CDT Annual Report 2023

2023

Centre for Distance-spanning Technology Annual Report

University of Technology, Graphic

Photo: Per Pettersson, Linda Alfredsson, Melina Granberg, Shutterstock Images, Marie Nolin, Sofia Stridsman, LTU and others

CDT in brief

CDT’s mission is to accelerate digital innovations for sustainable impact, based on high quality scientific research.

WE CONNECT ACADEMIA, INDUSTRY AND SOCIETY AT LARGE IN RESEARCH, DESIGN AND INNOVATION, INCLUDING KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER PROCESSES

OUR PARTNERS ARE:

• Academia

• Developers, Suppliers and End-Users of Digital Infrastructure and Solutions

• Society

• Research and Innovation financiers

• Policy makers

CDT OPERATIONS ARE; RESEARCH, DESIGN AND INNOVATION INTEGRATION:

• Projects

• Proposals

• Experimentation

• Spin-off support

NETWORKING AND COLLABORATION

• External (e.g. ENoLL, Net World Europe, EARMA, IoT Forum, Swedish Datacenter Industry Association Swedsoft, BDVA, AIOTI, 6G 1A)

• LTU internal, partners (e.g. meeting with researchers, partner networking and events)

• Local: Luleå Business & Economic Development, IT Industry Association, IUC Norr, RISE SICS North AB, Luleå Science Park, Skellefteå Science City

• Experience of EU FP 4, 5, 6, 7, Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe

KNOWLEDGE INTEGRATION AND COMMUNICATION

• Webinars

• Workshops

• Handbooks

• Courses

• Conferences

FUTURE FUNDING INFLUENCE

• Contribution to policies, roadmaps, lobbying, research agendas and programs

• Future studies

• Regional development plans

Key Areas

We are looking for new collaborations in the following areas with great challenges, change and impact.

Smart communities

• Digitalization in cities, regions, and rural areas

• Open data and Data-driven decision making

• Digital Inclusion

• Digital Healthcare and Welfare

• Digital cultural and creative solutions

Cloud and Edge Computing

• Cloud-to-Edge-to-IoT continuum

• Green, energy efficient, datacenters of the future

• Focus on sustainability, security, scalability, and smart algorithms

• Efficient distributed and software defined systems

Digitization for green transition

• Twin Transition - Green and Digital

• Green Traceability

• Smart Grids

• System demonstrators Communication

• Further development and tests around 5G Advanced and introduction of 6G

• Research around 6G

• Rural coverage

• Resilient networks

• Non-terrestrial networks and airspace

Become a CDT partner

CDT offers an integrated environment of people, infrastructure, tools, processes and services for research, development, innovation and test.

CDT:

• Creates and develops partnerships

• Provides access to contacts/networks

• Initiates and runs collaboration projects regionally, nationally and internationally

• Develops and provides test beds and system demonstrators, e.g. in the field of 5G, 6G or Edge

• Accelerates new researchers/research topics with help in applications and projects

• Bridges cultures and works across borders regarding subject areas, organizations and national borders

• Influences funding programs, innovation and development strategies, and other forward-looking policies

The CEO Perspective

Another year has come to an end, and it is time to summarise the activities of 2023. As usual, we at CDT have launched a number of new projects and started new collaborations in all areas, from digitalisation for green conversion, 5G, edge computing to digitalisation in the broadest sense. We organised several events and started to expand our 5G test environment together with our partners Ericsson and Telia. We also successfully completed a number of projects over the course of the year.

During 2024, there will be changes in the management of

CDT, as I will be leaving the role of CEO for a position as professor and head of subject for the newly launched research subject Cybersecurity at Luleå University of Technology. I would therefore like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for the good co-operation over the years. I have learnt so much while serving at CDT and will miss the truly collaborative environment we have.

Luleå and Skellefteå, January 2024 Karl Andersson, CEO

CDT helps motivate young people to become engineers

AnotTekniksprånget is an internship programme where Sweden’s employers invest in collaboration with the government to secure the country’s future skills supply by attracting more young people into advanced technical education. The programme is run by the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences, IVA. During the autumn, CDT has supervised three interns who had the opportunity to work on projects and gain an insight into the variety of educational opportunities at Luleå University of Technology. The university hosts interns in its departments

every year, and the chair of the Tekniksprånget steering group is LTU’s principal Birgitta Bervall Kåreborn.

