On 25 May, around 20 representatives from the Unit for Digitalization of Public Administration at the Swedish Ministry of Finance visited Digital Futures for a half-day program focused on digital transformation, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and innovation in the public sector.
The visit highlighted the growing importance of collaboration between academia, industry, and the public sector in addressing some of society’s most pressing digital challenges. Participants expressed strong interest in Digital Futures as a meeting place and collaborative arena where research, innovation, and policy intersect.
The Ministry’s delegation works with the Swedish government’s digitalization policy, including the digitalization of public administration, digital post, and digital identity. The unit also focuses on the development and use of emerging technologies such as data-driven innovation and artificial intelligence, as well as initiatives related to digital competence and leadership.
The program began with a welcome session followed by an introduction to Digital Futures and its activities, including the Digital Futures Sandbox. Presentations were delivered by Annika Szabo Portela, Executive Director of Digital Futures, and Urban Forssell, Head of AI Strategy and Innovation at Digital Futures.
The Ministry representatives then shared insights into their ongoing work and priorities within public sector digitalization.
Following a networking break, researchers from KTH Royal Institute of Technology presented a series of projects demonstrating how cutting-edge research can support societal resilience, trustworthy technology, and future-ready education.
Among the featured projects were:
- Privacy & Trustworthy AI, presented by Tobias Oechtering, Professor at KTH, focusing on privacy-preserving and reliable artificial intelligence.
- Transforming Engineering Education with Multimodal GenAI and Intelligent Agents, presented by Olga Viberg, Associate Professor at KTH, and Richard Lee Davis, Assistant Professor at KTH, exploring how generative AI and intelligent agents can reshape higher education.
- CASCADE: Climate Adaptation & Disaster Enhancement in Stockholm, presented by Zahra Kalantari, Professor at KTH, and Amir Rezvani, PhD student at KTH, addressing climate adaptation and disaster resilience in urban environments.
The visit concluded with a joint discussion on future opportunities, reflections, and lessons learned from the exchange between researchers and policymakers.
The meeting underscored the importance of continued dialogue between government, academia, and industry to strengthen Sweden’s digital transformation and build trustworthy, resilient, and inclusive digital systems for the future.
Tobias Oechtering, professor vid KTH
Olga Viberg, docent vid KTH & Richard Lee Davis, biträdande lektor vid KTH
Zahra Kalantari, professor vid KTH & Amir Rezvani, doktorand vid KTH
