Research and innovation for the future, curiosity and benefit

Buoyed by the triumphs of 2024 – namely that LTH was the best in the country at obtaining ERC grants, received two more Wallenberg Academy Fellows and yet another centre of excellence in collaboration with the surrounding community – we look forward to new tie-ups and accomplishments that benefit society.

Research and Innovation for the Future, Curiosity and Benefit, which is the title of the latest research bill, chimes with LTH’s vision “Together we explore and create – to benefit the world”.

It is positive that the research bill promises more money for STEM, but we in LTH’s management are concerned that it only pertains to research funds that are applied for in competition. This is likely to increase the demand for co-financing while also eroding direct government funding. We observe that the ability to co-finance and strategically steer LTH is decreasing.

With this in mind, LTH is now mobilising to actively participate in the new initiatives arising from the research bill. Combined with LTH’s profile and good ability to attract external funding, we see outstanding opportunities to contribute to research and innovation for the future, curiosity and benefit, together with other excellent environments.

LTH now has nine national centres of excellence, with FORCE, which works towards a robust food system, being the latest addition. These centres of excellence already have established partnerships that, through research and external engagement, are well equipped to spearhead cutting-edge research and contribute to more innovation, businesses and growth.

Several of LTH’s profile areas also align with the technology strategies that Vinnova has identified as important for Sweden, and which are likely to underpin the “groundbreaking technologies” that will be allocated funds in the research bill.

NanoLund, Elliite and SPI are three strategic research areas (SRAs) in which LTH is involved and the research bill pinpoints new SRAs where I see great opportunities for LTH’s researchers to participate and contribute in areas such as climate, health and AI, advanced materials, quantum technology and total defence issues.

To help Sweden remain at the leading edge of technological development in the future – and to ensure the regeneration of engineers and future researchers – widening participation is one of the issues that LTH’s management is prioritising going forward.

For LTH, it is about finding new ways to attract young people who are well suited to our courses and study programmes, but who come from environments where higher education institutions are barely on the map when future plans are discussed.

If we fail to attract these students in society, we will lose important skills. To that end, through the pilot EPA project in Örkelljunga, we have developed a template for successful cooperation to inspire and nurture talented individuals that we hope will become the researchers and innovators of tomorrow.

SVT news article about the EPA project in Örkelljunga (in Swedish)

Thus, LTH is willing to collaborate and cooperate in new SRAs, clusters of excellence and other initiatives for the future, curiosity and benefit, and we are ready to welcome more interested young people to our courses and study programmes.

Annika Olsson

Dean of LTH