Gabriel Antonsson was one of the participants and he says:

- Before the internship I lived in Norrköping, so it was quite a long move with lots of new experiences. Among other things, I worked on compiling data for scientific articles as part of a research project. My advice to future participants is to dare to take the initiative and get in touch with people to share information that you find interesting.

Some activities during 2023

Seminar on Community Masts

Seminar on community masts and increased inclusion in the connected Sweden, gathered participants from all over the country. The seminar addressed both technical and economic aspects as well as the needs of end users in rural areas and archipelagos and the importance of mobile coverage for rescue operations. It was organized by the Vinnova-funded project Rural ICT Testbed - #full coverage in connection with Västerbotten on Grand.

Ambassador of the Year

During the Vinnova Meeting “Mötesplats Avancerad Digitalisering”, the Ambassador of the Year for Advanced Digitization 2023 was awarded. The award went to Catharina Lindholmen, Saab and Karl Andersson, Professor, Dean and Director of CDT at Luleå University of Technology. Karl Andersson would like to take this opportunity to thank all partners and collaborators who have made a crucial contribution to our projects with excellent achievements and helped with the important work of disseminating the results.

Arctic 6G is an Interreg Aurora project aiming to support the future 6G network to improve societal resilience in the rural Aurora region. During the year, the project has met in Tornio, Finland, and Luleå with partners University of Oulu, Lapland University of Applied Sciences and Luleå University of Technology. Read more about the project at www.arctic6g.eu

Arctic 6G kick-off in Tornio

Arctic 6G project meeting in Luleå

5G Edge Innovations for Mining met

In August, the 5G Edge Innovations for Mining project met for its 10th workshop at the Skellefteå campus. Representatives from Luleå University of Technology, Ericsson, Hexatronic, BI NORDIC, ThingWave and RISE were present to discuss progress and make plans for the important upcoming demonstrations where we will showcase a number of key applications in a real mining environment. Read more at: https://5gedgeinnovations.se

Ebba Busch, Deputy Prime Minister of Sweden and Minister for Energy, Business and Industry, meets the Digital Urban Development project

We had the honour of being visited by the Minister of Energy and Industry - also Deputy Prime Minister - Ebba Busch. During the visit, the parties of the Vinnova-funded project Digital Urban Development - Skellefteå Campus had the opportunity to present the work on how we are developing future flexibility solutions, where the goal is to curtail electricity peaks and exploit the possibilities of large-scale energy storage and the use of smart algorithms.

Visit from the European Parliament

On 7 September, Rosa Damato, Member of the European Parliament, and three members of her team visited CDT and Luleå University of Technology to explore our role in the green transformation. LTU is known for its close collaboration with industry and our research contributes to solving challenges related to the energy transition.

Driving forward the digitalisation of rural areas

As part of our ongoing commitment to the digitalisation of rural areas, we have organised impactful events to inspire, inform and promote collaboration, for example in digital hubs and service buses in the project SMALL.

Visit to the LTU 5G test bed

On Thursday 15 June 2023, the Data Week conference ended with an exciting visit to the 5G test bed at Luleå University of Technology. European AI experts attended and had the opportunity to see experiments and demonstrations within the 5G test network. The event, organised by Luleå University of Technology and Ericsson, provided valuable insights and interesting presentations.

Luleå University recruits 15 doctoral students from all over the world

Green Transition North is a new project at Luleå University of Technology that covers several research areas, including IT and the circular economy. The university is now looking for 15 PhD students from around the world for the project, an unusually large investment.

Hackathon in Skellefteå

The Arctic Challenge Hackathon 2023 took place over three days in November at the Skellefteå Campus. The participants were LTU Master’s students working together on challenges in the areas of 5G, digital twins and more.

