongoing debate on achieving a fossil-free freight transport future in Sweden by exploring the circularity potential of the sector as means to overcome the interconnected uncertainties of transport operators around electrification. Furthermore, it also addresses existing gaps in scientific literature by identifying the potential of novel business models, collaborative actor-centered design, and planning processes to accelerate ongoing low-carbon transitions. |
| Immersive Learning Environments for Sustainable Competence Development | University West | Research projects | 1 | 2023 | SEK 4,919,894 | Social Sciences | May 1, 2023 - April 30, 2026 | 20220179 | Amir Haj-Bolouri | Emerging immersive technologies generate both possibilities and challenges for competence development among organizations that are situated within industrial sectors, such as transportation and manufacturing companies. One the one hand, organizations can adopt state-of-art immersive Virtual Reality (VR) technologies to train and prepare their practitioners for complex work activities that are stressful, unpredictable, require high level of attention, whereas on the other hand, the organizations and practitioners need to learn how to use such technologies in a sufficient way, over time. The tension that emerges due to the field of opportunities and challenges, generates a feeling of uncertainty for organizations that need to prepare their practitioners towards sensitive, stressful, and potentially dangerous, circumstances at work. As such, the circumstances and their level of uncertainty classifies them as wicked problems that cannot be solved through any established form of knowledge. Organizations are thus urged to find new innovative approaches that help them produce knowledge to tackle the wicked problems. |
| New concepts for learning environments of tomorrow | University of Gävle | Research projects | 1 | 2023 | SEK 3,982,702 | Social Sciences, Engineering and Technology | September 25, 2023 - March 31, 2027 | 20220199 | Anneli Frelin | Swedish schools play an important role for the success of Swedish industries by promoting future-oriented knowledge and abilities, often described as 21st century skills as highlighted by the OECD: In addition to core knowledge, innovative pedagogies based on variety, individualization and collaboration are to promote students' communication, collaboration, creative and critical thinking in so-called entrepreneurial learning. In Sweden, a substantial number of new schools are to be built or rebuilt in the near future, which means extensive financial commitments and creating a great need for new knowledge about how new learning spaces can be designed for innovative pedagogies. Interior design and lighting have been indicated as particularly important for successful implementation of innovative pedagogies. Still, few studies explore more than one aspect of the environment, despite needs for holistic research pointed out in international reviews. Providing a unique combination of skills, the companies Fagerhult and Lekolar, together with learning environment researchers from the University of Gävle and the University of Melbourne, explore the question: How can innovative configurations of lighting and interior design make learning environments more user-friendly and supportive of innovative pedagogy? Over three years, the partners will explore existing knowledge, learn from each other and from research, develop new concepts and configurations of lighting and interior design, and test these in innovative learning environments (ILEs). The results contribute to three sectors: strengthen Swedish ILE research and its connections to international research, promote Swedish companies' international competitiveness, and create more attractive innovative learning environments for school providers and users. The three-year project is carried out in three phases: first, a baseline is established, where company and school visits are carried out jointly to increase the team's knowledge of solutions used today. Empirical data is collected in ILEs through survey, interview, observation and sensor data. The results of the analyzes are used in the next phase: In six joint workshops, future innovative concepts for lighting and interior design in learning environments are explored and discussed. Various configurations are developed, and those prioritized in the final workshop move on to phase three, where they are tested in ILEs. The function of the solutions is evaluated using survey, interview and observation as well as sensor data. The results will be disseminated in the industrial and educational sectors as well as within academia. In addition to scientific journal articles and paper presentations, reports aimed at a wide audience will be published twice each year, with continuous updates via social media and website. A final event is planned for the end of the project. Results will inform courses at the University of Gävle, mainly at Master's level. |
| REEDEAM - Climate Neutral Production, Electrification, Digitalization and Automation for the Raw Materials Based Value Chain | Luleå University of Technology | Special initiatives | 1 | 2023 | SEK 29,993,965 | Engineering and Technology, Natural Sciences | March 1, 2023 - February 28, 2028 | 20220194 | Bjarne Bergquist | Luleå University of Technology, Mälardalen University and Örebro University together with the industry intend to co-produce education in the project REEDEAM, Climate-neutral production, electrification, digitalization, and automation for the raw material-based value chain. The purpose of REEDEAM is to establish a long-term collaboration between the universities based on our scientific areas of strength and contribute with relevant competence at an advanced level adapted to the real needs of business in the climate transition. A planned research school will provide the business community with improved access to doctoral expertise and further strengthen the universities' collaboration with the surrounding business community and society. The starting point is the universities' scientific areas of strength in production, digitization and automation, electrification and the interaction between people, technology, organization and society to collectively meet the business world's strategic competence needs linked to climate change. The investment is well in line with the universities' existing strategies such as the strategic future areas: Natural resources for sustainable societal transformation and Sustainable material use in a connected and circular economy at Luleå University of Technology; Mälardalen University's strong research environments Future Energy and Reliable smart systems; as well as the strategic investments in AI&Robotics and Mining at Örebro University. Lessons and experiences from the KK foundation's expert competence program are integrated and ensure efficiency and quality in the implementation by creating a coherent competence offer. REEDEAM will establish a common platform amongst the universities for co-production with relevant industrial companies (WP1), develop innovative forms of education in collaboration with industry at advanced and research levels (WP2) and create new forms for recruitment, student satisfaction and throughput (WP3). To strengthen the investment, an application for an associated research school will be developed as an integral part of the project (WP4). The educational institutions' learnings and experiences from the Expert Competence Program and previous educational cooperation with the industry will be used. Preparing the application, we have conducted workshops together with 25 industrial companies from all over Sweden from the relevant industries and sectors. Of these, 17 have chosen to actively show their support for the project's importance through the attached declarations of intent. By applying an inclusive and open approach to everyone who is interested and passionate about skills issues, we are actively working to link even more companies and organizations to REEDEAM. Our goal is to, together with the business community, improve access to skills development adapted to needs for increased adaptability and to strengthen and deepen cooperation between universities. |
| Exploring neighborhood effects on aging: an opportunity for enhancing brain health across the lifespan | The Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences | Research projects | 1 | 2023 | SEK 4,309,681 | Medical and Health Sciences, Humanities and the Arts, Social Sciences | September 1, 2023 - July 31, 2028 | 20220202 | Rui Wang | RESEARCH PROBLEM AND SPECIFIC QUESTIONS. Given the fact that advancing age is a significant risk factor for brain-related disorders, understanding the local neighborhood features for older residents, as well as their effects on brain health and life-long healthy behaviors, is crucial in achieving the sustainable development goal. This research proposal uses multidisciplinary tools aiming to answer two primary research questions:(1) From an ecological perspective, what are the relationships between community-level socioeconomic status and trends in dementia incidence in Sweden during the past decades? (2) Can we identify an age-friendly neighborhood by investigating the neighborhood’s compensatory effect on patients, its connections to cognitive benefits, and its influence on life-long health promotion? METHOD AND CO-FUNDING COMPANIES. The first research question will be examined by linking the SEKOM index to local aggregated health data in Sweden between 2005 and 2020. To answer the second research question, sub-projects will be conducted in epidemiological cohorts from a patient-based population (SWEDEHEART), two general aging populations (SCAPIS and SLOSH MRI), and a working population (HPA) to thoroughly analyze the associations of neighborhood social and physical features with brain health outcomes and healthy behaviors. The neighborhood social-economical component will be evaluated by the SEKOM indices, and the neighborhood physical component will be assessed by the neighborhood’s green spaces, air pollution, and noise levels. We will collaborate with Statisticon AB, Tyréns AB, and Health Profile Institute (HPI) AB, to co-produce knowledge and products. PLAN FOR PROJECT REALIZATION. All academic activities within this four-year project will be carried out by a multidisciplinary research team consisting of a postdoctoral fellow, a data scientist, and four senior researchers. To facilitate the planned projects, Statisticon AB will provide the SEKOM indices to assess the neighborhood's social-economic component. Tyréns Sverige AB will advance us to explore the neighborhood's physical components. HPI AB will provide a unique working cohort-HPA to assist us in understanding the connections between neighborhood features and lifelong active lifestyle choices. RELEVANCE AND CO-PRODUCTIONS. The long-term goal of the proposed project is to influence environmental policy, society, public health, and academia, targeting age-friendly neighborhoods. The new knowledge generated from this project will, in turn, benefit the three companies to develop their products and working strategies, e.g., applying and updating the SEKOM tool, making an urban plan strategy with a focus on creating liveable and healthy neighborhoods for the elderly, and developing health promotion strategies based on certain neighborhoods. |
| Next generation of cancer models for improved predictivity in drug development – 3D colorectal cell growth with the use of supporting spider silk | Malmö University | Research projects | 1 | 2023 | SEK 1,984,058 | Medical and Health Sciences, Engineering and Technology, Natural Sciences | July 1, 2023 - May 31, 2027 | 20220218 | Anette Gjörloff Wingren | Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide, and the prognosis for patients with metastatic CRC is poor. Common methods to culture cells in vitro today are monolayer 2D cell cultures, which are not accurately representing the interactions in vivo between the CRC cells and other components in the 3D cell environment. The extracellular matrix (ECM) includes cell types such as immune cells, cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) and stromal cells such as fibroblasts. The development of safe and effective drugs is currently hampered by the poor predictive power of existing preclinical animal models and can lead to the failure of drug candidates in human trials. It is necessary to provide physiologically relevant models, so that the results are representative. Molecular profiling for sequential variants in KRAS, NRAS and BRAF genes in CRC have been applied for prognosis of metastatic CRC and prediction of response to adjuvant therapy in some local clinical practices, but much more knowledge is still needed regarding treatment for CRC. There are several commonly used methods for CRC 3D cell models, including scaffold-free spheroid formation. However, the ECM plays a very important role for cells grown in 3D cell models, and increase the resemblance of the in vivo conditions including cell morphology, cell polarity, protein-, biomarker- and gene expression. Laminins in the ECM are involved in many stages of cancer progression, and expression of laminin genes has prognostic value in various types of cancer, including CRC. Laminin-functionalized recombinant spider silk (BioSilk) will be used to build up, develop optimized protocols and evaluate the advanced and complex 3D CRC cell culture models in this project. We will compare treatment of BioSilk-cultured CRC in 3D with monolayer 2D cells with and without Biolaminin. We have several CRC cell lines available with and without KRAS mutations that will be cultured in these 3D models as spheroids. To the 3D CRC cell culture models, supporting cells will be added and the result will be evaluated. Two life science companies and in total four academic institutions will with joint expertise develop protocols, perform advanced 3D CRC cell culture models, use novel treatment for the CRC cells and disseminate the results to a wide audience. This includes research groups, medical doctors and the society. The results of the study will provide useful tools for research groups culturing cancer cells in vitro, as well as for clinicians and the drug development industry, since our aim is that the model will be offered to others, and used. |
| Leadership and co-workership in hybrid industries – managing expertise and innovation for digital workplaces (LeadHybrid) | University West | Research projects | 1 | 2023 | SEK 4,920,000 | Natural Sciences | May 1, 2023 - April 30, 2026 | 20220181 | Karin Högberg | The increased implementation of I4.0 technologies is transforming industrial practices and is pushing leadership and co-workership into new organizational interfaces of production and innovative work. With the emerging paradigm of Industry 5.0 there is a shifted focus from technology-centered values to human-centric perspectives. This has created a need to emphasize how new leadership, co-workership, expertise and co-creation in and between stakeholder culture are reframed in the hybrid industry. In the last years, the global and volatile industry has managed the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting social distancing requirements. It has been a catalyst for transitions towards hybrid workplaces to move faster that has created new organizational interfaces. In LeadHybrid, we will research and collaborate with two companies, Bosch Rexroth and Ericsson, in the process of re-framing leadership and co-workership culture and managing dynamic capabilities and expertise in the hybrid workplace. The project aims to explore how the digital and hybrid workplace challenge existing leadership and co-workership cultures in industry and the relation to innovation capabilities and expertise in hybrid, global workplaces in a volatile industry. Research will be co-produced together with Ericsson (telecom services) and Bosch Rexroth (factory automation, mobile applications, and industrial hydraulics). Together with the industry partners the following research question will be addressed: How are leadership and co-workership cultures within the industry reframed for innovation capabilities and expertise in hybrid, global workplaces in a volatile industry? The project will result in framework for hybrid culture leadership work practices, a leadership toolbox to enhance a human-centric perspective in a hybrid workplace, a learning model for leadership and co-workership including co-creation with customers. |
| Gaining actionable Insights from Software Testing (GIST) | Blekinge Institute of Technology | Research projects | 1 | 2023 | SEK 4,794,244 | Natural Sciences | October 1, 2023 - September 30, 2027 | 20220235 | Nauman bin Ali | With shortened delivery cycles and continuous deployment, companies rely on extensive and frequent testing to ensure product quality. The data generated from testing, other development activities, and product usage can provide valuable insights to improve product quality and development processes. While data is plentiful, making sense of it to gain actionable insights requires a multi-dimensional analysis. Designing, implementing, and evaluating such analyses daily is a rare practice in the industry as it is expensive and not adopted beyond research pilots. Hence, we need intelligent, automated, and reusable approaches that collect and analyze the available data to allow engineers and managers to make informed decisions. In software engineering, data and visual analytics have been proposed to interpret large amounts of multi-dimensional data. However, their use in software testing is not sufficiently investigated. Furthermore, the cost of existing approaches is too high for practical use due to the following limitations: (a) tight coupling between analytical solutions and the underlying data collection mechanisms and (b) the need to interact with and integrate various data sources to collect all the necessary data. In GIST, we develop and evaluate artifacts to deal with these limitations. Using design science, we identify and consolidate the information needs of key stakeholders, and identify and develop analytical solutions to meet those needs. We develop an information model to decouple the analytical solutions from the data sources and develop an effective and reusable data collection mechanism. GIST will provide companies with artifacts to support critical operational and strategic decisions. Likewise, GIST will benefit research because the validated artifacts can be generalized and adapted to other fields. The layered architecture of GIST supports reuse, improves data accessibility, and speeds up further advances in software analytics by enabling independent contributions at different levels of the GIST architecture. Our team is an ideal combination to implement GIST successfully. Our industrial partners from Axis, Ericsson, and TestScouts provide extensive experience in software testing and are committed to the project. Their domain understanding and familiarity with research collaborations benefit the project. On the academic side, we have extensive experience in industrial collaborations, software analytics, empirical research, and software testing. We also have relevant experience in data warehousing and software development. While GIST focuses on software testing, the solutions can also be generalized to other knowledge areas in software engineering. It will thus create synergies with ongoing local and national research projects. The experiences from the project will also be continuously integrated into our teaching and lead to theses on related topics. |
| Competitive timber structures - Resource efficiency and climate benefits along the wood value chain through engineering design | Linnaeus University | Research profiles | 1 | 2023 | SEK 48,000,000 | Engineering and Technology | December 1, 2023 - November 30, 2031 | 20230005 | Thomas K. Bader | The building sector accounts for nearly half of the material consumption and 40 % of the total primary energy use in the European Union. Substitution of non-renewable construction materials with wood offers great potential for reducing climate impact, which can be realized through a resource efficient use of the renewable material in sustainable products and structures. During the last decades, building with wood has gained momentum and the market share of wood in mid-rise multi-story residential buildings has substantially increased. Development has been facilitated by novel building materials and systems, with e.g., cross-laminated timber, through advances in the engineering design and through increased industrialization in the wood construction value chain. However, further substitution of non-renewable construction materials with wood is needed and this, in turn, requires wood-based products and structures to be improved with respect to resource efficiency, performance and cost-effectiveness, also for applications that are currently dominated by other materials. This can be achieved through long-term research and development in close collaboration between strong academic research and business partners in the forefront of development in wood construction technology, and this is what the proposed Research Profile is about. The research environment of Linnaeus University includes expertise along the entire forest value chain, more specifically regarding sustainable forestry, fossil-free wood-based products, bioenergy, and sustainable wood construction. The latter includes research and expertise in sub-areas on Engineered wood products from forest biomaterials; Design of wood-based building systems; Assessment and structural health monitoring of timber structures; Industrialized production along the wood-construction value chain; Energy and climate efficient wood-based buildings. The scientific competence related to these sub-areas and 16 committed companies active along all parts of the wood material and construction value chain are the basis for the Research Profile. A project management team consisting of experienced researchers acting as project leader, assistant project leader and research leaders, will coordinate the work. Furthermore, the organization includes a steering committee with representatives from participating partners and an international scientific reference group. The Research Profile will lead to scientific deepening, renewal, and consolidation of the research environment at Linnaeus University and reinforce its international scientific positioning within sustainable timber structures. As companies' trust in the academic partner grows, so does the stability and conditions for long-term success for the research and education environment. The Research Profile is of strategic importance to Linnaeus University and will contribute to realize its ambition to "set knowledge in motion for a sustainable societal development". |
| Avans 22 - Education program in Master of Science in Engineering, Building Technology | Linnaeus University | Second cycle education | 1 | 2023 | SEK 2,400,000 | Engineering and Technology | August 15, 2023 - April 30, 2026 | 20230002 | Michael Dorn | LNUs department of Building Technology strives to broaden and strengthen research and education in the field of building technology in general and in the strategic areas of “structural engineering” and 'sustainable construction' in particular. The department therefore intends to start a Master of Science in Engineering program in Building Engineering in autumn 2024, which means an expansion of the education. Successful development and operation of the program requires a proportional growth in personnel, research activities, laboratory infrastructure and industry collaboration. The latter is today based on a core of companies established through previous and ongoing projects. The academic environment for the new education consists of the Department of Building Technology, with collaborations with the Departments of Forestry and Wood Technology, Mechanical Engineering, Built Environment and Energy Engineering, Computer Science and Mathematics. The content of the new program's advanced level is based on an existing master's program with a structural engineering focus. The goal is to train engineers with in-depth knowledge of structural mechanics and modelling, of wood-, steel-, concrete-, hybrid- and composite structures, of experimental methodology and of sustainable construction. Optional specializations on advanced wooden structures or sustainable construction are offered since research shows that carbon footprints from the construction sector can be reduced through an increase in wood building. The new program is aimed at a category of students who are currently missing in the environment. Through these students, higher demands will be placed on the teachers and experiences from this can be used to raise the level in other educations as well. Most of the Building institution's recruitments in later years have been aimed at strengthening and broadening the strategic areas, and establishing an MSc in Engineering program. The strategic importance of the latter was already identified when LNU was established in 2010. The industry's support for such a program is well documented. Cooperation with companies, which is already strong in existing programs and in research within the environment, will be deepened through the new program, since all companies and organizations contributing with letters of intent have clarified that they are prepared to participate in the implementation of the program. The new program will provide significant added values because • it targets a new category of students that will raise the academic level • it involves an expansion of education at both basic and advanced level, which contributes to, and requires, growth in research activities and in the number of teachers • cooperation with industry can increase since many companies intend to participate in the implementation of the program. The challenges consist in recruiting students and researching teachers. The program is planned for an intake of 35 students per year. |
| Responsive Nutrition - Rosetta@oru | Örebro University | Research profiles | 1 | 2023 | SEK 48,000,000 | Medical and Health Sciences, Natural Sciences | September 1, 2023 - August 31, 2031 | 20230004 | Robert Brummer | The challenges articulated by the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development include many food and health issues. The shared vision of the Örebro University Food and Health knowledge environment and its research profile Rosetta@oru is that the consumer is able to select sustainable produced food that infers a scientifically-proven health benefit. The establishment of scientific knowledge about who beneficially responds to a specific dietary change -responsive nutrition- has been hampered by the lack of access to an integrated set of (bio)markers predicting heath benefit, the traditional design of dietary intervention studies, the lack of a life-course perspective, as well as the absence of a true interdisciplinary and intersectoral approach. The mission of Rosetta@oru is to provide the University and the other Rosetta partners with an internationally leading set of validated methods and models to assess gut, metabolic and mental health benefit of food and food supplements in order to assess who gains benefit from specific dietary changes during the life course. Rosetta@oru will integrate the development and validation of this unique toolbox with applications in the areas of wheat-associated enteropathy, inflammatory and metabolic disorders, neurodegenerative diseases as well as affective and behavioural disorders using novel experimental study and clinical trial designs. The Food and Health environment constitutes a clear profile for the University with a nationally unrivalled combination of competences and close access to highly sophisticated clinical facilities, including endoscopy and brain imaging. This interdisciplinary platform enables Rosetta@oru and its partners to generate the human resources and science necessary for Food and Health to excel and becoming an international leading environment as well as contributing to finding knowledge-based solutions to important challenges in society, fully aligned with Örebro University’s vision and mission statement. During recent years, Swedish government, food industry and higher education institutions together have created an important support and momentum in food research and innovation. Consumers increasingly expect an evidence-based health benefit of sustainable produced food and will otherwise loose trust in food companies and public health authorities. Rosetta@oru takes advantage from this window of opportunity to the benefit of the entire society. |
| Smart Battery Circularity - Circul8 | Mälardalen University | Synergy project | 1 | 2023 | SEK 11,995,074 | Natural Sciences, Engineering and Technology, Social Sciences | December 1, 2023 - November 30, 2027 | 20230024 | Koteshwar Chirumalla | The transport sector is a critical player for achieving the European Union’s commitment to being climate-neutral by 2050. The electrification of vehicles, which holds significant potential for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, has been increasing at an exponential rate. Electric vehicles (EVs) are normally powered by lithium-ion batteries, which degrade over time, losing up to 20%-30% of their capacity after the vehicle’s expected service life. Although 70%-80% of the battery’s power remains, due to safety reasons, the battery can no longer be used in vehicle applications at this point. As several metric tons of EV li-ion batteries will have reached their end of life by 2030, it is imperative to retain the value of these retired EV batteries through a circular approach. The greatest environmental and economic benefits of battery circularity can be achieved if batteries are first reused and then recycled after their so-called first life. In Europe, several vehicle manufacturers are exploring such emerging market opportunities in partnership with electric utilities as well as specialist third parties, installing used batteries primarily in different kinds of energy storage systems, ranging from small residential systems to larger containerized grid-scale solutions. All our industrial partner companies-namely, Volvo Construction Equipment, Epiroc, Svealandstrafiken, Northvolt Revolt, ABB, Kpro, IBM, Nortical, Cling Systems, CanaryBit-have also acknowledged such business opportunities with battery circularity. However, they face several layers of issues and many uncertainties, making success difficult to realize. Accordingly, due to the complexity and many unanswered questions, the uptake of EV battery circularity has not yet been fully established in industries, despite being a potential revenue and profit contributor. The battery industry must implement specific preconditions for deciding on the best strategies for circularity. Specifically, the industry should develop: (1) information on battery performance and status; (2) common platforms to collect, analyzse, and share battery life cycle data across companies; and (3) a deeper understanding of the changes in the current, linear business model elements and collaborations. Hence, we propose three important areas that will contribute knowledge to the synergy component of the proposal, i.e., smart battery circularity (Circul8). They are Digitally enabled circular business models, Digital twin platform for circular battery services, and Smart battery performance monitoring. Considering the synergies within these three scientific areas, this project will contribute to battery circularity performance in the Swedish industry. The overall goal is to maximize the circularity of EV batteries in the industry by applying advanced digital technologies, which could improve the Swedish manufacturing industry's competitiveness and support its efforts to achieve electromobility in a sustainable way. |
| Tolerance Uncertainty for Large Castings (TULC) | Jönköping University | Capacity building | 1 | 2023 | SEK 610,237 | Engineering and Technology | July 1, 2024 - June 30, 2025 | 20230039 | Anders Jarfors | The current recruitment is targeted to support our development and mentoring of persons active in the aluminium and simulation research areas, and to build networks driving national collaborations with Chalmers and Volvo Cars, among others. The amount of Aluminium used in cars may in the coming years increase up to 500 kg per vehicle. Together with the introduction of large castings with functional integration, the number of parts in a car can be greatly reduced by increased use of casting. This reduces both the number of materials and makes recycling and end of life management easier. One complication is that the tolerance handling will change from a currently predominantly sheet metal-based system to aluminium casting-based systems. This is a massive change in handling, both as a simulation challenge and in real life actual assembly. The tolerance variations originate from both the process and the material itself. What phenomena drive these differences is not well understood, especially for larger castings because this is a new field of application for the industry. |
| Efficient and Trustworthy Industrial AI (ETIAI) | Jönköping University | Synergy project | 1 | 2023 | SEK 12,299,114 | Natural Sciences | January 1, 2024 - December 31, 2027 | 20230040 | Lars Carlsson | Manufacturers increasingly collect data from all parts of a product’s life cycle. Specifically, huge amounts of data are gathered from sensors in the factories, but also from R&D activities and products in use. While most data are not stored with predictive modelling or analysis in mind, the collected data could contain potentially valuable information. Exploiting this stored data, in order to extract useful and actionable information, is the overall goal of the generic activity termed data mining. Very often, the data mining is performed as part of a decision-making process. If the final decision is taken by a human, the data analysis is used for decision support, if the decision is taken by the AI, it is called automated decision-making. In this project, we will study data-driven decision making, using different machine learning approaches. The key principle employed in the project is that all AI solutions, whether used as decision support or for automated decision making, must be efficient and trustworthy. With this in mind, one of the sub-projects will focus on designing efficient and trustworthy machine learning algorithms and methods. The second sub-project will investigate how intelligent and learning software should be developed, tested, and deployed to ensure efficiency and trustworthiness. The third sub-project will study the AI-based decision making, using state-of-the-art methods for uncertainty quantification and for making AI solutions interpretable/explainable. In the sub-projects, the research will follow the Technical Action Research paradigm, and the work will target cases (tasks/problems) identified together with the companies. Consequently, the project will tackle industrial challenges, and use primarily real-world data, but main results are expected to be generalizable and publishable in top-tier computer science venues. |
| Electron microscopy for metallic materials and coatings (EMAC) | Jönköping University | Capacity building | 1 | 2023 | SEK 546,196 | Engineering and Technology | February 1, 2024 - January 31, 2026 | 20230038 | Peter Leisner | The proposed recruitment project contains an incoming fellowship for a materials specialist from industry to academia with the strategic goal to develop the fellow to bridge academy-business and thereby increase the mutual understanding of needs and methods of working between academia and business to the benefit of future cooperation and technology transfer. The thematic research area of the project is Electron microscopy for metallic materials and coatings (EMAC), and the fellow who is currently an employee of Husqvarna AB will be hosted by JTH. Husqvarna AB has for more than a decade concentrated more strategic key competencies to the location in Huskvarna. The strategic partnership with JTH is a part of Husqvarna’s long-term strategy for competence development and recruitment. One of the key areas in focus is applied materials science, an area in which JTH has a strong international research position and up-to-date laboratory facilities. The role of the fellow will be to participate in developing analytical methods in JTH and to catalyze the transfer of the latest academic knowledge in the field to Husqvarna. Furthermore, the fellow will bring challenging industrial cases to JTH to be investigated by those methods. In this way, new methods will be validated on industrial relevant material, knowledge transfer from academia will be efficient, and finally, JTH will get up-dated industrial cases to be used in teaching. Moreover, it is a validated tool for increasing the collaboration between academia and industry and developing spin-off research and educational ideas. |
| PROWIL – Human-centric smart automation | University West | Synergy project | 1 | 2023 | SEK 12,300,000 | Engineering and Technology, Natural Sciences, Social Sciences | January 1, 2024 - December 31, 2027 | 20230032 | Fredrik Danielsson | The PROWIL project develops sustainable smart automation integrating human centric perspectives towards I5.0, reducing changeover times, and achieving production goals. It addresses human-technology challenges in industrial digitalization, emphasizing strengths like creativity and critical thinking. By leveraging in-house knowledge, PROWIL enables efficient handling of new products and goals. Limited understanding exists on opportunities offered by industrial robots and integrating smart automation. The project aims for resilient, inclusive human-centric smart automation, synergizing technology development and industrial management. Partners include University West, AnVA KSG, GKN Aerospace, Inwoco,Fridh & Hell Bygg AB, MIM Safe, Saab Group, Ultramare, and Volvo Bussar. Note: Inwoco does not meet the KK foundation's formal requirements for co-financing companies, but as their share is not grant-making but important for the project, it is still included in the LOI:s. |
| Organizational Capabilities for Human-centric Industrial Digitalization (ORCHID) | University West | Early academic career | 1 | 2023 | SEK 1,801,036 | Natural Sciences, Social Sciences | January 1, 2024 - December 31, 2025 | 20230033 | Linnéa Carlsson | The project explores human-centric aspects, where humans and technology are put at the core, to explore how the ability to strategize organizational capabilities can be enhanced in contemporary manufacturing industries. The technology intensity in the Swedish manufacturing landscape arguably affects individuals’ interpretation and actions in the local and global strategic work toward industrial digitalization. The aim is to identify and develop existing organizational capabilities for human-centric structures to enhance conditions for social sustainability in terms of workers’ skills and organizational learning to balance exploiting existing capabilities while building new ones—two industrial partners co-produced deliverables, resulting in practical and theoretical knowledge and findings. |
| DIPy-AI DIKW Pyramid-based Agile AI Architecture for Sensor Data Processing | University West | Education for working professionals | 1 | 2023 | SEK 4,918,425 | Natural Sciences, Engineering and Technology | April 1, 2024 - March 31, 2027 | 20230035 | Fredrik Sikström | The project proposes DIPy-AI, an agile AI architecture based on the data-knowledge-information-wisdom (DIKW) pyramid, for processing sensor data in producti.on environments. It aims to address challenges related to data assimilation, quality detection, and modular information extraction. The proposed architecture consists of three layers, viz a sensor-dependent data pre-processing layer, a sensor-agnostic ML layer for converting data into information, and an application-specific layer for knowledge extraction. There are two major merits of the work. By having a layered, the architecture can easily be repurposed for different industries. Secondly, this agility and flexibility in the architecture also facilitates the changing of sensors as well as overall goals of the architecture as per the changing needs of the industries. The project aligns with Primus' digitization goal and offers a flexible solution applicable to multiple industries, promoting sustainability, data-sharing and architecture sharing. By developing DIPy-AI, the project aims to provide a scalable and adaptable solution for sensor data processing for industries |
| Follow-up of research and co-production within the former KK environment INFINIT at the University of Skövde | University of Skövde | Övrigt | 3 | 2023 | SEK 1,343,818 | Natural Sciences, Engineering and Technology | July 1, 2022 - June 30, 2024 | 20230029 | Anna Runnemalm | The KK environment INFINIT at the University of Skövde was completed in 2021. According to the agreement with the KK foundation, an evaluation of research and co-production within the KK environment must be carried out by 2024 at the latest. The model the University has chosen to use, and which has been agreed upon with the KK foundation, is based on the follow-up "Follow-up and Evaluation of Research" in 2023, which is the new model at the University for following up all research within a six-year cycle. This follow-up with external assessors, which is a further development of the previous ARC13 evaluation, will be a starting point for the university's further development. All five research environments at the university are followed up at the same time. The aim is to obtain a basis for continued development of the conditions and quality of research, as well as for business planning and development. Through this, the university must identify factors and strategies that provide good conditions for high-quality research environments and identify development areas. The purpose is also to give an opinion on the quality of the research and to follow up the collaboration of the research with the surrounding society within the framework of a six-year period. Through a simultaneous follow-up of all research environments, the opportunity is created to see how the development has looked for the three research environments Informatics, Systems Biology and Virtual Engineering which together formed the KK environment INFINIT. The result will thus highlight the effects the University can see that the work within the KK environment has had for the research environments that were part of the environment in relation to the environments that were outside INFINIT. |
| Meeting environmental challenges using spatial analysis (SPATIAL) | Mid Sweden University | NU | 3 | 2023 | SEK 1,799,817 | Engineering and Technology, Natural Sciences | September 1, 2023 - August 31, 2025 | 20230014 | Oskar Englund | Spatial analysis can be defined as “the analysis of geographically explicit information within Geographical Information Systems (GIS)”. For example, a web map service is a GIS and the directions that are given by the service are created using spatial analysis. Spatial analysis is conducted within most scientific fields to answer diverse research question, not the least within environmental science and -engineering. There has been a rapid increase of use cases for spatial analyis within all sectors, which has caused a lack of competence in the area. In particular, there is a critical lack of competence within theoretical GIS and computer science. The competence needs are greatest for professional education and at the advanced level. At the same time, there is a lack of online courses at MSc level (none have been found in EU). In this project, we propose to develop two courses at the advanced level (Spatial Analysis and Spatial Modelling). The courses will be based on recorded lectures/demonstrations and individual projects adapted to each student’s field of study or employment. The students will get inspiration by lectures from leading national and international scientists on how they have approached studies using spatial analysis. They will also receive personal supervision from both academia and industry in defining and executing their individual projects. The courses will be fully online and with flexible pace. Our industry partners will be involved in the development of the courses to ensure that the students acquire knowledge and skills that are relevant from their perspectives. The industry partners also intend to suggest and supervise individual projects that are relevant for their current operations. They will also give lectures/presentations on how they work with spatial analysis, to give the students inspiration for their future careers. The courses are exlusively based on open source GIS and programming software. The reason for focusing on open source software is to avoid contributing to the generally increasing dependency on expensive software, and make spatial analysis and -modelling more available for individuals, organizations, and companies worldwide. It has been argued that open source software is the key to the next wave of digitilization. Using open source alternatives to commercial software also enables possibilities for more advanced analyses. Mid Sweden University has a strong tradition of distance teaching and we will through this project develop our digital learning environment even further. It will also increase the competence among our scientists in this prioritized area, which will benefit both education and research. By engaging international scientists, we will strenghten existing collaborations but also create opportunities for new collaborations. The project will help position us as a University that provides high-level research and education in Spatial analysis and better align our education with our research. |
| Advanced Materials for Personalized Medicine & Diagnostics (AMPMeD) | Linnaeus University | Synergy project | 1 | 2023 | SEK 11,999,044 | Medical and Health Sciences, Engineering and Technology | July 1, 2023 - June 30, 2027 | 20230019 | Ian Nicholls | The rapidly increasing demand for new, more sensitive, and more robust clinical diagnostic tools for use by healthcare providers and for self-monitoring is driven by society’s need for shortening waiting times and reducing the costs of healthcare. Improved monitoring methods that can provide more reliable and cost-efficient diagnoses can enable earlier diagnoses, and sometimes facilitate lifesaving interventions in, e.g., cancer or borrelia. Society’s need for new clinical diagnostics is highlighted by their important role in the management of the pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The consortium underpinning this application shall provide novel clinical diagnostic tools of relevance to modern medicine and societal demand. This shall be achieved through development of novel surface technology-based platforms and patient sample management technologies for delivering highly sensitive and robust diagnostics to inform healthcare providers, patients, and researchers. We aim to realize our overarching objective through four sub-projects, targeting: biomarkers, viruses, bacteria, and tissue samples, respectively. Subprojects: 1. Cancer biomarker detection – small cell lung cancer (SCLC) (IAN) 2. Virus-related diseases: e.g. COVID-19 and hepatitis (PHN) 3. Enhanced bacterial infection diagnosis – Lyme disease & E.coli related urinary tract infections (SS) 4. Biosensor-based histology – glaucoma & macular degeneration (CM) The subprojects are supported by five work groups providing support around: 1. Surface chemistry/engineering, 2. Capitainer blood sample management technology; 3. Clinical trial development and ethical approval; 4. Innovation and commercialisation; 5. Dissemination. |
