At the Digital Futures Open Research Day on 21 April, Digital Futures launched the Industrial and Societal Partnership Program (ISPP) and welcomed the City of Stockholm, Region Stockholm, Ericsson, Scania and Skanska as new partners.
Digitalization has the potential to create a more resource-efficient and sustainable society. With Digital Futures a new research area is emerging with great relevance for society, both for Sweden and globally. Together with actors in the public and private sectors, researchers address societal challenges with innovative digital solutions, such as communication and logistics systems of the future, site-independent healthcare, climate-positive development, digital infrastructure and cyber security.
Collaboration with companies and the public sector gives researchers increased insight into various societal challenges and access to data and testbeds. In this way, research can focus more closely on concrete problems and contribute to a more sustainable society. Digital Futures is now establishing an eco-system of stakeholders referred to as the Industrial and Societal Partnership Program (ISPP) welcoming City of Stockholm, Region Stockholm, Ericsson, Scania and Skanska as new partners.
“As a partner of Digital Futures, you become part of determining the roadmap of a very large research centre in digitalization, influencing the strategic research agenda and ensuring collaboration between industry, academia and the public sector” explains Mikael Östling, Deputy President at KTH Royal Institute of Technology and Chair of Digital Futures Industrial and Societal Board.
“Partners at Digital Futures find an arena where they can identify common technologies and challenges for multi-partner collaboration to be matched with academic excellence. There is also an opportunity for the scientific evaluation of business scenarios and strategic positioning in the field of science and innovation through outreach activities, distinguished lecture series and seminars” adds Karl H Johansson, Director of Digital Futures.
”The City of Stockholm, together with colleagues from Region Stockholm, are dependent on others in business and academia to help solve our emerging challenges. By collaborating through Digital Futures, the City of Stockholm is an active partner in what is an essential arena for innovation and digital transformation”, explains Alexandra Göransson, Deputy CEO of Stockholm.
“Digital transformation is one of the highest importance to Scania when driving the shift towards sustainable transport solutions”, says Peter Vincent, Head of Connected Systems at Scania. “We partner with Digital Futures to ensure that our industrial innovations harness the latest results in multiple related research fields.”
Johan Ragnevad, Senior Manager Technology Strategy of Connected Systems at Scania and member of the Digital Futures Industrial & Societal Board, adds “Through Digital Futures we collaborate with digital transformation leaders and learn from each other in applied research and development projects of mutual benefit to multiple partners. The exchange of ideas and co-operation in research with external partners and academia are also essential for us to be an attractive employer of talent in the Stockholm area.”
“The networks we develop make digitalization possible”, says Magnus Frodigh, Vice President and Head of Ericsson Research. “To understand the specific requirements of industries and society that will use the network platform for innovative digitalization solutions, we want to work together with ecosystem partners and leading academia. Sweden has a long tradition of successful collaboration between industry and academia, something we want to build on.”
“To be a partner of Digital Future gives us at Skanska the possibility to exchange ideas, share new perspectives and test innovative solutions in close collaboration with the academia, the public sector and other business actors. What we build will bring value to society long after our lifetime and therefore it´s necessary for us, together with others, to develop innovation for sustainability”, says Lars Jonson, Business Development Director, Skanska.