Participation in Hydrogen Week in Brussels

In November, Michael Nilsson, CDT, represented CH2ESS at the 2023 European Hydrogen Week, which took place over four days in Brussels. This event served as a focal point for stakeholders in the hydrogen value chain and provided a platform for exhibitions, panel discussions and networking opportunities. The exhibition area featured over 200 exhibitors and discussions with 200 speakers, including representatives from international partners such as Brazil and South Africa. The diverse range of innovative products, projects and plans presented at the event emphasised the dynamic and collaborative nature of the hydrogen industry.

Kickoff Green Transition North

On 2 June 2023, around fifty participants gathered to kick off the Green Transition North project. During the launch event, participants heard exciting presentations from LKAB, H2 Green Steel, Skellefteå Municipality and Luleå City Council, as well as presentations from the 13 sub-projects.

Intelligent Food Production conference in Boden

P4 Norrbotten reported on the conference “The Future of Circular Food Production”,” which looked at current strategies for land-based fish farming and insect farming and emphasised the role of new technologies in turning these visions into reality. The main objective is to develop technologies that enable fish farming and vegetable cultivation in a circular and environmentally friendly system. The focus here is on the recycling of residual products in closed cycles. In addition, there are concerted efforts to integrate insect and microalgae farming to create a more sustainable fish feed compared to conventional practises. The microalgae, which are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, fulfil the fish’s need for this essential nutrient as they do not produce it themselves. The initiative is known as Intelligent Food Production Systems (IFPS) and is funded by Formas.

Intelligent rock bolts make mines safer and more environmentally friendly

Rock bolts are used in mines around the world to stabilise walls and roofs. One of the problems is that damage and stresses on rock bolts are difficult to detect and collapses can lead to huge production losses and, in the worst cases, fatalities. With smart rock bolts from CDT’s partner ThingWave, mining companies can detect changes in the rock in time and take action before an accident occurs.

On 15 February, ThingWave participated with Ericsson in the high-level Swedish-Australian Sustainable Mining Summit organised by Business Sweden. There, the rock bolts were presented to Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel, among others.

Michael Nilsson, CDT, presenting at the 5G Techritory conference

CDT’s Michael Nilsson spoke at the 5G Techritory on 18 and 19 October 2023

VISA/5G project meeting in Luleå

Meeting as part of the joint project VISA/5G, funded by Vinnova as part of the Advanced Digitisation programme. We focus on vendor-independent 5G-connected substations, combining the latest from IT and the telecom and energy sectors with cutting-edge research from Luleå University of Technology. Partners Vattenfall, Hitachi Energy, Telia, Ericsson, Metrum and IETV contribute with their industry knowledge and technical expertise. Read more about the project at visa5g.se

Detecting snow-covered cars

LTU’s machine learning group, in collaboration with CDT and the company Smartplanes, has developed technology to detect snow-covered cars from a height of more than 250 metres.

58 million SEK for new Green Transition projects

Luleå University of Technology has received SEK 58 million by Tillväxtverket, the Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth, and other funders for two major green transition projects, Green Transition North – smart energy systems and Green Transition North – circular economy. The projects take place in close cooperation with industry in the context of the green transition and, importantly, with small and medium-sized enterprises in northern Sweden.

“It is great that we have received funding for these projects, which will be of great importance for the green transition. The projects focus on the circular economy and smart energy systems,” says Karl Andersson, Professor of Pervasive and Mobile Computing at Luleå University of Technology.

Extensive cooperation

The two projects are a collaboration between researchers and 15 green industry companies in northern Sweden: LKAB, Northvolt, H2 Green Steel, Uniper, ABB, Hitachi Energy, Skellefteå Kraft, PiteEnergi, Luleå Energi, Bodens Energi, Vattenfall, Ericsson, Hexatronic, AFRY, and Lumire. The Green Transition North –Smart Energy Systems project is about, among other things, modern flexibility solutions and new principles for managing hydropower. Green Transition North – Circular Economy is about, among other things, digital product passports, i.e., sustainability data that enable circular products and business models, but also about the 6G-connected industry of the future, more sustainability through modularisation of products and circular business models. An important part of

the two projects is to involve the small and medium-sized enterprises in the region and to create the conditions for this target group to take on the challenges of the green industrial change even better.