| Data driven mechanical engineering | Karlstad University | Second cycle education | 1 | 2023 | SEK 2,397,960 | Engineering and Technology, Natural Sciences | August 1, 2023 - August 1, 2026 | 20230003 | Anton Tkachuk | Ever since the introduction of Industry 4.0, digital transformation has been on the strategic roadmap for the Swedish industry. Demand for engineers able to understand and drive this digital transformation is rapidly growing. Regular programs in mechanical engineering do not match this demand. The challenge is to create an educational program focused on data-driven approaches and digitalization tools. A new 2-year interdisciplinary master program Data driven mechanical engineering (DDME) addresses the challenge. A good pool of courses on digitalization and advanced computer science courses for engineers is missing at Karlstad. Development of six new courses, of 7,5 hp each, is planned. Computer science competencies are taught in three new courses covering data analytics, machine learning, cybersecurity, edge/cloud computing, and the Internet of things. Digitalization is covered in three new courses on digital twins, virtual manufacturing and AI-based quality control. The master program profits from the research environment at Material science unit and a joint research center with computer science called DAMI - Digital Adaptive Manufacturing for Industry 4.0. The center enables collaboration opportunities in the area of digitalization of factories, additive manufacturing, machine learning, and artificial intelligence in the manufacturing industry. The master program also contributes to KK Research Profile application with the title “Microstructure, Mechanical properties, Manufacturing processes and Components”, where a substantial part is dedicated to artificial intelligence methods in materials engineering. To ensure the program is in line with business needs, an advisory board including six industrial partners (Stora Enso, Volvo CE, POJI, Ledai, Thermia, Uddeholm) from various branches has been formed. These partners are ready to share their know-how and provide data sets, company visits, guest lectures, and placements for internships and master theses in order to ensure a strong industrial connection. The industrial partners are interested in long-term cooperation to ensure the availability of mechanical engineers with advanced and relevant digital skills. Our survey and interviews with mechanical engineering students at Karlstad and partner universities abroad show the highest interest in digitalization-related subjects. The students consider those subjects as key to successful careers. Recruitment of students considers different target groups: consecutive and non-consecutive, national and international. Our marketing strategy involves advertisement via professional associations, partner universities and social networks to reach those groups. The majority of the courses are in English, which makes the program attractive to international partner universities. The expected outcome of the project is an improved education offer in digitalization-related subjects, the attraction of more students to Karlstad and deepened relationship with industry. |
| International Research School in Transformative Technology | Mid Sweden University | Industrial graduate schools | 1 | 2023 | SEK 15,295,201 | Engineering and Technology | September 1, 2023 - August 31, 2029 | 20230028 | Mattias O'Nils | Sustainability in combination with the development and innovations in information technology imply a fundamental transformation that changes the competitiveness of industries. To stay in business, companies must quickly adopt emerging technology and challenge themselves with knowledge from new fields. The Research Environment for Transformative Technologies (TransTech) at MIUN is an initiative that aims to drive this industrial transformation through a joint research and education program within three research centres (STC, FSCN, STRC). Two already established profile areas are industrial Internet of Things/Artificial Intelligence (NIIT in research centre STC), and new data-driven R&D methods and process solutions that enable new materials from wood fibres (NeoPulp in research centre FSCN). A third research area on advanced materials and processes is being formed by STRC and FSCN together with parts of STC. TransTech wants to help companies and industries take advantage of the opportunities created through reseacrh within these research centers. The project International Research School in Transformative Technologies (IRS Trans Tech) is an initiative with the aim of connecting the research environment at Mid Sweden University with some of the globally strongest research groups. We believe that cooperation with them will enable academic and industrial competence development that will be of central importance for competitiveness in the accelerating transformation of research, technology, and business. The research cooperation is also an important initiative to address global challenges. The IRS TransTech project is an important element in TransTech's strategy to build strong international networks for the research environment within TransTech and the research centres STC, FSCN and STRC at Mid Sweden University (MIUN). We expect that the exchange of doctoral students will further deepen the collaborations that we have initiated through international visiting professors, with strategically selected academic institutions. |
| NanoSafety2 - Nanoparticles in Additive Manufacturing: Understanding Exposure-Induced Health Effects | Örebro University | Synergy project | 1 | 2023 | SEK 10,576,653 | Medical and Health Sciences, Natural Sciences | December 1, 2023 - November 30, 2027 | 20230020 | Eva Särndahl | Additive manufacturing (AM) is a novel leading-edge technology, but novel technologies can bring novel occupational hazards. The AM industry is lacking relevant health and safety standards regarding the (nano)particle emissions generated throughout the AM process chain. In the work environment, AM workers are exposed to varying amounts and types of micro and nanoparticles with different chemistry and hazard. Especially, exploring long-term exposure to low doses of nanoparticles is of the highest importance, as small particles easily interact with and may penetrate the human skin and lungs, potentially giving rise to adverse health outcomes. The AM community of the Swedish industries has therefore formulated a Strategic Research Agenda (SRA), putting occupational health issues as one item on top of the list. To manage occupational health concerns and support safe and sustainable development of the AM industry, it is of utmost importance to perform preventive work. It is thus necessary to define particle emission levels, quantify human exposure, and understand biological mechanisms by which (nano)particles act to induce adverse health effects. This 4-year Synergy project, named NanoSafety2, is to be viewed as a progression from the HÖG project NanoSafety that gave us the opportunity to bring the AM concerns and questions into focus, to develop methods, recruit manpower, and to gather Swedish forefront AM companies to form an interdisciplinary platform of knowledge and experience with the goal of performing health and safety assessment of particles found in the AM industry. The partners have jointly formulated the Synergy Core question: How can particles found in AM industry influence human health? Four sub-projects (SPs) have been designed to jointly address the Core question: SP1 (Exposure) conducts AM (nano)particle measurement, collection, characterization and exposure assessment, SP2 (Mechanisms of action) will study particle toxicological effects by exploring biological mechanisms in vitro and in silico, in order to provide state-of-the-art hazard assessment and prediction of AM (nano)particles' biological effects, SP3 (Health) is assessing the long-term health risks in cohorts of AM (nano)particle-exposed workers, and SP4 (Knowledge transfer) is undertaking bilateral knowledge transfer between academia and the AM industry, and an ambitious dissemination of research findings. The need for proactive knowledge of potential health effects is critical, as new technologies, including AM, are continuously developing novel solutions and materials with unknown effects on human health. |
| Portfolio management for illiquid markets | Örebro University | Special initiatives | 3 | 2022 | SEK 2,005,873 | Social Sciences, Natural Sciences | August 9, 2022 - August 8, 2024 | 20220099 | Sune Karlsson | This project is concerned with methods for portfolio and risk management when the portfolio contains infrequently traded (illiquid) assets. This is a challenging issue as standard financial theory is based on models which assume that asset prices are changing continuously. By moving away from this assumption and employing a novel mathematical framework the project aim to develop theory, methods and tools that will allow investors to take account of features that are specific to illiquid markets in option pricing, asset allocation and risk management. Risk management is a fundamental issue for large scale investors and asset managers such as banks and insurance companies. The project will provide new methods and tools for an important class of assets and will be beneficial to financial market practitioners in making effective investment decisions and formulating appropriate risk management strategies. |
| Human-Centered Intelligent Realities (HINTS) | Blekinge Institute of Technology | Research profiles | 1 | 2022 | SEK 36,049,260 | Natural Sciences | September 1, 2022 - August 31, 2028 | 20220068 | Veronica Sundstedt | Digitalization is part of everyone's lives, and during the last decade, we have seen technologies such as augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and extended reality (XR) develop. Further, there has been a tremendous development in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML). These two trends will have an enormous impact on future digital societies, and the vision of an immersive, ubiquitous, and intelligent virtual space opens new opportunities for creating an enhanced digital world in which the users are in the center, so-called intelligent realities. The 'Human-Centered Intelligent Realities' (HINTS) profile aims to develop concepts, principles, methods, algorithms, and tools for human-centered intelligent realities, in order to lead the way for future immersive, user-aware, and smart interactive digital environments. The project is centered around an ecosystem that combines the virtual-reality continuum paradigm and the communication-computing continuum paradigm to form a novel intelligent digital system. The needs of our industrial partners are grouped into seven industrial challenges. Based on these challenges, five research themes are defined with their own core questions, and in combination, they will address the overall aims of HINTS. The project seeks scientific breakthroughs in five interrelated strategic research areas of human-centered intelligent realities: novel experience assessment methodologies, novel environments and interaction techniques, visual analytics, adaptive and distributed AI, and networking. HINTS will provide users with new ways to understand, collaborate with, and control digital systems. These novel ways are based on visual and data-driven platforms which enable tangible, immersive cognitive interactions within real and virtual realities. Thus, making the use of digital systems in a more efficient, effective, engaging, satisfying, and resource-aware way. Moreover, the systems will be equipped with cognitive features based on AI and ML. The new platforms should allow users to engage with digital realities and data in novel ways. The HINTS profile builds upon previous successful projects and has a strong mix of competences and high seniority, including seven full professors, four associate professors, and additionally four researchers with a Ph.D. degree. The profile has well-defined plans for recruitment, publication and dissemination, and internationalization. HINTS aims at being the main Swedish node with a high international impact in human-centered intelligent realities for the next-generation digital societies. The HINTS project is at the center of the BTH strategy towards digitalization and it aligns with BTH’s strategy of building focused and complete environments that are based on strong academic programs, research excellence, and co-production with external partners. |
| ModFurn - Development of a Fully Coupled Computational Fluid Dynamic Model of the Complex Mineral Melting Process in different Furnace concepts | Mälardalen University | Research projects | 1 | 2022 | SEK 4,799,538 | Engineering and Technology | November 1, 2022 - June 30, 2026 | 20220008 | Rebei Bel Fdhila | Minerals and metals industry suffers often from the lack of detailed knowledge of the high temperature processes and their inherent physico-chemical and other phenomena occurring during operations. Slag fuming is a reductive treatment process for molten waste slag products allowing the recovery of zinc as vapor by injecting or adding a reductant source such as pulverized coal or lump coal and natural gas. For such industrial processes where chemistry, thermodynamics, complex fluid dynamics and very high temperature heat transfer govern the process in a fully coupled manner, the selection of optimum process conditions and scaling up can be dramatically assisted by high fidelity simulations based on computational fluid dynamics (CFD). In this project, we propose to develop a computational fluid dynamic model of a furnace where slag fuming occurs. Our aim is to include the relevant chemical reactions, the phase change, the complex flow representing the mixture liquid-vapor/gas-particles and the heat generation e.g., plasma heating or hydrogen combustion. This will first provide us more insight into the mixture flow in the furnace to clarify and explain some of the observed behaviors, and in a second step evaluate using AI/ML as physics informed neural networks (PINNs) to speed-up the lengthy 3D unsteady simulations and build a reduced order model (ROM) to be used for scaling up the process for mass production. The model will be built in a generic and modular way to be easily reused for different heating methods, other furnaces within minerals and metals melting processes. The targeted initial approach is based on a hybrid model connecting a 3D volume of fluid method (VOF), a Lagrangian particle method to track bubbles and particles, species transport equations will be used for the kinetics including endo- and exothermic reactions. This method has been successfully used in our previous published work for slightly simpler cases and we are convinced that it can be extended to the present process case. The model predicts the velocity, pressure and temperature fields of the molten slag, the turbulence and the mass fractions of slag and gaseous components inside the furnace. The support from the industrial partners will be crucial to identify the boundary and operating conditions, the reactions data and characteristics, the complex materials and mixtures properties, the heating details, the experimental data for validation and the overall process features. |
| Optimization of the process for the freezing and thawing of meat including high-pressure preservation | Kristianstad University | Research projects | 1 | 2022 | SEK 3,898,504 | Social Sciences, Agricultural and Veterinary sciences | December 1, 2022 - November 30, 2026 | 20220025 | Viktoria Olsson | As the world population increases, so does the demand for food, and especially, protein. Food production as well as consumption will have to become more resource efficient, considering all dimensions of sustainability. This calls for innovate food products and optimized production processes to develop affordable, safe, and healthy products that conform to consumer preferences while still allowing profitability and sustainable business development for food producers. For a value-charged but resource demanding product like meat it is crucial to optimize logistics and energy consumption and to reduce waste. A long-term strategic work entailing animal- and environmental consideration has led to added values in the Swedish meat production that can be exploited further to strengthen the competitiveness of the food industry. In the proposed project, a case study of industrial preservation techniques for meat products with fluctuating consumer demand forms the basis for an investigation of how product quality can be used as an economic indicator for sustainable process optimization. Today, meat handling can comprise logistics that include intermediate storage of frozen raw material to even out geographical and seasonal variations in demand. This has created new industrial alliances in between producers and providers of logistical solutions related to freezing and thawing. Although these are well-established preservation technologies, there are scientifically unaddressed questions regarding production economy, process optimization and the effects on functional properties as well as shelf-life of the meat. For companies like Kjellssons Logistics and Transportation, that operate within storage solutions, and the Nordic meat and meals company HKScan, the application of freezing and thawing is important as it affects production economy, eating quality and consumer acceptance of meat products. The company HPP Nordic develops an innovative technique for high-pressure preservation (HPP) of foods. This cold pasteurization technique is applicable for preservation of premium meat products like ham and marinated meat for barbecuing. Associated with seasonal, fluctuating demand over the year these products impose logistical challenges. An optimization of processing logistics and application of the HPP technique in relation to freezing and thawing could presumably save both environment and money for these commodities while providing consumers premium products with a short list of ingredients, so-called clean label. A successful outcome of this project entails scientific contributions in the field of product quality and process optimization, as well as method development regarding consumer insight and economic decision-making. It will further contribute to a more sustainable production of premium meat products with an inherent cultural position and strengthen the collaboration between industry stakeholders and the FOHRK research and education environment at HKR. |
| Homogeneity in High-Kappa Kraft Pulping (HH-KK) | Mid Sweden University | Research projects | 1 | 2022 | SEK 4,920,000 | Engineering and Technology | August 1, 2022 - July 31, 2025 | 20220049 | Juha Fiskari | The purpose of this research project HH-KK is enable research collaboration between Mid Sweden University (MIUN), Mälardalen University (MDU), BillerudKorsnäs and Mondi. The main applicant in this project is MIUN. The research focus will be to gain a better understanding of the lignin chemistry related to high-kappa kraft cooking process by implementing Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (NIR) as the primary analytical technology. Our objective in this project is to find out how raw material-related as well as chemical and physical phenomena in pulping influence fiber properties, pulp quality and process efficiency. In order to achieve these, we also need to develop novel analytical methods based on NIR to present also chemical properties of fibers, preferably as distributions instead of average values. Finally, we shall search correlations between these measured raw material and pulp properties with desired product properties. The latter includes in-plane and out-of-plane dimensional changes of the fiber products. This research effort has a strong connection to the Research Profile NeoPulp in the research environment for Transformative Technologies. Moreover, it strengthens the research environment by initiating research in chemical pulp technology that is currently not included in the Research Profile NeoPulp. From an industrial perspective, this new area of research better supports the use of process equipment in the manufacture of chemical pulps. It is important for the industry that MIUN and MDU can develop new ways to study these processes and attract promising students to solve problems related to pulp manufacturing. Both industrial parties expect that the research project will lead to a rewarding collaboration with mutual benefit. We apply for SEK 4.000.000 (without OH) from the Knowledge Foundation as a partial financing of the first four years of this research. BillerudKorsnäs and Mondi will actively participate in the research and contribute with a significant in-kind funding. MIUN and MDU will use own funds to cover the rest of the financing needed for the research. |
| Optimized design of agrivoltaic systems in Sweden (Opti-APV) | Mälardalen University | Research projects | 1 | 2022 | SEK 4,104,000 | Natural Sciences, Agricultural and Veterinary sciences, Social Sciences | September 1, 2022 - May 31, 2027 | 20220032 | Pietro Elia Campana | Sweden has set the extremely challenging targets of achieving 100% renewable electricity by 2040 and no net greenhouse gases emissions by 2045. The currently installed PV capacity is far below the capacity required for PV to be able to make a significant contribution to a completely renewable electricity system. Moreover, large-scale PV systems installed on agricultural land have received several criticisms, mostly related to ethical reasons connected to the use of agriculture land for energy purposes rather than for food production. The combination of agricultural activities and PV systems in the same land in the so-called agrivoltaic systems (APVs), can overcome these criticisms and improve the combined system profitability, bringing significant benefits to the PV industry and farmers. The combination of crop production and electricity production can lead to higher land use efficiency and can open a multibillion PV market. The overarching goal of this project is to contribute to the development of a strong and internationally competitive APV industry in Sweden, with agriculture maintained. This will be accomplished by developing unique tools for the optimized design, simulation, and location of APVs and by building a unique dataset for the implementation and operation of APVs. Specific objectives of this project connected to the main identified research questions are: 1) evaluate the effects of different APVs designs on different type of crops by comparing measurements from a small-scale and large scale APVs; 2) develop a cutting-edge simulation and optimization tool by performing dedicated lab-based and field-based crop experiments concerning the photosynthetic rate response to different solar radiation levels; 3) investigate the economics of APVs considering small and large-scale projects, different designs, and APV integration in agriculture, to evaluate business models for APV adoption; 4) identify with a GIS approach the feasible and optimized locations and scale-up of the model to assess the potentials of APV in Sweden by performing spatially explicit simulations and optimizations. The objectives will be pursued through cutting edge research activities connected to the largest scale APV with cultivation in the Nordic countries, to be installed at Lindesberg in 2022, and a small-scale APV facility already installed at Kärrbo Prästgård, Västerås. The tools developed and the data gathered at the experimental facilities will provide a better understanding on how APVs at northern latitudes can: 1) affect the PV yield and efficiency of PV modules; 2) affect crop yield; and 3) affect the economic return for the PV investor and the farmer. The project will provide a better knowledge and understanding of APVs in terms of technology, design, and key performances (energetic, agronomic, and economic). |
| Designed livining environments - transdisciplinary learning | Södertörn University | Second cycle education | 3 | 2022 | SEK 2,328,074 | Humanities and the Arts | August 1, 2022 - July 31, 2024 | 20220064 | Håkan Nilsson | Designed living environments - Transdisciplinary learning is an education at master's level aimed at professionals in urban development / public environments given at 50% pace. The education contributes to sustainable urban development drawing from the experiential knowledge that students bring from practice. It aims both to create in-depth knowledge of one's own field, and to co-produce knowledge with other professional categories. By applying transdisciplinary learning, where experiences from different sectors give to each other, the education offers a broader understanding of perspectives and opportunities, thus strengthening student’s abilities to work long-term and sustainable with designed living environments. The program is developed in close collaboration with private corporations active in the field, such as housing and construction companies or architects. Since 2018, Sweden has a comprehensive policy for what is called “designed living environment”. In short, encompassing everything that surrounds us; residential buildings, schools and hospitals, but also public spaces such as parks, streets and open squares. The policy asserts that designed living environments must include art, architecture, cultural heritage, form and design, which in turn support social relations. Knowledge and understanding of the design of people's living environments should be put into practice early in the community building process and in the ongoing planning or construction process. Professionals working in this broad field come from architecture, art, design, urban planning as well as from art history and other humanities subjects. They enter into projects with different goals and at different times. The increasingly complex issues facing the community building field require broad competence and the ability to take a holistic view. The education Designed Living Environments - Transdisciplinary learning is based on the premise that there is a wealth of knowledge to organize and take forward from practical application in the field and takes on the challenge of bringing different perspectives together to meet and learn from each other. Designed Living Environments - Transdisciplinary learning is a distinctive addition that profiles itself in relation to other educations and courses with similar focus in Sweden. Unlike these, we are closer to the width of the field and draw from close cooperation with the private corporate side of the field. Our approach differs in that we give students both keys to explore and develop their current practice, and expand beyond their own area of competence. Transdisciplinary learning is thus about focusing on the spaces and the intra-activities that take place between materials, approaches, environments, and discourses in complex multidisciplinary learning situations. The aim is to to better meet the challenges posed in Sustainable Development Goal goal 11 in Agenda 2030, regarding sustainable cities and communities. |
| DRIVEN - Expert Competence for Data-Driven Industrial Transformation | Mid Sweden University | Education for working professionals | 1 | 2022 | SEK 21,298,680 | Natural Sciences, Engineering and Technology | October 1, 2022 - September 30, 2026 | 20220094 | Stefan Forsström | The rapid pace of development and innovation in information technology is leading to a fundamental transformation and is changing the competitivity of industry. Companies need to adopt innovative technology to stay at the forefront of their own fields and to challenge themselves with knowledge from new fields. The research environment for Transformative Technologies (TransTech) at Mid Sweden University is an initiative to drive this industrial transformation through joint research and education in two profile areas of industrial Internet of Things/Artificial Intelligence (NIIT) and data-driven research and development of cellulosic fibres (NeoPulp) active in the research centers STC and FSCN, respectively. The combination of the two initiatives enables competence development for data-driven industrial processes that will be one of the most important components in both business and technological transformations. In the synthesis of the results from our two Step 1 projects, we have identified the need for three types of competence courses: Inspirational courses, that is courses that provide knowledge on the potential of information technology and inspires to new ideas in planning and strategy processes towards transformation. Expert courses, that provide developers and experts edge knowledge in key competence areas. Implementation courses, that is courses on how to implement new technology in an industry or other businesses to enable transformation. By using this concept, we will in this project create a total course portfolio of at least 78 ECTS credits in deep collaboration with our industry partners. We will also further develop our pedagogical approach and didactical methods in these new Step 2 courses. Related to this, we will also work deeper with MIUN’s internal functions to improve the admission process and student reception process. We will also develop our methods for continuous integration, course evaluations, and our continuous quality work. And finally, create a long-term sustainable educational concept for professionals by integrating the courses into our regular offerings. |
| NeoAV | Mid Sweden University | Special initiatives | 3 | 2022 | SEK 1,597,393 | Engineering and Technology, Agricultural and Veterinary sciences | May 20, 2022 - November 17, 2023 | 20220092 | Johan Persson | The main purpose of the project is to strengthen both the research profile NeoPulp and the visiting researcher. The visiting researcher will also continue to teach a second cycle course at their current university as well as be involved in teaching and course development in second cycle at Mid Sweden university. Within the research profile there are two subprojects where the visiting researcher will make considerable contributions. The first sub project will be the development and use of a laboratory chipping equipment where the contribution will be analysis of deformations of machine elements to extrapolate forces and energy dissipation in chipping. The visiting researcher is a perfect match for the project based on the previous research. The second sub project will be mechanical analysis of the deformation associated with cardboard box production. The aim of the subproject is to enable the industries to shift from low yield chemical pulp to high yield mechanical pulp and thus increase their competitiveness and decrease environmental footprint. This project is a good match based on the previous research and the researchers future development by including new tools. |
| Intelligent and Trustworthy IoT Systems | Malmö University | Synergy project | 1 | 2022 | SEK 11,959,850 | Natural Sciences | October 1, 2022 - June 30, 2026 | 20220087 | Paul Davidsson | A result of the fast developments in information technology is that more objects are becoming equipped with embedded with sensors and the ability to communicate with other objects, often referred to as the Internet of Things (IoT). Currently many consumer products are taking this step, e.g. TVs, cameras, thermostats, and health devices. The trend is similar in other areas, where e.g. energy systems and buildings can be operated remotely and automatically optimized. The real potential often is not in the objects per se, but in the data they can provide to other services. IoT systems have several characteristics which make their design a challenging task, e.g. they are often large, data-driven, distributed, dynamic, evolving, and heterogeneous. Moreover, different IoT applications have different desired quality characteristics, e.g. concerning response time, power consumption, usability and privacy, which influence the design. Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been proposed as a key technology to enable the realization of IoT systems meeting the requirements related to such characteristics. The integration of AI into IoT is sometimes referred to as AIoT. To make scalable AIoT systems, the idea of utilizing distributed resources at the “edge” of the network and providing the processing capabilities closer to the source of data has been proposed. Edge computing may help to address the challenges of traditional cloud solutions for hosting IoT applications by lowering latency, handling privacy issues, and reducing data communication. Moreover, distributed edge computing can be integrated with centralized processing, resulting in hybrid architectures, combining the strengths of both approaches. AIoT entails that IoT systems will be able to analyse data and make decisions with limited or no involvement of humans. Typically, such systems can process data and make decisions faster and more accurate than those relying on humans, but human users need to be able to trust the analyses and the decisions made by the system. Thus, how human users interact with the system becomes a key concern to support trust, e.g. through transparency and explainability. The core research question addressed in the Synergy project can be formulated as: How should intelligent and trustworthy IoT systems be designed? In particular, we will focus on the following sub-questions: - How should AI be used to achieve intelligent and trustworthy IoT systems? - How could should edge computing be used? - What trust- and privacy-enhancing mechanisms are needed? By studying this in four application areas important for a sustainable society, i.e., health, energy, surveillance, and building management, an integrated framework for supporting designers of intelligent and trustworthy IoT systems will be developed. It addresses issues concerning architectural deployment, the use of AI, and trust, while taking into consideration the relevant quality characteristics e.g. scalability and usability. |
| Drug discovery targeting inflammation – novel therapeutic aspects on vascular inflammation, thrombosis and breast cancer | Örebro University | Synergy project | 1 | 2022 | SEK 12,000,000 | Medical and Health Sciences | November 1, 2022 - February 1, 2027 | 20220083 | Karin H Franzén | Inflammation is a fundamental physiological response to tissue damage and infection and pronounced acute inflammatory reactions and chronic inflammation are main elements in various diseases. The Synergy’s core question is centred on evaluating beneficial effects of candidate drugs targeting inflammation in different diseases, where the pathogenesis consists of comparable inflammatory mechanisms. Specifically, the application focuses on drug discovery with emphasis on i) identifying mechanisms underlying therapeutic effects; ii) establishing potential new indications; iii) gaining new knowledge about pathological inflammatory mechanisms. The project focuses on targeting inflammation in vascular inflammation (i.e. atherosclerosis and vasculitis, Subproject 1), thrombosis and links to inflammation (Subproject 2), and inflammation in breast cancer (Subproject 3). This approach facilitates for a significant synergy as the potential therapeutic effects of unique drug candidates are tested in different disease models. The industrial partners will have excellent opportunities to obtain results that reveal drug efficacy, drug mechanisms, therapeutics, and alternative indications. Such results will gain significant benefits to the industrial partners operating in a highly competitive market. Industrial partners with the focus on drug innovation and development contribute with their most promising drug candidates. These drugs are structurally either small organic molecules, designed monoclonal antibodies, recombinant proteins or therapeutic oligonucleotides. The industrial partners will provide one lead or a few candidate drugs, which makes planned research realistic to implement in the academic situation. It is also important for the Synergy that most candidate drugs are evaluated in all Subprojects. Furthermore, several candidate drugs will be evaluated in parallel experiments. Practical completion of research will thus be characterized by significant integration of the three Subprojects. The benefits for Örebro University and the research environment CVRC are judged to be substantial. Successful implementation of the Synergy project will increase the opportunities for students’ degree projects and future PhD projects, expanded field of research within CVRC, and closer collaboration between the University and the drug discovery industry. The Synergy application is characterized by translational research, comprising drug discovery technologies from medical chemistry and in silico analyses, molecular and cellular assays, to specific disease models in animals. Translational research can gain a significant synergy: the probability of final publication in top-ranked scientific journals will increase. Finally, it should be emphasized that the long-term aim, common to both the University and industrial partners, is to improve future treatments of diseases with inflammatory elements, which is beneficial for people suffering from severe diseases. |
| Energy efficiency and modelling of vacuum dewatering in modern tissue machines | Karlstad University | Research projects | 3 | 2022 | SEK 2,339,505 | Engineering and Technology | August 1, 2022 - April 30, 2025 | 20220024 | Björn Sjöstrand | The proposed project is a research coproduction between the research environment Pro2BE at Karlstad University, Valmet and Albany International about energy efficiency of tissue production. The project is aimed at acquiring deeper knowledge about tissue vacuum dewatering and at modelling vacuum dewatering during tissue production, both with a conventional tissue manufacturing method (DCT) and with Through Air Drying (TAD). It will contribute to the efforts of implementing a circular forest-based bioeconomy by increasing the fundamental understanding of dewatering of tissue materials, by several studies in laboratory and pilot scale, as well as modelling work. We believe that improved knowledge of tissue dewatering mechanisms, forming and material transport during and after dewatering can increase efficiency of processes. The industrial partners, who provide paper producers with paper machines and machine clothing, will be able to benefit from the project regarding knowledge about optimal operation of the tissue machine, more efficient machine clothing as well as minimized use of energy. This would not only contribute to more efficient resource utilization and strengthen level of knowledge, but also create new business opportunities for the participating companies. The partners will also be able to develop new products based on the new knowledge from the project, related to novel machine and clothing designs. Further understanding of dewatering aspects will be an important selling point for Valmet and Albany International who have identified increasing quality and sustainability demands from their customers. Within the project the results will be co-produced between Karlstad University and the industrial partners in all the steps of the research work. A number of pilot trials will be performed both at the facilities at Valmet and at Albany International, where both employees of the companies and researchers from the university will be part of the practical work as well as the analysis of results. Laboratory trials and modelling will mainly be performed by researchers at Karlstad University and pilot trials led by employees at Valmet and Albany, but the results will be analyzed in collaboration with all partners coordinated by the project leader. By being a part of the proposed project, an increased understanding of vacuum dewatering and the forming section of both conventional and TAD tissue processes will be gained. Dewatering strategies and their connections to energy and resource consumption will be investigated with the goal to be able to suggest actions for improving energy and resource efficiency. |
| Development of toolbox for exposome and metabolomics analyses (MeET) | Örebro University | Synergy project | 1 | 2022 | SEK 5,949,788 | Natural Sciences, Medical and Health Sciences | September 1, 2022 - August 30, 2026 | 20220086 | Tuulia Hyötyläinen | There is a major need and interest in the development of simplified analytical pipelines in the field of metabolomics and, relatedly, in exposome research. Exposome research includes metabolomics as part of global study setup of environmental exposures and how they impact health. Specifically, there is increasing demand for use of robust, high-throughput methodologies and workflows, covering the steps from sampling to the data processing and data analysis. In the studies of human health, the key challenge is to comprehensively characterise both external chemical exposures as well as host metabolome. Since the complexity of such chemical space is enormous, this project aims to address the following core question: How to realize the full potential of analytical technologies and patient-centric sampling solutions to comprehensively characterize environmental and endogenous chemicals that are relevant to human health or disease? The primary aim of the proposed project is to develop an analytical and computational pipeline for comprehensive characterization of chemical compounds, including both metabolites as well and exogeneous chemicals. Such a pipeline would be useful to inform public and environmental health authorities about the chemical safety, as well as provide a powerful platform for discovering novel disease biomarkers that may be amenable for the development of novel diagnostic applications. The project is lead by two Principal investigators (PI) from two different research environments of Örebro University. Both PIs are world-leading experts in their research fields, and have already strong joint collaborative research projects. The current Synergi21 proposal aims at further stregthening this collaboaration by developing much needed toolbox for metabolomic and exposome research, also being applicable on clinical research. The project is done in close collaboration with four industrial partners, with the project aims and goals created in collaboration with these business partners. The expected results of the project are 1. Development and evaluation of sampling system for metabolomics and exposome research 2. Development of high throughput sample preparation and analysis workflows 3. Development and evaluation of novel tools for data processing, including automated identification by using artificial intelligence approaches 4. Development of novel reagents for the diagnostic and ‘omics’ assays Overall, the project will create a platform for innovative, high-impact metabolomics and exposome research. It will further stregthen the position of the Örebro University in the field of metabolomic and exposome research, and create novel networks both on clinical reswarch, academia as well as in industry, as the project is done in close collabpratores of four business partners. |
| Smart Industry | Linnaeus University | Education for working professionals | 1 | 2022 | SEK 21,550,800 | Engineering and Technology, Natural Sciences | September 1, 2022 - August 31, 2027 | 20220093 | Martin Kroon | The project Smart industry focuses on expert competence within research and education areas related to the digitalization of the industry and Industry 4.0. The purpose is to maintain and strengthen the competitiveness of the manufacturing industry in an international and national perspective. We intend to meet the specific knowledge needs and challenges of the companies related to effective and innovative production. Smart industry contains a wide range of subdisciplines. We intend to focus on subdisciplines that overlap with current research, research education, and education at the advance level at Linnaeus University and within the Smart Industry Group, which is the environment that will host the project. The Smart Industry Group is a collaboration between primarily the departments of Mechanical engineering and Computer Science at Linnaeus university. The purpose of the project is to provide key employees at the companies an increased competence for knowledge-intensive company development and innovation. The Swedish manufacturing industry of today faces great challenges related to digitalization, both when it comes to stepping into or further development within Industry 4.0. Industry 4.0 covers many subjects – subjects where Mechanical engineering and Computer science together are strong, both in terms of research and education. The overarching goal is to create and give education programmes at the advanced level where the competence of Linnaeus university within the digitalization of the industry and Industry 4.0 can address the strategic and operative competence needs of companies in the subject area. For this purpose, a model for course development in coproduction with companies is to be developed. In this coproduction with companies, areas where increased competence is needed are to be identified and courses are to be developed. During step 1, a network of companies was developed and needs were identified in order to create courses together. Subgoals of the project are to: 1. Identify and formulate the challenges of the industry related to Industry 4.0 in the short and long range. 2. Develop web-based teaching techniques that suit different courses and target groups. 3. Develop courses at the advanced level governed by the needs of the companies. 4. Run courses at the advanced level intended for people in the industry. 5. The project as a whole will produce a model for course development. The work will be carried out in collaboration with companies. A network of companies, formed during step 1, will provide the basis for this coproduction, but the network is to be expanded during step 2. |