LTU Business, Boden’s development, IUC Norr and Skellefteå Science City are also participating in the projects to secure the important link to the region’s small and medium-sized enterprises. The European Regional Development Fund contributes 40 per cent of the total budget, with the remainder coming from the Norrbotten Region, Skellefteå Municipality, Luleå University of Technology and the participating industrial companies.

Recruitment of PhD students

Luleå University of Technology plans to recruit 15 PhD students within the research initiatives Creaternity, SUN and the Arctic Centre of Energy (ACE) for the two projects. The PhD students will work closely with the participating companies and the small and medium-sized enterprises that join the projects.

Interview: Advanced battery technology

We interviewed Amin Moosavi, PhD student in fluid mechanics at Luleå University of Technology, about Green Transition North’s sub-project 5 “Optimised power storage in mobile battery units”, which addresses key challenges in battery storage, including safety, cost, lifetime, limited energy density and environmental impact. In particular, the project aims to improve the thermal management of batteries in mobile applications.

Why the focus on lithium batteries?

Lithium batteries have become the focus of attention due to the increasing global demand for electric vehicles and mobile applications. The advantages of lithium batteries include higher energy density, specific energy, compactness, lower self-discharge and fast charging capability, making them ideal for energy storage in mobile applications.

What are the research questions?

The research project aims to answer four main questions. These include understanding the thermal behaviour of lithium battery cells, investigating the thermo-fluid behaviour of battery cooling systems, evaluating the expected thermal performance of the cooling system and improving the thermal performance of the system to increase efficiency and reliability.

What results do you expect?

The research aims to develop a high-performance, cost-effective battery cooling system that takes into account safety aspects, cost considerations, energy density constraints and environmental impacts. Computer models will also be developed to enable further investigation and optimisation of mobile battery units, contributing to advances in the field of electromobility.

What about the challenges and obstacles?

A major challenge is the large computational domain of the thermal management system of batteries. To overcome this, techniques need to be

developed to split the model into sub-models to reduce computational costs and still obtain reliable results.

What are the benefits for industry and society?

Optimised storage of electricity in mobile battery units benefits industry and society by increasing safety, reducing costs, extending battery life and reducing waste generation. It enables electric vehicles to become more economical and accessible, while supporting the transition to a greener transport system.

What are the practical applications and implementation?

Discussions have started with Northvolt AB about a possible industrial implementation of the research results. Practical applications go beyond the automotive sector and benefit companies involved in the electrification of boats and aircraft.

And what are the contributions to battery technologies and energy storage systems?

The project contributes to the general understanding and further development of battery technologies by providing a simulation model for battery packs. This enables in-depth analysis, optimisation of design and operation and serves as a valuable tool for future research and development in this field.

The fight against electromagnetic interference

We interviewed Emelie Berglund, PhD student in Electronic Systems at Luleå University of Technology, about Green Transition North’s sub-project 2 “Development of active filters for EMC”,” which is about reducing electromagnetic interference (EMC) in electric drive systems. Power electronic systems generate interference, and the goal is to develop small, energy-efficient, and integrated filters for electrified transport systems.

What research questions have you chosen?

Our research questions aim to find methods to reduce electromagnetic interference generated in electrical drive systems. Active channelling philtres are the focus in order to eliminate interference that can lead to electromagnetic emissions, but also to hardware damage.

Why did you focus on this topic?

In the past, passive filters have been used to suppress electrical interference. The problem with passive filters is that they take up large areas and can greatly increase the weight of the system. In electric vehicles, for example, weight is a very important aspect because it correlates strongly with the battery capacity, which determines how far you can drive on one charge. To solve this problem and at the same time fulfil the purpose of inhibiting interference, active (cancellation) filters have become a topic of research.

Can you explain what electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) is and why it is a problem in electric drive systems?

Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) describes the electromagnetic nature of an electronic device. An EMC analysis examines, among other things, how the electromagnetic interference

of the electronic device affects its own system and other adjacent electronic systems. It also examines how susceptible the device is to external electromagnetic interference, such as a lightning strike. In general, electronic devices with high switching frequencies, such as the drive system of an electric motor, cause electromagnetic emissions that can potentially further interfere not only with its own system but also with other nearby electronic systems. In industry, there is a need to reduce bearing damage, to which bearing currents contribute. Some types of bearing currents are generated by the electric drive system and can be eliminated by active channeling filters.

What is the difference between passive filters and active filters when it comes to managing EMC?

As mentioned earlier, when working with low frequencies and high powers, it is better to avoid passive filters as they can be very large. Therefore, active filters are considered as an alternative solution to reduce filter size. The challenges are size and the fact that passive filters can quickly become bulky when working with low frequencies and high power levels. Active filters can help reduce the filter size.

What results do you hope to achieve?

By designing and building active channelization

filters, we hope to eventually suppress interference to the point where it does not affect the system itself or adjacent systems.

Can you say something about possible challenges and obstacles?

The challenge is to design, develop and implement high active channelization filters that are efficient enough to eliminate interference.

What are the potential benefits for industry and society?

The more society becomes electrified; the more potential sources of electromagnetic interference will arise. It is important that electronics work within their own system and with other systems, but also that they are not susceptible to interference. For an electrified society to function, the electronics must work.

Otherwise, what could happen in the worst case?

There are EMC problems that become a cost issue, such as bearing damage to electric motors caused by bearing currents. But there are also cases where electromagnetic interference has caused major problems, such as a car’s ABS system being disrupted by a mobile phone in the car, causing the brakes to stop working. For an electrified society to function and be safe, the electronics must work.

Monitoring, data collection and control of industrial processes

We had the opportunity to interview Mohammad Newaj Jamil, a PhD student specialising in Pervasive and Mobile Computing at Luleå University of Technology. He gave us insights into Green Transition North’s sub-project 11, “Sensor Fusion and Data Analysis”, which focuses on improving the recovery process of black pulp from lithium batteries through hydrometallurgy.

Can you tell us more about the sub-project and what goals you are pursuing with your work?

The main objective of this sub-project is to investigate and develop concepts, frameworks and prototypes that use distributed systems for monitoring, data collection, and control of industrial processes. Our focus is on making the control of processes more flexible, powerful and programmable. This includes implementing seamless failover, device replacement and avoiding technology lock-in, which is in line with the dynamic vision of a cutting-edge industry transitioning towards green technologies.

Sensor fusion sounds like a complex concept. Could you explain it in more detail?

Sensor fusion is a technique that combines data from multiple physical sensors to provide more reliable information, even if individual sensors are not completely reliable. This process minimises uncertainty and improves the overall performance of the task.

How is your research in line with sustainable development and environmental sustainability?

Sensor fusion and data analytics are integral to many artificial intelligence (AI) applications, such as robotics, autonomous vehicles, smart cities and the Internet of Things (IoT). The use of AI in various industries helps to build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation and drive innovation. Therefore, this research is in line with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure.

How do you think the advances in sensor technology and data analytics that you are researching in this project could impact the future of industrial processes?

This project will significantly influence the future of industrial processes in the following ways:

1. The integration of heterogeneous devices in plants and in the field, each with different design features and onboard functions to monitor and control industrial processes.

2. Implementing distributed operation and software updates without being locked into vendor-specific devices and software.

3. Achieve effective and efficient data analytics in the edge-cloud continuum.

Can you give us some insight into your background and the path that led you to this area?

My educational path started with a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and Engineering. I then completed an Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters Degree in Green Networking and Cloud Computing, which focused on assessing the environmental impact of ICT and optimising resource use in ICT. After completing my Master’s degree, I felt inspired to contribute to green change and sustainable development.

How long have you lived in Sweden and what is your overall impression of life here?

I have been living in Sweden for about one and a half years. My experience of life here has been quite good.

Cybersecurity and disinformation the focus of events in partnership with the US Embassy

On 3 May 2023, several events on cybersecurity and disinformation were held in partnership with the US Embassy in Stockholm. The organiser was the Vinnova-funded project #fulltäckning - Rural ICT Testbed at Luleå University of Technology.

The events included both a round table discussion with local and regional stakeholders and two open lectures attended by over 100 people, both students and companies.