| TEME - tissue engineered mucosal equivalents for drug delivery and host pathogens studies | Malmö University | Special initiatives | 1 | 2022 | SEK 3,242,892 | Engineering and Technology, Medical and Health Sciences, Natural Sciences | June 1, 2022 - September 30, 2026 | 20220095 | Sabrina Valetti | The purpose of this application is to support a visiting scholar in finding professional refuge at the Biofilm Research for Biointerfaces (BRCB) at Malmö University. The proposed visiting scholar was active at the outset of 2022 at the RE Kavetsky Institute of Experimental Pathology, Oncology and Radiobiology of National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (Kyiv, Ukraine). She has a Master's degree in Microbiology and a PhD in oncology. Her last research work was about the biomarker’s expression in breast and oral mucosa cancer. With the current application we intent to employ the proposed researcher in a postdoctoral research position (fulltime) for 3 years. The main research activity will be to develop a realistic ex vivo model to study mucosal disorders. In particular, the project aimed to develop tissue engineered mucosal equivalents reducing animal-derived products and optimize those models for medical applications such as host-pathogen interactions in mucosal disorders and the applications of novel therapies. The research plan will meet the main scientific interests the proposed visiting scholar. Indeed, the interdisciplinary approach integrating cellular and molecular biology as well as biofilm microbiology, will raise her professional development as young scientist. She will be in collaboration with others synergistic on-going projects at the BRCB in collaboration with a total of fifteen Swedish industrials partners. In parallel, the visiting scholar's proficiency in scientific techniques such as qPCR, immunohisto- and immunocyto-chemistry, biomarkers expression and microbiology will be of great asset for the project implementation and the overall research environment. Finally, thanks to her strong background in immunohistochemistry, the visiting scholar could strongly contribute to the Bachelor program in Biomedical Laboratory Science at Malmö University. The project is expected to have a great relevance to the society and the business sector. We have already started this research line with a pilot study that is giving us solid basis for such application. The fundamental study and scientific questions addressed herein will prove highly valuable to the scientific community in biobarriers, mucosal disease and drug delivery. We aim to improve the existing protocols by reducing the use of animals and animal-derived components. Overall, we believe that the project will lead to new opportunities and recommendations for the treatment of mucosal disorders, that affect over half the world’s population. |
| Micromechanical modeling of paperboard in the out-of-plane direction | Karlstad University | Special initiatives | 3 | 2022 | SEK 2,390,400 | Engineering and Technology | July 1, 2022 - August 31, 2024 | 20220097 | Anders Biel | The main goal of the project is to develop new theoretical models and computational methods for the analysis of out-of-plane properties of paperboard materials under shear loading. Shearing out-of-plane is the type of deformation that is dominant when folding and forming paperboard into packages. An increased understanding of this process will enable an improved manufacturing processes and a better quality of the produced packages. The new micromechanical approach proposes a model of the board that includes all the fibers in the thickness of the board. The model will be used to derive the macroscopic response of the material. The obtained simulation data can be used to interpret out-of-plane material tests and verify parameters of the constitutive models for the finite-element analysis. A new variational force-based formulation will be developed in order to perform the computational analysis on the microscopic level of the paper web. It will constitute the equilibrium response as the minimum of the complementary energy with respect to the unknown inter-fiber tractions. Synthetic two-dimensional and three-dimensional random networks will be generated in order to obtain qualitative and quantitative characteristics of paper response. Fiber viscoelasticity and debonding will be included in order to capture irreversible deformations of the paperboard. The discrete network simulation results will be postprocessed into the macroscopic response of the specimen by means of a specially developed homogenization technique. This will enable to compare the micromechanical model with the known continuum models and identify their parameters. As a result, it will become possible to obtain detailed picture of the load distribution in the paper microstructure under shear loading in real application. In particular, the developed model will predict the strength and the fracture energy of the paperboard in the new tests developed specifically for paper materials. |
| Virus on wings: towards an early warning system for detection of avian influenza viruses | Linnaeus University | Special initiatives | 1 | 2022 | SEK 1,793,364 | Agricultural and Veterinary sciences, Natural Sciences | December 1, 2023 - November 30, 2025 | 20220098 | Jonas Waldenström | Most avian influenza viruses occur naturally as a low pathogenicity form (LPAI) in wild birds, especially in waterfowl. Prevalence and diversity are particularly high in ducks, in species such as mallard, where LPAI produce seasonal infection patterns. In these natural hosts, LPAI cause only mild infections, associated primarily with the gastrointestinal tract. The H5 and H7 virus subtypes are of particular concern as they can evolve from low pathogenicity to high pathogenicity (HPAI). The transition is associated with a dramatic increase in severity, with systemic infection and high mortality, especially in commercially reared poultry. Large outbreaks with transfer of infection between poultry farms can cause significant disruption to industry, poultry product availability and increases in cost to the consumer. These costs include direct poultry losses, indemnity payments to farmers, and personnel to manage and control the outbreak. Indirectly, trading partners are likely to ban poultry exports from the affected areas with many countries issuing full poultry trade bans. Until 1997, HPAI outbreaks occurred occasionally in poultry in Europe, typically affecting poultry at local to regional scales, and normally stamped out by preemptive culling around infected premises. A new H5 virus variant emerged in southeast Asia in 1996, and spread in poultry in several countries in the region. A shift in the epidemiology occurred in 2005, when large outbreaks in wild birds were reported, first from China and later in other Asian countries, spreading through Russia to Europe and Africa. In Europe, this outbreak affected both wild birds and poultry, and resulted in the loss of millions of poultry before receding. Since then, new virus variants have continued to evolve from this lineage (eg H5N6 and H5N8). The second wave of viruses reached Europe in 2009, and since then HPAI viruses have been recurrent annually in autumn and winter, but with variable amplitude in the outbreaks among wild birds and poultry For this reason it has been argued that hypothesis-driven active surveillance can be informative for larger areas. Such surveillance carried out at specific times of the year in areas and species of epidemiological relevance for HPAI could detect times of increased risk for disease incursion and spread within the EU. Here we tackle this task by evaluating a region outside the EU that is of relevance for HPAI transmission via migratory birds, and then analyze the ornithological and virological evidence for virus dispersal. The goal is to develop an early warning system that can be used to take precautionary steps before outbreaks occur. Ukraine is a key node for this research, but the war is now making it nearly impossible to continue working on site. Hosting the proposed visiting scholar would allow us to present key epidemiological data of relevance for European and national stakeholder organisations. |
| DRIVE – Data-driven Latency-sensitive Mobile Services for a Digitalized Society | Karlstad University | Research profiles | 1 | 2022 | SEK 48,000,000 | Natural Sciences | October 1, 2022 - September 30, 2030 | 20220072 | Anna Brunström | The ongoing digital transformation impacts all parts of society and is considered to play an major role in the development of a sustainable society. As key enablers, mobile networks and services are pushing this transformation to a new level in areas such as healthcare, manufacturing, media, energy, transportation and education by promising energy-efficient communication solutions that are able to maintain a consistently high quality-of-experience to all its target applications. To contribute to making this promise real, we propose the research profile DRIVE -- Data-driven Latency-sensitive Mobile Services for a Digitized Society -- with the overarching goal to conduct world-leading research and education in the area of data-driven, latency-sensitive mobile services and to contribute to a sustainable digitalized society. The DRIVE profile is based on research that is performed within Computer Science (CS), one of Karlstad University’s prioritized and strongest research groups. DRIVE capitalizes and expands on the results and the research environment created during the recently completed KKS-profile HITS. It is strongly connected to ongoing international projects and collaborations, as well as, national and regional collaborations, and the Värmland Research and Innovation Smart Specialization Strategy. DRIVE is strategically connected to the establishment of a new research center, DAMI4.0, at the university in the area of Industry 4.0. The plan to apply for the DRIVE project has been formed in strategic discussions with the Vice Chancellor of the University. DRIVE targets sustainable, secure low-latency communication solutions in emerging 5G and 6G networks. It expands our research into important new areas that are aligned with ongoing scientific and business trends and challenges, such as the trend towards increased network automation and the application of technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) to design data-driven algorithms that build on observable networks and applications, and the trend towards programmable and disaggregated networks. DRIVE builds on a close collaboration with the industry partner companies: Ericsson, TietoEvry, Icomera, Telia, Mullvad, Red Hat and Varnish. The companies provide complementary expertise with perspectives from large and medium-sized telecommunication equipment vendors, telecom consultancy companies, operators and secondary service providers. They constitute a mix of well-established research partners from HITS and new research partner companies. DRIVE is closely integrated within a growing CS educational environment and directly supports the ongoing development of a new Master Program on Networked Services and Cybersecurity as well as the ongoing development of advanced level online courses in CS targeting industry. |
| Characterization of paperboard for creasing and folding | Karlstad University | Research projects | 1 | 2022 | SEK 4,368,000 | Engineering and Technology | September 1, 2022 - August 31, 2026 | 20220035 | Anders Biel | To form a package with desired properties, paperboard is creased and folded. Creasing creates delamination cracks which during folding cause the plies to buckle and form a permanent corner. The delamination cracks facilitate folding but reduce the load-bearing capacity of the packaging. The processes must therefore be controlled. The result is affected both by the constituent material properties and by the actual creasing and folding processes. A good understanding of these processes create opportunities to resource-efficiently create packaging that meets high standards. Evaluation and development of processes and paperboard is facilitated by models and simulation with correct material properties. Material data for delamination have been difficult to obtain because the test methods are often unstable. In recent years, together with Tetra Pak, we have developed a new experimental method for paperboard which we originally developed for pressure-sensitive adhesives. The results look promising but some critical properties are not fully captured in the models. This leads to the question: What mechanical properties of paperboard are lacking in the current models to better capture the creasing and folding processes in simulations? In this project, we want to investigate two factors that probably have a substantial influence: 1) Effects of in-plane stresses in the paperboard. During creasing, the paperboard is exposed to combined tensile and shear loading. How the loads interact and how this affects subsequent folding is currently unknown; 2) Volume increase of the paperboard during delamination. From previous studies of cracking in other materials under shear load, volume increase has been observed. For adhesive layers, its influence has been quantified. Whether similar mechanisms are effective for paperboard has not yet been investigated. However, the possible impact on the processes is significant and not taken into account in existing models. With this project, there are good opportunities to improve the research environment and to achieve good co-production. Karlstad University has equipment and experience from the current experimental methods to derive material data. Örebro University has experience of paperboard and has experimental equipment (micro-CT) that can be used to study the microstructure of the paperboard. Through this, it is possible to connect the micromechanics with the material data. BillerudKorsnäs and Holmen, which both produce paperboard, assist with materials and material knowledge as well as expertise in modeling and simulation of the processes. Tetra Pak has experience of simulations of the processes and thus the result can be directly implemented in a model of the processes. Through collaboration, it is possible to connect the structure of the paperboard with its material properties in a way that is relevant to the industrial process in a scientifically interesting way. |
| Screening of microplastics and streamlined risk assessment of hazardous substances in sludge using effect driven analysis for a safe recycling on arable lands | Örebro University | Research projects | 1 | 2022 | SEK 4,235,209 | Natural Sciences | September 1, 2022 - August 31, 2027 | 20220030 | Anna Rotander | This research project towards municipal sewage sludge is a further development from a larger collaboration between Ragn-Sells and the research profile EnForce (www.oru.se/enforce) at Örebro University. The project will focus on developing a broad and cost-effective characterization of hazardous substances and microplastics. A recent Swedish study conclude that a complex combination of technical, environmental, socio-economical, psychological, and political factors play an important role in judgment and decision-making regarding sewage sludge and its safe use as fertilizer in agriculture . The goal with this project is to provide more science based knowledge and develop a reliable quality assurance method of sludge, which is required to enable the use of more sludge as a circular resource on agricultural farmlands in a safe way. |
| Detection and modelling of knots and fibre orientation in sawn timber based on scanning, modelling and machine learning | Linnaeus University | Research projects | 1 | 2022 | SEK 4,795,200 | Engineering and Technology, Natural Sciences | July 1, 2022 - June 30, 2026 | 20220036 | Anders Olsson | Research has shown that wood from sustainable managed forests gives lower carbon footprint compared to other construction materials and the use of wood in modern construction is increasing rapidly. Wood is also an indispensable raw material for furniture, floors and other interior details. Since wood is a naturally grown material it contains huge variation in quality, both in terms of mechanical and physical properties and appearance. This means that optimized use of wood requires accurate assessment, selection and grading, taking a variety of properties into account, such as from what part of the log the wood is cut out, size and type of knots, annual ring width, occurrence of rot, cracks, damage etcetera. For the sawmilling industry and the construction sector, improved grading accuracy enables improved utilization of the often excellent mechanical properties of sawn timber. For the furniture and flooring industry, improved assessment and selection lead to reduced material waste in the early stages of production and to lower degree of rejection of produced items. An aim of the proposed research project is to contribute to the development of more accurate detection of characteristics in sawn timber and wood products than what can be done today, not through step-by-step improvements of already established methods but by using a completely new methods, where optical scanning and modelling of wood material is combined with applied machine learning. Collaboration between the applicant research group and the company Microtec, and interconnection of expertise in wood science, machine learning and mathematical modelling of wood have already led to a novel method to determine pith location along timber boards, and to two patent applications based on this idea. In this project the same innovative idea will be developed and used for other and more challenging applications, such as more precise detection of knots and fibre orientation in wood of different species. Participating companies in addition to Microtec are IKEA and Södra. The latter represent typical producers who will benefit from more accurate detection and grading of wood material. For the research environment at Linnaeus University and especially the applicant research group who have extensive experience of modelling and assessment of wood, the proposed project represents a significant development as machine learning, through this project, is expected to become an integrated tool in its research on wood and wood-based products. For Microtec the project is expected to lead to new methods being implemented and added to their already world-leading offering in wood scanning for customers in industry. IKEA and Södra, which will contribute with challenging examples for application, will gain early knowledge of new opportunities to apply in production as new algorithms are implemented and evaluated in their production facilities. |
| PerFlex: Performant and Flexible digital Systems through Verifiable AI | Mälardalen University | Research projects | 1 | 2022 | SEK 4,775,063 | Natural Sciences, Engineering and Technology | September 1, 2022 - December 31, 2025 | 20220033 | Tiberiu Seceleanu | The performance of (industrial) digital equipment relies often on the quality of the employed components and how they are used. When these components are (multi-)processors, this refers to what kind of software is running (criticality, functional and non-functional requirements, etc.), how are the resources of the processors used by the applications, how applications interact with other applications, or with the environment, etc. Measurable qualities that we think about are non-functional properties (NFPs) such as the load of the processors, execution times, power consumption, number of schedulable applications running concurrently without a significant decrease in quality of other NFPs, etc. While some of these are established by the provider of the equipment or application, in many cases the end-users have a certain degree of freedom in arranging the system according to their own knowledge and preferences. Such situations can very often lead to loss of performance, due to the decrease in the respective quality of one or more associated NFPs. Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) techniques have been used to find solutions for application mapping, real-time scheduling, etc. However, most of the approaches are not considering resource sharing and the impact on the performance of the respective solutions, nor are they transparent w.r.t. the decision-making process, lacking a formal analysis of the output. PerFlex intends to build and employ a novel ML/ AI approach to characterize activities on multicore processors to preserve the intended performance aspects considered for individual tasks and activities. The approach is supported by formal methods (FM) based validation and verification (V&V) solutions, to ensure the correctness of the applied algorithms and of the obtained results. The outcomes are considered both at design time and run time, including potential correction actions, given predictions generated by ML/AI solutions. Overall, PerFlex aims to: 1) Extract the necessary information on the complex relations between NFPs, building the novel ML/AI algorithms on this knowledge; 2) Provide online predictions and measures such that the equipment and the associated applications can be used efficiently; 3) Develop a verifiable AI approach that will assist both the solution provider and the end beneficiary to deploy and maintain a highly performant system, with respect to key performance indicators (KPIs). The project brings together two large companies operating in distinct domains (power distribution and management, and telecommunications) but converging with similar stringing concerns on performance related to processor operations. The world-leading competencies in performant embedded and cyber-physical systems of Hitachi Energy AB, in performant and time-critical systems of Ericsson AB are united with the expertise brought by Mälardalen University in the areas of ML/AI, FM, V&V, and multicore/distributed systems. |
| Airborne monitoring of water quality in remote regions (AMORE) | Mid Sweden University | Research projects | 3 | 2022 | SEK 4,791,871 | Natural Sciences, Engineering and Technology | July 1, 2022 - June 30, 2025 | 20220001 | Anders Jonsson | IPCC points out alpine regions worldwide as climate change hotspots. Expanding and diversifying summer tourism in Northern Scandinavian mountains exerts additional severe pressure to these pristine and sensitive ecosystems. Therefore, there is an urgent need for improved monitoring of water quality in such areas to be able to protect the ecosystem as well as the rights of indigenous people, human and animal health and to provide support for water management decision. In this project, AMORE, we will explore the use of UAV:s to establish water quality monitoring programmes in remote regions such as mountain areas of Northern Sweden. In our current research we have demonstrated that under certain circumstances water chemical parameters such as color and CODMn can serve as proxy for the fecal indicator organism E. coli. In AMORE, we will further investigate if such correlations can be used to establish early warning systems for outbreak of fecal pollution by remote, air-based monitoring of physicochemical water properties. In order to answer the research questions we have divided the project into four work packages (WP1-WP4), where each WP will target a specific question. In WP1, we will carry out in-field tests of various multi-spectral cameras carried by the drone. Current research indicates that remote measurements of water quality by drones is possible but also that the accurate determination of color, dissolved organic matter and total suspended solids can be a challenge. We particularly want to investigate the options and challenges associated by monitoring of clear and oligotrophic river waters. To the best of our knowledge, there are very few previous attempts to monitor water quality in mountain waters by such remote monitoring. In addition, we will assess the possibility of using drones for water sampling. In WP2, we will combine drone-based remote monitoring with simultaneous chemical and microbial measurements in the river under a sufficiently long period to enable us to capture the dynamics of both water chemistry and microbiology under varying flow situations such as high flow, low flow and transient (raising and decreasing) flows. In WP3, we will do a validation of the air-based measurements by extensive and simultaneous air and waterside measurements of water chemistry and physics as well as frequent bacterial sampling. The validation will provide important information regarding both validity and reliability of drone-based prognoses for outbreak of fecal indicator organisms in the river water. In WP4, we will try out on-site PCR technology to explore the possibilities of an in-field method for E. coli quantification that potentially could replace the time-consuming lab analysis. The drone will be used to rapidly and at precise sampling spots capture water samples for the in-field PCR. This could be an alternative and/or complementary tool to be used in an early warning system for outbreak of pathogenic organisms. |
| The sustainable city: How can dialogues enable sustainable innovation in real estate companies? | Malmö University | Research projects | 3 | 2022 | SEK 2,393,280 | Social Sciences | August 1, 2022 - July 31, 2024 | 20220011 | Caroline Wigren-Kristoferson | Socially sustainable housing areas that meet the needs of people, companies, and organizations in an area are a key issue for real estate companies. In order to succeed in developing sustainable housing areas, the dialogue is an important tool. The dialogue becomes a bridge between different actors. This project examines how real estate companies through dialogues can act to create sustainable housing areas and create learning that can lead to continuous development. The purpose is to investigate the potential in different types of dialogues and to develop a holistic learning method that real estate companies can use in innovation work. The project is designed together with Helsingborgshem, Stena Fastigheter, HSB Malmö Sundsfastigheter, and Ycap. These companies work in different ways with dialogues to achieve different goals. They work, for example, with living labs, relationship management 2.0 and recycling and the sharing economy. We work with three research questions: (1) How can real estate companies create sustainable housing practices through dialogue? (2) What dialogues enable different types of value among stakeholders? (3) How can work with dialogues be compiled into a holistic learning method for innovation in housing practices? In the project, we focus in particular on two concepts: boundary spanning and boundary objects. In the project, we will focus on specific activities in each company that are of particular interest to the company. That is, we will identify boundary objects (activities) and how these extend between spheres and the dialogues they involve. Thus, we will explore how and where value is created, captured, and delivered from a learning perspective. The three spheres we consider in the project are the company's sphere (their internal work), the sphere when the company interacts with tenants, sometimes together with additional stakeholders, and the more private sphere when tenants interact with each other. The project is based on participatory action research and it is systematically documented through observations, interviews will also be conducted. As action researchers, we participate in and test different dialogical methods through which our learning methods are iteratively refined and transformed along the way. Learning between companies will also be organized. |
| Information Retrieval in Embedded Systems for Audiovisual Artistic Processes | Mälardalen University | Research projects | 1 | 2022 | SEK 4,799,016 | Natural Sciences, Humanities and the Arts | October 1, 2022 - September 30, 2026 | 20220037 | Rikard Lindell | This project explores designs for musical interaction between participants with the goal to prove that also a dislocated musical performance can create a sense of immersion in merged reality performances. To create an opportunity for a sense of immersion in an event the access to continuous information relevant to the current context needs to be distributed to all participants. We develop these methods within the main fields of competences among the project partners including user experience design, musical performance, networked communication (Ericsson), information retrieval (Spotify) and interfaces for handheld devices (teenage engineering). A vision of the project is a future performance space where artists and audiences alike will be able to reconsider the sender-receiver logic of traditional artistic events allowing for a more interactively involved multimodal experience. Well-designed information retrieval integrated with the creative flow is essential for the artistic processes that we envision. We explore designs that enable artists to use and reuse artistic material from vast repositories, and further, designs that support reflection on artistic decisions taken in action during rehearsal, improvisation, or performance, and how this process can be reinforced by artificial intelligence. All stages of the process, from preparation to the performance itself, which may be distributed in space, constitutes data for this project, and knowledge about the artistic process will have impact on our research. Significant is that other sense parameters are involved in creating presence despite physical dislocation, where the spatial properties of the audio is of primary importance in this project. We are interested in how the design of instruments support immersion, and how these performances are mediated to an actively participating audience, distributed both on and off site creating an immersive experience. The introduction of new technologies and possibilities inevitably change the artistic practice. Through in-situ studies of performances, with audience, utilising the working prototypes, we expect to gather knowledge on how to develop the methods of the project. The case of music performance in the depth of the wildwoods, broadcasted via 6G network to audiences and other musicians is the core object of study in this project. |
| The Swedish Parasport Academy - A developmental environment for collaboration on physical activity and sports | The Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences | Synergy project | 1 | 2022 | SEK 11,998,609 | Medical and Health Sciences, Engineering and Technology | October 31, 2022 - October 30, 2026 | 20220080 | Yves Vanlandewijck | The Synergy core research question is how neuromusculoskeletal impairment (NMSI) affects activities in daily life, leisure time physical activity and sport. NMSI’s encompass impairment in strength, range of motion, coordination, or limb deficiency. Health disorders undeniably lead to impairments affecting activities and participation in a variety of ways and degrees that are not well understood. The question at hand “How does NMSI affect physical activity?” is complex. This complexity stems from the diversity of the population at study, the orthopedic aids and sport equipment that is used, and the kind of physical activity involved in. These components are inextricably linked, wherein a change in one of the elements affects the other elements or their relationship to one another. Therefore, to understand “How NMSI affects physical activity”, impairment, equipment and equipment-user interface, and physical activity should be controlled in the population at study. This is exactly the holistic approach we apply in this Synergy project. We concretize this overarching holistic approach (i) measuring how the impairment manifests itself without compensating aids (subproject 1); (ii) controlling the interaction between individuals and orthopedic aids (subproject 2); and (iii) weighing the outcomes of subprojects 1 and 2 against real life conditions (ADL: Activities of Daily Life) and sport (subproject 3). Subprojects have different work packages (WP’s) to reach the subprojects’ aim. Combinations of outcomes of WP’s within and between subprojects, generate information on how to optimize the complex interaction between the individual and his/her orthopedic aids, performing specific tasks in a given environment. The objective is to compromise between performance and health outcomes, maximizing proficiency while minimizing the risk for injuries and illnesses. The Synergy project generates answers to the following questions: How does NMSI affect wheeled mobility in ADL and in dynamic wheelchair court sports? How to optimize the wheelchair-user interface, minimizing shoulder load and risks for repetitive strain injuries? How to optimize the wheelchair-user interface, minimizing interface pressure and risks for pressure ulcers? This approach will, amongst other, generate ergonomic knowledge allowing manufacturers, therapists, orthotists, instructors, coaches, to optimize the wheelchair-user interface from an ADL- and sport-performance perspective. The short-term objective of the Synergy project (four years) is to integrate the generated fundamental knowledge in GIH education programs and to lay the foundations for an Adapted Physical Activity research framework in an (inter-)national collaboration. The long-term objective of the Synergy project, is transforming the GIH education programs into inclusive programs and starting ADL- and sport-specific research lines orchestrated by GIH academic staff in an (inter-)national collaboration. |
| Development of heme iron-enriched functional foods to combat iron deficiency anemia (HemI-EFF) | Örebro University | Research projects | 1 | 2022 | SEK 4,792,597 | Natural Sciences, Agricultural and Veterinary sciences, Medical and Health Sciences | November 1, 2022 - May 31, 2026 | 20220056 | Åke Strid | The aim of our project is to efficiently and in large amounts produce plant hemoglobins (PHbs) in Nicotiana benthamiana and probiotic bacteria. The PHbs can then be used to prevent and alleviate iron deficiency anemia (IDA) in humans. IDA is the only nutrient deficiency that is prevalent in all countries and is one of the most common nutritional disorders affecting an estimated 2 billion people. Though heme iron (heme-Fe) from meat can be absorbed very efficiently in humans, consumption of heme-Fe is constrained by several factors, such as affordability, personal preference, religion, or government policy. Moreover, recent studies emphasize a strong relationship between high consumption of meat products and increased risk for severe diseases such as cancer or cardiovascular disease. The world’s meat production is also considered non-sustainable from a global warming perspective since cattle emit enormous amounts of greenhouse gases. Instead, inorganic Fe is widely used to reduce IDA using oral intake of inorganic Fe-salts. However, long-term use of oral Fe supplementation gives rise to side effects, such as stomach pain, nausea, diarrhea, vomiting and constipation. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop a more sustainable product, of vegetable origin, that makes a much smaller environmental footprint. Plant-based Heme-Fe products therefore are much more sustainable and with a much smaller environmental impact, thus being highly suitable as a Heme-Fe source. In the proposed project, we have built a project team that is both highly competent and suitable or a project where we want to produce PHbs through combinatorial overexpression of PHbs in plants and probiotic bacteria. In a preliminary experiment we have already managed to increase the level of heme-Fe production in Nicotiana benthamiana 40-fold by targeting plant globins into multiple organelles and we now want to further increase Fe production in plants by individual or combinatorial overexpression of major genes in the heme biosynthetic pathway along with co-overexpression of globins. Then, we want to extract and purify the PHbs in a usable form as Fe-fortificant or as a constituent in plant-based food. In parallell, we express PHbs in the heme producing probiotic bacterium Bacillus coagulans with the aim to also develop a probiotic but plant-based product that can be used for IDA prevention and alleviation. We will also assess the bioavailability of purified PHbs and PHB-producing probiotics using a human epithelial Caco-2 in vitro assay and uptake from the mouse gastrointestinal tract. |
| Recreational mobility and trails in mountain destinations: Understanding Behavioural insights and New technology in relation to funding systems for high quality trails in a Swedish context | Dalarna University | Research projects | 1 | 2022 | SEK 3,600,000 | Social Sciences, Medical and Health Sciences | July 1, 2022 - December 31, 2025 | 20220051 | Tobias Heldt | Resilience in nature-based tourism destinations is dependent on well-functioning trails for outdoor activities. These need to be managed, monitored and funded in a sustainable way for the long-term stability of businesses, protection of nature and the possibility of multi-use and social well-being of visitors and local inhabitants. The overall research aim for this project is to analyse prerequisites for funding and management of two recreational trail types as part of developing nature-based tourist destinations. This proposed project has been developed jointly between researchers, three companies and one destination organization with the purpose of investigating the prerequisites and conditions for a well-functioning and long term sustainable funding and management system for recreational trails used for mountain biking (MTB) and cross-country skiing. The ability to provide trails of high quality is the key component in attracting visitors, and the selling of trail passes is seen as the major source of income to maintain and develop the trails in the specific context of Swedish outdoor tourism and recreation. Given the right of public access in Sweden – allemansrätten, the challenge for the companies is to motivate visitors to buy trail passes, retain a high sale at as high price as possible and at the same time keep the visitors satisfied. The main challenge for the project is to understand the consumer behaviour of tourists when it comes to the decision to contribute to trail funding by buying a trail pass and to understand if and how context of resort ownership, other visitors’ behaviour and the social norm, matters for the decision. Monitoring and tracking of users in the trail systems is a key component of the project and new development of infrared thermal camera techniques, as well as within motion capturing of sports and recreation, will be used in the project. The project will run in four distinct parts. Part I focus two trail activities (MTB and cross-country skiing) and will use standard survey techniques and a natural field experiment on the compliance to current trail funding systems. Part II will use a field experiment to test and evaluate new technology and behavioural insights related to use of MTB and cross-country ski trail. Part III focus on monitoring and motion capturing using standard devices as well as thermal cameras to develop and test a new service that can be bundled the trail pass. Part IV includes communication and dissemination of project activities and results. For the practical use, the expected project results will help improve existing funding systems, which in turn will lead to higher revenues and makes for a long term sustainable funding and management system for the recreational trails. Scientifically, the project results add to the understanding of funding of trails for nature-based tourism and recreation, such as mountain biking as well as the understanding of social norms shaping human cooperation. |
| DICREASE: Digital Campus in Smart Development and Production | Mälardalen University | NU | 3 | 2022 | SEK 1,793,006 | Natural Sciences, Engineering and Technology | September 1, 2022 - January 31, 2024 | 20220088 | Eduard Enoiu | The objective of the DiCREASE project is to further strengthen the online offer from Mälardalen University (MDU) by developing six courses under the common theme of Smart Development and Production. Companies focusing on business innovation and disruption will need to radically reassess not only how they can apply technologies, but also aim to increase their current and future employees’ level of digital maturity for both development and production within a future digital value chain. There is a need for courses tackling an integrated development and production process, and DiCREASE aims to fill this gap by providing the right skill profiles to the employees in the companies of the future. Overall, DiCREASE will bring substantial benefits to MDU by providing a new and targeted platform for international visibility and collaboration. Although digital learning already plays an important part of MDU education initiatives, the existing digital course offering and strategy for development of online courses can improve the current digitalization strategies at MDU. Within DiCREASE we will develop six courses of 2.5 credits each (7.5 credits for each environment and a total of 15 credits). The project is a collaboration between the two strong environments Embedded Systems (ES) and Innovation and Product Realization (IPR) and also involves industrial partners. DiCREASE courses are highly relevant for both industrially focused international students and for professionals in industry who can benefit from the flexible format of online courses in smart development and production. The project will contribute to pedagogical development at MDU and strengthen the ties between research and education. Starting out ten years ago with the PROMPT project, funded by KKS, Mälardalen University now has several initiatives that provide a good basis for the continued development of modern pedagogy and online learning for nurturing the much needed skills in students studying in the interdisciplinary area at the intersection of industrial development and production processes. To further strengthen these efforts we want to expand the offer through the DiCREASE collaboration, by a joint endeavour between these two strong environments (i.e., ES and IPR). With DiCREASE we want to make use of the benefits from our previous work and develop fully online courses that further demonstrate the capabilities of MDU in both smart development and production areas. In a nutshell, DiCREASE is about placing greater emphasis on innovation in development and production education that focuses on the combined ES and IPR environments’ strengths in delivering online courses that are valuable to the students’ future careers. |
| Beneficial effects of vitamins in skin - Towards next generation skin care and 3D skin models | Malmö University | Research projects | 1 | 2022 | SEK 4,799,730 | Natural Sciences, Medical and Health Sciences | October 17, 2022 - October 16, 2026 | 20220031 | Sebastian Björklund | There is a large need to understand effects of exogeneous substances on skin barrier formation and function, both from biological and physicochemical/pharmaceutical perspectives, preferably in parallel and by combining in vitro/ex vivo methodologies mimicking real skin. While a vast number of skin care ingredients have been examined in clinical settings, as well as for biological effects in cell models or from a physicochemical perspective looking at how they affect and permeate the skin barrier, translational studies are scarce. The aim of the current project is therefore to adopt a holistic approach to skin research with a particular focus on how lipophilic vitamins (retinol, niacinamide) and hydrophilic vitamins (niacinamide, dexpanthenol) affect our largest organ. We approach this task with a truly interdisciplinary team, involving Biofilms - Research Center for Biointerfaces at Malmö University and Oriflame Cosmetics, CELLINK Bioprinting, MatTek, and Insplorion as main partners, with expertise ranging from clinical sciences and tissue engineering, through cell/molecular biology, to physicochemical pharmacy, analytical chemistry, and physics. We combine conventional cell models with state-of-the-art 3D skin models, as well as human skin biopsies, employing molecular biology assays together with analytical chemistry methods and physicochemical techniques. With this all-inclusive approach, combining multiple skin models and a complementary toolbox, we aim to investigate the effect of vitamins on the metabolic pathways by gene and protein expression assays (e.g., qPCR, immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, confocal microscopy, flow cytometry, western blot, ELISA). The metabolic pathways - from precursor lipids of the basal keratinocytes to the final lipids required for proper skin barrier formation - will be investigated by LC/MS lipidomics. Furthermore, structure-function relationships between the skin barrier molecular organization (SWAXS, FTIR, PT ssNMR) and its barrier properties (confocal Raman spectroscopy, Franz cells, EIS) will be investigated to gain understanding of vitamin dose-response relationship on the skin organ. Finally, we aim at developing a new method for evaluating diffusion of vitamins across biological membranes, such as bioprinted supported cell layers, based on nanoplasmonic sensing where a preferred outcome would be a methodology for more general use envisioned as a 'cultured skin-on-a-chip'. Overall, the aim is to provide detailed molecular understanding of beneficial effects of vitamins on the skin organ and to verify the resemblance of regenerated 3D skin models to real skin. With improved skin models, together with complementary methods, it will be possible to evaluate skin care products in vitro and thereby minimize the use of animal models. The possibility of reducing, or even eliminating, controversial animal testing by providing reliable alternative test models, is of great benefit to the society. |
| WorkFlex: Future Flexible Work Policies and Processes for Software Companies | Blekinge Institute of Technology | Research projects | 3 | 2022 | SEK 4,761,716 | Natural Sciences | December 1, 2022 - May 31, 2025 | 20220047 | Darja Smite | Background: COVID-19 pandemic unexpectedly led to the turn of history in the magnitude of experience and perception of working from home (WFH). Today, companies realize that employee hopes regarding the future differ greatly. Some cannot wait to return to the office, some will return unwillingly, some want to visit the office few days a week, and some wish to continue WFH. The ability to WFH became one important benefit for job seekers and companies are forced to rethink their work policies. Problems in brief: Studies of pandemic work show - it has its opportunities and challenges. While most engineers report not being affected or increasing performance, others are significantly hindered by WFH, and more so the teams, who shifted from colocated synchronous interaction to fully remote, computer-mediated one. Reported challenges with asynchronous communication, collaboration breakdowns, and structural siloes signal the possible negative effects on quality, productivity, and innovation. In the future, some companies choose not to risk and force employees back into the office by introducing mandatory office days or proportion of time spent onsite, others opt for full flexibility, and even allow employees to move globally. Approaches to office space differ too. Some plan large transformations, some focus on collaboration spaces hoping to attract employees back, others drastically reduce the office space. Foreseeing the effects of each of these strategies in terms of retaining staff, keeping them satisfied, and, at the same time, preserving the corporate culture and well-functioning of the company long-term, is not easy. Key challenges for the future are to accommodate the diverse needs of the individuals and teams and ensure effective organizational functioning in terms of 1) satisfaction, well-being, and sense of belonging, 2) performance, 3) activity, 4) communication and collaboration, and 5) efficiency and flow. Why are these problems unsolved: WFH and remote work as such are not new. Yet, future hybrid workplace will be different from what we know about home teleworkers, virtual teams, distributed teams and even partially-dispersed teams and pandemic experiences, because: 1) remote WFH will be more prevalent; 2) hybrid workplaces will no longer provide the equality common to the pandemic times; 3) WFH is different from corporate remote work; 4) team constellations will be less permanent; and 5) company culture and sense of belonging are likely to be affected much more than in any previously known corporate setting. Focus of the proposal: to establish a holistic view of the emerging phenomenon of hybrid workplace and gain rich actionable insights on how to support remote workers, hybrid teams and organizations through adjustments to the so-far predominantly on-site in-the-office work practices and possible redesign of the workplace. |