Speakers Bob Jensen and Mark Pfeifle shared the latest risk, crisis and resilience strategies against increasing disinformation and cyber threats. Jensen, who previously served as spokesperson for the White House National Security Council, emphasised that Sweden’s high trust in the national media and strong democracy are key to resilience against disinformation. Pfeifle, who previously served as deputy assistant to the president and deputy national security adviser for strategic communications, stressed the importance of identifying organisational risks and having a plan for how to act and communicate in crises.

During the event, many interesting questions were asked from the audience, including whether to stop using social media such as Twitter. The response from Jensen and Pfeifle was that we should all think about why we use different social media and be aware that we are sharing our personal information for the financial, political or other benefit of others. They also pointed out that municipalities and other stakeholders should work together to strengthen legislation on the use of individuals’ data.

The event was very well received and we would like to thank everyone for the insightful discussions and of course our speakers Bob Jensen and Mark Pfeifle.

CDT’s unprecedented support for doctoral projects in 2023

In 2023, CDT has seen a record number of funded PhD projects. Over the course of the year, numerous PhD students received funding for their main projects through CDT. Here you can find details of some of these projects and their respective research areas.

a particular focus on the optimised storage of electricity in mobile battery units.

Alma Fahlén PhD student in the Green Transition North project, specialises in waste science and technology, with a particular focus on the production of biohydrogen.

Amin Moosavi PhD student in the Green Transition North project, specialises in fluid mechanics, with

Anton Holmström PhD student in the Bioblock project, specialises in Information systems.

Björn Lindqvist PhD student in the Applied AI DIH North project, specialises in Robotics and Artificial Intelligence.

Abdullah Aziz PhD student in the Applied AI DIH North project, specialises in CyberPhysical Systems.

Adam Isaksson PhD student in the Green Transition North project, specialising in process metallurgy, with a particular focus on hydrometallurgy.

Adnin Mourin PhD student in the Digital Urban Development project, specialises in Power Engineering.

Ahmed Afif Monrat PhD student in the 5G Edge Innovations for Mining project, specialises in Pervasive and Mobile Computing.

Christoffer Alenius

PhD student in the Green Transition North project, specialises in energy science, with a particular focus on energy-efficient cultivation.

Hafiz Zubyrul Kazme

PhD student in the VISA/5G project, specialises in Electric Power Engineering.

Niklas Dahlquist PhD student in the 5G Edge Innovations for Mining project, specialises in Robotics and Artificial Intelligence.

Emad Farouk Ibrahim PhD student in the Wireless Innovation Arena project, specialising in Signal Processing.

Melina Sattelmeier

PhD student in the Green Transition North project, specialising in fluid mechanics, with a particular focus on the optimised storage of electricity.

Nikolai Galkin

PhD student in the VISA/5G project, specialises in Dependable Communication and Computation Systems.

Emelie Berglund

PhD student in the Green Transition North project, specialises in electronic systems, with a particular focus on the development of active philtres for EMC.

Mohammad Newaj Jamil PhD student in the Green Transition North project, specialises in pervasive and mobile computing, with a particular focus on sensor fusion and data analytics.

Oluwatosin Adewumi

PhD student in the Applied AI DIH North project, specialises in Machine Learning.

Faryal Junaid PhD student in the Arctic 6G project, specialising in Signal Processing.

Morteza Alizadeh PhD student in the DIT4Bears project, specialises in Computer Science.

Oskar Wintercorn PhD student in the Applied AI DIH North project, specialises in CyberPhysical Systems.

Prakash Chandra Chhipa PhD student in the Applied AI DIH North project, specialises in Machine Learning.

Sana Al-Azzawi PhD student in the Intelligent Food Production Systems project, specialises in Machine Learning.

Richa Upadhyay PhD student in the Applied AI DIH North project, specialises in Machine Learning.

Simon Andersson PhD student in the Bioblock project, specialises in Information systems.

Nurun Nahar PhD student in the Arctic 6G project, specialises in Pervasive and Mobile Computing.

Simon Johnsson PhD student in the Green Transition North project, specialising in Signal Processing.

Salman Javed PhD student in the Applied AI DIH North project, specialises in CyberPhysical Systems.

Sreelakshmi Vattaparambil Sudarsan PhD student in the Applied AI DIH North project, specialises in Embedded Intelligent Systems.

Linda Sandgren, PhD student in the Green Transition North project, specialises in machine design, with a particular focus on modularisation for the circular economy.

Sami Kabir PhD student in the Digital Urban Development project, specialises in Pervasive and Mobile Computing.

Yomn Elmistikawy PhD student in the WIA project, specialises in Information systems.

Electric tractor expedition with yellow touring machines

A tour with an electric wheel loader was conducted by the TRE-m project, where the autotesting facilities are hosting a demonstration to give representatives from the business community and test municipalities a first opportunity to see and drive the tractor.

In recent years, the test facilities in the winter test region have developed charging infrastructure on behalf of customers that goes far beyond what is publicly available in Norrbotten. Initially, to meet the need for charging stations for passenger cars. But recently, rechargeable trucks have also been tested in various facilities. Development is now progressing rapidly. For example, AB Volvo has announced a major restructuring of its model range, including what we usually call “yellow machines”. Against this background, SPGA (Swedish Proving Ground Association) has organised an electric tractor expedition together with Swecon. This is a tour with an electric wheel loader, where the auto test facilities will host a demonstration and where representatives from the business community and test communities will have a first opportunity to see and test drive the tractor.

- An exciting development, says Michael Lindeman of Icemakers. We have already set up the charging infrastructure.

The days of the diesel engine are behind us

The expedition started at the Arctic Falls test facility in Piteå. Fredrik Askling from Swecon gave an introductory talk in which he made us understand that the diesel engine’s best days are behind us. In addition to the electric wheel loader, which was also shown in Arvidsjaur, Slagnäs and Arjeplog in the further course of the expedition, an electric mini excavator was also available for viewing and test driving. Markus Samuelsson from Arctic Falls comments.

- It is really quiet and has fantastic comfort.

Fredrik Askling reports on others’ experiences of the working environment aspects, with a field test perspective, saying:

- When you come home after work, you are not as tired as before. This is of

course related to much less shaking and vibrations, but just the fact that you do not have to shout to be heard when someone is standing next to you and needs to think makes for a working environment on a whole different level.

Listening to the machines

At the second stop, in Arvidsjaur, Icemakers acted as hosts. This was followed by a demonstration in Slagnäs in Tjintokk and finally a group of people from Arjeplog were able to hear and feel the machine on site in Colmis. Many of the guests naturally wondered how long the batteries would last. Per Gyllenberg from Colmis explains.

- The battery can be expected to last a normal working day. An operating time of 3.5 hours may not sound much. But you have time to recharge the batteries during the lunch break and, above all, we are talking about efficient operating time. When the driver stands still with the machine and waits for others to do their part, he is not consuming energy. And that’s just the beginning of the development. If you want to clear snow for 8 hours at a stretch like we do, you will have to wait for the next generation of electric wheel loaders.

Profitable electricity pioneers

Fredrik Askling’s colleague Mattias Nilsson also clearly pointed out at the end that if you drive the machine every day, it will be profitable even with this little electric pioneer on the wheel loader market.

- The machine costs more, but the running costs are only a fraction compared to filling up with diesel, even if electricity is expensive from time to time. Absolutely superior if you need to move outside as well as inside. We have sold several hundred machines to agriculture, various arenas, construction companies, municipal companies and so on.

Successful event on digital infrastructure in the North

On 28 September, 115 participants, including leading industry experts, researchers and entrepreneurs, met in Luleå for a day of collaboration exploring the possibilities for future digital infrastructure and industry. The event was jointly organised by Luleå Science Park, Luleå University of Technology and Telia to highlight the important role that digital infrastructure plays in the green transformation in northern Sweden.

Companies and organisations that are central to the societal transformation in Northern Sweden actively participated in the event. Partners such as LKAB, Telia, Luleå Business Region, Luleå Municipality, RISE, Ericsson and many others contributed to a dynamic day.

The presentations covered a wide range of topics, including digital transformation in the mining industry, sustainability strategies and the groundbreaking work H2 Green Steel is doing in steel production. ThingWave, an innovative spinoff company from Luleå University of Technology, also shared its expertise.