| Cybersecurity Master (CybSäk) | Mälardalen University | Second cycle education | 3 | 2022 | SEK 2,390,019 | Natural Sciences, Engineering and Technology | September 1, 2022 - August 31, 2024 | 20220060 | Hans Hansson | Cybersecurity is increasingly challenging modern society, including both the public and business sector, as well as our private lives. Hackers, cybercriminals, and even governments are constantly looking for vulnerabilities to exploit in the millions of computer-based systems that surround us. While public and private actors are aware of cybersecurity threats in general, the maturity, understanding and ability to properly analyse threats, mitigate them, and handle incidents is far from sufficient in most organizations. There is a lack both in the level of skills and in the number of persons that have the required skills. To meet these challenges, we are proposing a Cybersecurity Master Programme that targets both regular students aiming for a career in Cybersecurity and practitioners in the business sector with need and interest to specialize in Cybersecurity. The programme will have a unique focus on industrial cybersecurity, i.e., security of manufacturing facilities, critical infrastructure, and products, while providing in-depth knowledge and skills that will prepare the students for important roles in a broad range of private and public organisations. Preliminary course content: • The first semester will introduce the students to the topics of cybersecurity and research methods, as well as provide opportunities for students with diverse backgrounds to level their competence in core areas required for the subsequent studies. • The second semester features courses on Industrial Cybersecurity, Network Security, Cybersecurity Operations, and Safety-critical & Reliable Software. • The third semester provides both further in-depth training and more applied work to train the students in cybersecurity defence of IT-systems and critical infrastructure. Specific courses: Web security, AI Security, Attack & Defend, and Governance & IT law. • The final semester is dedicated to a MSc-thesis project with relevance for Cybersecurity that can be performed either at a company or at the university. To ensure relevance, the programme will be developed in close collaboration with our business partners that, in addition to providing guidance and feedback on suggested organisation and content, will contribute by providing concrete course content and assist in the execution of the programme. The proposed programme is very much in line with the strategic priorities of both MDU and the hosting Embedded Systems environment (ES) and builds in part on existing courses and a strong related research base. The programme is expected to create a focal point for Cybersecurity related research and education within ES, as well as provide important connections and basis for cooperation also with the two other engineering environments at MDU. |
| Personalized fall Risk reduction based on Early detection of deteriorated physical abilities (PRE-fall) | Mälardalen University | Research projects | 1 | 2022 | SEK 4,777,479 | Natural Sciences, Engineering and Technology, Medical and Health Sciences | October 17, 2022 - October 16, 2026 | 20220022 | Annica Kristoffersson | The three objectives of the PRE-fall project are (Obj1) to develop innovative systems for assessing and reducing fall risk with the aim to reduce the fall risk among middle-aged adults, (Obj2) to advance the state-of-the-art regarding principles for user interfaces (UIs) for a digitalized self-test of fall risk and a persuasive system providing personalized interventions based on the user’s mental model, and physiological parameters indicating a deteriorated physical ability related to an increased fall risk, and (Obj3) to strengthen the research environment by developing a virtual research lab at MDU, which includes a GDPR- and MDR-compliant system for safe and secure collection of data from research participants. The approach extends today’s fall prediction and prevention systems, which are limited to monitoring and not engaging the users. The PRE-fall project tackles the fall risk problem in an innovative way by detecting early deteriorations in physical ability and providing relevant support to intervene the deterioration. All UIs will be developed in a user-centered iterative design process. More specifically, PRE-fall will advance state-of-the art regarding fall prevention in the following areas: • Design principles for UIs: (1) allowing adults to perform a self-test of their fall risk, (2) for interacting with adults regarding fall risk, and change of fall risk, in a personalized way, and (3) for a persuasive system reducing the fall risk by adapting to the mental model of the adults. The design principles will also be useful for other applications. • Self-tests allowing adults to detect early deteriorated physical abilities without being supervised by a therapist. • Sensor solutions for identifying more subtle information on fall risk and detecting early deteriorated physical abilities in daily life. • Knowledge of differences in early deteriorated physical ability and physiological parameters among younger, middle-aged and older adults. • Knowledge about the mental models of adults with increased fall risk and the relationship between mental models and early deteriorated physical abilities PRE-fall will be carried out in co-production between academy and industry. The PRE-fall consortium is composed by MDU, Atea Sverige AB (with expertise on (1) rules and regulations of IT-infrastructures and GDPR, and (2) development of systems for the healthcare sector), and Motion Control i Västerås AB (with expertise in electronics, sensors and sensor systems). PRE-fall is expected to strengthen the research related to fall prevention and interaction design at MDU. Atea will obtain knowledge of UI principles that can be used also in other applications. Motion Control will obtain an increased knowledge of sensor solution for detecting early deteriorated physical abilities and thereby obtain new applications for their IMU-sensors. Both companies will obtain an increased visibility among MDU students in engineering. |
| Advanced Online PV Education | Karlstad University | NU | 3 | 2022 | SEK 1,800,000 | Natural Sciences, Engineering and Technology | September 1, 2022 - October 31, 2024 | 20220081 | Markus Rinio | There is a need for a rapid and massive transformation of the energy system to meet the 1.5 °C limit in increased global average temperature. Collaborations between research institutions and companies are required to support the transformation to a sustainable energy supply. Sweden’s total installed photovoltaic (PV) power capacity increases exponentially with about 60 % per year and over 200 Swedish companies are involved in the value chain of this market. This rapid growth causes problems recruiting sufficiently skilled personal. We already see quality issues with PV installations in Sweden caused by an unbalanced growth of companies in comparison to the needed training for employees. The number of solar cell online courses world-wide is still limited, especially in the Nordic countries. Karlstad University and Dalarna University focus in their research and development work on the silicon PV based technologies that cover 95 % of the market. We are applying to establish two comprehensive online courses on photovoltaics. These courses will be on the advanced level and give the students a deep understanding on solar cells, PV systems, and energy storage. With our courses we address participants from both the solar industry and regular students that are aiming for a degree. Each course will be valued with 7.5 HP. |
| Social exclusion and discrimination in immigrant youth’s labour market integration | Malmö University | Special initiatives | 1 | 2022 | SEK 3,600,000 | Social Sciences | September 1, 2023 - August 31, 2026 | 20220101 | Pieter Bevelander | In light of increasing superdiversity in Sweden, supporting the harmonious integration of immigrants and their descendants has become a prior policy issue with regard to both immigrants’ well-being and Swedish society’s social cohesion and prosperity. Moreover, immigrant youth are critical to Sweden’s goal of benefitting from the valuable skills embodied in immigrants and recruiting them to expand the economy and support economic growth. Thus, promoting positive adjustment and integration of immigrant youth into the labour market is paramount for their future well-being and functioning and that of the society. Unfortunately, existing studies suggest that integration of immigrant youth often take place in social contexts replete with discrimination and social exclusionary experiences. Research has increasingly recognized that being exposed to these negative social experiences has detrimental effects for immigrant youth’s psychosocial health as well as their career self-efficacy and vocational outcome expectations. Yet, we still lack any comprehensive knowledge on how social exclusion and discrimination are related to immigrant youth’s early labour market outcomes and what are the underlying mechanisms in this relationship. Moreover, most of the studies in the field have mainly adopted a deficit-based perspective and focused on understanding the risk factors that impede the adjustment and integration of immigrant youth in receiving societies. To go beyond this prevailing focus on negative outcomes and contribute to the field, the proposed project will apply a strength-based perspective and shed light on resilience processes that facilitate immigrant youth’s successful labour market integration in the face of social exclusion and discrimination. We will analyse large-scale longitudinal data collected among immigrant youth in Sweden, which was matched to register data on educational and labour market outcomes. At the same time, we will draw on data collected in other European countries to make international comparisons and tests the robustness of the findings. This project will generate new and timely knowledge on immigrant youth’s labour market integration and derive important implications for policy and the private sector concerning the actions which may be taken to promote positive early labour market outcomes among immigrant youth in Sweden. We will undertake a diverse range of dissemination and communication activities that will not only maximize the impact and benefits of the preformed research, but will strengthen collaboration between the private sector, the public service, and civil society to improve the labour market performance of immigrant youth. |
| Carbon2Food - Boosting sustainable vertical farming by CO2 fertilization from air carbon capture | Mälardalen University | Research projects | 3 | 2022 | SEK 4,754,164 | Engineering and Technology | September 1, 2022 - August 31, 2025 | 20220040 | Monica Odlare | Indoor urban vertical farming (IUVF) have the ability to provide the community with locally produced food, reduce CO2 emission, and thereby promote sustainable development. The objective of Carbon2Food is to develop an energy-efficient and cost-effective solution for IUVF based on the CO2 fertilisation effect, which uses the CO2 captured from the air in the greenhouse. CO2 is one environmental factor that is important for plant growth, and the success of IUVF depends on CO2 supply as well as light conditions, nutrient qualities and irrigation. Although carbon is usually taken for granted, it is possible to take an intentional approach to enrich it for plant growth. The mechanisms of CO2 assimilation through photosynthesis are of great complexity, and the CO2 fertilisation effect and its limitations are not yet fully understood. This project proposes to integrate CO2 capture from the air with IUVF, which can achieve twofold benefits: increasing the production of food and reducing the emission of CO2. By investigating the impact of increased CO2 concentration on production and its interactions with other key environmental factors, this project will not only optimise the enhanced CO2 supply and distribution but also develop and implement innovative technologies and business models for the integration of CO2 capture. In addition, the carbon footprint of IUVF integrated with CO2 capture will be analysed to assess the potential contribution to the emission reduction. The project will be carried out in close cooperation with industrial partners, i.e. Swegreen, Sally R and ICA Maxi. |
| Novel approaches to identify protein signatures and immune mechanisms underlying influenza induced cardiac pathogenesis in humans: focus on comprehensive proteomics and in vitro human heart microenvironment. | Örebro University | Research projects | 1 | 2022 | SEK 4,476,496 | Medical and Health Sciences | September 1, 2022 - June 30, 2027 | 20220014 | Geena Paramel | Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death globally, accounting for 30% deaths worldwide. While many infections have been studied for their role in triggering CVD, the most compelling evidence is for influenza infection. Influenza is one of the leading infectious causes of morbidity and mortality globally and is shown to trigger cardiovascular events including myocardial infarction, heart failure, myocarditis and arrhythmia. Influenza-associated CVD can be caused by direct viral infection, or indirect damage due to the inflammatory cytokine storm. Although influenza vaccination is shown to reduce secondary cardiovascular events associated with influenza infection, there is still limited understanding on influenza-associated immune response in triggering cardiovascular events. The overall aim of the proposed HÖG-21 project is to identify novel circulating biomarkers and the molecular mechanism underlying influenza-induced cardiac pathogenesis using advanced and physiological relevant methodological approaches. The project is a collaborative effort between researchers, clinicians, and industrial partners from a multidisciplinary environment to exchange knowledge and expertise, and to promote early-phase scientific discoveries and commercial technology development. The project consortium includes investigators from Örebro University, Örebro University Hospital (Region Örebro lan), University of Technology (Sydney, Australia), Dalhousie University (Canada), Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., and Bio-Rad Laboratories Inc. Together with industrial partner Bio-Rad Laboratories and their Luminex xMAP technology, project 1 aims to customize protein panel for screening proteins of CVD and immune response using plasma samples from a newly established clinical cohort of influenza patients. This will identify potential circulating biomarkers in the plasma of influenza patients with cardiac pathogenesis and might serve as early predictive biomarkers for the prognosis of influenza associated cardiac injury. In parallel to Project 1, we will initiate Project 2 in collaboration with the industrial partner Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. using their cardiac spheroids as a platform to further modify it into a physiological relevant in vitro human heart microenvironment (IVHM). The project includes collaboration with Gentile’s lab at University of Technology, Sydney, an internationally recognized expert in developing IVHM to study human heart physiology. IVHM developed in Project 2 will be used in Project 3 to investigate immunomodulatory changes in response to plasma samples of influenza patients with cardiac complications. Project 3 will provide us understanding of the molecular mechanism underlying influenza induced cardiac pathogenesis and furthermore promote commercialization of IVHM for screening of cardiac drug toxicity. The proposed HÖG-21 project will initiate several future projects and collaborations using IVHM as an alternative to mouse models. |
| Visiting academic scholar from Ukraine specialized in Sustainable Tourism | Örebro University | Special initiatives | 3 | 2022 | SEK 1,074,840 | Social Sciences | June 15, 2022 - June 14, 2023 | 20220100 | Erik Hysing | The Visiting Academic (VA), PhD in Public Administration and Associate Professor of the Department of Regional Studies and Tourism, Kyiv National Economic University, Ukraine, will be hosted by the Centre for Environmental and Sustainability Social Science (CESSS) at Örebro University (ORU) in collaboration with the Centre for Tourism and Leasure Research (CeTLeR) at Dalarna University. The VA conducts research on private-public partnerships for sustainable tourism and will contribute with research and teaching experience of great value to both research centers as well as to business partners within the tourism sector. During this one year VA period, she will develop a research proposal in collaboration with business partners (e.g. Visita); conduct cross-country comparative analysis on private-public partnerships for sustainable tourism in Ukraine and Sweden; organize and present at seminars, enabling important knowledge exchange with business partners in this sector as well as further collaboration within and between ORU and Dalarna University; and, teach in master’s programs at ORU and Dalarna University. The VA offers a great opportunity to strengthen research, education, and collaboration on sustainable tourism. |
| Initial assessment of manufacturing relocation decisions | University of Gävle | Research projects | 1 | 2022 | SEK 4,784,664 | Engineering and Technology, Social Sciences | August 1, 2022 - December 31, 2025 | 20220013 | Per Hilletofth | There has been a change in the view of how industrial manufacturing activities should be organized. Companies are today trying to gain benefits from both global and local manufacturing/sourcing by finding a balance and adapting for different markets. This means that companies in many industries try to develop local/regional supply chains for specific markets and thus distribute (locate) production closer to the final market, while still exploiting global advantages. This development has been further strengthened by the Covid-19 pandemic that in many ways have undermined the global supply chain approach. Many earlier global advantages have started to become major weaknesses in Covid-19 era, and this in an environment where cost and price changes have been sudden and significant. Although, a change in mindset has occurred, companies lack adequate decision content frameworks and assessment methods to make appropriate relocation decisions that are resilient over time. This calls for novel and more advanced assessment methods that take a nuanced view and not favor any sourcing approach, that are inclusive and incorporate both quantifiable and non-quantifiable criteria, and that enables earlier assessment in the process. Initial assessment is argued to streamline the decision-making process by ensuring that resources are invested in the opportunities with the greatest potential and that critical decision criteria as well as enablers and barriers are identified and considered early on. The need arises from the facts that the decision-making process consumes significant amount of resources and that this decision is becoming more dynamic, leading to more frequent revision. There is a limited understanding and knowledge of initial assessment in both theory and practice and this project is outlined in response to this knowledge gap and associated industrial challenges. The aim of the project is to develop a method for initial assessment of manufacturing relocation decisions. The specific research questions include: (1) “How can initial assessment of manufacturing relocation decisions be performed?”, (2) “How can initial assessment of manufacturing relocation decisions enhance the overarching decision-making process?”, and (3) “When during the overarching decision-making process should initial assessment be performed?”. An interactive research approach, including industrial case and focus studies, will be used. The project is expected to deliver a method for initial assessment of manufacturing relocation decisions. The method will assist industrial companies in identifying and assessing the factors influencing initial assessment as well as selecting the preferable timing. The method will be developed in close collaboration with the participating companies but will also be applicable in other companies. |
| EU practices of bordering and debordering in the wake of the Russian-Ukrainian war | Malmö University | Special initiatives | 3 | 2022 | SEK 1,200,000 | Social Sciences | September 1, 2022 - August 31, 2023 | 20220102 | Bo Petersson | This project aims to uncover how the Russian-Ukrainian war and the refugee crisis following in its wake inform EU policies of bordering and de-bordering, and the determination of providing aid and temporary assistance. The research follows the feminist tradition of International Relations studies in refocusing of security agendas from states/governments to human agency. The current Ukrainian war escapees form one of the largest human flows in the post-WWII history of Europe, and are thus understood and studied as indispensable participants of security-related practices and sources of unique experiences of what Giorgio Agamben dubbed “bare life”, or physical survival/existence beyond the established institutions of care taking and protection. The emphasis of the research project will be placed on analytically connecting human security and the practices of debordering that have emerged in many European countries after the start of the war in Ukraine. The geopolitical part is based on discourse analysis of official documents produced by Ukrainian authorities and major Ukrainian think tanks. Human security discourses of displaced persons from Ukraine will be studied on the basis of a series of in-depth interviews and focus groups. Three country-specific cases were chosen as the most pertinent for illustrating and unpacking the phenomenon of bordering/debordering: Germany, which due to its leading position within both NATO and the EU, produces official Kyiv’s high expectations of the German role in helping Ukraine; Sweden – as many Ukrainians found refuge in Sweden with the assistance of its government and volunteer organizations; and Estonia, perceived as one of the most consistent political lobbyists of Ukraine. From a practical viewpoint, the project will be useful both for Ukrainian authorities and institutions in EU member states hosting war refugees, especially when it comes to developing strategies to accommodate refugee groups and communities, monitoring their expectations and requests for assistance, and helping with resettling strategies. The project findings will inform corporations and the business sector not only about a more diverse workforce and the expanded consumer/customer base, but also about the opportunities to put into practice their corporate social responsibility and solidarity. Based on the project findings, Dr. Kurnyshova will draft recommendations for policymakers and the private sector concerning possible actions aimed to facilitate immigrants' cultural integration and promote the overall safety, health, and sustainability of local communities. |
| M-WELD | University West | Second cycle education | 1 | 2022 | SEK 2,460,000 | Engineering and Technology | March 1, 2023 - February 28, 2025 | 20220180 | Paul Kah | The development of the advanced master's program in Production Technology with specialization in Welding Technology (MWELD) project aims to develop a 2-year Master's programme covering a wide range of topics such as welding technology-related areas, welding-based AM and materials sciences. The two-year master's programme (120 credits), including the International Welding Engineer (IWE) qualification, is entirely related to University West's production technology research activities and specifically in the welding Technology (Svetsteknologi) division. The programme aims to strengthen the university's position within the field of education, improve the supply of advanced expertise and development of the business sector and contribute toward a more robust integration of research and teaching at the university. |
| LCF-PP - Low Carbon Footprint Polypropylene (PP) for Sustainable Development and Circular Economy | Jönköping University | Research projects | 1 | 2022 | SEK 4,304,527 | Engineering and Technology | March 1, 2023 - February 28, 2026 | 20220188 | Muhammad Irfan Qadeer | The past 70 years of R&D in plastics have resulted in the development of new plastic materials and products which are continuously replacing many traditional materials owing to their outstanding material properties but unfortunately, many synthetic plastics are not biodegradable or derived from bio-based sources. The high production volumes and relatively short-service life with the unmatching efforts of recycling plastic waste are resulting in the accumulation of plastic waste, making harrowing headlines around the world. The pro-industrial paradigm, take-make-dispose is against the EU’s ambitious approach toward a plastic-based circular economy that demands 50% recycling by 2025 and 55% by 2030. The plastic recycling industry is facing numerous challenges and perhaps one of the outstanding challenges is to compete with the virgin plastic resin for high-end consumer products. Contamination in post-consumer recyclate (PCR) is one of the factors that hinder recycling. Another plaguing issue associated with the PCR is an unpleasant odor that does not completely disappear even after cleaning of PCR due to the migration of odorous compounds into the molecular structure and therefore becomes a permanent signature of PCR that often crosses the threshold limits of compounders and limits their use in confined places such as automobiles and personal hygiene products. Consequently, the PCR has only limited low-end applications such as outdoor furniture, plastic bags, flower pots, compost containers, etc. This project aims to devise an economical and environmentally friendly solution by using steam and benign solvents to remove volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from PCR. |
| PREMACOP - Predictive Maintenance using Confidence Predictors | Jönköping University | Research projects | 1 | 2022 | SEK 4,914,733 | Natural Sciences, Engineering and Technology | January 1, 2023 - December 31, 2026 | 20220187 | Tuwe Löfström | This project’s industrial and scientific challenges are related to confidence-based data analytics for predictive maintenance. Predictive maintenance evaluates the condition of machinery and other equipment. The goal is a reduction in unplanned downtime and maintenance costs. Predictive maintenance using machine learning for fault diagnosis and remaining life assessment is the most effective solution for smart manufacturing [1]. Trustworthy machine learning requires algorithmic confidence, i.e., the models must be able to communicate their confidence in every prediction. This requires the confidences to be well-calibrated to not be misleading. Machine learning methods used off-the-shelf often provide poorly calibrated confidence measures [2]. We advocate using the prediction with confidence framework (PwCF), thus supplementing predictions with confidence measures that are mathematically guaranteed to be well-calibrated, under mild assumptions. In regression, these well-calibrated measures take the form of prediction intervals or cumulative distribution functions, and in classification label sets or probability intervals. Despite that PwCF has many attractive properties, there are few predictive maintenance applications. We argue that the PwCF can add many valuable tools for predictive maintenance. Confidence predictors for classification and regression will provide well-calibrated confidence measures and much more information than the corresponding point predictions given by standard machine learning models. The PwCF also contains two specific methods – conformal anomaly detection and exchangeability martingales, that can be used for fault detection even when anomaly examples are missing. The industrial partners are Jönköpings Energi AB and Siemens Energy AB. The project will result in publications, learning systems, algorithms and best practices. Runtime is 20230101-20261231. The total cost is budgeted to 8 951 178 SEK (of which KKs will fund 3 995 718 SEK). |
| Adjunct lecturer in strategic collaboration with Thule Sweden AB - Act | Jönköping University | Capacity building | 1 | 2022 | SEK 1,179,450 | Engineering and Technology | January 1, 2023 - March 31, 2026 | 20220186 | Fredrik Elgh | To strengthen and develop the research and education environment of in:sure, an adjunct lecturer with 20% employment for three years will be recruited with support by Thule. Thule has been involved in education and research at School of Engineering since 1997, and this position will target: Research: Conduct research including participate in joint applications, develop project proposals, and supervise doctoral students. Main focus is on upcoming PROFILE application within in:sure. Education: Engage in education at advanced and postgraduate level, contributing with a business perspective in teaching, participating in course and initiating business related degree projects. One major part is the development and implementation of industrial projects within two courses at advanced level. Management: Contributing to strategic development of in:sure and SPARK in alignment with industrial needs and challenges, and the development of collaboration, means models and competence supporting both scientific and industrial impact. An adjunct position will provide the research and education environment with knowledge and experience from the development front as well as the needs and the challenges in industry. For this position, the following research questions can be outlined that point out important areas that will be supported: How to design and develop product and production platforms supporting circular business models? How to design and develop product and production platforms supporting resilience? How can digitalisation and model-based engineering be used for integrated development of product and production? How should life-cycle information be managed, what concepts of digital twins, and what methods can be used for knowledge discovery supporting continuous development and product evolution in platform-based businesses? The fellow for this strategic position is Joel Johansson formerly employed as associate professor at School of Engineering until June 2019. |
| Adjunct lecturer in strategic collaboration with Husqvarna AB - AdHus | Jönköping University | Capacity building | 1 | 2022 | SEK 606,083 | Engineering and Technology | April 1, 2023 - March 31, 2026 | 20220185 | Kerstin Johansen | To strengthen and develop the research and education environment of in:sure an adjunct lecturer with 20% employment for three years, 2023-2026, will be recruited with support by Husqvarna. Husqvarna is one of our strategic partners and this position will target: Research: Conduct research including participate in joint applications, develop project proposals, such as upcoming PROFILE application within in:sure as well as EU calls. Education: Engage in education at advanced level, contributing with deep skills and knowledge in robot programming, application selection and robot simulation in a digital twin-approach. Engagement in identifying possible integrated product and production projects as well as thesis projects related to automation together with Husqvarna. Management: Contributing to strategic development of in:sure and SPARK in alignment with industrial needs and challenges, and the development of co-production related to automation in assembly supporting both scientific and industrial impact. An adjunct position will provide the research and education environment with knowledge and experience from the automation front including emerging technologie as well as the needs and the challenges in industry. For this position, the following research areas can be outlined that point out important areas related to developing automation knowledge and solutions for more efficient assembly: - Advanced technologies in flexibel automation - Design for automation - for both assembly as well as disassembly - Information management design in an automated assembly line utilizing sensors or similar technologies The fellow for this strategic position is Ghazaleh Azizpour, PhD, and automation expert. |
| International Visiting Professor - LUT | Jönköping University | Capacity building | 1 | 2022 | SEK 1,104,806 | Engineering and Technology | April 1, 2023 - March 31, 2026 | 20220184 | Jenny Bäckstrand | Research and education within purchasing and supply management (PSM) is conducted at the Supply Chain and Operations Management department at the School of Engineering at Jönköping University (JTH) even though many of the associated research projects are carried out cross-disciplinary and in association with other departments, mainly within the research and education environment in:sure. In a national context, our PSM research has a unique focus, taking the perspective of the manufacturing company and emphasising the logistics or flow perspective of both materials and knowledge rather than the more common contract or public procurement focus. Accordingly, to strengthen and develop the research and education environment of in:sure and SCOM, an visiting professor with 20% employment for three years, 2023-2026, will be recruited. At the moment there are one associate professor, two assistant professors and one graduating doctoral student within the subject. This recruitment is hence essential in order to be able to attract new doctoral students and carry out all the research projects that has been applied for 2023 and onwards. The expected long-term effect of the recruitment is the establishment of a research group focusing on PSM, meriting of existing researchers and recruitment of new doctoral students, research that is published in high-ranked journals, approved larger environmental building projects (both nationally and internationally) and a fruitful dissemination of results to the academic partner as well as society through the recruited person. |
| AI Management | Jönköping University | Education for working professionals | 1 | 2022 | SEK 2,453,535 | Natural Sciences, Engineering and Technology, Social Sciences | January 1, 2023 - June 30, 2024 | 20220183 | Joakim Wikner | Artificial Intelligence (AI) has an increasingly central role in many contexts and from a manufacturing industrial perspective, data-driven AI is particularly interesting. Digitization and business systems provide large amounts of data, but major challenges remain in terms of how this data can be converted into managerial decision support and contribute to increased competitive advantages. Characteristic of data-driven AI software is that it can handle these ever larger and more complex amounts of data to provide decision support to people or even perform automated decisions. When these individual solutions are handled separately, it becomes a product or service-based challenge, but when applied in an industrial business and in different combinations, they also offer new challenges and opportunities for management and control of industrial operations, which here is summarize with the term management. Many AI technologies are mature, meaning that there are other factors that today prevent the Swedish manufacturing industry from an increasing and more successful AI utilization. The focus of the proposed project is to offer business-oriented education that focuses on how AI can be used in different ways for management and control of industrial operations. The proposed Graduate Professional Development Program (GPDP) is called AI Management (AIM). The project addresses the issue that many companies and organizations face in terms of lack of knowledge for how to initiate, lead and manage data-driven projects as well as how to leverage AI use in day-to-day business. The perspective of AIM is explicitly that AI technologies should be designed and implemented according to human needs, not the other way around. Similarly, AIM assumes that all AI technology must be credible and ethical. These starting points are, of course, well-aligned with the concept of “human-centered AI”, which is central to the SPARK sub-environment HCIAI. |
| Advanced Coatings for Enhanced Sustainability (ACES) | University West | Synergy project | 1 | 2022 | SEK 12,300,000 | Engineering and Technology | April 1, 2023 - March 31, 2026 | 20220171 | Mohit Gupta | The project takes a comprehensive approach on sustainability to provide a pathway that could contribute to the climate target through development of advanced thermal spray (TS) coatings for application in diverse sectors. New generation TS processes can address a wide range of applications and complex requirements and are seen as an extremely promising one-stop coating technology for solving the challenges faced by industrial partners. Elementary understanding of particle impact, coating build-up, interaction of phases, and microstructure-property-performance relationships is essential to develop the next generation of sustainable TS coatings for demanding applications. The industrial partners are Höganäs, Scania, Siemens Energy, GKN Aerospace, Azelio, ANDRITZ, ABB, and Thermal Spraying & Engineering (TSE). The project is divided into three sub-projects: Advanced thermal barrier coatings, Advanced coatings for tribology and repair, and Novel processing and applications. |
| AI-empowered manufacturing organizations (AIMO) | University West | Capacity building | 1 | 2022 | SEK 563,910 | Social Sciences | August 1, 2023 - January 31, 2026 | 20220178 | Ulrika Lundh Snis | The recruitment of an adjunct lecturer, to whom this application relates, is part of the core area of Industrial Work-Integrated Learning (I-WIL) and has a special focus on industrial transformation and leadership in manufacturing organizations where artificial intelligence (AI) is developed and applied. There is a great need to develop knowledge of leadership models and methods to support organization and management in digital transformation in general, but above all in the expansion of an AI-intensive organization. Implementation of AI technologies provides great opportunities - but also challenges - for organizations in terms of transforming organization, business models, management, and skills. To better understand these challenges, close and systematic collaboration between academia and industry is required. A continuous exchange of knowledge is needed to be able to develop new empirical phenomena and build conceptual as well as theoretical knowledge. The recruitment will provide synergies between academia and business externally, and further internally between research and education within I-WIL, production systems and production processes. |
| Swedish Industrial Graduate School on Cybersecurity (SIGS-CyberSec) | Karlstad University | Industrial graduate schools | 1 | 2022 | SEK 16,200,000 | Natural Sciences | April 1, 2023 - March 31, 2029 | 20220129 | Simone Fischer-Hübner | This proposal for a Swedish Industrial Graduate School on Cybersecurity (SIGS-CyberSec) is submitted by a consortium of Computer Science and Information Systems researchers from four Swedish universities: The project coordinator and applicant Karlstad University, Blekinge Institute of Technology, the Swedish Defence University and Örebro University. They have for over more than two decades built up excellent and internationally leading research profiles and courses in different and complementing cybersecurity specialization areas. Together, and in co-production with 8 Swedish leading industrial partners, they can offer the broad range of research competences and skills for developing a multi-faceted and multi-disciplinary cybersecurity research network and industrial graduate school addressing cybersecurity challenges that the industrial partners are facing. The university and industrial partners have a shared ambition of strengthening cybersecurity research excellence and skills in their organizations, as well as in Sweden as a whole, by developing and establishing an innovative, multi-faceted and multi-disciplinary cybersecurity research and training network. In SIGS-CyberSec, the research field Cybersecurity is structured into the 3 research themes 'Decentralized Cybersecurity for future Networks' (T1), 'CyberSecurity, AI and Automation' (T2) and 'Information Security Management' (T3). The themes will be addressed by the projects' 8 industrial PhD students for advancing state of the art, and the curriculum to be developed will also train the PhD students especially in cybersecurity areas related to these themes. SICS-CyberSec will address the following objectives: (O1) Developing an innovative Industrial postgraduate program and training network in cybersecurity carried out by universities, building on their complementing cybersecurity expertise and scientific excellence, in cooperation with Swedish industry. An excellent curriculum with 14 cybersecurity PhD courses will be offered by academic partners with complementing cybersecurity expertise, which will help addressing the cybersecurity skills gap in Sweden and strengthen the PhD educational programs of the participating universities. (O2) Establishing University-Industry cooperation and co-production on PhD cybersecurity research projects for o Jointly addressing cybersecurity needs and challenges that Swedish business has to meet, o Advancing Swedish industrial cybersecurity research competence and expertise, o Strengthening cybersecurity research profiles at participating universities, both nationally and internationally. (O3) Cooperation with related stakeholders, such as the Swedish IT Security Network (SWITS) network and the Cybercampus Sweden initiative, for building up a sustainable network with postgraduate course modules for industrial cybersecurity research education in Sweden, which can be maintained even beyond the projects lifetime. |
| International perspectives on Industrial restructuring (INTKUOS) | University West | Capacity building | 3 | 2022 | SEK 419,369 | Social Sciences | May 1, 2023 - April 30, 2024 | 20220177 | Lars Walter | The overall aim with this application is to recruit Professor Irmgard Borghouts as visiting professor and thereby strengthen the I-WIL communities’ competence in the area of industrial transformation which is of strategic importance in developing relevant research agendas, education and collaboration with industry, society, and the wider scientific community. |
| Assistant professor in AI and automation (APAIA) | University West | Capacity building | 1 | 2022 | SEK 2,397,929 | Engineering and Technology | August 1, 2023 - July 31, 2027 | 20220176 | Morgan Nilsen | The project intends to recruit an assistant senior lecturer to secure resources for the newly started master's program in AI and automation and to strengthen the research group in process monitoring and control, primarily in the field of artificial intelligence and machine learning. |
| Research leader in production management | University West | Capacity building | 1 | 2022 | SEK 3,755,000 | Engineering and Technology | June 1, 2023 - May 31, 2027 | 20220175 | Per Nylén | The Department of Engineering has decided to build an education and research platform within production management. The goal is that by 2024 there will be undergraduate education, two international master's programs, PhD education and a research group in the field. This recruitment refers to a research leader who also takes responsibility for the research connection in the education and leads our development in both education and research in the field of industrial engineering with a special focus on production management. Areas of interest are production strategy, production location, design of supply chains and logistics. |
| ExSus II (Expert Competence for Sustainable Production) | University West | Education for working professionals | 1 | 2022 | SEK 10,455,000 | Social Sciences | January 1, 2023 - December 31, 2026 | 20220173 | Joel Andersson | The proposed competence development initiative ExSus2 aims to support companies to meet the rapid technological and societal development required to address the challenges facing society. The support will consist of the development of 60 credits new and the implementation of 15 credits of old short, adapted courses, above all in connection with the capacity in production technology that it has, within the framework of Primus, newly formed research, and educational environment KAM-PT. The courses will thematically connect to the different parts of the environment and thus touch on areas such as materials and manufacturing technology, automation, AI and digitilization as well as technology change towards sustainable industry. The courses that are developed will all have a clear connection to the goals in Agenda 2030 and the ExSus2 initiative will therefore contribute to meeting the companies' needs within e.g., lifelong learning (goal 4), sustainable energy (goal 7), sustainable economic growth and decent working conditions (goal 8), sustainable technological industrialization (goal 9), and sustainable consumption and production (goal 12). |
| KOLS (Competence development for Organization and Management of a Digitized and Sustainable Society) | University West | Education for working professionals | 3 | 2022 | SEK 3,075,000 | Social Sciences | January 1, 2023 - December 31, 2024 | 20220172 | Kristina Johansson | KOLS aims to identify, design, and implement competence development initiatives at an advanced level in management and organization regarding digitalisation and sustainable development / leadership. The goal is to promote lifelong learning and thereby enable local, regional companies to remain competitive in a global labor market. Through an expert competence program, companies together with an educational actor such as University West can meet and together respond to a need to restructure and develop operational strategies. In conversations, it is expressed that leadership needs to develop and also the recruitment processes. Today it is not so much about recruiting the right skills but more about the difficulty of retaining it! How can companies work more with socially sustainable development and with flexible sustainable leadership. Together in the project, we develop flexible forms that enable studies and work at the same time. These are designed from a work-integrated and flexible learning perspective. The target group is staff active in management, development and change work. |
| The Politics of Gender Inclusion of Internal and External Ukrainian Refugees in the Context of the War | Malmö University | Special initiatives | 3 | 2022 | SEK 1,964,950 | Social Sciences | December 1, 2022 - November 30, 2024 | 20220169 | Bo Petersson | This project will address the gender gaps regarding the impact of war on the population of modern Ukraine and Ukrainian refugees in foreign countries. Women's abilities to contribute to the economy and society are determined by the limitations of daily problem-solving, multiple household and family tasks, financial pressures, and coping without regular energy supplies and medical care due to war damage. Outside of Ukraine women are limited by language barriers, lack of psychological support, and necessary contacts or communication skills. Thus, there is a problem of sufficiently increasing real outputs through "standard" forms of humanitarian aid for women, especially for certain groups of women, who have special needs or duties, physical limitations, or difficulties integrating into new national systems. Against this background, the project will contribute to the identification of obstacles and limitations for women’s social inclusion in decision-making in wartime and in the post-war period, and develop corrective measures for such blocks, both by means of state policy and through activities of civil society institutions in Ukraine and in countries that receive Ukrainian migrants. At the first stage, an analysis will be carried out of open sources of statistical information, as well as planning and conceptual documents about the implementation at the regional and local levels of requirements 1325, and data from empirical studies of related issues. This information base will be developed within the framework of the concept of a "Gender equality capacity assessment tool", which will assess favorable regulatory, organizational, informational, and procedural factors for compliance with the principles of gender-sensitive responses to wartime challenges, and threats from government structures, local authorities and civil society institutions. At the second stage, there will be a selective survey of representatives of the target groups: people affected by the war, in Ukraine, and outside its borders, and the selection of groups, facing the risks of social isolation in the conditions of war. The survey will be aimed at assessing the "strengthening or destruction" of the channels of their involvement in social, economic, political, and public life. In these uncertain times, with the forced displacement of millions of Ukrainian people, primarily women and children, and their (temporary) settlement in Sweden and in European countries, accurate research will enable local/national/international authorities to provide more efficient research-based support which helps host communities and migrants equally. Also, businesses, academics, NGOs, media, self-organized volunteers, host nations, and local administrations will benefit from up-to-date research and recommendations on how to better serve, supply, integrate, understand, involve, and maximize the potential of the contributions by Ukrainian women and war refugees into local, and European communities. |
| Advanced PVD wear-resistance coatings | Karlstad University | Special initiatives | 3 | 2022 | SEK 2,124,348 | Engineering and Technology | October 1, 2022 - September 30, 2024 | 20220109 | Pavel Krakhmalev | In the development of green sustainable society, product manufacturers continuously search for new materials and solutions, for example new hard and light materials in automotive industry to increase fuel efficiency and decrease carbon emission. It applies high pressure on manufacturers of tools to develop new tools with highest possible performance and productivity. Often, the new solution is a combination of tool material compositions, geometries, and coatings; and development of new wear resistance coatings is an important task for materials engineers. The main goal of this project is to develop theoretical knowledge and carry out experimental investigation of PVD coatings with multilayer or nanoscale structures, which have unique properties and high potential for applications required high hardness and wear resistance. In this project we will focus on the influence of vacuum arc deposition parameters on the quality of the coating, crystallographic texture, formation of nanostructure, and properties of these coatings. In a theoretical part of the project, in cooperation with the industry, it is planned to develop scientific foundations of the structural engineering of superhard coatings based on the nitrides/carbides/carbonitrides phases. The methodology of an experimental part includes manufacturing of the coatings with vacuum arc PVD method, study of the structural state by X-ray diffraction and advanced electron microscopy, measurement of micro- and nanohardness, certification of adhesion strength of the coatings and carrying out tribological tests. Processing and analysis of the obtained experimental results is generation of new fundamental knowledge and contribute in the industrial product development of superhard coatings based on nitrides/carbides/carbonitrides. The project will be carried out in a close collaboration between the guest researcher, Departments of Engineering and Physics, KAU and SECO Tools AB, Swedish company leading in manufacturing of cutting tools for machining of a variety of engineering materials in medical, aerospace, tooling and other industrial branches. The project results are also of high relevance for customers interested in high surface quality and productivity of manufacturing process. |
| EXACT - Excellence in Advancing for a Circular Transition | Karlstad University | Industrial graduate schools | 1 | 2022 | SEK 19,440,000 | Engineering and Technology, Natural Sciences | June 1, 2023 - May 31, 2029 | 20220134 | Jörgen Samuelsson | The industrial research school Excellence in Advancing for a Circular Transition (EXACT) at Karlstad University combines knowledge in process technology and systems analysis with expertise in digitalization, in order to take companies in the manufacture and process industry to the next level regarding development of biobased materials, energy efficient processes, and the digitalization of products and production processes. The vision is to aid circular transition and future-proofing of Swedish process industry, via needs-driven, collaborative research. EXACT will (1) develop an innovative Industrial postgraduate program and training network in bioeconomy, which combines aspects of circular economy and smart digitization, (2) establish University‐Industry cooperation and co‐production using PhD bioeconomy projects, enabling cutting-edge expertise, knowledge transfer, and employee attractiveness for the involved companies, and (3) support development of current, and new research areas within the two research groups involved - Processes and Products for a circular Bio-Economy (Pro2BE) and Digital Adaptive Manufacturing for Industry 4.0 (DAMI4.0) – thereby contributing to the scientific field by cross-disciplinary and collaborative research and innovation. EXACT has a consortium of 8 companies and intend to add 5 more, fielding 13 graduate students in total. At the launch of EXACT, the partner companies that has written a Letter of Intent include Absolent, AFRY, BillerudKorsnäs, Biosorbe, Nordic paper, Renewcell, Stora Enso Skoghall Mill, and Thermia. This consortium positions EXACT to have a strong impact on the challenges of today, in Sweden as well as internationally. The need to move away from fossil sources of materials, into an energy efficient and digitised and circular economy, pose not only research challenges, but also recruitment challenges, education challenges and mind-set challenges. An industrial graduate school like EXACT can tackle both the need for new materials and new technologies as well as advanced system implementations, helping companies to find and implement new ideas and cutting edge technologies. This will result in a stronger, more resilient and more environmentally friendly process industry. Central to achieving this goal is the education of a new generation of researchers with detailed understanding of the challenges and opportunities presented by the transition to a sustainable circular bioeconomy. |
| INTEGRATING SUSTAINABILITY IN GUIDING AT CULTURAL HERITAGE SITES: AN EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH | Mid Sweden University | Special initiatives | 3 | 2022 | SEK 1,785,933 | Social Sciences, Humanities and the Arts | January 1, 2023 - December 31, 2024 | 20220165 | Margaryan Lusine | This project aims to identify, experimentally test, and stimulate adoption of sustainability-oriented guiding practices at cultural heritage sites. As tourists return to destinations after the COVID-19 pandemic, the need to help tourism sector become more sustainable becomes as urgent as ever. Heritage sites, being important tourist destinations, are uniquely positioned to become transformative and learning environments. In this context, guides play an important role in co-creation of tourist experiences and mediation of sustainability-related information, having potential to stimulate more sustainable behaviour among tourists, in other words, guiding tourists towards sustainability. The project will be empirically grounded in the community of Järvsö, county Gävleborg. Järvsö is small but important regional tourist destination, not the least due to a UNESCO heritage site – Decorated Farmhouses of Hälsingland. Having a long history of commitment to sustainability, Järvsö has become the first certified sustainable destination in Sweden. Working closely with Järvsö AB DMO, local tourism entrepreneurs and specifically, guides, we aim to contribute to more sustainable tourism and re-imaging guides as important agents of sustainability. The project builds on strong collaboration history between Järvsö community and ETOUR, which helped the Ukrainian scholar to quickly get to know the site and establish her own contacts with the stakeholders. Innovativeness of this project lies in experimentally testing efficiency of different messages and simulating various experiential environments by using in a social science lab (RCR Lab) located at Mid Sweden University. The results of the project will be contextualized and distributed both in Sweden and Ukraine, aimed at tourism businesses as well as tourism education institutions. |
| Senior Lecturer in Strategic Sustainable Development | Blekinge Institute of Technology | Capacity building | 1 | 2022 | SEK 3,137,689 | Engineering and Technology, Social Sciences | July 1, 2023 - June 30, 2027 | 20220144 | Göran Broman | Social sustainability is a cornerstone for successful sustainability transformations. However, the area has so far essentially been overlooked within both research and practice. Increased pressure from customers, employees, media, and investors, and upcoming regulations, will increasingly affect businesses, which implies a number of risks and missed opportunities for businesses that are not proactive. Weak knowledge with respect to human rights and related social aspects in value chains make product developing companies particularly vulnerable and this calls for innovative ways to integrate social sustainability considerations into product- and organizational development. More research, education and capacity building within social sustainability are needed to bridge identified gaps. Over the last few years, Blekinge Institute of Technology (BTH) has seen an increasing demand for specialized education and other support to industrial partners in this area, as also expressed by the industrial partners in the current application. In order to meet this demand and produce research and education that support society to move towards full sustainability, the Department of Strategic Sustainable Development and especially its Sustainable Product Development (SPD) team is in need of strengthening the social sustainability area. By recruiting a Senior Lecturer in Strategic Sustainable Development, specializing in social sustainability within product- and organizational development, we will be able advance research and education that can address several gaps in this area. The project will also enhance the SPD team's capacity for supervision of PhD students and will thus support the team's growth and renewal. The project will deliver deepened and widened co-production and co-learning with, and in-between, the partner companies. The industrial partners have been carefully selected for the co-production to contribute to knowledge development regarding important social sustainability challenges and opportunities. The participating companies in the project will advance their capability to work strategically with socio-ecological sustainability in product- and organizational development. Over four years, the recruited Senior Lecturer will do research and pedagogical work such as: individual research, supervision of PhD students and master’s students, design and management of research projects, participation in research projects, collaboration with external partners, application for funding, development of teaching materials, and teaching, all of these contributing to meriting to Associate Professor for the individual and to building a solid research- and education environment that helps BTH contribute to its vision: A better world through knowledge, competence and innovation in digitalization and sustainability. |
| Tax Administration 3.0 a comparative study from urkainian perspective | Örebro University | Special initiatives | 3 | 2022 | SEK 2,088,223 | Social Sciences, Natural Sciences | March 1, 2023 - February 28, 2025 | 20220117 | Magnus Kristoffersson | The focus of the project is to examine the future of the Tax Administration, as proposed by OECD in the report Tax Administration 3.0, in Ukraine in relation to Sweden. The research will be carried out within the frame of the FIRE-project and contribute to understand possibilities and consequences the ongoing digitalisation of tax administrations in a country not that developed as Sweden and other western countries, and system under stress due to the current armed conflict in the country. The knowledge that the project will result in will most likely be of great importance to understand the weaknesses in the Swedish more and more digitized tax administration, and can be used to propose measures to make the Swedish system more sustainable. |
| Adjunct senior lecturer in Food and Meal Science | Kristianstad University | Capacity building | 1 | 2022 | SEK 738,720 | Natural Sciences, Medical and Health Sciences | March 1, 2023 - February 28, 2026 | 20220154 | Viktoria Olsson | The UN has adopted 17 global development goals, Agenda 2030, which aims to achieve a socially, environmentally and economically sustainable world by the year 2030. Good and equal health is a prerequisite for achieving the global goals, but today there are significant challenges to achieving this, both nationally and internationally. Sustainable food production and consumption constitute, together with health economic aspects, an important prerequisite for health. At the same time, the Swedish food strategy points to how an increased and sustainable production of food can lead to more jobs and sustainable growth throughout the country and give consumers, regardless of background, better conditions to make informed choices. In line with this, Kristianstad University is building a new research and education environment with a focus on integrating the subject areas of food, health and trade Center for Food, Health and Retail at Kristianstad University (FOHRK). Currently it is very important to link expertise with research and teaching competence in the field of nutrition and sustainability to this emerging environment. The adjunction of a senior lecturer with documented collaboration merits is therefore a strategic and very important recruitment to ensure benefit for, and co-production with, businesses in the food sector and at the same time building an internationally recognized research and education environment. Ph.D. Susanne Bryngelsson will develop and renew the environment with significant knowledge and insights that are based on the food industry's overall priorities. During her working life, Bryngelsson has developed a, for the food industry, unique competence and understanding of the conditions that prevail in both academia and industry, both nationally and internationally. She has a solid background in the field of nutrition and a good overview of the methods applied in the field. Through RISE and her background, she represents a very broad network that ensures effective knowledge transfer to companies in the industry. Through the adjunct, these competencies can be utilized and act as a lever that meas that more companies get more direct benefit from the education and applied research conducted at the university in order to translate this into innovation and business-driving processes in their own operations. Bryngelsson's adjunct is expected to contribute to novel synergies effects between RISE and the University, in a collaboration that, through well-established channels such as consultation, network activities and conferences, contributes significantly to the effective knowledge transfer to the food industry while simultaneously strengthening scientific production in the emerging research and education environment. In the application, this is certified by important actors such as RISE, ICA Sweden AB and Solna Sweden AB. |
| Legal aspects on digital financial information | Örebro University | Special initiatives | 1 | 2022 | SEK 3,239,131 | Social Sciences | October 1, 2022 - November 30, 2025 | 20220108 | Eleonor Kristoffersson | The Ukrainian researcher will contribute to an interdisciplinary research project based on the hypothesis that the current system of annual reports in today's digital environment for smaller companies could be replaced by a system with reporting from third parties, such as suppliers and banks. In this way, the smaller companies would save large sums in administration costs. In this sub-project, the civil law and accounting law conditions are examined from three different perspectives: historically, in today's system and in what we believe may be the system of the future. He will also teach and continue with his own research regarding judicial decisions, legal reasoning and digitization. |
| Intelligent Management of Hybrid Energy Systems | Malmö University | Special initiatives | 3 | 2022 | SEK 2,312,719 | Natural Sciences, Engineering and Technology | September 27, 2022 - September 30, 2024 | 20220111 | Reza Malekian | The purpose of this application is to support a visiting scholar at the Department of Computer Science and Media Technology and the Internet of Things and People Research Centre (IoTaP) at Malmö University from 2022-08-01 to 2024-07-31. The proposed visiting scholar received her Ph.D. in Hydraulic Machinery and Hydro-Pneumatic Aggregates from Sumy State University, Ukraine (2004), and is currently an Associate Professor and Head of the Information Technology Department at Sumy State University in Sumy, Ukraine. Her research currently focuses on the design optimization, operational research, mathematical modeling and decision-making processes for hybrid energy systems. During this visiting period, she will be engaged with the proposed project, which is closely inline with the IoTaP Centre’s recently approved Synergy project titled Intelligent and Trustworthy IoT Systems and in particular the Optimizing Hybrid Energy Systems subproject. The proposed project aims to conduct a comprehensive study on the factors influencing the processes in hybrid energy systems, model processes in hybrid systems taking into account the real-time data processing, and develop a structural model of the energy life cycle. The research plan will meet the main scientific interests of the visiting scholar. It is planned to develop a set of measures aimed at meeting energy load demands, while preserving the environment and resources. This fully coincides with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. Indeed, the development of intelligent algorithms and computing architecture support and integrate the operation of hybrid energy systems, and increase the level of their efficiency, productivity, and environmental sustainability. It also allows to meet the growing demands for thermal energy in a sustainable and energy-efficient manner. The methods of data collection, processing, and analysis proposed in this project create conditions for the formation of an intelligent information processing platform. The developed models and methods based on artificial intelligence will make it possible to create user-friendly and understandable interfaces for managing hybrid energy systems. The results of the proposed project can contribute to the IoTaP research centre’s Synergy subproject in optimizing hybrid energy systems by developing AI methods for optimal use of the available energy resources, as well as using edge computing architecture and system components to process data in real-time. We believe that this research study will lead to new opportunities for our energy optimization research. This aligns perfectly with Malmö University's global engagement and inclusive international collaboration visions and strategies. |
| European solidarity, institutional changes in migration policy, and adaptation strategies: De-othering and social integration of refugees in the context of the Russian war in Ukraine | Malmö University | Special initiatives | 3 | 2022 | SEK 3,598,854 | Social Sciences, Humanities and the Arts | September 1, 2022 - August 31, 2025 | 20220110 | Brigitte Suter | The Russian full-scale invasion in Ukraine February 24, 2022 has led to a huge number of Ukrainians escaping their ruined homes and fleeing to neighboring European countries. Apart from the geographical proximity and the EU’s support of the Ukrainian resistance, the current situation is extraordinary: The refugees entering Sweden, amongst other countries, seem to be so far predominantly women with children (given a complete mobilization, Ukrainian men aged 18 till 60 are not allowed to leave the country), who have different professional backgrounds and higher education. Many of them come from the Ukrainian middle class – something that EU politicians and the media emphasize and contrast with the predominantly non-European, male refugees who arrived in Europe during the so-called refugee crisis in 2015. In contrast to the latter, Ukrainian refugees are met so far with higher levels of public support and institutional openness, something that is most pointedly manifested in the activation of the EC Directive on Temporary protection, which provides a work and residence permit for a year with possibility to prolong up to three years depending on the situation in Ukraine. While one cannot predict how the situation will evolve, the current situation provides a unique opportunity to study three dimensions of the context surrounding the refugees in Europe. This project will provide a sociological comparative analysis of various institutional, contextual and practical aspects of forced migration and aims to produce knowledge for human resource development in local and international business, as well as contribute to civic society development during and after the war in Ukraine. The first part will investigate the institutional changes in migration politics in Sweden, Germany and Poland that have addressed the current situation. The second part will examine solidarity, cooperation and othering/de-othering practices of local communities towards Ukrainian refugees in a comparative perspective. The third part will explore survival and adaptation strategies of Ukrainian women-refugees in these three countries, focusing in particular on highly skilled female refugees’ pathways into a host country’s labour market. This part will actively seek to create opportunities for development of grass-roots business and networking for international cooperation with focus on the empowerment of women. Mixed methods will be used to collect data, including document analysis, in-depth interviews, secondary data analysis, intersectional analysis. Finally, the findings of the three parts will be used to build an explanatory model of the new type of refugee challenge in Europe, including scenarios of both their long-term adaptation and return to Ukraine after the war is over. The project's finding will be used to generate recommendations for both private and public sector as well as civil society to improve the social and economic integration of Ukrainian refugee women. |
| International Visiting Professor in Organization and Leadership Studies with Methodological Expertise – Emma Bell | Mälardalen University | Capacity building | 3 | 2022 | SEK 720,000 | Social Sciences | September 1, 2023 - June 30, 2024 | 20220141 | Lucia Crevani | Industrial Economics and Organization (IEO) applies for the funding of Professor Emma Bell as an international visiting professor at Mälardalen university (MDU). Collaboration, as a pathway to the co-production of knowledge involving a diverse range of organizational stakeholders and researchers from diverse disciplines, is a cornerstone of MDU's vision and IEO’s research strategy. The external research evaluation that MDU did in 2021, MER21, stated that IEO conducts research of very good quality but it also identified that collaboration had resulted in a tension between relevance and rigor. IEO is therefore looking to resolve this by making a shift away from a reactive/passive mode of collaboration towards a more proactive one. Development of a distinct methodological approach to collaboration as a route to knowledge co-production is also essential in order to manage stakeholder expectations and ensure delivery of practical and intellectual project outcomes. The main objective of Professor Bell’s visiting period is therefore to contribute to IEO’s long-term development and profile by further developing collaborative research as a distinctive research method for co-producing knowledge in management and business studies. Professor Bell is an internationally leading scholar on methodology, knowledge production and research methods in business studies, and more broadly in social sciences. She is the author of numerous well-cited articles and the books she has authored are used both by students and researchers worldwide. Her innovative approach to the development of new method combined with her experience and competence is therefore crucial for IEO’s ambition to further develop collaborative research as a distinctive methodological approach. The need to develop a coherent approach to collaborative research is also important for companies currently collaborating with IEO or interested in doing that, among others Hitachi Energy and Volvo Construction Equipment. The complex challenges they face, such as digitalization and the climate crisis, require further development of the way they collaborate with academic researchers from different fields. Whereas there has long been a tradition of collaboration with scholars in engineering, collaboration with social sciences researchers is still relatively rare and companies are still rather unfamiliar with how productive collaboration can be organized. A higher level of methodological competence and versatility is thus required, both within IEO and at the companies. To achieve that, Professor Bell will participate in ongoing collaborative projects, will interview researchers and practitioners about their collaborative practices and organize workshops with companies for knowledge exchange. She will also support doctoral students, teach in programs at advanced level, contribute to the development of a new Masters program and to the process of accreditation of IEO’s educational programs with AACSB. |
| RELIANT Industrial graduate school: Reliable, Safe and Secure Intelligent Autonomous Systems | Mälardalen University | Industrial graduate schools | 1 | 2022 | SEK 19,440,000 | Natural Sciences | June 1, 2023 - May 31, 2029 | 20220130 | Kristina Lundqvist | RELIANT is an industrial research school in reliable, safe and secure intelligent autonomous Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS), affiliated with the School of Innovation, Design and Engineering (IDT) at Mälardalen University (MDU), as an integrated part of the MDU strategic research area Embedded Systems (ES). The main objectives of RELIANT are to: * offer research education to industrial specialists * assure industrial relevance of education at all levels within ES at MDU * assure long-term relevance of the ES research area at MDU * facilitate the long-term impact of the DPAC research profile * be instrumental in deployment of the latest research results in Swedish industry RELIANT is focused on topics of the greatest importance for dominating parts of Swedish industry. Our partners are found in vehicle solutions in transportation and construction, autonomous and intelligent systems, as well as electronics and software for autonomous CPS. The results of RELIANT will support all business sectors where next generation products are assumed to have autonomous functionality with maintained (or increased) reliability. The primary topics covered are related to system and software engineering of CPS, with emphasis on autonomous CPS; resilient, safe and secure CPS; self-configuring and self-healing CPS; autonomous collaborative CPS; dependability in heterogenous and evolving computing environments in CPS. Unique for RELIANT is that all PhD-projects will be oriented around a virtual use-case. The virtual use-case will ensure that the students (and their companies) all feel that they are contributing to something larger than their individual project. It will also give the students training in interdisciplinary thinking beyond their own thesis. Furthermore, we expect the virtual use-case to contribute to building a strong team-spirit within the school. RELIANT comprises of three complementary activities: 1) Research, organized in the form of research projects in real industrial contexts. The students will work in close cooperation with senior researchers at MDU, industrial specialists, and international researchers. 2) Networking activities, with the goal of establishing strong networks between PhD-students, industrial specialists and managers, as well as with prominent international researchers. 3) Courses, seminars, and activities related to interdisciplinary competence needed for engineering of next generation reliable, safe and secure intelligent autonomous CPS. RELIANT spins off, and complements, the ongoing KKS profile DPAC. In RELIANT we extend the network of participating companies in the DPAC ecosystem, and we draw upon the existing research results related to dependable and safe CPS. |
| Business Crime Prevention: Prioritizing necessities for strategy development | Mid Sweden University | Special initiatives | 3 | 2022 | SEK 2,380,957 | Social Sciences | October 1, 2022 - October 1, 2024 | 20220114 | Teresa Silva | The main purpose of the project is to strengthen both the crime prevention research profile at Mid Sweden University (MIUN) and the academic profile of the visiting researcher. At the same time, the project will promote regional development further consolidating one of the prioritized strategic areas for MIUN. The project is planned in the context of a collaboration agreement with Företagarna, an association of entrepreneurs established in Västernorrland, and pretends to identify crime prevention necessities in the private sector. Businesses and companies are often considered stakeholders in authorities’ and public organizations’ crime prevention plans but they are rarely considered primary actors. In this regard, the project is innovative. The visiting researcher is an important asset due to her expertise both in criminology research and in the field of crime investigation. Furthermore, she demonstrated a strong interest in strengthening her research profile by studying the evidence-based crime prevention paradigm proposed within this project. At the same time, she is an experienced university teacher and may contribute to the development of a master’s education in criminology at MIUN. In sum, we consider this project a good match for the interests of MIUN, the regional business sector, and the visiting scholar. |
| Forecasting for Supply Chain Management | Örebro University | Special initiatives | 3 | 2022 | SEK 2,024,888 | Natural Sciences, Social Sciences | January 5, 2023 - June 30, 2025 | 20220115 | Sune Karlsson | Supply chain management (SCM) is a critical part of the operations of companies ranging from manufacturers to logistics companies and retailers, not least in light of the disruptions in global supply chains caused by the Covid-10 pandemic and the war in Ukraine. Accurate forecasting of the demand for thousands of stock keeping units (SKUs) is an integral part of SCM. This project will develop new methods for forecasting the demand for individual products (SKUs) suitable for the use in an automated forecasting system and as input in the SCM process. By doing this the project will contribute to more efficient operations by saving costs and at the same time ensure that the demand for the products is met to a higher degree. |
| Senior Lecturer in Translational Bioinformatics | Örebro University | Capacity building | 1 | 2022 | SEK 2,813,356 | Medical and Health Sciences, Natural Sciences | January 1, 2024 - December 31, 2027 | 20220140 | Dirk Repsilber | The Bioinformatics group at the School of Medical Sciences, faculty for Medicine and Health, Örebro University, seeks to establish the position of a senior lecturer in translational bioinformatics. This position will serve as a strategic link between the faculty for Medicine and Health and the University Hospital Örebro, to establish the key area of clinically applied bioinformatics, both in research, education, innovation and for clinical implementation. Specifically, investing into the key competence of building and implementing workflows for the analysis of human genome related next generation sequencing data will enable medical and clinically applied research and education at Örebro to keep up with the front-line national and international developments in precision medicine. The medical faculty at Örebro University and the University Hospital have joined as partners in two major national initiatives, Genomic Medicine Sweden and Science for Life Lab’s Clinical Genomics, to foster a faster development of precision medicine and its implementation into clinical use in Sweden. These initiatives support research and education on all levels of academia and society, innovation together with industrial partners, and tight collaboration with local healthcare services. At Örebro, the newly established Center for Precision Medicine is currently built to embody this collaboration and facilitate these fast developments, with strategical support both from Örebro University and Region Örebro County. The specific tasks for the lecturer are all focusing around developing and implementing workflows for the analysis of next generation sequencing data, translational sequence bioinformatics. This focus enables acting as a central player for data analysis, to enable, conduct and support multiple research, educational and business collaboration projects, with clear synergistic effects. The project involves four business partners with already established and productive co-production as part of four strong research and education environments at the School of Medical Sciences. All partners identified translational bioinformatics, and, specifically, the next generation sequence analysis part of it, as key competence necessary to keep developing Örebro University towards both their focus areas, and, in collaboration with the University Hospital, towards developing the local excellence in research, education, innovation and implementation of precision medicine. |
| Identifying cellular and molecular signatures of nanoparticle exposure in additive manufacturing - NANOSIGN | Örebro University | Early academic career | 3 | 2022 | SEK 1,761,583 | Natural Sciences, Engineering and Technology, Medical and Health Sciences | January 1, 2023 - December 31, 2024 | 20220122 | Andi Alijagic | Additive manufacturing (AM) or industrial 3D printing has been identified as one of the Key Enabling Technologies by the European Commission under the Industrial Leadership pillar offering the opportunities to create objects of virtually any geometry and affecting the aerospace, construction, electronics, biomedical, and consumer markets. However, during open powder handling, printing, product post-processing, and machine cleaning, billions of virgin and unintentionally produced micron and nano-sized particles are emitted into the AM working environment. In addition, technological developments in AM, including application of advanced materials with completely unknown health effects (e.g., highly bioactive graphene, carbon, or glass reinforcement of polymeric materials), are evolving at an increasingly rapid pace and it is of utmost importance to proactively identify and evaluate the potential health and safety risks for workers, and to do so early in the AM technology development process. The regulatory framework covering (nano)particle emissions in AM and human health risks is still lacking in Sweden, and the AM community of the Swedish industries has therefore formulated a Strategic Research Agenda (SRA), putting occupational health issues as one item on top of the list. This 2-year Prospekt 22 project, named NANOSIGN, is to be viewed as an expansion of the KK HÖG 19 NanoSafety project that gave us the opportunity to bring the AM concerns and questions into focus and to identify missing pieces of knowledge necessary to perform comprehensive health and safety assessment of (nano)particles found in the AM industry. The small size may enable (nano)particles to easily cross biological barriers, which could, in turn, give rise to unexpected adverse outcomes, including inflammation, oxidative stress, activation of signaling pathways, genotoxicity, and carcinogenicity. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to develop robust and multilayer biomarkers of (nano)particle exposure that will give us chance to detect potential hazards early in the innovation process and prevent occurrence of long-term health risks for the exposed AM workers. In doing so, NANOSIGN will use advanced analytical tools with the aim to: 1) define physicochemical characteristics of (nano)particles found in AM by a range of established and novel methods, 2) evaluate changes in phenotypes of human alveolar and bronchial cells exposed to AM (nano)particles by Cell Painting assay, 3) identify lipidomic, metabolomic, and transcriptomic biomarkers of the AM (nano)particle exposure by omics and in silico tools, and 4) collect exhaled air from the AM workers in order to find biomarkers for adverse effects of the lung in relation to AM (nano)particle exposure by a globally unique sampling method. By addressing safety issues early in the innovation chain, NANOSIGN project will support safe and sustainable development of the Swedish AM industry. |
| FPC+ | University of Gävle | Industrial graduate schools | 1 | 2022 | SEK 10,800,000 | Natural Sciences, Engineering and Technology | March 1, 2023 - September 30, 2029 | 20220128 | Ola Eriksson | The Ukrainian tragedy has illuminated the urgent security need for the EU to become independent from Russian fossil fuels, whilst the summer of 2022 has illustrated what climate change impacts may entail in the near future. Key infrastructures provide availability of clean energy, and such may be deeper embedded in our living environments and in wider complexities where non-linear and cross-scale dynamics—including human behavior—shape resilience. FCP+ will hence attempt to accelerate a fair transformation towards climate resilient infrastructures in reaching a fossil free future with focus on small and medium sized cities and towns. FPC in its first phase can be stated to be in good progression, well on its way in achieving the goals of the graduate school. This second phase of the research school addresses somewhat different aspects of urban sustainability than the first phase, but at the same time strengthens ongoing PhD-projects. The novelty, hence, in FPC+ lies on an acceleration towards climate resilient infrastructures needed for reaching a fossil free future, with extra attention towards energy, people and materials, but at the same time explicitly incorporating the social perspective of fairness, defined as who is invited/excluded in policy-processes and on how costs and benefits are distributed in society. The supervisor team include 34 competent scholars. Three primary PhD-courses are planned to be compulsory in FPC+ in order to establish a shared understanding of bearing ideas and concepts. These courses, already run in FPC, have been thoroughly assessed in close dialogue with the current PhD-students. The goals of FPC+ are to educate the next generation of urban sustainability experts, and to integrate their new competences and knowledge into key companies through innovative transdisciplinary research and co-creation. Inter-university, and interdisciplinary collaborations accelerate learning, where exchange of theories, methods and tools and insights from practitioners emerge in new research frontiers and international collaborations. Such co-creation stimulates the active involvement of more end-users in various stages where direct benefits of FPC+ for the business-sector include a 1) forum with access to knowledge and competence in the sense of both depth and breadth that would otherwise not be available by way of ongoing regular operations 2) a holistic context 3) access to testbeds and environments where new approaches and solutions can be effectively tested and evaluated 4) an increased attractiveness and growth potential 5) better utilized human and economic capital with more benefits and returns in different forms. For this the proposed FPC+ propose at total budget of ca. SEK 31.2 MSEK, where the contribution from KKS is 12.6 MSEK, the companies min. 12.6 MSEK and the universities ca. 6.0 MSEK. |
| INDTECHPLUS - Industrial Technology Graduate School | Mälardalen University | Industrial graduate schools | 1 | 2022 | SEK 10,800,000 | Natural Sciences, Engineering and Technology | May 1, 2023 - April 30, 2029 | 20220132 | Moris Behnam | The Industrial Technology Graduate School (INDTECH) is a KKS-funded postgraduate school at Mälardalen University (MDU) that hosts 15 industrial PhD students focusing on collaborative research in Industry 4.0 and applied AI in production systems. In INDTECH, top researchers from the engineering research specializations at MDU join forces to tackle the novel industrial challenges of the PhD student research projects. The focus is on real-world deployment of people-centered digital technology in sustainable production, thereby providing the PhD graduates with a new interdisciplinary perspective within industry and supporting the university’s new strategy and other initiatives in digitalization and Industry 4.0. A large consortium already supports INDTECH including nine leading industrial companies, the research institute RISE, the technology center MITC, and initiatives such as AI Sweden, PiiA, Automation Region and Blue Institute. INDTECHPLUS is the proposed 2nd step to extend INDTECH to its full capacity of 20 full-duration PhD students. With the proposed extension, six more students would be admitted into the school within two years of the start of the original project, thereby attaining important benefits by keeping the students together. The students are supported by Alstom, Boliden Mineral AB, Hitachi Energy Sweden AB, MITC AB, SSAB AB and Volvo CE AB, representing both an increase in the commitment from the already participating industries as well as new joining companies, all with sustainability as a core goal. A comprehensive course program supports the students, and activities are planned to encourage industrialization, scientific publication of results and cross-company synergies together with our networking partners. The supervision teams include both academic and industrial supervisors and mentors with a wide range of competences, thus encouraging interdisciplinary co-creation as well as true synergies. Through its uniquely broad industrial base and network support, INDTECH and INDTECHPLUS together provides a solid base for cross-company and cross-industrial synergies and creation of lasting value for the PhD students, the industrial partners, the university and for Sweden. In addition to the strategic expertise gained through the education of the six additional PhD candidates, the expected impact of INDTECHPLUS include (1) increased competence and expertise in scientific areas of strategic importance to the Swedish manufacturing industry, (2) strengthening of the Industry 4.0 and applied AI theme of excellence established through INDTECH, (3) alignment with the MDU focus areas of Future Energy and Reliable Smart Systems, and (4) further strengthening of the regional and national ecosystem of production research, innovation, and development. To conclude, the extension of INDTECH through INDTECHPLUS provides a synergetic and critical additional component in the long-term industrial competitiveness for Sweden and for academia. |
| Biochar application for pollutant stabilization and ecological restoration of contaminated land in Sweden | Örebro University | Early academic career | 3 | 2022 | SEK 2,399,197 | Natural Sciences | June 10, 2023 - August 31, 2025 | 20220123 | Ingrid Rijk | There are approximately 85.000 potential contaminated sites in Sweden. Soil remediation in Sweden is mostly performed by soil excavation and landfilling creating a significant environmental footprint and infinite waste source. Soil amendment with biochar may offer an alternative, environmental-friendly treatment method for polluted soils compared to traditional remediation methods. However, the implementation of biochar as a remediation method is still limited, because 1) knowledge on biochar application is limited and needs a “tailor-made” approach, for which capacity and experience is not developed, and 2) the knowledge about the long-term effectiveness and applicability is still a research gap. This KKS project aims to improve the understanding and application of biochar in contaminated soils in Sweden. We will study both short- and long-term effects of biochar on contaminant immobilization and ecological restoration. To evaluate short-term effects, we will select up to three different contaminated sites provided via the environmental consultants involved in the project. By means of pot experiments, feasibility tests will be performed. In this way soil and contaminant properties are matched to the right type of biochar, applying a tailor-made approach. A key tool to evaluate ecological restoration is to combine stable isotopic measurements with functional measurements of plant survival and production combined with microbial activity and biomass. Microbial diversity will also be measured. These ecological measures will be linked with extensive characterization of pollutant immobilization (uptake in biota, pore water concentration of organic contaminants, metals mobility and availability by sequential leaching) and ecotoxicity (earthworm test). To evaluate long-term ecological effects (> 5 years), a unique, already established field trial with biochar will be sampled for in situ microbial activity, and will be combined with other ecological, toxicological and contaminants measurements which are generated in a parallel project. This KKS project is a collaboration between researchers on environmental chemistry and ecology from Örebro University, the Swedish Geotechnical Institute (SGI) and Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), and environmental consultants working with assessment and remedial design of contaminated sites, Geosyntec Consultants AB, Structor Miljöteknik AB and Structor Miljö Öst AB. Taken together, the research conducted within this KKS project will have national and international impact by improved understanding on the linkage between contaminant availability and ecosystem effects in biochar remediated soils. The increased knowledge and experience on biochar by the industrial partners in Sweden is expected to lead to more resource-efficient and environmentally sound decisions on remediation, reducing the need for eternal landfilling, thereby creating a positive socioeconomic impact. |
| Study of multivalent pathogen inhibition and sensing using rSAM-based decoy nanoparticles | Malmö University | Special initiatives | 3 | 2022 | SEK 2,312,130 | Medical and Health Sciences, Natural Sciences | October 1, 2022 - September 30, 2024 | 20220127 | Börje Sellergren | This application seeks support to recruit a visiting scholar as a postdoctoral researcher and teacher at Biofilms Research Center for Biointerfaces (BRCB) at Malmö University on a 2 year contract. The proposed visiting scholar is an experienced PhD microbiologist with several years research and teaching experience in the area of respiratory infections and antibiotic resistance. She obtained her MSc degree 2016 and PhD degree in November 2021 at Kharkiv National Medical University, Ukraine where she was active as teacher and research assistant until the outbreak of the war. With her background the recruitment will address an urgent need at our center to strengthen the competence in microbiology and aligns well with ongoing KKS funded research projects and the departments current educational programs and future plans to establish an educational program in pharmacy. The planned project aims to investigate the use of reversible self-assembled monolayers (rSAMs) for inhibiting and detecting bacteria in the context of ongoing research at the center related to chronic wound and oral infections. rSAMs belong to a new class of artificial receptors invented by BRCB researchers that can be ''programmed'' to bind to human cells or detect or inhibit specific pathogens by the so called multivalency principle. With its theranostic focus the project aligns well with the core research areas of the center comprising for instance the KKS funded research profile Biobarriers and the MaU focus area Foresight. This is clear from their key goals to: i) develop methods enabling studies of molecular mechanisms of microbiota´s role in redox homeostasis and immune modulation in skin barrier, ii) develop sensing methods enabling wireless detection of microbial overgrowth at biological barriers and wounds or sensors of pathogenic bacteria and virulence markers in oral biofilms and iii) develop new means of inhibiting bacterial growth. The project is also relevant for several ongoing KKS- and VR-funded industrial collaborations focusing on virus sensing and inhibition (Diagonal Bio, Livsmedelsverket, ArgusEye, Region Skåne), vaccine production (Cobra Biologics) and improved male fertility control (Spermosens). The scholar will be exposed to a vibrant multidisciplinary environment broadening her training above all in biofilm, cell and tissue models, bioanalysis and surface chemistry. She will be directly integrated in the KK-funded research projects where she will work with the above partners to exploit the rSAM platform. This we expect to strengthen the industrial collaborations while opening up new career paths for the scholar. The project thus has a concrete medical relevance. rSAM based multivalent inhibitors represent a new therapeutic approach for selective blocking of pathogens that could impact the development of antiviral and antibacterial therapeutics or be used for highly sensitive detection of multiresistant strains. |
| Recruitments-22, Senior lecturer in computer science | Blekinge Institute of Technology | Capacity building | 1 | 2022 | SEK 2,614,710 | Natural Sciences | February 1, 2024 - January 31, 2028 | 20220153 | Håkan Grahn | The Department of Computer Science (DIDA) at Blekinge Institute of Technology (BTH) is strategically developing the education and research in AI and machine learning, and a lot of the activities are clustered in the Artificial Intelligence & Data Analytics lab (AIDA). The foundation of AIDA comes from the research profile BigData@BTH - "Scalable resource-efficient systems for big data analytics", that was funded by the Knowledge Foundation during 2014 - 2020. Results from the research profile are, e.g., many new teachers and researchers in the domain, several promotions to associate professor and full professor, and BTH's 5-year engineering program in AI and Machine learning that started in fall 2019. We are firmly established at national level, and working towards becoming a recognized international research environment. To support the continuous development, both regarding research in specific areas of machine learning as well as development of courses at advanced level in AI and machine learning, we apply for funding to recruit a senior lecturer in computer science, with a focus on AI and machine learning. The areas where we primarily need to enhance our competence and capacity are Deep Learning and Natural Language Processing (NLP). We have good general competence on applying these techniques in various domains, but need a person who can drive a research agenda in these two areas. Our collaboration parters have also identified an increased need in these two areas, and are supportive to a new recruitment and foresee a deepened collaboration with BTH. For example, Telenor envision an improvement and optimization of the customer support with deep learning and NLP, and NODA sees possibilities to improve district heating systems. The tasks of the new senior lecturer are to develop the research in deep learning and NLP, and to be a key person in the strategic development of BTH's 5-year engineering program in AI and machine learning, e.g., through development of advanced level courses. The new senior lecturer will work in a mature research and education environment with many established collaborations with external parters. We will have a senior mentoring group associated to the person. The mentoring will be on, e.g., writing research applications, publication strategies, and Ph.D. student supervision. We expect the appointed person to be qualified for an associate professorship within three-four years after appointment, i.e., within the time frame for this project. |
| Data Intensive Applications (DIA+) | Linnaeus University | Industrial graduate schools | 1 | 2022 | SEK 15,120,000 | Natural Sciences | March 1, 2023 - November 30, 2029 | 20220131 | Welf Löwe | Data Intensive Applications (DIA+) continues and institutionalizes the Industry Graduate School DIA at the Linnaeus University Center for Data Intensive Sciences and Applications (DISA). It addresses current and future challenges of smarter industrial and business systems exploring and exploiting data intensive core sciences and their applications in system and software engineering. In concrete cases of industry, researchers make real world systems smarter by advancing the state of the art as well as the industry capacities in the relevant data intensive core technologies, such as self-adaptive cyber-physical systems and the internet of things, digital twins and simulations, deep and statistical machine learning, computer vision, natural language processing, and visual analytics. DIA+ will be a steppingstone towards a permanent industry research school. It makes the difference between successful but timely limited projects of the first intake and a permanent industry graduate school in smarter systems (engineering). Our industry partners can expect from their participation in the individual Ph.D. projects and in DIA altogether: 1) increased competence in exploiting data intensive technologies for solving concrete problems in the development, maintenance, and operation of their smarter systems; 2) strategic advantages by aligning individual projects, solutions, and improvements to a common strategy towards smarter systems (engineering) and by defining and getting started with concrete projects, setting expected benefits, defining a structured systematic roadmap, and continuously adjusting it to new challenges and opportunities; 3) concrete results by creating new services, products, platforms, and ecosystems on the basis of and exploiting smarter systems. DIA+ makes the difference between successful individual Ph.D. projects and a sustainable change of the R&D strategy of the industry utilizing Lnu as a natural partner for their strategic growth and development, which is crucial for the evolution and the prostration in the Linnaeus region and beyond. DIA’s expected results are of strategic importance for Lnu. DIA is the link between research and education and between academia and industry, for Lnu’s research excellence center DISA as well as for Lnu’s Knowledge Environments Digital Transformation and Green and Sustainable Development. The consolidated research performed by DIA’s Ph.D. modules advances the state of the art in smarter systems (engineering). It opens new avenues for future research and raise new research questions. DIA+ generates high-quality scientific publications, collaborative research projects with high industry relevance, and new external funds, thus, making Lnu an attractive academic environment for the recruitment of excellent researchers. DIA+ creates the prerequisites for industry funded Ph.D. modules as a fundamentally new Lnu funding strategy complementing research funded by national and international organizations. |
| Professional Master in Information Security (PROMIS) | Blekinge Institute of Technology | Education for working professionals | 1 | 2021 | SEK 21,582,152 | September 1, 2021 - August 31, 2026 | 20210026 | Tony Gorschek | ||
| E-PABS, a centre of Excellence in Physical Activity, healthy Brain functions and Sustainability | The Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences | Research profiles | 1 | 2021 | SEK 47,523,778 | November 1, 2021 - October 31, 2029 | 20210002 | Maria Ekblom | ||
| THEMIS - Multi-Disciplinary Optimization of Hybrid-Electric and Hydrogen-Powered Aircraft | Mälardalen University | Research projects | 3 | 2021 | SEK 4,799,912 | November 1, 2021 - April 30, 2025 | 20200260 | Konstantinos Kyprianidis | ||
| Pro2BE Avans Bioeconomy | Karlstad University | Second cycle education | 3 | 2021 | SEK 2,355,079 | August 1, 2021 - December 31, 2023 | 20210005 | Gunilla Carlsson Kvarnlöf | ||
| Research Profile NeoPulp-New perspective to the development of pulp fibre properties | Mid Sweden University | Research profiles | 1 | 2021 | SEK 49,200,000 | September 1, 2021 - August 31, 2029 | 20210009 | Kaarlo Niskanen | ||
| Teams of Robots Working for and with Humans (TeamRob) | Örebro University | Synergy project | 1 | 2021 | SEK 11,975,595 | November 1, 2021 - October 31, 2026 | 20210016 | Franziska Klügl | ||
| National Health Innovation Research School (NHIRS) | Halmstad University | Industrial graduate schools | 1 | 2021 | SEK 19,440,000 | March 1, 2022 - January 31, 2029 | 20210047 | Petra Svedberg | ||
| The art of Music, Sound and Technology – an interdisciplinary master's programme in music | The Royal College of Music in Stockholm | Second cycle education | 3 | 2021 | SEK 2,399,192 | July 1, 2021 - May 1, 2024 | 20210003 | Frisk Henrik | ||
| Web-based education for Digitalization and Industry 4.0 | Blekinge Institute of Technology | NU | 3 | 2021 | SEK 1,733,882 | September 1, 2021 - June 30, 2023 | 20210029 | Alessandro Bertoni | ||
| Sustainability and Ownership | Jönköping University | NU | 3 | 2021 | SEK 1,800,000 | October 1, 2021 - September 30, 2023 | 20210025 | Massimo Baù | ||
| Improved Methods for Process and Quality Controls using Digital Tools (IMPAQCDT) | Karlstad University | Synergy project | 1 | 2021 | SEK 11,837,994 | November 1, 2021 - November 30, 2025 | 20210021 | Torgny Fornstedt | ||
| Digitization and development of education within electric vehicles | University West | NU | 3 | 2021 | SEK 1,500,000 | June 1, 2021 - August 31, 2022 | 20210030 | Ekergård Boel | ||
| Assessment of chemical oxidation technology for the removal of micropollutants and microorganisms from municipal wastewater | Örebro University | Early academic career | 3 | 2021 | SEK 2,278,604 | January 1, 2022 - December 31, 2023 | 20210043 | Faisal Ahmad Khan | ||
| Development of 3D multilayer textiles for patient support interfaces and incontinence applications. | University of Borås | Research projects | 1 | 2021 | SEK 4,587,124 | December 1, 2021 - December 31, 2025 | 20200266 | Lena Berglin | ||
| EDGY - Embedded Deep Learning Systems | Mid Sweden University | Early academic career | 3 | 2021 | SEK 1,821,567 | March 1, 2022 - February 29, 2024 | 20210042 | Irida Shallari | ||
| Model-Based DevOps for Cyber-Physical Product Lines (MoDev) | Mälardalen University | Research projects | 3 | 2021 | SEK 3,968,005 | October 1, 2021 - March 31, 2025 | 20200234 | Alessio Bucaioni | ||
| Mission and Capability Engineering for Systems-of-Systems (MACE4SoS) | Mälardalen University | Research projects | 3 | 2021 | SEK 4,785,211 | October 1, 2021 - September 30, 2024 | 20200230 | Jakob Axelsson | ||
| Leadership Development Systems | Jönköping University | Synergy project | 1 | 2021 | SEK 12,000,000 | October 1, 2021 - June 30, 2026 | 20210019 | Sofia Kjellström | ||
| Integrated toxicological evaluation of sulphide-containing soil stabilized for reuse in construction purposes | Örebro University | Research projects | 3 | 2021 | SEK 4,799,913 | June 1, 2021 - May 31, 2025 | 20200242 | Per-Erik Olsson | ||
| Inhibiting Endothelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition in vitro | Örebro University | Early academic career | 3 | 2021 | SEK 2,319,600 | April 1, 2022 - March 31, 2024 | 20210038 | Mulugeta Melkie Zegeye | ||
| ESTROGENIC IMPACT ON UROPATHOGENIC E. COLI | Örebro University | Research projects | 1 | 2021 | SEK 4,521,600 | December 1, 2021 - May 31, 2026 | 20200226 | Isak Demirel | ||
| NiCE: Robust Navigation in Changing Environments | Örebro University | Research projects | 3 | 2021 | SEK 3,813,652 | December 1, 2021 - November 30, 2024 | 20200247 | Martin Magnusson | ||
| Immunometabolism: molecular crosstalk that governs immune response and resolution in COVID-19 | Örebro University | Research projects | 3 | 2021 | SEK 4,784,934 | November 1, 2021 - April 30, 2025 | 20200257 | Samira Salihovic | ||
| Targeting the melanocortin system as a novel strategy to reduce inflammation during vascular disease | Örebro University | Research projects | 3 | 2021 | SEK 4,692,966 | July 1, 2021 - June 30, 2025 | 20200256 | Liza Ljungberg Lindsjö | ||
| The status of ecosystem functions of polluted lands assessed in situ using plant, soil and microbial indicators | Örebro University | Research projects | 1 | 2021 | SEK 4,299,883 | September 1, 2021 - August 31, 2026 | 20200270 | Ingrid Rijk | ||
| Predictive Maintenance from a System Perspective | University of Gävle | Research projects | 3 | 2021 | SEK 3,916,238 | August 16, 2021 - August 15, 2024 | 20200261 | Niklas Björsell | ||
| Prediction of spring-back in polymer materials | Linnaeus University | Research projects | 3 | 2021 | SEK 2,572,800 | September 1, 2021 - August 31, 2023 | 20200268 | Martin Kroon | ||
| Smart villages in Sweden (SVIS) | Karlstad University | Research projects | 3 | 2021 | SEK 3,829,170 | September 1, 2021 - October 31, 2024 | 20200229 | Lotta Braunerhielm | ||
| Non-Technical Debt in Large-Scale Agile Software Development (NODLA) | Karlstad University | Research projects | 3 | 2021 | SEK 3,705,600 | December 1, 2021 - November 30, 2024 | 20200253 | Muhammad Ovais Ahmad | ||
| AMSUSS - Additive Manufacturing of Super-duplex stainless steels | Mid Sweden University | Research projects | 3 | 2021 | SEK 4,596,000 | June 1, 2021 - November 30, 2024 | 20200269 | Lars-Erik Rännar | ||
| Multi-Use Offshore Platform in the Baltic Sea for sustainable offshore windfarm, aquaculture, tourism and ecosystem restoration | Linnaeus University | Research projects | 1 | 2021 | SEK 4,536,104 | June 1, 2021 - June 30, 2026 | 20200254 | Catherine Legrand | ||
| Scaling up energy renovation through smart design and one-stop-shop business model | Linnaeus University | Research projects | 3 | 2021 | SEK 3,662,986 | September 1, 2021 - August 31, 2025 | 20200252 | Krushna Mahapatra | ||
| MASAM - Master of Science in Additive Manufacturing | Mid Sweden University | Second cycle education | 3 | 2021 | SEK 2,321,995 | September 1, 2021 - June 30, 2023 | 20210001 | Lars-Erik Rännar | ||
| Senior lecturer in biomedicine within the field of molecular virology, -genetics and vaccine development | Örebro University | Capacity building | 1 | 2021 | SEK 2,857,478 | October 1, 2022 - September 30, 2026 | 20210052 | Magnus Johansson | ||
| International Visiting Professor in Green Chemistry-NovCatCell-Luque | Mid Sweden University | Capacity building | 3 | 2021 | SEK 432,000 | July 1, 2022 - June 30, 2023 | 20210073 | Armando Cordova | The international visiting professor in green chemistry targets the recruitment of Prof. Rafael Luque at the Department of Natural Sciences at Mid Sweden University (MIUN). Prof. Luque holds the chair of green chemistry and nanocatalysis at the University of Cordoba (UoC, Spain). He is an international leading expert in green chemistry, catalysis and valorization of biomass. The overall goal with the recruitment of Prof. Luque is to strengthen MIUN's strategic action InFibra and the research environment Neopulp, which includes several companies, create international networks and increase competence in green-chemistry. A strong research network between Prof. Luque (UoB), the researchers involved in Neopulp, companies and MIUN will bring new exiting research, education and science to both academia and industry.The implementation and education of green chemistry is very important for the future development of sustainable society and industry. | |
| International visiting professor in sustainable energy systems- Umberto Desideri | Mälardalen University | Capacity building | 3 | 2021 | SEK 660,000 | February 1, 2022 - December 31, 2022 | 20210072 | Eva Thorin | ||
| Digitalization for health promotion | University West | Research projects | 3 | 2021 | SEK 4,909,992 | Social Sciences | January 1, 2022 - December 31, 2024 | 20210095 | Ann Svensson | Today's working life in the production industry is facing major changes and challenges. These changes often place great demands on the knowledge and competence of the individual employee, at the same time as the employee needs to be flexible in the performance of his or her work. Mental illness is increasing in society, and some of it seems to be work-related. Psycho social problems challenge the society as those costs in Sweden are about 150 - 200 billion SEK per year, of which almost 50 billion counts for large companies, constituting about 20-25 percent of the total salary costs for all companies in Sweden. The COVID-19 pandemic has also increased pressure on people, working at home with physical isolation from colleagues. Therefore, companies' metrics and efforts to achieve long-term and sustainable work-related health for employees become important. Although, companies invest relatively large amounts of resources in their employees’ health and work environment, there is often a lack of follow-up metrics, as well as these effects have on the companies' finances and sustainability. The overall aim of the project is to identify and evaluate innovative working methods to achieve sustainable health in working life for employees in the production industry with the support of digital solutions. The aim is also to develop knowledge and competence about which metrics, and initiatives are important for sustainable health, and about the effects these metrics, and initiatives can have on employees 'health and on companies' finances and sustainability. The project will be run together with companies that, among other things, operate in the production industry and companies that develop digital solutions. The shared research questions are thus: - What kind of work-related health interventions have been designed and what are the main outcomes of such interventions? - How can digital solutions be designed to achieve learning and support for sustainable working life and work-related health of employee in the industrial workplace? - What effects can be achieved with the introduction of digital solutions for sustainable working life and work-related health in the industrial workplace? |
| Fellow by Business (co-opted expert) to Virtual Manufacturing Sweden AB | Jönköping University | Capacity building | 3 | 2021 | SEK 1,334,160 | Natural Sciences, Engineering and Technology | January 1, 2022 - December 31, 2024 | 20210086 | Magnus Hofwing | The project contributes to improving and securing SPARK's long-term structure through experience building and strengthened collaboration with the company Virtual Manufacturing (VM) Sweden AB. The purpose is to strengthen the position for SPARK, and especially the thematic area focusing on "Integrated Development of Product and Production" (IDPP). IDPP perform research, aiming to contribute to knowledge relevant for addressing the industrial challenges raised by trends in digitalization and increased automation. Here, new tools and ways of working continuously will move the knowledge front, especially with the upcoming demands related to circular economy and resilient solutions. When it comes to further develop knowledge and skills in how to utilize, integrate and interact with virtual tools that supports a product realization process managing future trends and demands. The possibilities to integrate Industry 4.0 tools and methods, such as Augmented Reality (AR), Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Virtual Reality (VR) into the future IDPP is contributing to the scientific development of the research environment as well as to the regional strategic plan based on industrial needs and societal expectations on an increased utilization of digital tools and with that, an increased demand of skills related to digitalization. This project will contribute to further improve the capacity for integrating virtual tools and methods in both research and education. SPARK have already identified the possibility to develop a strategic long-term collaboration relevant for IDPP with the company Virtual Manufacturing (VM) Sweden AB. VM has a long experience in developing as well as implementing virtual tools in industrial settings and organizations. Their deep understanding of industrial aspects as well as the applied knowledge front when it comes to In |
| Fellowship in Materials and Manufacturing Components - FeMMaC | Jönköping University | Capacity building | 1 | 2021 | SEK 1,047,699 | Engineering and Technology | January 1, 2022 - December 31, 2024 | 20210085 | Peter Leisner | The idea of the present project is to delegate an assistant professor from JU specialized in research and education in the field of Foundry Technology to the partner company Scania CV AB. The cooperating industrial partners starts up new production facilities with new technologies. The role of the delegated assistant professor will be to assist the partner companies in the start-up of the new technologies, to identify and structure the appearing technological challenges aimed to be solved with future collaboration projects between industry and academia. Moreover, the project aims to strengthen the industrial collaboration in materials and manufacturing and product development which serves as a bridge for further inter-disciplinary research within SPARK (between sub-environment Sustainable Materials, Manufacturing, and Cast Components, and sub-environment Sustainable and Integrated Product and Production Development for Resilience. This will also be an excellent asset for the fellow to develop the required research and educational competence and skills for promotion to associate professor (Docent). |
| Adjunct senior lecturer to the business sector, Dr. Kristina Eriksson | University West | Capacity building | 1 | 2021 | SEK 1,817,529 | Engineering and Technology | February 1, 2022 - December 31, 2024 | 20210098 | Kristina Eriksson | The project contributes to conducting research with new collaboration partners in an industry that is updated within Primus, in order to further expand, position and profile the Primus research environment. Research activities will be carried out in co-production with the company, where the researcher works 50% of the time directly with the company. The close collaboration provides a very good understanding of the opportunities and challenges in the wood manufacturing industry, in order to achieve a more sustainable and competitive production together with the company. The close collaboration between the university's researchers and the company in the project generates co-produced research, and new knowledge and competence from both parties. The fact that the researcher from the university works together with the company and is also to a large extent physically present in the company's production facilities strengthens the exchange of knowledge. The researcher will work at the company in logistics and simulation of production flows to study different logistics models in e.g. operation planning, inventory management, and capacity planning methods for the manufacture of wood products. |
| Senior lecturer in battery recycling for electric vehicles | University West | Capacity building | 1 | 2021 | SEK 2,749,997 | Engineering and Technology | April 1, 2022 - March 31, 2026 | 20210097 | Per Nylén | Electrical engineering is a critical area for regional growth since both the transformation towards sustainable energy production and a fossil-free vehicle fleet (electrical cars) is a huge challenge for Sweden and specifically west Sweden’s automotive sector. This area is thus of strategic interest for University West both regarding education and research. This position will include teaching and research in close collaboration with our industrial partners within electrical engineering with a specific focus on energy storage and battery recycling. The overall research vision is to become an internationally recognized research group, giving both the students and the industry the best possible prerequisites. Regarding electrification, our ambition is to build up a high efficiency, price- and production-competitive testbed, that should be up and running in collaboration with our industrial partners in 2022. Within this framework, we plan to build a demonstrator cell for the automated disassembly of batteries. Battery recycling is one of the most promising end-of-life options for electric vehicle batteries because it has the potential to considerably reduce environmental impacts. The aim is to solve the chain from automation of the dismantling, establishing a bill of material, stabilization, and passivation to the final metallurgical recovery process. The ability to conduct education and research in this field is vital since rapid developments are taking place and many manufacturing companies in our region need support. The position is thus important for both University West and the industry in the region. |
| LFMV – Light field as an enabler of multi-view surveillance and photographic VR | Mid Sweden University | Early academic career | 3 | 2021 | SEK 1,542,080 | January 1, 2022 - May 23, 2022 | 20210039 | Waqas Ahmad | ||
| MOULIN – Step 3 (3 sub projects) | University West | NU | 3 | 2021 | SEK 2,460,000 | Social Sciences | January 1, 2022 - March 31, 2023 | 20210096 | Prabhu Ramanathan | The project MOULIN (Master online) is the third sub project as a continuation of an ongoing NU project within Primus. The project refers to online courses at master's level that integrate the areas of production systems and production processes. The aim is to strengthen Primus' international position as a complete academic environment by linking courses in production technology at master's and postgraduate level in internationally searchable online courses. The courses are developed in close collaboration with industry partners and other partners. The first sub-initiative was completed in 2020 and the second sub-initiative runs until the turn of the year. The new application concerns the development of courses in production systems of a total of 15 credits and 7.5 credits in production processes, during the period January 2022 to March 2023. |
| Dedicate | University West | Research profiles | 1 | 2021 | SEK 49,200,000 | Engineering and Technology | July 1, 2022 - June 30, 2030 | 20210094 | Joel Andersson | The present research profile DEDICATE is motivated by (i) the considerable knowledge generated through Directed Energy Deposition (DED)-related projects at University West (UW), and by (ii) the realization of specific scientific gaps and industrial needs that have to be addressed to take DED further towards industrial exploitation. The most recent and prominent DED projects at UW have been (i) the SAMw Synergy Project, involving Laser Metal Deposition with wire (LMDw), focusing on duplex stainless steels and titanium; (ii) the TaperTech Synergy Project encompassing Laser Metal Deposition with Powder (LMDp) and Wire+ Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM), with focus on High-strength low alloyed (HSLA) structural steels and tool steels; and (iii) the SUMAN-Next Profile, that dealt holistically on both PBF and DED of superalloys. Among the above, SUMAN-Next has already resulted in the follow-up profile PODFAM being hived off to particularly address knowledge gaps and partner ambitions dedicated to PBF. DEDICATE can be seen as a complementary mirror profile to PODFAM, and a logical next step to address in a consolidated manner the aspirations of UW and its partners in the field of OED, covering a wide array of materials. The specific goals of DEDICATE have been conceptualized based on considerations important to the various stakeholders that have come together to form a unique project consortium covering the entire value chain, in the interest of realizing a vibrant co-production network that would ensure active involvement of all partners. At the same time, the overarching aim of DEDICATE is to further strengthen Sweden's competitiveness by broadening the AM competence hub already created at UW, with continued strategic development of a strong and sustainable research and education environment in this emergent field. |
| Associate senior lecturer in Networked Systems and Software for Healthcare | Karlstad University | Capacity building | 1 | 2021 | SEK 2,645,386 | October 1, 2022 - September 30, 2026 | 20210078 | Anna Brunström | Computer Science (CS) is one of the prioritized research groups at Karlstad University (KaU). CS provides education and research profiled on distributed systems and communications (DISCO), privacy and security (PriSec), and Software Quality and Digital Modernisation (SQuaD). To renew and further enhance our research profiles and meet the needs of an increasing number of students, we need to increase our research and teaching capacity. In particular, we need to take advantage of the ongoing digitalisation in areas such as healthcare to renew our research and apply our competence in new areas with high societal impact. This will also allow us to fully capitalize on and support the new Region Värmland smart specialisation strategy where digitalisation plays a key role. For the sustainability of the CS research environment, we also need to complement our staff with new young researchers that can develop into future CS research leaders. With this project, CS aims to meet such demands by recruiting a new associate senior lecturer in the area of networked systems and software for healthcare. On a global perspective, one of the world’s biggest challenges is sustainable public health, well-being, and healthcare, listed as the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals #3. Digital technology plays a key role for meeting this challenge and through its smart specialisation strategy, and the establishment of the Vinnova Vinnväxt program DigitalWell Arena (DWA), Värmland is stepping forward to take a national and international lead in the digital transformation of the healthcare sector. CS is a driving partner for DWA where communication technology, secure and privacy-friendly services and high quality software are key enablers for digitalisation of the healthcare sector. Additional competence in this area will strengthen our DISCO, PriSec and SQuaD profiles, where the most challenging and interesting research problems for the future lie in the intersection of technology and its applications, in this case health and well-being. Competence in the area is also highly sought after both by our long-term business partners from the ICT industry (e.g. Tieto, CGI, RedPill Linpro) as well as recent new collaborators from DWA (e.g. Nordic Medtest, inTechrity). It will support the further development of DWA and help establish it as a European Digital Innovation Hub for health and well-being. We expect the new associate senior lecturer to help us produce cutting edge research as well as help us better support our partners from industry and the public sector, thus contributing to our mission of being recognized for addressing critical, scientifically important problems. The new recruitment will also contribute to the development of multi-disciplinary research on health within KaU as well as enhance the educational offerings with multi-disciplinary courses related to health, supporting also the need to enhance the digital competence within nursing education. |
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| ReStart II | University West | Research projects | 3 | 2021 | SEK 4,309,921 | Engineering and Technology | January 1, 2022 - December 31, 2024 | 20210093 | Monika Hattinger | In automated production processes, unplanned stops occur due to tool failure, material defects, unmanaged program situations or human interventions, etc. Restart of production defined as an error recovery process is a complex problem, involving the three phases: error detection, error diagnoses, and resetting the system to a restartable state. Short, long and unplanned production stops are expensive, unavoidable and cannot be predicted and therefore cannot be handled in advance in system and process models. There is no one-size fits-all solution, rather each situation must be handled by the operator or maintenance personnel. The proposed project aims at improving the effectiveness of the error recovery process associated with automated production systems and to facilitate knowledge exchange and competence integration between shop floor personnel through the development of Artificial Intelligence (Al)-based support and an Augmented Reality (AR)-based operator guidance system. The envisioned system prototype is expected to provide hands on guidance tuned to the specific stop situation and leveraged to various personnel skills. The prototype support system will primarily be implemented and evaluated in the PTC lab environment in tight collaboration with, and based on requirements from, the industrial project partners. Both theoretical and practical results will be generated. Theoretical results include new representations of a general error recovery process supporting industrial work-integrated learning, as well as validated AR interaction. Practical results include a validated Al&AR prototype for facilitating error recovery decision-making and actions for shop floor work for the involved industrial partners. |
| EcoCoat - Towards Environmentally Friendly Heavy-Duty Vehicle Engines: Engineered Thermal Spray Coatings | University West | Research projects | 3 | 2021 | SEK 2,706,000 | Engineering and Technology | January 1, 2022 - December 31, 2023 | 20210092 | Nicolaie Markocsan | A way of increasing the heavy-duty engines' efficiency is by insulation of the hot components of the engines with protective coatings, such as Thermal Barrier Coatings. The major aim of the project is to develop protective coatings that provide improved engine efficiency and also fulfill the requirements posed by the alternative fuels to be used in heavy-duty vehicles; this will be achieved by designing thermal spray coating with appropriate morphology, microstructure, and thickness as well as material composition. The industrial partners are the two major heavy-duty vehicles manufacturers AB Volvo and Scania CV as well as Oerlikon Metco a global leader in development of feedstock materials for thermal spraying. |
| IAMSuper - Improving the understanding of microstructure formation in Additively Manufactured Ni-based Superalloys through modelling | University West | Early academic career | 3 | 2021 | SEK 1,944,630 | Engineering and Technology | March 1, 2022 - February 29, 2024 | 20210091 | Chamara Kumara | Haynes 282 (Haynes International, USA) is one of the Ni-based superalloys that is used for turbine rear frame and turbine exhaust case applications. The main reasons for the use of this alloy are due to the combination of properties like creep strength, thermal stability and fabricability. Because of the excellent fabricability of this alloy, there is a great interest within the industries to manufacture Haynes 282 through powder bed fusion (PBF) techniques. As PBF enable the capability to produce near-net-shape complex lightweight parts and the possibility of customizing the microstructure during processing, it ultimately improves the efficiency and enhances the sustainability within aerospace and gas turbine industry. However, still, the knowledge and understanding within PBF of Haynes 282 is not yet mature enough so that the industry could confidently use it for component production. This could be clearly seen as there are only a few published scientific literatures on PBF of Haynes 282. Generally, the metal PBF is a complex process that involves numerous process parameters and manufacturing steps. During manufacturing, the built material undergoes complex thermal cycling because of the layer-upon-layer building process. Moreover, post-treatment, such as hot isostatic pressing (HIP) and heat treatment, causes further changes the material that significantly influences the functional performance of the component. Thus, it is important to identify the effect of these thermal conditions on the microstructure and how these microstructures affect the functional performance and quality of the printed parts. Understanding these relationships also make it possible to optimise the PBF microstructures for desired applications which is of great interest for the project partners. Therefore, to strengthen the knowledge and accelerate the development within this area, further scientific research is needed. Therefore, the scientific goal of this project is to identify key relationships between thermal conditions and microstructure formation in PBF of Ni-based Superalloy Haynes 282 through a modelling approach. |
| TS, adjunct lecturer, Dr Anders Thibblin | University West | Capacity building | 3 | 2021 | SEK 768,334 | Engineering and Technology | May 1, 2022 - April 30, 2025 | 20210090 | Shrikant Joshi | In order to maintain its pioneering position, the Thermal Spray (TS) group needs to expand its activities in diverse areas and applications. One of the important application areas is automotive industry, where the TS group has limited activities today despite great potential for collaborative projects. Strategic collaboration with key industrial partners in automotive sector can support the TS group in expanding its activities. Dr. Anders Thibblin at Scania has therefore been identified for this position of Adjunct Senior Lecturer in Thermal Spraying since he has a PhD in the field of TS coatings for automotive applications. Scania is one of the largest and most innovative automotive companies in Sweden and is the only one in Sweden that has TS in their production facility and has a long experience of TS. The management at Scania sees great potential in TS coatings for various applications and wants to grow in this area. The goals of this recruitment are: • Identify and implement new areas of thermal spray applications in automotive industry • Develop strategic partnership between academia and industry with long term development approach |
| Associate senior lecturer, automation | University West | Capacity building | 1 | 2021 | SEK 2,349,308 | Engineering and Technology | June 1, 2023 - May 31, 2027 | 20210088 | Mikael Ericsson | The overall aim is to build an international competitive, integrated research and education environment within the area of automation. To achieve this, it is important to cover the entire area of Plug & Produce and not only small areas. This implies that technologies such as planning, configuration, MAS, optimization, Al, and machine safety must be co-developed with identified needs from the industry. The specific purpose of this strategic recruitment is to strengthen the research group within Plug & Produce in the area of multi agent and Al. |
| NDT, adjunct lecturer, Dr. Anders Rosell | University West | Capacity building | 3 | 2021 | SEK 712,805 | Engineering and Technology | May 1, 2022 - April 30, 2025 | 20210087 | Erik Lindgren | Primus is a research environment with the overall vision of to be nationally leading and internationally recognized within production technology and industrial work integrated learning (I-WIL). To reach this vision, the strategy is to develop strong positions in research as well as in education and to integrate production technology with that of work integrated learning. One area of particular focus is to develop excellence in research within additive manufacturing AM, where e.g. so called powder bed fusion (PBF) AM is one the selected AM processes to focus on. This is a rapidly evolving area, where Primus has the opportunity to take an internationally leading position. This project is intended to be a Fellowship in academy by an employment of 20% at the Division of Subtractive and Additive Manufacturing, which belongs to the core area Production Processes within Primus. The aim is that the Fellow from GKN Aerospace will contribute with industrial knowledge about quality assurance and competence within non-destructive evaluation (NDE) processes especially of gas turbine components. Both new tools such as industrial computed tomography and robotized phased array ultrasonic inspection for AM parts as well as linking in-situ PBF inspection and monitoring to capability of quality assurance will be addressed in the project. In addition, the Fellowship in academy will take part in the education, as expert lecturer within advanced AM courses especially within quality assurance and methods for NDE, in-line with the University's intention to strengthen work integrated learning by academy-industry exchange of knowledge. |
| FIBMEC - Associate senior lecturer in fibre mechanics | Mid Sweden University | Capacity building | 1 | 2021 | SEK 2,418,964 | October 15, 2022 - October 15, 2026 | 20210065 | Birgitta Engberg | The main purpose of recruiting an associate senior lecturer in fibre mechanics is to strengthen the strategic action InFibra and the new research profile NeoPulp at Mid Sweden University. Fibre mechanics is a core competence in NeoPulp and offers great opportunities for strengthening the synergies between research in NeoPulp and the Master of Science programs in the environment (engineering chemistry, engineering physics, and technical design). We therefore established a new research group in fibre mechanics. This recruitment is a critical contribution to the research group and to the development of our education programs and courses for more synergies with NeoPulp. Earlier the academic environment of InFibra had a predominant emphasis on research, but this has changed as new educational programs have started and expanded and the number of students is increasing. Fully developed, the educational portfolio of InFibra will offer a wide range of educations covering the competence need at multiple levels for industry in the region. The proposed project (FIBMEC) has a 4-year-budget which is planned to cover primarily salary and premises costs for the recruited person. We apply for 50% of the funding from KKS and the remaining 50% will be covered by the university. | |
| IFT:Jönköping - Innovative Foundry Technology | Jönköping University | Research profiles | 1 | 2021 | SEK 49,199,966 | Engineering and Technology | March 1, 2022 - February 28, 2029 | 20210082 | Attila Diószegi | IFT:JÖNKÖPING is a research profile at Jönköping University aimed to focus on the materials and manufacturing process of cast iron in collaboration with leading Swedish cast iron developer and producer companies. Innovative Foundry Technology (IFT) refers to the profile in JÖNKÖPING where state-of-the-art methods and instruments are used to solve complex industry-related research questions extending the knowledge frontier in materials and manufacturing technologies. Collaborating partners Scania CV AB, Sinter Cast AB, Volvo Group Trucks Technology AB, SKF Mekan AB, Bruzaholms Bruk AB and Jönköping University focus on how to enable and control a sustainable design and production of cast iron components. The project span over a 7-year period and includes four research areas: Mould-Metal-Gas Interface Related Materials and Phenomena, Solidification and Structure Formation, Engineering Structure and Properties, Modelling & Simulation of Casting supplemented with three support functions in Laboratory experiments, Fundamental disciplines, and Industrially Implemented Research. The project budget will be applied from the Knowledge Foundation supplemented from Jönköping University and by in-kind resources from collaborating enterprises. The research profile becomes a strategic partner for the collaborating enterprises, who invest more than 5 billion SEK in new cast iron Foundries in Sweden. |
| Recruitment of Associate senior lecturer in advanced textiles technology with a focus on Nonwoven and recycled fiber | University of Borås | Capacity building | 1 | 2021 | SEK 2,148,504 | September 1, 2022 - August 31, 2026 | 20210067 | Nawar Kadi | Advanced Textile Structures research group is an innovative and active research group at the University of Borås; this group contributes to textile engineering educational programs and conducts research on sustainable fibre, yarn structure, Textile structure, added manufacturing and mechanical. The group's ambition is to be a major research actor in Sweden regarding textile structures, mechanical recycling and introducing sustainable fibre to adapted the textile sector for the circular economy, sustainability and resource-efficient processes. An associate senior lecturer in advanced textiles technology focusing on nonwoven and fractionation of recycled fibre started to be a key competence in teaching and research in Sweden. Nonwovens find today more and more applications; it is used widely in all aspects of life from geotextiles, domestic textiles, smart wearables, hygiene, healthcare, automotive and constructions. The use of novel sustainable materials in the nonwoven textile sector will significantly improve this industry's resource efficiency and circularity since the nonwoven industry is the biggest producer of textile materials in Sweden. Recycling is a big challenge for all textile sectors, where the need is enormous for competence regarding mechanically recycled fibre and its fractionation in a sustainable manner, focusing on mechanical methods where all the textile sector check for working and improving the suitability of their sector. The associate senior lecturer will have an essential role in the textile technology programs at the university; his/her input will be given on bachelor's, master's and doctoral levels. This recruitment aims to start new national and international cooperation in the textile sector, both companies and academic research groups. The aim is to initiate new research projects with national and international networks such as AUTEX, participate in sustainability activities like Textiles & Fashion 2030 platform, and bring new knowledge from the industry to the research environment. |
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| Associate Senior Lecturer in Experimental Heat and Mass Transfer | Mälardalen University | Capacity building | 1 | 2021 | SEK 2,460,192 | November 1, 2022 - October 31, 2026 | 20210071 | Eva Thorin | ||
| Senior Lecturer in Game Technology | Blekinge Institute of Technology | Capacity building | 1 | 2021 | SEK 2,971,123 | December 1, 2022 - November 30, 2026 | 20210077 | Veronica Sundstedt | ||
| Associate senior lecturer Building Technology | Karlstad University | Capacity building | 1 | 2021 | SEK 2,880,000 | April 17, 2023 - April 16, 2027 | 20210063 | Johan Vessby | ||
| Cell membrane mimetic biosensors for the diagnosis of sperm cell fertilization potential | Malmö University | Early academic career | 3 | 2021 | SEK 1,855,828 | January 1, 2022 - December 31, 2023 | 20210044 | Sara Björk Sigurdardóttir | ||
| Cost-benefit analysis of continuous software engineering | Blekinge Institute of Technology | Early academic career | 3 | 2021 | SEK 2,069,890 | April 1, 2022 - March 31, 2024 | 20210040 | Eriks Klotins | ||
| Senior Lecturer in Optimised Industrial Systems and Production Lines through Digitalisation | Karlstad University | Capacity building | 1 | 2021 | SEK 2,769,460 | February 23, 2023 - February 22, 2027 | 20210057 | Andreas Kassler | ||
| Associate Senior Lecturer in AI for Renewables and SmartGrid in Industries | Karlstad University | Capacity building | 1 | 2021 | SEK 2,645,386 | February 1, 2023 - January 31, 2027 | 20210059 | Andreas Kassler | ||
| Associate senior lecturer in additive manufacturing | Karlstad University | Capacity building | 1 | 2021 | SEK 2,711,380 | March 1, 2023 - February 28, 2027 | 20210060 | Pavel Krakhmalev | AT-LAB - Additive manufacturing laboratory equipped with laser powder bed fusion Renishaw AM400 metal printer has been established and inaugurated at Karlstad University in spring 2017. AT-LAB is a part of materials and mechanical engineering (M&M) at the department of engineering and physics. AT-LAB actively contributes in research, and is involved in teaching within the study programs in mechanical engineering. According to the host environment strategy, effort is now being made on recruitment of new staff in AT-LAB. To develop sustainably, the AT-LAB group has a need to employ an associate senior lectures to develop academic research quality and output, more contribute in education, and support equality and balance among employee’s positions at the department. The present application concerns the recruitment of one associate senior lecturer in additive manufacturing, which is applied for funding support from the KKS recruitment 2021 program. The associate senior lecturer will support development of new courses in additive manufacturing, contribute in current and initiate new research projects with key industrial partners, Uddeholms AB, Siemens Energy AB, SECO Tools AB and others, and collaborate with new center of Digital Adaptive Manufacturing for Industry 4.0 (DAMI4.0). Ultimately, the candidate is expected to gain excellent academic reputation and take a leading positions in AT-LAB in the future. | |
| Associate senior lecturer in Software Engineering with specialization in Continuous Engineering of Software-intensive Products and Services | Blekinge Institute of Technology | Capacity building | 1 | 2021 | SEK 2,806,558 | March 1, 2023 - February 1, 2027 | 20210074 | Tony Gorschek | The recruitment of an associate senior lecturer in Software Engineering with specialization in Continuous Engineering of Software-intensive Products and Services is based on needs identified through ongoing research projects with our industrial partners. This is also very well aligned and supports the ongoing strategic profile project of SERT (rethought.se) that focuses on the development of next-generation software engineering practices. The recruitment also fills a need in assuring that educational programs are kept up to date and reflect the latest development in software engineering principles and practices. The candidate to be recruited needs a background in software engineering, recent industrial experience, and recent experience from challenges and opportunities facing companies in a fast-paced software-intensive product and service development environment. The need for recent experience and the relatively new nature of continuous software engineering motivates hiring an associate lecturer position over a senior position. The candidate will be tasked with developing their career as well the area itself - in close collaboration with industrial partners - assuring competence in the area at the Software Engineering Research and Education Lab (SERL) at BTH long-term. SERL and BTH offer not only financial support for the position, but more importantly fast-paced onboarding of the candidate, a mentorship program, and the ability to participate in already established long-term research projects where the candidate and area are needed and planned. Several partners have expressed needs and interest in the field and a dedicated position, especially supported by two strategic partners Ericsson and Maxkomptens. Further Ericsson has committed financial support during the 4-year meriting tenure track position, and the candidate is expected to contribute to ongoing research, support education and develop the area of continuous software engineering for both. The position is in direct support of the long-term development of the software engineering discipline at BTH. The challenge to find a candidate with the appropriate background, experience, and competence, that at the same time is a driving force is recognized as a significant challenge. For this purpose, several recruitment measures, channels, and extensive contact networks will be utilized by the research group, BTH, and our partners leveraging significant resources to assure the success of the recruitment effort. |
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| International guest professor in chemical engineering with focus on wood-based fibres and materials | Mid Sweden University | Capacity building | 3 | 2021 | SEK 432,000 | February 1, 2022 - June 30, 2023 | 20210054 | Kaarlo Niskanen | This recruitment project Haapa will strengthen the Research Profile NeoPulp of Mid Sweden University (MIUN) with crucial expertise on wood-based fibres and materials. Dr Antti Haapala from the University of Eastern Finland (UEF) will bring with him strong experience on fibre measurements and collaboration networks in Finland and Europe. The use of measured fibre distributions for process studies is the central new research idea in NeoPulp. We already have unique experience on fibre distributions in papermaking context, but it is strategically important for MIUN and the pulp and paper industry that MIUN can secure the continuity of this competence and connect our research to the much broader European forest research community. UEF is one of the strong European universities working on forests and wood properties. Through the appointment of Dr. Haapala as a guest professor at MIUN, the two universities want to start building a long-term collaboration relationship in both research and education. We expect that when the Haapa project ends, concrete research activities have started between UEF, MIUN and the participating companies Holmen and Stora Enso to further strengthen the Research Profile NeoPulp. | |
| Professor in Engineering mechanics with focus on experimental techniques | Mid Sweden University | Capacity building | 1 | 2021 | SEK 2,400,000 | August 1, 2022 - July 31, 2028 | 20210053 | Birgitta Engberg | The purpose of this recruitment action MechEx is enable the appointment of a new full-time professor to Mid Sweden University and thereby accelerate progress in the Research Profile NeoPulp of the Research Environment for Transformative Technologies. The research focus of the professor will be new experimental characterisation methods for the dynamic mechanical behaviour of fibres in pulping and papermaking processes. Most of the related research in the world is currently done with numerical model simulations. Therefore we believe that the focus on experimental research will increase the visibility and influence of NeoPulp in the research community and lead to scientific impact in Sweden and internationally. There is also a clear need for the recruitment in the Research Areas Interactions and Consolidation of NeoPulp. In the recent years, three professors in Engineering Mechanics and Physics have retired from MIUN but we waited with the recruitment until the research agenda of NeoPulp became clear. In education, the new professor will become responsible for MIUN’s 5-year program in Technical Design and work to improve synergies between that program and our process research in NeoPulp. In the industrial perspective, the research area of the new professor supports the design and better use of process equipment for different fibre raw materials. It is important for industry that MIUN can develop new ways to study these processes and attract bright students to tackle pulping and papermaking problems. SCA does not participate in the Research Profile but will support the present recruitment to MIUN. Both parties expect that the recruitment project will lead to a fruitful interaction of mutual benefit in the form of research collaboration and supervision of student projects. |
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| Associate senior lecturer in hybrid and composite structures | Linnaeus University | Capacity building | 1 | 2021 | SEK 2,599,404 | September 1, 2022 - August 31, 2027 | 20210070 | Wit Derkowski | The associate senior lecturer in hybrid and composite structures will be a part of the academic environment at the department of Building Technology. The position will strengthen the recently initiated knowledge environment Green Sustainable Development at Linnæus University. Broadening the department's research and education competence is one essential requirement for a 5-year civil engineering education in building technology, which is planned to start in autumn 2023. The development of building technology will largely depend on the use of structures made of various materials. Construction materials can be used in mixed/hybrid structural systems, for example, stiff concrete communication shafts combined with timber floors, as well as in composite structures where members consisting of two materials act together compositely as a single unit, with the aim to create more competitive and sustainable building elements and systems. By incorporating prefabrication technology, the buildings made of composite structures can be fast erected while high-quality standards can be easily adhered. Prefabrication technology also better fits into the environmental constraints of the construction industry. The European standards for the design of composite structures (mainly the EN 1994, released more than 15 years ago) are focused only on traditional types of steel-concrete composite structures. With the requirement of developing sustainable construction systems based on renewable materials such as timber, there is a need to conduct research for an enhanced understanding and for implementation of modern design guidelines for innovative systems. Durability and safety of timber-concrete structures, especially those built using the latest materials and technologies, certainly require such research. This can encompass research from the field of composite action of structural elements, in which materials are combined in various ways (rigid, semi-rigid, flexible joints) and consideration of long-term effects on the deformability and load-bearing capacity of such elements. An associate senior lecturer in composite and hybrid structures will play an active role in a team that has demonstrated successful cooperation with the industry in the development of new solutions in the market of building systems, including the buildup of more accurate calculation procedures and their implementation in advanced engineering software. Moreover, municipalities are increasingly interested in sustainable urban development and therefore, in the development of new building technologies less environmental impact - such opportunities are offered by mixed construction. Therefore, expanding the Building Technology Department's research and teaching skills in this area not only benefits education and research at the university itself but also the competitiveness of our business partners. |
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| Adjunct Professor to Business at Ericsson | Karlstad University | Capacity building | 3 | 2021 | SEK 2,565,916 | June 1, 2022 - May 31, 2025 | 20210050 | Javid Taheri | 5G is the fifth generation technology standard to replace 4G/LTE broadband cellular networks and provide greater bandwidth with ultra-low latency connections. 5G-Core is the heart of a 5G mobile network where all its essential functions are implemented. 5G-Core functions are designed as cloud-native to increase their agility, as well as become agnostic to their underlying cloud infrastructure. Considering 5G-Core's sheer scale and stringent deployment requirements, the cost of misconfiguring such platforms, if ignored, can simply become intolerable for many 5G use-cases. This project is to co-design novel tailor-made AI/ML-based approaches to systematically optimise the performance (latency, energy consumption, etc.) of cloud native functions (CNFs) in Ericsson 5G-Core products and use-cases. Two working scenarios are targeted here: (1) when the underlying 5G-based systems can be accessed during their operations, and (2) when such access can only be made to equivalent but smaller-scale replicas. For the first scenario, we aims to design online AI/ML optimisation techniques to maximise the capacity of current 5G products and use-cases. For the second scenario, we aim to design both offline and online AI/ML-based techniques to optimise the performance of their replicas, while assuring the performance of the target systems after extrapolating the optimal values. |
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| Targeting immune responses in atherosclerosis | Örebro University | Early academic career | 3 | 2021 | SEK 2,364,480 | April 1, 2022 - April 1, 2024 | 20210037 | Rosanne Reitsema | ||
| AFAIR | Jönköping University | Research profiles | 1 | 2020 | SEK 49,200,000 | January 1, 2021 - December 31, 2028 | 20200223 | Joakim Wikner | ||
| Associate Senior Lecturer in Additive Manufacturing | University West | Capacity building | 1 | 2020 | SEK 2,598,199 | May 1, 2021 - April 30, 2025 | 20200200 | Robert Pederson | ||
| Associate Senior Lecturer in Production Technology with focus on Welding Technology | University West | Capacity building | 1 | 2020 | SEK 2,627,004 | March 1, 2021 - February 28, 2025 | 20200199 | Joel Andersson | ||
| Fellowship in academy in Additive Manufacturing, Sandvik | University West | Capacity building | 3 | 2020 | SEK 2,047,635 | May 1, 2021 - April 30, 2024 | 20200198 | Robert Pederson | ||
| Fellowship in academy in Additive Manufacturing, ARCAM | University West | Capacity building | 3 | 2020 | SEK 964,843 | May 1, 2021 - April 30, 2024 | 20200197 | Robert Pederson | ||
| IRAP - International Guest Professor | Jönköping University | Capacity building | 3 | 2020 | SEK 531,548 | October 15, 2021 - October 14, 2022 | 20200219 | Anders Jarfors | ||
| Application for grant funding for co-financing of evaluation of research and co-production at Mid Sweden University 2021-2022 | Mid Sweden University | Övrigt | 3 | 2020 | SEK 2,000,000 | February 1, 2020 - August 31, 2022 | 20200224 | Hans-Erik Nilsson | ||
| Data analytics and service innovation based on artificial intelligence (MAISTR) | Halmstad University | Education for working professionals | 3 | 2020 | SEK 17,631,209 | January 1, 2021 - December 31, 2024 | 20200195 | Stefan Byttner | ||
| International visiting professor - Albert Bifet | Halmstad University | Capacity building | 3 | 2020 | SEK 738,000 | April 1, 2021 - March 31, 2023 | 20200210 | Slawomir Nowaczyk | ||
| Automatic Idea Detection: Implementing artificial intelligence in medical technology innovation. (AID) | Halmstad University | Early academic career | 3 | 2020 | SEK 1,950,904 | April 1, 2021 - March 31, 2023 | 20200204 | Fábio Gama | ||
| Institutional entrepreneurship and coevolution of health sector firms in international markets (ICHSI) | Halmstad University | Research projects | 3 | 2020 | SEK 4,811,601 | July 1, 2021 - June 30, 2024 | 20200206 | Svante Andersson | ||
| Business models for information driven healthcare eco-systems (BINECO) | Halmstad University | Research projects | 3 | 2020 | SEK 4,838,308 | April 1, 2021 - March 31, 2024 | 20200207 | Henrik Barth | ||
| CAISR Health (Center for Applied Intelligent Systems Research - Health) | Halmstad University | Research profiles | 1 | 2020 | SEK 49,200,000 | July 1, 2021 - June 30, 2029 | 20200208 | Mattias Ohlsson | ||
| Expert competence for sustainable and digitized production - ExSus | University West | Education for working professionals | 3 | 2020 | SEK 2,460,000 | January 1, 2021 - December 31, 2022 | 20200202 | Kristina Eriksson | ||
| Asssociate senior lecturer WIL, focus collaboration (Q-mulus) | University West | Capacity building | 1 | 2020 | SEK 2,335,589 | March 1, 2021 - February 28, 2025 | 20200201 | Ulrika Lundh Snis | ||
| ACCURATE 4.0 - Agile ManufaCturing ConfigUration and OpeRAtions in The Era of Industry 4.0 | University of Skövde | Synergy project | 1 | 2020 | SEK 14,760,000 | September 1, 2021 - August 31, 2025 | 20200181 | Masood Fathi | ||
| BOOST - Associate senior lecturer in industrial house building focusing on single- and multi-family housing | Jönköping University | Capacity building | 1 | 2020 | SEK 2,531,234 | May 1, 2021 - April 30, 2025 | 20200218 | Fredrik Elgh | ||
| LevelUp - Competence Development for Corona-impacted Manufacturing Industries. | Mälardalen University | Special initiatives | 3 | 2020 | SEK 5,896,996 | September 1, 2020 - February 28, 2022 | 20200108 | Antti Salonen | ||
| The GIH develops the competence in disease prevention via physical activity in the fitness industry | The Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences | Special initiatives | 3 | 2020 | SEK 857,999 | September 1, 2020 - June 30, 2021 | 20200101 | Örjan Ekblom | ||
| Digitalisation of Business in a global world (DIGIBUS) | Halmstad University | Special initiatives | 3 | 2020 | SEK 2,880,000 | July 1, 2020 - December 31, 2021 | 20200094 | Mark Dougherty | ||
| Supporting industry in transitioning towards a green new deal post COVID 19 | Blekinge Institute of Technology | Special initiatives | 3 | 2020 | SEK 1,504,941 | August 1, 2020 - June 30, 2021 | 20200086 | Merlina Missimer | ||
| Advanced level courses in Computer Science for industrial competence development | Karlstad University | Special initiatives | 3 | 2020 | SEK 2,560,411 | July 1, 2020 - June 30, 2022 | 20200111 | Johan Eklund | ||
| Competence Development in Smarter Systems for Professionals | Linnaeus University | Special initiatives | 3 | 2020 | SEK 2,059,609 | August 1, 2020 - March 31, 2022 | 20200113 | Morgan Ericsson | ||
| ProdKomp: Competence development for manufacturing industry | University West | Special initiatives | 3 | 2020 | SEK 3,000,000 | July 1, 2020 - May 31, 2022 | 20200082 | Joel Andersson | ||
| Resilience in the Tourism Systen | Dalarna University | Special initiatives | 3 | 2020 | SEK 1,056,000 | September 1, 2020 - February 28, 2022 | 20200096 | Tara Duncan | ||
| Webinars for quick and effective lifelong learning in metal and polymer industry (WEBLEARN) | Jönköping University | Special initiatives | 3 | 2020 | SEK 3,000,000 | September 1, 2020 - December 31, 2022 | 20200104 | Ehsan Ghassemali | ||
| Augmented Reality and Cybersecurity (ARC) | Mälardalen University | Special initiatives | 3 | 2020 | SEK 2,992,650 | September 1, 2020 - February 28, 2023 | 20200114 | Anders Berglund | ||
| SMARTER 2.1 | Örebro University | Special initiatives | 3 | 2020 | SEK 3,000,000 | August 1, 2020 - July 31, 2022 | 20200107 | Amy Loutfi | ||
| IoT Professionals in Coronatimes | Mid Sweden University | Special initiatives | 3 | 2020 | SEK 1,002,968 | August 1, 2020 - July 31, 2021 | 20200109 | Stefan Forsström | ||
| Data-driven decision making in business analytics | Malmö University | Special initiatives | 3 | 2020 | SEK 919,322 | August 31, 2020 - July 1, 2022 | 20200090 | Nancy Russo | ||
| ALADINO: ALigning Architectures for DIgital twiN of the Organization | Linnaeus University | Research projects | 3 | 2020 | SEK 4,230,162 | October 1, 2020 - September 30, 2023 | 20200117 | Mauro Caporuscio | ||
| PREDICT - Failure prediction for complex load cases | Blekinge Institute of Technology | Early academic career | 3 | 2020 | SEK 2,036,275 | March 1, 2021 - May 18, 2023 | 20200125 | Md Shafiqul Islam | ||
| Fellow in academia – Professor in advanced manufacturing KAU/M&M | Karlstad University | Capacity building | 3 | 2020 | SEK 890,217 | November 1, 2021 - October 31, 2024 | 20200133 | Leo De Vin | ||
| Professionally produced digital learning objects in distance education | University of Borås | Special initiatives | 3 | 2020 | SEK 2,493,653 | September 1, 2020 - December 31, 2022 | 20200112 | Susanne Strömberg Jämsvi | ||
| Competence Development for Lifelong Learning within Intelligent Industry | University of Gävle | Special initiatives | 3 | 2020 | SEK 2,359,901 | August 15, 2020 - February 14, 2022 | 20200083 | Niklas Björsell | ||
| Post-exercise recovery strategies in elite football: Potential benefits of cooling and heating on functional and muscle recovery | Örebro University | Early academic career | 3 | 2020 | SEK 2,382,498 | April 1, 2021 - September 30, 2023 | 20200124 | Peter Edholm | ||
| Remote digitalisation education to Enhance the Lives of Industry workers afFEcted by COVID-19 (RELIFE) | Halmstad University | Special initiatives | 3 | 2020 | SEK 2,900,000 | July 1, 2020 - December 31, 2021 | 20200095 | Martin Cooney | ||
| developvaccines@oru | Örebro University | Synergy project | 3 | 2020 | SEK 14,397,745 | September 1, 2020 - August 31, 2025 | 20200063 | Magnus Johansson | ||
| WISER - Digital transformation and industrial excellence | University of Skövde | Education for working professionals | 1 | 2020 | SEK 21,174,188 | April 1, 2021 - March 31, 2025 | 20200176 | Tehseen Aslam | ||
| Geodata competence at the advanced level | University of Gävle | Second cycle education | 3 | 2020 | SEK 1,732,494 | April 1, 2020 - March 31, 2022 | 20200027 | Jonas Ågren | ||
| ISE - Improving value creation throhugh Service Education | Karlstad University | Education for working professionals | 3 | 2020 | SEK 27,660,000 | September 1, 2020 - August 31, 2025 | 20200060 | Carolina Camén | ||
| Development of a New Master Program in Digital Humanities at Linnaeus University | Linnaeus University | Second cycle education | 3 | 2020 | SEK 2,329,567 | May 15, 2020 - May 14, 2022 | 20200032 | Koraljka Golub | ||
| X-HiDE - EXploring Inflammation in Health and Disease | Örebro University | Research profiles | 1 | 2020 | SEK 47,973,848 | November 1, 2020 - October 31, 2028 | 20200017 | Eva Särndahl | ||
| Data-Driven Service Innovation: Advanced Education for Professionals | University of Borås | Education for working professionals | 1 | 2020 | SEK 11,449,746 | May 1, 2020 - December 31, 2025 | 20200028 | Daniel Yar Hamidi | ||
| Increased defense capabilities will increase the competitiveness of the industry | The Swedish National Defence College | Synergy project | 1 | 2020 | SEK 14,400,000 | October 1, 2020 - June 30, 2026 | 20200004 | Per Skoglund | ||
| Computer Science Master's Programme in Networked Systems and Cybersecurity | Karlstad University | Second cycle education | 3 | 2020 | SEK 2,399,950 | April 1, 2020 - December 31, 2022 | 20200033 | Johan Eklund | ||
| Energy flexibility through synergies of big data, novel technologies & systems, and innovative markets | Mälardalen University | Synergy project | 1 | 2020 | SEK 14,399,368 | October 1, 2020 - June 30, 2026 | 20200073 | Hailong Li | ||
| Internet of Things Master's Program | Malmö University | Second cycle education | 3 | 2020 | SEK 2,351,202 | April 1, 2020 - September 30, 2022 | 20200043 | Romina Spalazzese | ||
| AIDA - A Holistic AI-driven Networking and Processing Framework for Industrial IoT | Karlstad University | Synergy project | 3 | 2020 | SEK 14,395,699 | November 1, 2020 - February 29, 2024 | 20200067 | Andreas Kassler | ||
| Concepts for the Sustainable Office of the Future (SOFCO) | Mälardalen University | Synergy project | 3 | 2020 | SEK 14,344,778 | October 1, 2020 - September 30, 2025 | 20200068 | Katarina Bälter | ||
| INDTECH - Industrial Technology Graduate School | Mälardalen University | Industrial graduate schools | 1 | 2020 | SEK 32,400,000 | May 1, 2021 - April 30, 2027 | 20200132 | Moris Behnam | ||
| Associate Senior Lecturer in Applied Optimization | Karlstad University | Capacity building | 1 | 2020 | SEK 2,612,325 | March 1, 2021 - October 31, 2025 | 20200152 | Adrian Muntean | ||
| Adjunct professor of Civil Engineering | Karlstad University | Capacity building | 3 | 2020 | SEK 1,994,880 | September 1, 2021 - November 30, 2024 | 20200146 | Johan Vessby | ||
| WISE: Transformation to Electrification | University of Skövde | Special initiatives | 3 | 2020 | SEK 2,796,712 | September 1, 2020 - June 30, 2022 | 20200091 | Tehseen Aslam | ||
| Fellowship of senior lecturer in business in Future Energy – Fredrik Wallin | Mälardalen University | Capacity building | 3 | 2020 | SEK 803,568 | April 1, 2021 - September 30, 2025 | 20200144 | Eva Thorin | ||
| Associate senior lecturer in Wood and Machine Learning | Linnaeus University | Capacity building | 3 | 2020 | SEK 2,676,240 | August 5, 2021 - August 5, 2025 | 20200154 | Anders Olsson | ||
| OSSD - Open Systems for Sustainable Digitalisation | University of Skövde | Second cycle education | 3 | 2020 | SEK 2,289,023 | April 1, 2021 - March 30, 2023 | 20200187 | Björn Lundell | ||
| Optimising prosthetic design with Kansei engineering and machine learning (OptiPro) | Jönköping University | Research projects | 3 | 2020 | SEK 2,362,211 | February 1, 2021 - February 1, 2024 | 20200211 | Nerrolyn Ramstrand | ||
| DigiTrans4SHC - Digital Transformation through Multi-sided Platforms in the Swedish Housing Construction Supply Chain | Jönköping University | Research projects | 3 | 2020 | SEK 2,950,640 | February 1, 2021 - January 30, 2024 | 20200213 | Imoh Antai | ||
| International visiting professor in electrification of energy systems- Dolla Suryanarayana | Mälardalen University | Capacity building | 3 | 2020 | SEK 840,000 | November 1, 2022 - August 31, 2023 | 20200156 | Eva Thorin | ||
| NOVELA II - Novel light alloy development based on the high entropy concept II | Jönköping University | Early academic career | 3 | 2020 | SEK 1,648,200 | March 1, 2021 - March 31, 2023 | 20200216 | Patrick Conway | ||
| ProForAI - Properties and formability of Al-SiCp MMCs | Jönköping University | Early academic career | 3 | 2020 | SEK 2,459,971 | January 1, 2021 - December 31, 2022 | 20200217 | Lucia Lattanzi | ||
| TUC - International visiting professor in Electronics | Mid Sweden University | Capacity building | 3 | 2020 | SEK 590,400 | September 1, 2021 - August 31, 2023 | 20200178 | Bengt Oelmann | ||
| InIT - International visiting professor in Industrial IoT | Mid Sweden University | Capacity building | 3 | 2020 | SEK 590,401 | May 1, 2021 - April 30, 2023 | 20200173 | Mattias O'Nils | ||
| LEEDS - Associate Senior Lecturer in Distributed Systems | Mid Sweden University | Capacity building | 1 | 2020 | SEK 2,614,260 | September 1, 2021 - August 31, 2025 | 20200177 | Patrik Österberg | ||
| LEMAL - Senior Lecturer in Computer Science - Developing Machine Learning Methods | Mid Sweden University | Capacity building | 1 | 2020 | SEK 3,145,935 | September 1, 2021 - August 31, 2025 | 20200185 | Patrik Österberg | ||
| MILANESE - Senior lecturer in Electronics - Machine Learning based Measurement Systems | Mid Sweden University | Capacity building | 3 | 2020 | SEK 2,800,965 | October 1, 2021 - September 30, 2025 | 20200186 | Claes Mattsson | ||
| AISound - Acoustic sensor array design for AI monitoring systems | Mid Sweden University | Research projects | 3 | 2020 | SEK 4,919,637 | April 1, 2021 - March 31, 2024 | 20200189 | Jan Lundgren | ||
| ImSpec - Multiple energy band imaging spectroscopy for material and object classification | Mid Sweden University | Research projects | 3 | 2020 | SEK 4,919,655 | May 1, 2021 - April 30, 2024 | 20200190 | Benny Thörnberg | ||
| Expert AI - Ensuring long-term expertise in AI within life science | University of Skövde | Capacity building | 1 | 2020 | SEK 2,942,468 | August 1, 2022 - July 31, 2026 | 20200182 | Jane Synnergren | ||
| IGP-HENCE - International Visiting Professor, Human−Centric Virtual Engineering | University of Skövde | Capacity building | 3 | 2020 | SEK 738,000 | October 1, 2021 - September 30, 2023 | 20200184 | Dan Högberg | ||
| Senior lecturer focusing on the development of electric powertrains | University West | Capacity building | 1 | 2020 | SEK 2,661,406 | November 1, 2022 - October 31, 2026 | 20200168 | Per Nylen | ||
| SABACE - Sustainable automated assembly for customized products | Jönköping University | Research projects | 3 | 2020 | SEK 4,917,432 | April 1, 2021 - March 31, 2024 | 20200215 | Kerstin Johansen | ||
| Professor in wood building architecture | Linnaeus University | Capacity building | 3 | 2020 | SEK 3,840,000 | September 1, 2021 - August 31, 2025 | 20200150 | Thomas K Bader | ||
| Professor in Forestry digitalisation | Linnaeus University | Capacity building | 1 | 2020 | SEK 3,840,000 | January 1, 2022 - December 31, 2027 | 20200153 | Jimmy Johansson | ||
| Predictive Strategy using Machine Learning for Smart Test Case Selection | Mälardalen University | Early academic career | 3 | 2020 | SEK 1,945,616 | April 1, 2021 - March 31, 2023 | 20200130 | Shaibal Barua | ||
| International Guest Professor - Privacy and Security | Karlstad University | Capacity building | 3 | 2020 | SEK 576,000 | October 1, 2021 - September 30, 2022 | 20200159 | Simone Fischer-Hübner | ||
| ARRAY++ | Mälardalen University | Industrial graduate schools | 1 | 2020 | SEK 8,640,000 | March 1, 2021 - June 30, 2027 | 20200169 | Thomas Nolte | ||
| Adjunct Senior Lecturer in Data-driven Network Performance Optimization | Karlstad University | Capacity building | 1 | 2020 | SEK 735,742 | November 1, 2022 - May 31, 2026 | 20200167 | Anna Brunström | ||
| Recruitment of senior lecturer in polymer technology with focus on biocomposites | University of Borås | Capacity building | 3 | 2020 | SEK 2,124,000 | June 1, 2021 - May 31, 2025 | 20200142 | Mikael Skrifvars | ||
| International visiting professor in Biotechnology | University of Borås | Capacity building | 3 | 2020 | SEK 1,440,000 | April 1, 2021 - March 31, 2022 | 20200119 | Mohammad Taherzadeh | ||
| Senior lecturer in Operating Systems, Real-time Systems and Internet of Things | Karlstad University | Capacity building | 1 | 2020 | SEK 2,666,538 | February 1, 2023 - January 31, 2027 | 20200166 | Anna Brunström | ||
| Senior lecturer in Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and Data Science | Karlstad University | Capacity building | 1 | 2020 | SEK 2,666,538 | January 1, 2022 - March 31, 2026 | 20200164 | Anna Brunström | ||
| Adjunct Senior Lecturer of Architecture | The Royal Institute of Art | Capacity building | 3 | 2020 | SEK 718,339 | April 1, 2021 - March 31, 2024 | 20200141 | Jonas Dahlberg | ||
| International visiting professor recruitment @IPR, Hamid Bouchachia | Mälardalen University | Capacity building | 3 | 2020 | SEK 1,440,000 | February 1, 2022 - December 31, 2022 | 20200158 | Moris Habib Yasi Behnam | ||
| PROF-AM International visiting professor in additive manufacturing | Mid Sweden University | Capacity building | 3 | 2020 | SEK 337,820 | March 1, 2021 - February 28, 2022 | 20200143 | Lars-Erik Rännar | ||
| Fellow in Business at Icomera | Karlstad University | Capacity building | 3 | 2020 | SEK 1,871,131 | May 1, 2021 - April 30, 2024 | 20200163 | Anna Brunström | ||
| Senior Lecturer in Business Administration with a focus on applied research in ownership and family business | Jönköping University | Capacity building | 1 | 2020 | SEK 2,677,299 | January 1, 2022 - December 31, 2025 | 20200155 | Massimo Baù | ||
| Development of Second-Cycle MSc Programme in Mechanical Engineering | Blekinge Institute of Technology | Second cycle education | 3 | 2019 | SEK 2,400,000 | April 1, 2019 - March 31, 2022 | 20190016 | Christian Johansson Askling | ||
| Collaborative AI and Robotics - CoAIRob | Örebro University | Industrial graduate schools | 1 | 2019 | SEK 21,600,000 | April 1, 2020 - February 28, 2026 | 20190128 | Amy Loutfi | ||
| KauM&MRecruit - Senior lecturer in materials engineering | Karlstad University | Capacity building | 3 | 2019 | SEK 3,159,992 | April 15, 2021 - March 31, 2025 | 20190211 | Jens Bergström | ||
| Reversible self-assembled monolayers for antibody-free purification and ultrasensitive and rapid in situ detection of viruses | Malmö University | Early academic career | 3 | 2019 | SEK 2,197,495 | April 1, 2020 - November 15, 2022 | 20190126 | Yulia Sergeeva | ||
| Future-Proof Cities | University of Gävle | Industrial graduate schools | 1 | 2019 | SEK 25,920,000 | March 1, 2020 - February 28, 2029 | 20190129 | Ola Eriksson | ||
| Biobarriers - Health, Disorders and Healing | Malmö University | Research profiles | 1 | 2019 | SEK 47,997,426 | November 1, 2019 - April 30, 2028 | 20190010 | Johan Engblom | ||
| Nätverksbaserade kurser inom Big Data | Blekinge Institute of Technology | NU | 3 | 2019 | SEK 2,540,443 | September 1, 2019 - August 31, 2022 | 20190011 | Lars Lundberg | ||
| Utveckling av ett nytt masterprogram i Digitalisering som stöd för lärande | Linnaeus University | Second cycle education | 3 | 2019 | SEK 1,853,864 | April 1, 2019 - October 31, 2021 | 20190012 | Italo Masiello | ||
| Utveckling av Masterprogram i utveckling av system för försvar och säkerhet | The Swedish National Defence College | Second cycle education | 3 | 2019 | SEK 1,605,384 | May 1, 2019 - April 30, 2021 | 20190015 | Kent Andersson | ||
| Improving the competitive advantage of CLT-based building systems through engineering design and reduced carbon footprint | Linnaeus University | Synergy project | 3 | 2019 | SEK 13,790,028 | October 1, 2019 - March 31, 2024 | 20190026 | Thomas Bader | ||
| I-Prod; utbildningsprogram på avancerad nivå inom Simuleringsdriven Produktutveckling och Hållbar Industriell Produktion | Linnaeus University | Second cycle education | 3 | 2019 | SEK 2,397,600 | April 1, 2019 - March 31, 2021 | 20190017 | Andreas Linderholt | ||
| SMARTER 2.0 | Örebro University | Education for working professionals | 3 | 2019 | SEK 16,210,542 | September 1, 2019 - August 31, 2023 | 20190018 | Amy Loutfi | ||
| Expertkompetens i kunskapsintensiv och innovativ produktionsutveckling - PREMIUM | Mälardalen University | Education for working professionals | 3 | 2019 | SEK 41,362,853 | April 1, 2019 - December 31, 2023 | 20190019 | Jessica Bruch | ||
| Safe and Secure Adaptive Collaborative Systems (SACSys) | Mälardalen University | Synergy project | 3 | 2019 | SEK 11,687,075 | September 1, 2019 - February 29, 2024 | 20190021 | Marjan Sirjani | ||
| The effect of the extracellular lipid organisation on skin barrier function | Malmö University | Early academic career | 3 | 2019 | SEK 2,397,552 | April 1, 2020 - September 30, 2022 | 20190124 | Emelie Nilsson | ||
| TRUEdig | Karlstad University | Synergy project | 3 | 2019 | SEK 12,665,474 | March 1, 2020 - August 31, 2023 | 20190029 | Per Kristensson | ||
| International Visiting Professor in Energy Systems with Economics Expertise | Mälardalen University | Capacity building | 3 | 2019 | SEK 1,435,917 | September 1, 2020 - August 31, 2021 | 20190216 | Jerry Yan | ||
| Advanced Materials for High Performance Producs - AMHIPP | Karlstad University | Synergy project | 3 | 2019 | SEK 14,400,000 | November 1, 2019 - May 1, 2023 | 20190033 | Mikael Grehk | ||
| Federated Choreography of an Integrated Embedded Systems Software Architecture (FIESTA) | Mälardalen University | Synergy project | 3 | 2019 | SEK 14,399,683 | October 1, 2019 - March 31, 2024 | 20190034 | Thomas Nolte | ||
| ACICS: Assured Cloud Platforms for Industrial Cyber-physical Systems | Mälardalen University | Synergy project | 3 | 2019 | SEK 14,012,749 | September 2, 2019 - February 29, 2024 | 20190038 | Cristina Seceleanu | ||
| International Visiting Professor in 5G Networks | Karlstad University | Capacity building | 3 | 2019 | SEK 360,000 | January 1, 2022 - December 31, 2022 | 20190240 | Anna Brunström | ||
| Novel Strategies to Reduce Inflammation, Thrombosis and Fibrosis in Cardiovascular Disease | Örebro University | Early academic career | 3 | 2019 | SEK 2,400,000 | January 1, 2020 - August 31, 2022 | 20190120 | Geena Paramel | ||
| SMART INDUSTRY | Linnaeus University | Education for working professionals | 3 | 2019 | SEK 2,703,600 | September 1, 2019 - February 28, 2022 | 20190061 | Lars Håkansson | ||
| International Visiting Professor in Applied Mathematics -- Mathematical Methods and Models in Materials Science | Karlstad University | Capacity building | 3 | 2019 | SEK 600,764 | April 1, 2020 - August 31, 2020 | 20190213 | Adrian Muntean | ||
| International visiting professor of Systems Thinking for Sustainability | Linnaeus University | Capacity building | 3 | 2019 | SEK 720,000 | September 1, 2020 - August 31, 2022 | 20190256 | Anita Mirijamdotter | ||
| ScaleWise: Succeeding with Continuous Growth in Large-Scale Distributed Software Development | Blekinge Institute of Technology | Research projects | 3 | 2019 | SEK 4,765,897 | April 1, 2020 - March 31, 2023 | 20190087 | Darja Smite | ||
| Adsorption mechanisms of innovative by-product based sorbents | Örebro University | Early academic career | 3 | 2019 | SEK 1,676,575 | January 1, 2020 - June 30, 2022 | 20190121 | Viktor Sjöberg | ||
| E.coli as Indicator for Sustainable Water Management in Northern Oligotrophic Rivers (ECWA-NOR) | Mid Sweden University | Research projects | 3 | 2019 | SEK 4,589,863 | January 1, 2020 - December 31, 2022 | 20190064 | Anders Jonsson | ||
| Associate senior lecturer in medicine directed to neurobiology and functional brain imaging | Örebro University | Capacity building | 1 | 2019 | SEK 2,586,138 | April 1, 2020 - August 31, 2026 | 20190236 | Robert Brummer | ||
| Future diagnostics of sepsis - miRSeps | University of Skövde | Research projects | 3 | 2019 | SEK 2,624,590 | January 1, 2020 - June 30, 2023 | 20190074 | Diana Tilevik | ||
| Ultra-sensitive micro-sensors | Linnaeus University | Research projects | 3 | 2019 | SEK 3,270,120 | January 1, 2020 - June 30, 2023 | 20190114 | Jesper Wiklander | ||
| Effect-based strategy for identification and assessment of potential health effects of hazardous organic chemicals in indoor environments | Örebro University | Research projects | 3 | 2019 | SEK 4,792,382 | January 1, 2020 - June 30, 2025 | 20190098 | Maria Larsson | ||
| Interactions between microbiome, diet metabolite and inflammation in peripheral arterial disease | Örebro University | Research projects | 3 | 2019 | SEK 4,048,800 | April 1, 2020 - December 31, 2023 | 20190085 | Ashok Kumar Kumawat | ||
| Effects of dried bilberry, liquid oats or their combination on lipid, inflammation and exercise capacity in patients after a myocardial infarction. A multicenter, prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial. | Örebro University | Research projects | 3 | 2019 | SEK 3,529,422 | January 1, 2020 - September 1, 2024 | 20190102 | Cecilia Bergh | ||
| RECREATE, Secondary Life Management of Electric Vehicle Batteries | Mälardalen University | Research projects | 3 | 2019 | SEK 4,772,144 | April 1, 2020 - September 30, 2023 | 20190112 | Koteshwar Chirumalla | ||
| Supply-and-Demand-based Service Exposure using Robust Distributed Concepts | Blekinge Institute of Technology | Research projects | 3 | 2019 | SEK 4,044,052 | February 1, 2020 - March 31, 2023 | 20190111 | Kurt Tutschku | ||
| Novel aspects on immune modulatory proteins – future therapeutic targets against inflammatory diseases with focus on cancer and atherosclerosis | Örebro University | Research projects | 3 | 2019 | SEK 4,800,000 | May 1, 2020 - December 31, 2023 | 20190088 | Karin H Franzén | ||
| Person-centered, equitable, efficient and safe drug therapy in the continuum of care | Malmö University | Research projects | 3 | 2019 | SEK 4,797,110 | January 1, 2020 - September 1, 2023 | 20190063 | Tommy Eriksson | ||
| Nanosafety - Health effects of particles from additive manufacturing | Örebro University | Research projects | 3 | 2019 | SEK 4,075,726 | January 1, 2020 - December 31, 2022 | 20190107 | Magnus Engwall | ||
| Simplified strategies for comprehensive characterization of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in combination with cost-effective techniques for remediation of contaminated water | Örebro University | Research projects | 3 | 2019 | SEK 4,785,452 | January 1, 2020 - September 30, 2024 | 20190105 | Leo Yeung | ||
| Development of digital inkjet printing and inks for a sustainable and resource efficient textile process | University of Borås | Research projects | 3 | 2019 | SEK 4,285,130 | May 1, 2020 - December 31, 2023 | 20190093 | Junchun Yu | ||
| Encapsulation of pharmaceutical proteins in starch microparticles | Malmö University | Research projects | 3 | 2019 | SEK 4,223,542 | April 1, 2020 - December 31, 2023 | 20190067 | Vitaly Kocherbitov | ||
| AGILE - teAm aliGnment: Improving quaLity and pErformance | Blekinge Institute of Technology | Research projects | 3 | 2019 | SEK 2,293,834 | March 1, 2020 - May 31, 2022 | 20190078 | Emilia Mendes | ||
| Reduction and Reuse of energy with interconnected Distribution and Demand | Mälardalen University | Research projects | 3 | 2019 | SEK 4,595,578 | January 1, 2020 - December 31, 2023 | 20190068 | Fredrik Wallin | ||
| Novel Prime-Boost strategies using vaccines from DNA launched suicidal flaviviruses | Örebro University | Research projects | 3 | 2019 | SEK 4,798,521 | January 1, 2020 - July 31, 2024 | 20190091 | Magnus Johansson | ||
| Development of innovative centrifugal condensation scrubber for particulate matter emission reduction for medium scale biomass combustion plants via modelling and full-scale testing | Linnaeus University | Research projects | 3 | 2019 | SEK 2,395,039 | May 1, 2020 - July 31, 2023 | 20190090 | Leteng Lin | ||
| Porous drug carrier platform for inhalation therapy | Malmö University | Research projects | 3 | 2019 | SEK 3,292,782 | May 1, 2020 - October 31, 2023 | 20190101 | Sabrina Valetti | ||
| Open Source Inspired Reuse (OSIR) | Blekinge Institute of Technology | Research projects | 3 | 2019 | SEK 4,469,384 | March 1, 2020 - August 31, 2023 | 20190081 | Muhammad Usman | ||
| Effect of spatial-temporal behavior of a newly developed cooling system on carbon and stainless steel bar properties | University of Gävle | Research projects | 3 | 2019 | SEK 2,362,958 | January 1, 2020 - November 30, 2022 | 20190066 | Bahram Moshfegh | ||
| PROGNOSIS - Predictive Diagnostic and Prognostic Tools Integration for Decision Support Systems in Gas Turbine Fleets | Mälardalen University | Research projects | 3 | 2019 | SEK 4,799,918 | September 1, 2020 - August 31, 2023 | 20190094 | Konstantinos Kyprianidis | ||
| NeuRehab@home - A Smart Textile Platform for neuromuscular rehabilitation in the home environment | University of Borås | Research projects | 3 | 2019 | SEK 3,672,046 | March 1, 2020 - March 31, 2023 | 20190110 | Li Guo | ||
| Closed-loop neurofeedback innovation for cognitive rehabilitation (RECOG) | Mälardalen University | Research projects | 3 | 2019 | SEK 4,314,877 | February 1, 2020 - August 31, 2023 | 20190099 | Elaine Åstrand | ||
| Smart control of district heating networks integrating next generation energy-efficient buildings | Mälardalen University | Research projects | 3 | 2019 | SEK 4,799,664 | September 1, 2020 - August 31, 2023 | 20190103 | Amir Vadiee | ||
| LEADS: LEading Digitalization in School | University West | Early academic career | 3 | 2019 | SEK 1,459,171 | January 1, 2020 - July 31, 2022 | 20190119 | Sara Willermark | ||
| Associate senior lecturer in medicin directed to food and nutritional science | Örebro University | Capacity building | 3 | 2019 | SEK 2,586,138 | April 1, 2020 - April 30, 2024 | 20190235 | Robert Brummer | ||
| PROMIS - Professional Master in Information Security | Blekinge Institute of Technology | Education for working professionals | 3 | 2019 | SEK 3,578,154 | September 1, 2019 - April 30, 2021 | 20190060 | Tony Gorschek | ||
| Associate Senior Lecturer in Information Visualization | Mid Sweden University | Capacity building | 1 | 2019 | SEK 2,359,563 | March 1, 2022 - February 28, 2026 | 20190251 | Mårten Sjöström | ||
| Innovation Ecosystems for smart autonomous Vehichles – I-SAVE | Halmstad University | Capacity building | 3 | 2019 | SEK 2,503,903 | April 1, 2020 - March 1, 2024 | 20200016 | Kristian Widén | ||
| Laser metal deposition using Hastelloy X blown powder for structural component repair (LasRex) | University West | Early academic career | 3 | 2019 | SEK 2,460,000 | April 1, 2020 - March 31, 2022 | 20200040 | Fabian Hanning | ||
| Robot error Stop agent recovery tool (ReStart) | University West | Research projects | 3 | 2019 | SEK 1,213,985 | January 1, 2020 - March 31, 2021 | 20200048 | Lena Pareto | ||
| MOULIN Part 2, Master Online | University West | NU | 3 | 2019 | SEK 1,225,713 | September 1, 2020 - August 31, 2021 | 20200049 | Kristina Eriksson | ||
| Engineered coatings for next generation gas turbine components (EcoGate) | University West | Research projects | 3 | 2019 | SEK 4,889,250 | January 1, 2020 - December 31, 2022 | 20200037 | Nicolaie Markosan | ||
| PoPCoRN (Plug & Produce with Configurable Resources inspired by Natural language) | University West | Research projects | 3 | 2019 | SEK 4,806,840 | March 1, 2020 - February 28, 2023 | 20200036 | Bo Svensson | ||
| Artificial and Human Intelligence through Learning - AHIL | University West | Research projects | 3 | 2019 | SEK 4,666,620 | January 1, 2020 - December 31, 2022 | 20200035 | Ulrika Lundh Snis | ||
| POwDer Bed Fusion Additive Manufacturing of Metals for Gas Turbine Applications (PODFAM) | University West | Research profiles | 1 | 2019 | SEK 49,200,000 | January 1, 2020 - December 31, 2027 | 20200050 | Thomas Hansson | ||
| Virtual process planning in machining - VERB | University West | Research projects | 3 | 2019 | SEK 4,870,800 | January 1, 2020 - December 31, 2022 | 20200038 | Lena Pareto | ||
| DUBAL - International Visiting Professor in Energy Materials | Mid Sweden University | Capacity building | 3 | 2019 | SEK 445,403 | June 1, 2020 - May 31, 2022 | 20200025 | Håkan Olin | ||
| NUST - International Visiting Professor in Wireless Communication | Mid Sweden University | Capacity building | 3 | 2019 | SEK 1,123,028 | May 1, 2020 - April 30, 2022 | 20200031 | Patrik Österberg | ||
| HONGKONG - International Visiting Professor in IoT security | Mid Sweden University | Capacity building | 3 | 2019 | SEK 389,293 | May 1, 2020 - April 30, 2021 | 20200030 | Mikael Gidlund | ||
| MERIT - Associate senior lecturer in Machine Learning for Wireless Networks | Mid Sweden University | Capacity building | 3 | 2019 | SEK 2,263,529 | October 1, 2020 - September 30, 2024 | 20200024 | Mikael Gidlund | ||
| International visiting professor in Welding Technology, Paul Kah | University West | Capacity building | 3 | 2019 | SEK 1,476,000 | February 1, 2020 - January 31, 2021 | 20200046 | Leif Karlsson | ||
| SLEEP - A sleep intervention for children with neuropsychiatric syndromes and sleep problems | Halmstad University | Research projects | 3 | 2019 | SEK 4,378,005 | January 1, 2020 - December 31, 2022 | 20200012 | Ingrid Larsson | ||
| (SUDO) SUstainable Digitalisation through strategic involvement with Open source projects implementing IT standards in different domains | University of Skövde | Synergy project | 3 | 2019 | SEK 13,683,052 | October 1, 2020 - September 30, 2024 | 20200013 | Björn Lundell | ||
| Accelerating the roadmap for commercializing and adopting medical technology innovations - the role of different actors' logics in a health innovation ecosystem | Halmstad University | Research projects | 3 | 2019 | SEK 4,919,858 | March 1, 2020 - February 28, 2023 | 20200009 | Hélène Laurell | ||
| ETH - International Visiting Professor in Energy Harvesting | Mid Sweden University | Capacity building | 3 | 2019 | SEK 669,325 | May 1, 2020 - April 30, 2022 | 20200005 | Bengt Oelmann | ||
| STORE - Electrical energy storage | Mid Sweden University | Synergy project | 3 | 2019 | SEK 14,750,446 | April 1, 2020 - March 31, 2024 | 20200008 | Magnus Engholm | ||
| TUW - International Visiting Professor in Embedded Systems | Mid Sweden University | Capacity building | 3 | 2019 | SEK 668,044 | April 1, 2020 - March 31, 2022 | 20200007 | Mattias O'Nils | ||
| (Lektor VF-McRIDE) Virtual Factories – Multi-criteria decision making within manufacturing organisations/systems | University of Skövde | Capacity building | 1 | 2019 | SEK 3,050,783 | September 1, 2020 - August 31, 2024 | 20200018 | Magnus Holm | ||
| (Lektor - SLIM) Senior Lecturer in Machining | University of Skövde | Capacity building | 3 | 2019 | SEK 3,225,469 | May 1, 2020 - April 30, 2024 | 20200019 | Tobias Andersson | ||
| P&P Prof - Pulp & Paper Professionals | Mid Sweden University | Education for working professionals | 3 | 2019 | SEK 3,067,841 | July 1, 2020 - June 30, 2022 | 20200006 | Juha Fiskari | ||
| (Lektor (docent) - SELECT-VA) Strategic recruitment of a senior lecturer in informatics with a specialization in visual analytics | University of Skövde | Capacity building | 3 | 2019 | SEK 2,905,745 | July 1, 2020 - June 30, 2024 | 20200020 | Göran Falkman | ||
| International visiting professor Yves Vanlandewijck - Adapted Physical Activity and Parasport | The Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences | Capacity building | 3 | 2019 | SEK 512,664 | September 1, 2020 - August 31, 2021 | 20190237 | Anna Bjerkefors | ||
| International visiting professor in Welding Technology, Norbert Enzinger | University West | Capacity building | 3 | 2019 | SEK 811,800 | January 1, 2020 - December 31, 2020 | 20200047 | Vahid Hosseini | ||
| Materials Chemistry - Senior lecturer in Materials Chemistry | Mid Sweden University | Capacity building | 3 | 2019 | SEK 1,886,957 | September 1, 2020 - August 31, 2023 | 20200026 | Dan Bylund | ||
| International visiting professor in Welding Technology, Wei Zhang | University West | Capacity building | 3 | 2019 | SEK 492,000 | July 20, 2020 - July 19, 2021 | 20200045 | Isabelle Choquet | ||
| Value Creating Continence Care - V3C | Halmstad University | Early academic career | 3 | 2019 | SEK 1,504,495 | January 1, 2020 - December 31, 2021 | 20200029 | Carina Göransson | ||
| Adjunct Professor in Systems Science for Defence and Security | The Swedish National Defence College | Capacity building | 3 | 2019 | SEK 2,662,138 | November 1, 2020 - October 31, 2023 | 20190253 | Hans Liwång | ||
| DISCERN - Digital Service Customer Experience | Karlstad University | Research profiles | 3 | 2019 | SEK 17,749,465 | March 1, 2020 - August 31, 2023 | 20190262 | Lars Witell | ||
| Integrated product and production platsforms supporting agile and demand driven industrial product realisation (IDEAL) | Jönköping University | Synergy project | 3 | 2019 | SEK 14,750,037 | April 1, 2020 - September 30, 2023 | 20200051 | Fredrik Elgh | ||
| Deputy Assistant Professor - Networking | Linnaeus University | Capacity building | 3 | 2019 | SEK 2,350,285 | August 31, 2020 - August 31, 2024 | 20190334 | Morgan Ericsson | ||
| Recruitments - Deputy Assistant Professor, Modeling | Linnaeus University | Capacity building | 3 | 2019 | SEK 2,350,285 | June 1, 2021 - December 1, 2025 | 20190335 | Morgan Ericsson | ||
| Associate senior lecturer in materials science | Malmö University | Capacity building | 3 | 2019 | SEK 2,414,911 | February 1, 2021 - January 31, 2025 | 20190214 | Pär Olsson | ||
| Smart Industry Sweden | University of Skövde | Industrial graduate schools | 1 | 2019 | SEK 29,612,250 | April 1, 2020 - February 28, 2027 | 20200044 | Peter Thorvald | ||
| CAISR+ | Halmstad University | Research profiles | 3 | 2019 | SEK 18,450,000 | January 1, 2020 - December 31, 2022 | 20200001 | Thorsteinn Rögnvaldsson | ||
| ADOPTIVE - Automated Design & Optimisation of Vehicle Ergonomics | University of Skövde | Research projects | 3 | 2019 | SEK 4,920,000 | May 1, 2020 - April 30, 2023 | 20200003 | Erik Brolin | ||
| Analysis of Ambient Sound in Home Environments (AASH) | Halmstad University | Research projects | 3 | 2019 | SEK 2,459,447 | March 1, 2020 - February 28, 2022 | 20200002 | Mark Dougherty | ||
| TOPAZ - Towards Prescriptive Analytics in Virtual Factories through Structured Data Mining and Optimization | University of Skövde | Research projects | 3 | 2019 | SEK 4,077,577 | April 1, 2020 - March 31, 2023 | 20200011 | Sunith Bandaru | ||
| International visiting professor PICS Stewart Kowalski | University of Skövde | Capacity building | 3 | 2019 | SEK 369,000 | March 1, 2020 - February 28, 2021 | 20200022 | Rose-Mharie Åhlfeldt | ||
| Industrial Graduate Schools - Data Intensive Applications (DIA) | Linnaeus University | Industrial graduate schools | 1 | 2019 | SEK 19,440,000 | March 1, 2020 - December 31, 2026 | 20190336 | Welf Löwe | ||
| (PreMoDIPS) Predictive Modelling for Data Intensive Industrial Processes and Systems (PreMoDIPS) | University of Skövde | Early academic career | 3 | 2019 | SEK 1,252,964 | April 1, 2020 - March 31, 2022 | 20200010 | Kaveh Amouzgar | ||
| International Guest Professor | Jönköping University | Capacity building | 3 | 2019 | SEK 1,053,618 | August 1, 2020 - July 30, 2021 | 20200056 | Roy Andersson | ||
| (Lektor (docent) - SELECT-ML) Strategic recruitment of a senior lecturer in informatics with a specialization in machine learning | University of Skövde | Capacity building | 1 | 2019 | SEK 2,905,745 | July 1, 2020 - June 30, 2024 | 20200021 | Joakim Kävrestad | ||
| DELSA - Developing a Corrosion and Wear Resistance Grey Cast Iron Through Laser Surface Alloying/Cladding Technique | Jönköping University | Research projects | 3 | 2019 | SEK 4,166,748 | January 1, 2020 - December 31, 2022 | 20200059 | Taishi Matsushita | ||
| Fuzzy logic based decision support systems for reshoring decision-making (FLARE) | Jönköping University | Research projects | 3 | 2019 | SEK 4,914,061 | January 1, 2020 - December 31, 2022 | 20200058 | Per Hilletofth | ||
| MeMoI - Casting defect formation mechanisms at metal/mould interface | Jönköping University | Early academic career | 3 | 2019 | SEK 2,457,713 | January 1, 2020 - December 31, 2021 | 20200057 | Judit Svidro | ||
| Master by research | Halmstad University | Second cycle education | 3 | 2019 | SEK 2,460,000 | February 1, 2020 - January 31, 2022 | 20200052 | Jan Karlsson | ||
| Fellowship with business placement (Träcentrum) | Jönköping University | Capacity building | 3 | 2019 | SEK 881,295 | April 1, 2020 - March 31, 2023 | 20200055 | Linda Bergqvist | ||
| Fellowship with academic placement (Träcentrum) | Jönköping University | Capacity building | 3 | 2019 | SEK 1,754,103 | April 1, 2020 - March 31, 2023 | 20200054 | Linda Bergqvist | ||
| Fellowship with academic placement (SAAB) | Jönköping University | Capacity building | 3 | 2019 | SEK 689,169 | April 1, 2020 - March 31, 2023 | 20200053 | Linda Bergqvist | ||
| (BIO-AID) Biomedical AI-driven data analysis | University of Skövde | Synergy project | 1 | 2019 | SEK 14,726,850 | October 1, 2020 - September 30, 2024 | 20200014 | Jane Synnergren | ||
| Wound healing: Importance of endogenous LMW compounds for skin recovery and their use as biomarkers for diagnostic purpose | Malmö University | Early academic career | 3 | 2018 | SEK 2,399,794 | April 1, 2019 - December 31, 2021 | 20180108 | Enamul Mojumdar | ||
| Lean and sustainable, design and production of cast iron components | Jönköping University | Synergy project | 3 | 2018 | SEK 14,076,981 | September 1, 2018 - January 31, 2022 | 20180033 | Attila Dioszegi | ||
| FlexiHealth: flexible softwarized networks for digital healthcare | Mälardalen University | Early academic career | 3 | 2018 | SEK 1,778,843 | April 1, 2019 - September 30, 2021 | 20180105 | Hossein Fotouhi | ||
| M.E.T.A. - Modelling Efficient Test Architectures | Blekinge Institute of Technology | Early academic career | 3 | 2018 | SEK 1,768,128 | January 1, 2019 - April 30, 2021 | 20180102 | Emil Alégroth | ||
| Lipid nanoparticles-protein interactions: how to tune the formulation and improve the therapeutic performance | Malmö University | Early academic career | 3 | 2018 | SEK 2,397,235 | January 1, 2019 - June 30, 2021 | 20180101 | Federica Sebastiani | ||
| Forskningsutvärderingen vid Högskolan Väst 2018 (ARC18) | University West | Övrigt | 3 | 2018 | SEK 1,264,167 | May 1, 2018 - April 30, 2019 | 20180087 | Liselott Lycke | ||
| Forskningsutvärderingen vid Jönköping University 2018 (ARC18) | Jönköping University | Övrigt | 3 | 2018 | SEK 1,957,894 | June 1, 2018 - June 30, 2019 | 20180086 | Marie Ernsth Bravell | ||
| Physical activity for healthy brain functions in school children | The Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences | Synergy project | 3 | 2018 | SEK 14,263,721 | November 1, 2018 - June 15, 2023 | 20180040 | Örjan Ekblom | ||
| HERO: Heterogeneous systems - software-hardware integration | Mälardalen University | Synergy project | 3 | 2018 | SEK 14,391,791 | September 1, 2018 - May 31, 2023 | 20180039 | Mikael Sjödin | ||
| MULTI-BARR: Multilayer Barrier Coatings Technology for Fibre Based Packaging | Karlstad University | Synergy project | 3 | 2018 | SEK 11,425,031 | October 1, 2018 - September 30, 2023 | 20180036 | Behudin (Beko) Mesic | ||
| Inflammation and lipids in vascular disease | Örebro University | Synergy project | 3 | 2018 | SEK 12,314,598 | September 3, 2018 - August 31, 2023 | 20180035 | Allan Sirsjö | ||
| Internationell master i ledarskap och hållbar samhällsutveckling | Södertörn University | Second cycle education | 3 | 2018 | SEK 2,387,180 | April 1, 2018 - June 30, 2020 | 20180015 | Ann-Sofie Köping Olsson | ||
| Using bioindicators, biomarker profiles and machine learning to improve water quality analyses | Örebro University | Synergy project | 3 | 2018 | SEK 13,991,820 | October 1, 2018 - March 31, 2023 | 20180027 | Jana Jass | ||
| Avans - AMECO | University West | Second cycle education | 3 | 2018 | SEK 2,454,069 | April 1, 2018 - March 31, 2020 | 20180019 | Mahdi Eynian | ||
| Business, Service and Innovation: Industrial Engineering and Management Master’s Program | Karlstad University | Second cycle education | 3 | 2018 | SEK 2,372,274 | April 1, 2018 - March 31, 2020 | 20180018 | Antti Sihvonen | ||
| Avans - Internationell Master för studier inom Hjälpmedel för Mobilitet | Jönköping University | Second cycle education | 3 | 2018 | SEK 2,164,780 | April 1, 2018 - March 1, 2020 | 20180016 | Nerrolyn Ramstrand | ||
| Virtual Factories with Knowledge-Driven Optimization (VF-KDO) - Forskningsprofil 16 | University of Skövde | Research profiles | 1 | 2018 | SEK 49,199,255 | October 1, 2018 - September 30, 2026 | 20180011 | Amos Ng | ||
| Software Engineering ReThough (SERT) | Blekinge Institute of Technology | Research profiles | 1 | 2018 | SEK 47,988,000 | October 1, 2018 - December 31, 2027 | 20180010 | Tony Gorschek | ||
| Expertkompetens - Data analys och tjänsteinnovation baserat på artificiell intelligens | Halmstad University | Education for working professionals | 3 | 2018 | SEK 3,588,496 | May 1, 2018 - October 31, 2020 | 20180008 | Stefan Byttner | ||
| ISE - Improving value creation through service education | Karlstad University | Education for working professionals | 3 | 2018 | SEK 3,596,971 | May 18, 2018 - May 18, 2020 | 20180007 | Carolina Camén | ||
| Data-driven tjänsteutveckling: avancerad utbildning för yrkesverksamma | University of Borås | Education for working professionals | 3 | 2018 | SEK 3,505,769 | May 1, 2018 - April 30, 2020 | 20180005 | Stefan Cronholm | ||
| Automation in High-performance Cyber Physical Systems Development | Mälardalen University | Early academic career | 3 | 2018 | SEK 1,893,776 | April 1, 2019 - June 30, 2021 | 20180118 | Alessio Bucaioni | ||
| ComBine – Företagsforskarskolan för biofilm och biologiska gränsytor | Malmö University | Industrial graduate schools | 1 | 2018 | SEK 17,280,000 | April 1, 2019 - December 31, 2025 | 20180114 | Tautgirdas Ruzgas | ||
| Rekrytering - biträdande lektor inom trådlös kommunikation (WICOM) | Mid Sweden University | Capacity building | 3 | 2018 | SEK 2,396,450 | October 1, 2019 - September 30, 2023 | 20180178 | Mikael Gidlund | ||
| Impact of Zinc on Daphnia magna and Zebrafish physiology: Limits for health and disease | Örebro University | Early academic career | 3 | 2018 | SEK 2,166,600 | February 1, 2019 - August 1, 2021 | 20180119 | Solomon Asnake | ||
| Prospekt - Undvikande av 475°C försprödning i grundmaterial och svetsar i höglegerade duplexa rostfritt stål - ALWAYS | University West | Early academic career | 3 | 2018 | SEK 2,214,000 | February 1, 2019 - April 30, 2021 | 20180201 | Vahid A Hosseini | ||
| HÖG - Smart säkerhet vid människa-maskin samverkan (Safe Again) | University West | Research projects | 3 | 2018 | SEK 4,059,000 | July 1, 2019 - December 31, 2022 | 20180199 | Mahmood Khabbazi | ||
| Rekrytering - Internationell gästprofessor med specialisering av maskininlärning och integrering av -omicsdata - (IntegrOmics) | University of Skövde | Capacity building | 3 | 2018 | SEK 1,476,000 | October 1, 2019 - September 30, 2021 | 20180169 | Zelmina Lubovac-Pilav | ||
| HÖG - Robust fem-axlig bearbetning med moderna skärverktyg (RFMMT) | University West | Research projects | 3 | 2018 | SEK 2,189,400 | January 1, 2019 - June 30, 2022 | 20180198 | Mahdi Eynian | ||
| HÖG - Ytbeläggningar för högpresterande industriapplikationer (HiPerCOAT) | University West | Research projects | 3 | 2018 | SEK 4,920,000 | January 1, 2019 - June 30, 2022 | 20180197 | Shrikant Joshi | ||
| Synergi - Svetsbaserad additiv tillverkning (Tapertech) | University West | Synergy project | 3 | 2018 | SEK 12,300,000 | September 1, 2019 - August 31, 2022 | 20180196 | Americo Scotti | ||
| Rekrytering - Lektor - Polymerer och polymerkompositer | Jönköping University | Capacity building | 3 | 2018 | SEK 2,552,496 | July 1, 2019 - June 30, 2023 | 20180195 | Peter Leisner | ||
| HÖG - Dataanalys för kunskapsintensiv produktutveckling (DATAKIND) | Jönköping University | Research projects | 3 | 2018 | SEK 4,919,877 | February 1, 2019 - January 31, 2022 | 20180194 | Tuwe Löfström | ||
| HÖG - Informationsutbyte av produktinformation för ljusmiljöer mellan tillverkningsindustrin och byggindustrin (MAP4Light) | Jönköping University | Research projects | 3 | 2018 | SEK 4,721,970 | April 1, 2019 - March 31, 2022 | 20180193 | Annika Moscati | ||
| HÖG - Utveckling av ett avancerat verktyg för kvalitetsutvärdering av smältors kvalitet, för förbättringar av aluminiumkomponenter (OMQAL) | Jönköping University | Research projects | 3 | 2018 | SEK 4,205,247 | January 1, 2019 - December 31, 2021 | 20180192 | Taishi Matsushita | ||
| HÖG - Resilienta handlingsstrategier hos första linjens chefer (ReActS) | Jönköping University | Research projects | 3 | 2018 | SEK 4,361,330 | April 1, 2019 - March 31, 2022 | 20180190 | Johan Karltun | ||
| HÖG - Bemästra fjärilseffekterna i kunskapsintensiv produktframtagning | Jönköping University | Research projects | 3 | 2018 | SEK 4,913,112 | April 1, 2019 - December 31, 2022 | 20180189 | Dag Raudberget | ||
| Prospekt - Länkade Smarta Byggnader - Modulära Kunskapsgrafer för Sensordataintegration och AI-baserad Byggnadsstyrning | Jönköping University | Early academic career | 3 | 2018 | SEK 2,431,095 | January 1, 2019 - March 31, 2021 | 20180188 | Karl Hammar | ||
| Rekrytering - Biträdande lektor - Hälsoekonomiska utvärderingar i hälso- och sjukvård | Halmstad University | Capacity building | 3 | 2018 | SEK 2,160,971 | November 1, 2019 - October 31, 2023 | 20180186 | Petra Svedberg | ||
| Rekrytering - Biträdande lektor i hälsoinnovation | Halmstad University | Capacity building | 1 | 2018 | SEK 2,160,971 | June 1, 2021 - August 7, 2027 | 20180185 | Jens Nygren | ||
| Rekrytering - Biträdande lektor Datadriven personcentrerad vård | Halmstad University | Capacity building | 3 | 2018 | SEK 2,369,750 | March 1, 2021 - February 29, 2024 | 20180184 | Magnus Clarin | ||
| Rekrytering - Biträdande lektor i informationsteknik med fokus på datautvinning | Halmstad University | Capacity building | 3 | 2018 | SEK 2,369,749 | March 1, 2020 - February 28, 2024 | 20180183 | Mohamed-Rafik Bouguelia | ||
| Rekrytering - Internationell gästprofessor - J Reed | Halmstad University | Capacity building | 3 | 2018 | SEK 1,343,019 | October 1, 2019 - April 30, 2022 | 20180182 | Petra Svedberg | ||
| Synergi - Design av öppna och självorganiserande mekanismer för hållbar Mobility as a Service (OSMaaS) | Halmstad University | Synergy project | 3 | 2018 | SEK 14,678,000 | November 1, 2019 - January 31, 2024 | 20180181 | Magnus Bergquist | ||
| Synergi - Säkerhet hos sammankopplade intelligenta fordon i smarta städer | Halmstad University | Synergy project | 3 | 2018 | SEK 14,759,418 | September 1, 2019 - February 29, 2024 | 20180180 | Alexey Vinel | ||
| Expertkompetens för sakernas internet (Iprof) | Mid Sweden University | Education for working professionals | 3 | 2018 | SEK 3,690,000 | September 1, 2019 - August 31, 2021 | 20180179 | Stefan Forsström | ||
| Rekrytering - biträdande lektor inom kraftelektronik (SeniPow) | Mid Sweden University | Capacity building | 3 | 2018 | SEK 2,187,148 | February 1, 2020 - January 31, 2024 | 20180177 | Kent Bertilsson | ||
| Rekrytering - biträdande lektor i fysikalisk kemi (CELLREC) | Mid Sweden University | Capacity building | 3 | 2018 | SEK 2,082,642 | July 1, 2019 - December 31, 2023 | 20180176 | Erik Hedenström | ||
| Rekrytering - lektor i kemiteknik (RECCHE) | Mid Sweden University | Capacity building | 3 | 2018 | SEK 2,336,822 | July 1, 2019 - December 31, 2023 | 20180175 | Erik Hedenström | ||
| Rekrytering - internationell gästprofessor i kemisk apparatteknik (VisKemApp) | Mid Sweden University | Capacity building | 3 | 2018 | SEK 338,291 | January 1, 2019 - August 31, 2021 | 20180174 | Juha Fiskari | ||
| HÖG - Högpresterande material från cellulosafibrer (HiPeMaCell) | Mid Sweden University | Research projects | 3 | 2018 | SEK 4,328,847 | March 1, 2019 - February 28, 2022 | 20180171 | Armando Cordova | ||
| Forskningsprofil - Nästa generations Industriella IoT (NIIT) | Mid Sweden University | Research profiles | 1 | 2018 | SEK 49,200,000 | September 1, 2019 - August 31, 2027 | 20180170 | Sebastian Bader | ||
| Transplant Tissue Engineering | University of Skövde | Early academic career | 3 | 2018 | SEK 2,400,000 | April 1, 2019 - September 30, 2021 | 20180125 | Nidal Ghosheh | ||
| HÖG - Nästa generation termiska barriärskikt genom suspension plasmasprutning (NextGenTBC) | University West | Research projects | 3 | 2018 | SEK 4,421,850 | January 1, 2019 - June 30, 2023 | 20180200 | Mohit Gupta | ||
| HÖG - Utvinning av användbara mönster från komplexa, fysiska miljöer (MAPPE) | Jönköping University | Research projects | 3 | 2018 | SEK 4,746,447 | January 1, 2019 - December 31, 2021 | 20180191 | Niklas Lavesson | ||
| Prospekt - Teknik för samarbete på distans (DisCoTech) | University West | Early academic career | 3 | 2018 | SEK 1,107,000 | January 1, 2019 - December 31, 2021 | 20180202 | Stefan Nilsson | ||
| International Visiting Professor in Future Energy - Philip de Vaal | Mälardalen University | Capacity building | 3 | 2018 | SEK 863,616 | February 1, 2019 - January 31, 2020 | 20180152 | Konstantinos Kypriandidis | ||
| VITS - Visualization of Test Data for Decision Support | Blekinge Institute of Technology | Early academic career | 3 | 2018 | SEK 1,962,356 | March 1, 2019 - September 1, 2021 | 20180127 | Nauman bin Ali | ||
| Implementation of a novel approach for identifying unknown potentially harmful substances in dust | Örebro University | Early academic career | 3 | 2018 | SEK 1,492,464 | April 1, 2019 - December 31, 2019 | 20180129 | Jakob Gustavsson | ||
| Prospekt - Förbättrad sprickpropagering av exponerad superlegering tillverkad genom additiv tillverkning (SupREme) | University West | Early academic career | 3 | 2018 | SEK 2,460,000 | January 1, 2019 - February 28, 2021 | 20180203 | Esmaeil Sadeghimeresht | ||
| Neisseria meningitidis - Innocent passenger or lethal infection? | Örebro University | Early academic career | 3 | 2018 | SEK 2,119,954 | January 1, 2019 - July 21, 2021 | 20180133 | Berhane Asfaw Idosa | ||
| Lecturer in meachanical engineering with specialization in industrial production systems | Linnaeus University | Capacity building | 3 | 2018 | SEK 2,694,000 | December 16, 2019 - January 16, 2024 | 20180137 | Lars Håkansson | ||
| Associate senior lecturer in biomedicine with specialization in immunology | Örebro University | Capacity building | 3 | 2018 | SEK 2,073,553 | August 1, 2019 - July 31, 2024 | 20180139 | Allan Sirsjö | ||
| Associate senior lecturer in prosumer research | Örebro University | Capacity building | 3 | 2018 | SEK 2,276,126 | September 1, 2019 - August 31, 2023 | 20180141 | Johan Kask | ||
| Lecturer Surface Treatment Technology for Packaging Materials and New Funtionality | Karlstad University | Capacity building | 3 | 2018 | SEK 2,726,026 | May 1, 2019 - October 30, 2024 | 20180142 | Magnus Lestelius | ||
| Associate Senior Lecturer in Strategic Sustainable Development | Blekinge Institute of Technology | Capacity building | 3 | 2018 | SEK 2,532,120 | April 1, 2019 - May 14, 2023 | 20180144 | Göran Broman | ||
| Associate Senior Lecturer in Sport Science specializing in Physical Activity and Cognitive Neuroscience | The Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences | Capacity building | 3 | 2018 | SEK 2,119,712 | September 1, 2019 - October 15, 2024 | 20180145 | Maria Ekblom | ||
| Senior lecturer in Cellular microbiology | Örebro University | Capacity building | 3 | 2018 | SEK 3,252,218 | July 1, 2019 - February 29, 2024 | 20180148 | Torbjörn Bengtsson | ||
| ABB Professor of Distributed Automation Systems | Mälardalen University | Capacity building | 3 | 2018 | SEK 3,686,525 | September 1, 2019 - August 31, 2023 | 20180150 | Mikael Sjödin | ||
| Associate lecturer specializing in Biostatistics and Health and Physical activity Epidemiology | The Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences | Capacity building | 3 | 2018 | SEK 2,119,712 | September 1, 2019 - January 31, 2025 | 20180151 | Örjan Ekblom | ||
| PROduct Sustainability InformaTion: supporting communication between customers and product developers (PROSIT) | Blekinge Institute of Technology | Early academic career | 3 | 2018 | SEK 1,531,152 | January 1, 2019 - August 31, 2021 | 20180130 | Sze Yin Kwok | ||
| Senior Lecturer in Secure Connected Embedded Systems (SeCo) | Mälardalen University | Capacity building | 3 | 2018 | SEK 2,438,862 | September 2, 2019 - September 1, 2024 | 20180155 | Mikael Sjödin | ||
| NU - MOULIN | University West | NU | 3 | 2018 | SEK 4,063,303 | July 1, 2019 - June 30, 2022 | 20180208 | Kristina Eriksson | ||
| Rekrytering - Gästprofessor i svetsbaserad AM av superlegeringar | University West | Capacity building | 3 | 2018 | SEK 369,000 | February 1, 2019 - September 30, 2019 | 20180204 | Joel Andersson | ||
| Embedded Sensor Systems for Health Plus | Mälardalen University | Research profiles | 3 | 2018 | SEK 18,000,000 | April 1, 2019 - September 30, 2022 | 20180158 | Maria Lindén | ||
| Rekrytering - biträdande lektor utveckling och lärande med virtuell och mixat verklighet (Remix) | University West | Capacity building | 3 | 2018 | SEK 2,238,241 | March 1, 2019 - February 28, 2023 | 20180206 | Prabhu Ramanthan | ||
| Rekrytering - biträdande lektor i automation med inriktning mot processtyrning och övervakning | University West | Capacity building | 3 | 2018 | SEK 2,009,666 | July 1, 2019 - September 30, 2023 | 20180207 | Fredrik Sikström | ||
| Rekrytering - biträdande lektor - leda och lära i digitaliserade produktions- och utvecklingsprocesser (e-Lead) | University West | Capacity building | 1 | 2018 | SEK 2,238,241 | December 1, 2020 - December 31, 2026 | 20180205 | Ulrika Lundh Snis | ||
| HÖG - Intelligent simuleringsbaserad beredning för bearbetning av elektromobilitetskomponenter (SIMPLE ) | University of Skövde | Research projects | 3 | 2018 | SEK 3,690,000 | April 1, 2019 - March 31, 2023 | 20180168 | Daniel Svensson | ||
| Synergi - Virtuell Ergonomi | University of Skövde | Synergy project | 3 | 2018 | SEK 14,760,000 | October 1, 2019 - September 30, 2023 | 20180167 | Dan Högberg | ||
| Pro2BE Expert | Karlstad University | Education for working professionals | 3 | 2018 | SEK 2,026,854 | April 1, 2019 - March 31, 2021 | 20180166 | Lena Brunzell | ||
| MD3S+ - Model Driven Development and Decision Support + | Blekinge Institute of Technology | Research profiles | 3 | 2018 | SEK 18,000,000 | March 1, 2019 - August 31, 2022 | 20180159 | Tobias Larsson | ||
| BIO-QC: Quality Control and Purification for New Biological Drugs | Karlstad University | Synergy project | 3 | 2017 | SEK 10,888,824 | November 1, 2017 - September 30, 2021 | 20170059 | Torgny Fornstedt | ||
| Synergi - Utveckling av additiv tillverkning med laser och tråd för tillverkning av högpresterande komponenter | University West | Synergy project | 3 | 2017 | SEK 14,197,158 | November 1, 2017 - December 31, 2021 | 20170060 | Robert Pederson | ||
| Evaluation of Different Communication Technologies for Heavy-Duty Vehicle Platooning (ELECTRA) | Mälardalen University | Early academic career | 3 | 2017 | SEK 1,796,238 | September 1, 2017 - August 31, 2019 | 20170039 | Ali Balador | ||
| Non-invasive monitoring of skin-disorders progression and healing – a low molecular weight biomarker approach | Malmö University | Synergy project | 3 | 2017 | SEK 14,393,022 | September 1, 2017 - February 28, 2022 | 20170058 | Johan Engblom | ||
| Human-Centered Computing for Novel Visual and Interactive Applications | Blekinge Institute of Technology | Synergy project | 3 | 2017 | SEK 9,598,687 | October 1, 2017 - March 31, 2022 | 20170056 | Hans-Jürgen Zepernick | ||
| International visiting professor - advanced glasses - Linnaeus University | Linnaeus University | Capacity building | 3 | 2017 | SEK 1,142,100 | November 1, 2017 - October 31, 2018 | 20170049 | Bo Jonson | ||
| Christian Pichot | Mälardalen University | Capacity building | 3 | 2017 | SEK 1,356,048 | January 1, 2018 - December 31, 2018 | 20170048 | Nikola Petrovic | ||
| Associate Senior Lecture in Handling and Storage of Recyclables, Waste and Woody Biomass | Linnaeus University | Capacity building | 3 | 2017 | SEK 2,745,789 | September 1, 2017 - May 31, 2022 | 20170045 | William Hogland | ||
| Recruitment 16 Senior Lecturer Building Production | Linnaeus University | Capacity building | 3 | 2017 | SEK 2,841,600 | November 1, 2019 - October 31, 2023 | 20170043 | Anders Olsson | ||
| Recruitment 16 Senior Lecturer Ventilation Systems | Linnaeus University | Capacity building | 3 | 2017 | SEK 2,841,600 | September 1, 2017 - July 31, 2022 | 20170042 | Björn Johannesson | ||
| Detektion av tumör biomarkörer baserad på MIP-antikropp "proximity ligation assays" och fluorescerande syntetiska nanoprober | Malmö University | Early academic career | 3 | 2017 | SEK 1,825,829 | September 1, 2017 - August 31, 2018 | 20170040 | Celina Wierzbicka | ||
| Nanoporous silica particles for pharmaceutical formulations | Malmö University | Early academic career | 3 | 2017 | SEK 2,356,372 | September 1, 2017 - December 31, 2020 | 20170027 | Sabrina Valetti | ||
| Flexible Modularisation for enhanced customer adaptation and continuous innovation in product platforms | Jönköping University | Early academic career | 3 | 2017 | SEK 1,820,767 | September 1, 2017 - December 31, 2019 | 20170034 | Dag Raudberget | ||
| International visiting professor in Health Science– Professor Anja Huizink, VU University Amsterdam, The Netherlands | University of Skövde | Capacity building | 3 | 2017 | SEK 1,440,000 | December 1, 2017 - November 30, 2018 | 20170033 | Anette Ekström | ||
| Crystal plasticity modeling of thin aluminum foils | Malmö University | Early academic career | 3 | 2017 | SEK 1,904,400 | August 1, 2017 - August 31, 2019 | 20170031 | Ylva Mellbin | ||
| Improving Accuracy of the Cardiac Stress Test by Applying Advanced Signal Processing Methods to an Embedded Sensor Setting | Mälardalen University | Early academic career | 3 | 2017 | SEK 1,489,849 | September 1, 2017 - August 31, 2019 | 20170030 | Arash Ghareh Baghi | ||
| International Visiting Professor Anestis Kalfas | Mälardalen University | Capacity building | 3 | 2017 | SEK 720,000 | September 1, 2017 - December 31, 2018 | 20170022 | Konstantinos Kypriandidis | ||
| Tribological and Mechanical Performance of Austempered Compacted Graphite Iron – AusCGI | Jönköping University | Early academic career | 3 | 2017 | SEK 2,456,802 | August 1, 2017 - July 31, 2019 | 20170021 | Rohollah Ghasemi | ||
| Accelerating Innovation at the Fuzzy Front-End of Production System Development | Mälardalen University | Early academic career | 3 | 2017 | SEK 1,701,245 | September 1, 2017 - August 31, 2019 | 20170018 | Yuji Yamamoto | ||
| Securing the Safety of Autonomous Cyber-Physical Systems | Mälardalen University | Early academic career | 3 | 2017 | SEK 1,734,882 | September 1, 2017 - August 31, 2019 | 20170017 | Aida Causevic | ||
| PREMIUM - Kunskapsintensiv och innovativ produktionsutveckling | Mälardalen University | Education for working professionals | 3 | 2017 | SEK 4,669,151 | April 3, 2017 - March 29, 2019 | 20170003 | Jessica Bruch | ||
| SMARTER - Smart Industri med Autonoma och Intelligenta System | Örebro University | Education for working professionals | 3 | 2017 | SEK 3,690,414 | April 1, 2017 - March 31, 2019 | 20170002 | Amy Loutfi | ||
| GRASCA+ | Linnaeus University | Industrial graduate schools | 3 | 2017 | SEK 10,800,000 | September 1, 2018 - April 30, 2024 | 20170255 | Cornelius Holtorf | ||
| Rekrytering - Biträdande lektor/AB Volvo (VTEC) | Halmstad University | Capacity building | 3 | 2017 | SEK 2,099,621 | October 1, 2017 - September 30, 2021 | 20170097 | Björn Åstrand | ||
| Forskningsprofil+ CompCAST plus | Jönköping University | Research profiles | 3 | 2017 | SEK 18,426,384 | October 1, 2017 - December 31, 2020 | 20170066 | Anders Jarfors | ||
| DigiBoil: DEVELOPMENT OF COMPUTATIONAL FLUID DYNAMIC BOILING HEAT TRANSFER MODELS WITH APPLICABILITY TO HIGH HEAT FLUX | Mälardalen University | Research projects | 3 | 2017 | SEK 4,796,980 | March 1, 2018 - August 31, 2021 | 20170159 | Rebei Bel Fdhila | ||
| The activity based office- are the prerequisits there for long-term positive effects? | The Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences | Research projects | 3 | 2017 | SEK 4,577,930 | March 1, 2018 - March 31, 2021 | 20170116 | Anne Richter | ||
| Senior lecturer in computer science | Blekinge Institute of Technology | Capacity building | 3 | 2017 | SEK 2,601,310 | April 1, 2018 - April 30, 2023 | 20170236 | Håkan Grahn | ||
| Associate senior lecturer in medicine | Örebro University | Capacity building | 3 | 2017 | SEK 2,277,510 | March 1, 2018 - May 15, 2022 | 20170242 | Robert Brummer | ||
| Associate senior lecturer in metabolic regulation of the immune system | Örebro University | Capacity building | 3 | 2017 | SEK 2,557,200 | November 1, 2018 - October 31, 2022 | 20170243 | Eva Särndahl | ||
| Senior Lecturer in Hospitality, Culinary Arts and Meal Science | Örebro University | Capacity building | 3 | 2017 | SEK 2,422,632 | September 3, 2018 - August 31, 2022 | 20170244 | Åsa Öström | ||
| International visiting professor in Hospitality, Culinary Arts and Meal Science, Robert Harrington | Örebro University | Capacity building | 3 | 2017 | SEK 382,244 | September 3, 2018 - August 8, 2020 | 20170245 | Inger M Jonsson | ||
| HÖG - Svensk metall | University of Skövde | Research projects | 3 | 2017 | SEK 3,444,615 | June 1, 2018 - December 31, 2021 | 20170297 | Gunnar Mathiason | ||
| HÖG - DMDPipe - Pipeline för identifiering av sjukdomsassocierade moduler för individualiserad diagnostik och behandling | University of Skövde | Research projects | 3 | 2017 | SEK 3,006,842 | March 1, 2018 - February 28, 2021 | 20170298 | Zelmina Lubovac-Pilav | ||
| Prospekt - OPTION - Logistikoptimering för förbättrad produktivitet | University of Skövde | Early academic career | 3 | 2017 | SEK 1,253,818 | June 1, 2018 - December 31, 2020 | 20170299 | Masood Fathi | ||
| Rekrytering - Internationell gästprofessor vid Software Systems Research Group - Gregorio Robles | University of Skövde | Capacity building | 3 | 2017 | SEK 738,000 | April 1, 2018 - March 31, 2020 | 20170300 | Björn Lundell | ||
| Rekrytering - Biträdande lektor i systembiologi Multivariat analys av biomarkördata | University of Skövde | Capacity building | 3 | 2017 | SEK 2,439,682 | June 1, 2018 - July 31, 2022 | 20170301 | Diana Tilevik | ||
| Rekrytering - Biträdande lektor BioFusion förstärkning av långsiktig kompetens inom fusion av biomedicinsk big data för identifiering av biomarkörer | University of Skövde | Capacity building | 3 | 2017 | SEK 2,367,655 | June 1, 2018 - November 30, 2022 | 20170302 | Jane Synnergren | ||
| Rekrytering - Lektor inom utveckling av intelligenta system för produktionsutveckling av människa-robotinteraktion (HRI) | University of Skövde | Capacity building | 3 | 2017 | SEK 2,564,063 | June 1, 2018 - June 30, 2023 | 20170303 | Paul E. Hemeren | ||
| HÖG - Material och tryckprocesser för enheter som genererar miljövänlig energi - Nanogenerators | Mid Sweden University | Research projects | 3 | 2017 | SEK 3,727,879 | April 1, 2018 - March 31, 2021 | 20170304 | Henrik Andersson | ||
| HÖG - Processmodellering och fullskaleevaluering för ny segmentdesign - SEGMENT | Mid Sweden University | Research projects | 3 | 2017 | SEK 4,920,000 | March 1, 2018 - December 31, 2021 | 20170305 | Birgitta Engberg | ||
| Prospekt- Lignocellulosa till högvärdeprodukter genom grön katalytisk kemi - LignoCAT | Mid Sweden University | Early academic career | 3 | 2017 | SEK 1,291,377 | March 1, 2018 - February 28, 2020 | 20170306 | Italo Sanhueza | ||
| Rekrytering - Internationell gästprofessor i Yt- och kolloidkemi, VisProCol | Mid Sweden University | Capacity building | 3 | 2017 | SEK 346,517 | November 1, 2018 - June 30, 2021 | 20170307 | Magnus Norgren | ||
| Rekrytering -Lektor i informatik | Halmstad University | Capacity building | 3 | 2017 | SEK 2,363,620 | August 1, 2018 - July 31, 2022 | 20170308 | Jesper Lund | ||
| Prospekt - TopCut - Topologioptimering med CutFEM och dess applikationer | Jönköping University | Early academic career | 3 | 2017 | SEK 1,602,198 | January 1, 2018 - December 31, 2019 | 20170310 | Mirza Cenanovic | ||
| HÖG - ODISSEE2 - Optimal Design med stöd av integrerad simuleringsbaserad tillverkning, del 2 | Jönköping University | Research projects | 3 | 2017 | SEK 4,920,000 | January 1, 2018 - June 30, 2021 | 20170311 | Jakob Olofsson | ||
| HÖG - InnOvate - Förutsättningar för innovation i små- och medelstora tillverkande företag | Jönköping University | Research projects | 3 | 2017 | SEK 4,920,000 | January 1, 2018 - August 31, 2021 | 20170312 | Annika Engström | ||
| HÖG - FunDisCo - Funktionella disperionsbeläggningar | Jönköping University | Research projects | 3 | 2017 | SEK 4,852,862 | March 1, 2018 - June 30, 2021 | 20170313 | Caterina Zanella | ||
| HÖG - ChromeSurf - Kromytor, estetiska, hållbara och hälsosamma ytor | Jönköping University | Research projects | 3 | 2017 | SEK 3,003,783 | April 1, 2018 - March 31, 2021 | 20170314 | Lars Eriksson | ||
| HÖG - AdOpt - Flexibel styrning av laserprocesser för höga effekter med hjälp av deformerbara speglar | University West | Research projects | 3 | 2017 | SEK 4,916,136 | August 1, 2018 - July 31, 2021 | 20170315 | Fredrik Sikström | ||
| HÖG - FECRALCLAD - Svetsbarhet och korrosionsbeständighet av nya FeCrAl-legeringar | University West | Research projects | 3 | 2017 | SEK 4,920,000 | January 1, 2018 - December 31, 2020 | 20170316 | Maria Asuncion Valiente-Bermejo | ||
| Prospekt - INDIGO - Industriell digitalisering och organisering | University West | Early academic career | 3 | 2017 | SEK 1,761,656 | August 1, 2018 - July 31, 2020 | 20170317 | Monika Hattinger | ||
| Rekrytering - Auto-Opt - Biträdande lektor i automation med inriktning optimering | University West | Capacity building | 3 | 2017 | SEK 1,865,915 | December 1, 2018 - November 30, 2022 | 20170318 | Fredrik Danielsson | ||
| Rekrytering - Auto-Control - Biträdande lektor i automation med inriktning flexibilitet och styrning | University West | Capacity building | 1 | 2017 | SEK 1,865,915 | May 1, 2018 - March 31, 2025 | 20170319 | Fredrik Danielsson | ||
| Expertkompetens - Virtuella fabriken (VF) | University of Skövde | Education for working professionals | 3 | 2017 | SEK 3,689,982 | June 1, 2018 - December 31, 2020 | 20170321 | Tehseen Aslam | ||
| International visiting professor in cross-laminated timber, Lech Muszyński | Linnaeus University | Capacity building | 3 | 2017 | SEK 1,383,600 | September 1, 2018 - August 31, 2019 | 20170240 | Thomas Bader | ||
| Associate Senior Lecturer in Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics | Mälardalen University | Capacity building | 3 | 2017 | SEK 1,597,253 | April 1, 2018 - March 31, 2021 | 20170233 | Konstantinos Kypriandidis | ||
| Impact of geohydrology on biological effect analysis and environmental risk assessment of recycled waste | Örebro University | Research projects | 3 | 2017 | SEK 2,251,549 | March 1, 2018 - August 31, 2021 | 20170118 | Jana Jass | ||
| International Guest Professor - Software Engineering - Linnaeus University | Linnaeus University | Capacity building | 3 | 2017 | SEK 1,113,600 | September 1, 2018 - August 31, 2019 | 20170232 | Mauro Caporuscio | ||
| Advanced ecological modelling for prioritizing environmental flows and habitat restoration in regulated rivers | Karlstad University | Research projects | 3 | 2017 | SEK 4,766,982 | January 1, 2018 - December 31, 2021 | 20170129 | John Piccolo | ||
| Business model transformation to fit with a disruptive industry: The new generation electric utility | Örebro University | Research projects | 3 | 2017 | SEK 4,749,889 | February 1, 2018 - June 30, 2021 | 20170130 | Johan Kask | ||
| MINEStrA: Model INtegration for Early Simulation and Analysis | Mälardalen University | Research projects | 3 | 2017 | SEK 2,631,140 | January 1, 2018 - June 30, 2021 | 20170133 | Antonio Cicchetti | ||
| Production Centred Maintenance (PCM) for real time predictive maintenance decision support to maximise production efficiency | Örebro University | Research projects | 3 | 2017 | SEK 4,536,054 | February 1, 2018 - October 30, 2021 | 20170134 | Magnus Löfstrand | ||
| Deep Learning Accelerator on Commercial Programmable Devices | Mälardalen University | Research projects | 3 | 2017 | SEK 3,506,994 | January 15, 2018 - February 28, 2021 | 20170135 | Masoud Daneshtalab | ||
| Supplier involvement in product development: The supplier perspective (SUPER) | Mälardalen University | Research projects | 3 | 2017 | SEK 2,384,402 | February 1, 2018 - April 30, 2020 | 20170139 | Glenn Johansson Mdh | ||
| Insects - a Culinary and Sustainable Delicacy | Kristianstad University | Research projects | 3 | 2017 | SEK 1,376,400 | January 2, 2018 - January 31, 2020 | 20170141 | Karin Wendin | ||
| DYNOP - Dynamic Optimization | Mälardalen University | Research projects | 3 | 2017 | SEK 4,797,270 | March 1, 2018 - August 31, 2021 | 20170148 | Ioanna Aslanidou | ||
| From Particle Exposure to Cardiovascular Diseases in Iron Foundries - Role of Immunometabolism in Quartz-Induced Inflammation | Örebro University | Research projects | 3 | 2017 | SEK 3,857,860 | May 1, 2018 - July 15, 2022 | 20170149 | Alexander Hedbrant | ||
| ServzChall - Servitization Challenge | Karlstad University | Research projects | 3 | 2017 | SEK 4,620,431 | January 1, 2018 - June 30, 2021 | 20170167 | Maria Åkesson Kau | ||
| High performance cost efficient photoelectric biosupercapacitors reproducibly fabricated with industry-scale throughput | Malmö University | Research projects | 3 | 2017 | SEK 2,763,924 | May 1, 2018 - April 30, 2021 | 20170168 | Sergey Shleev | ||
| Design of innovative modular-based multi-storey timber buildings based on advanced modeling and full-scale tests | Linnaeus University | Research projects | 3 | 2017 | SEK 3,868,248 | January 1, 2018 - June 30, 2021 | 20170169 | Sigurdur Ormarsson | ||
| SHADE – A Value-Oriented Strategy to Handle Software Asset Degradation | Blekinge Institute of Technology | Research projects | 3 | 2017 | SEK 4,677,232 | January 1, 2018 - September 30, 2021 | 20170176 | Javier Gonzalez Huerta | ||
| Data Analytics for Fault Detection in District Heating (DAD) | University of Borås | Research projects | 3 | 2017 | SEK 4,522,447 | January 1, 2018 - June 30, 2022 | 20170182 | Gideon Mbiydzenyuy | ||
| Catastrophe modelling of extreme rainfall and flash floods in Sweden | Karlstad University | Research projects | 3 | 2017 | SEK 3,400,800 | January 1, 2018 - December 31, 2019 | 20170183 | Lars Nyberg | ||
| WAter and Sludge inTEgrated MANagement in biomass power plants (WASTE MAN) | Mälardalen University | Research projects | 3 | 2017 | SEK 1,794,762 | March 1, 2018 - February 29, 2020 | 20170185 | Hailong Li | ||
| Pilot Feasibility of Renewable Energy Integrated with Energy Storage in Buildings (FREE) | Mälardalen University | Research projects | 3 | 2017 | SEK 4,225,511 | January 1, 2018 - November 30, 2021 | 20170186 | Jinyue Yan | ||
| Role of IL-1/CARD8 in vascular inflammation - development of novel strategies for treatment of atherosclerosis | Örebro University | Research projects | 3 | 2017 | SEK 1,436,737 | January 1, 2018 - March 31, 2020 | 20170191 | Karin Franzén | ||
| Datadrivna system | Malmö University | Övrigt | 3 | 2017 | SEK 10,800,000 | March 1, 2018 - June 30, 2022 | 20170211 | Jan Persson | ||
| Lic-skolan PLEng+ BTH | Blekinge Institute of Technology | Övrigt | 3 | 2017 | SEK 10,800,000 | March 1, 2018 - July 28, 2023 | 20170213 | Tony Gorschek | ||
| Automation Region Research Academy (ARRAY) | Mälardalen University | Industrial graduate schools | 1 | 2017 | SEK 32,400,000 | May 1, 2018 - June 30, 2027 | 20170214 | Thomas Nolte | ||
| Industrial Graduate School in Digital Retailing (INSiDR) | Jönköping University | Industrial graduate schools | 3 | 2017 | SEK 21,600,000 | April 1, 2018 - September 30, 2024 | 20170215 | Jenny Balkow | ||
| International Visiting Professor Edward A. Lee | Mälardalen University | Capacity building | 3 | 2017 | SEK 238,792 | February 1, 2018 - September 30, 2018 | 20170219 | Marjan Sirjani | ||
| Ownership Transition and Succession in Family Businesses | Jönköping University | NU | 3 | 2017 | SEK 2,908,800 | April 1, 2018 - December 31, 2021 | 20170224 | Massimo Baú | ||
| Framtida nätbaserade utbildningar för internationell positionering av MDH - FuturE | Mälardalen University | NU | 3 | 2017 | SEK 18,768,572 | April 1, 2018 - March 31, 2021 | 20170226 | Ann-Catrin Davis | ||
| WISR 17 – webbaserade kurser för internationell positionering av strategiska forskningsgrupper | Karlstad University | NU | 3 | 2017 | SEK 6,848,588 | January 8, 2018 - December 31, 2020 | 20170230 | Jörg Pareigis | ||
| Associate senior lecturer with a focus on molecular developmental biology | Örebro University | Capacity building | 3 | 2017 | SEK 2,426,143 | July 1, 2018 - July 31, 2022 | 20170231 | Per-Erik Olsson | ||
| Rekrytering - Biträdande lektor i hälsoinnovation | Halmstad University | Capacity building | 3 | 2017 | SEK 2,122,970 | December 1, 2020 - June 30, 2025 | 20170309 | Jens Nygren |