Participants also gained insights into projects in areas such as community towers for mobile coverage, music generation with 5G and how smart

grids can optimise energy supply. Another project presented during the day was “Green Transition North,” which focused on research and innovation in circular business models and energy storage.

- Digitalisation is a powerful driver for increasing productivity and creating more sustainable business processes and models. Connected devices and 5G open up opportunities, for example in safe and efficient mining, says Karl Andersson, professor and dean at Luleå University of Technology.

The event ended with impressive technology demonstrations in the Robotics Lab at Luleå University of Technology, including 5G, artificial intelligence and robotics.

The day provided valuable insights into

sustainability, digitalisation and innovation in different sectors. It also confirmed the central role of northern Sweden in the green transformation and the opportunities created by the ongoing digital transformation. The organisers, Luleå University of Technology, Telia and Luleå Science Park, received positive feedback and look forward to future collaboration opportunities that can drive the green transformation.

Sara Json Lindmark, Operations Manager at Luleå Science Park, sums it up well:

- Together we need to build a strong social infrastructure for how we innovate and create smart solutions in practise that leverage the digital transformation of the new industrialisation.

Successful Gender Contact Point day

For half a day, companies, researchers and other stakeholders gathered to be inspired at the annual Gender Contact Point Day. This year’s theme was “Gender Equality Culture as a Competitive Advantage”.

Suggest actions

Participants heard presentations from one of Sweden’s most gender-equal companies, the Innovator of the Year and one of our most famous hockey players of all time. Topics covered were how to challenge gender roles in the beer industry, how to promote insider leadership and effective self-leadership, and how to avoid unconsciously exclusionary statements.

Inclusive communication with AI

The presentation by Niklas Karvonen, Chief Technology Officer at Substorm, and Karin Sjöö Åkeblom, CEO at Tromb, discussed the possibility of creating inclusive communication using AI. They highlighted how wording in job advertisements can influence who feels approached and interested in a certain job, and how unconsciously exclusionary expressions in recruitment campaigns can cause some people to refrain from applying. They also presented the NoBias project, which explored norms and biases around communication in technology-related industries and fields using design and AI. They discussed different strategies to avoid exclusionary language and how AI can be used as a tool for more inclusive communication.

Self-leadership

Another much appreciated speaker was Maria Rooth, Olympic gold medallist in ice hockey. Maria spoke about self-leadership and how to take control of your own life. Her talk was about understanding what drives us and how we can determine our own goals and priorities. In her talk, she emphasised the importance of creating an inclusive culture where all players, regardless of gender, feel welcome and respected.

Inclusion

Two other speakers were Katharina Frank and Linn Wallo from Luleå Energi. They spoke about the company’s work on inclusion and developing a culture

that promotes “insiderism’. They also shared how the company managed to be ranked as the third most equal workplace in Sweden by Nyckeltalsinstitutet.

Challenging gender roles

The last speaker was Sofie Zätterqvist, who was named Innovator of the Year 2022 by Luleå University of Technology for her dissertation that uses non-alcoholic beer to raise questions about gender and equality. What started with an ex-job as a graphic designer evolved into a concept for a microbrewery called Don’t be an asshole brewery. With the help of non-alcoholic beer and clever graphic design, Sofie Zätterqvist works with equality issues. For Mattias Bergström, co-owner of Bottenvikens Bryggeri, working with beer as an equal product is a given. They want to get away from the fact that beer is a stereotypical male product.

An inspiring day

Jonna Barsk from SSAB was very pleased with the event and expressed that all participants were able to take away at least one nugget from each presentation. She also said that they felt empowered and inspired after the day and that she and her colleagues had made new contacts.

Organiser

The conference was co-organised by Gender Contact Point, Applied AI DIH North, 5G for healthcare in North Sweden, Arctic 6G, Datacenter Innovation Region, Dataföreningen i Sverige, DigiBy, DIT4BEARs, Gender Smart Arena, NoBias, RISE, SMALL, SSiO, TRE-m, Wireless Innovation Arena, VISA/5G, Let’s Create Music, RörLa, Digital City Development, 5G Edge Innovations for Mining and #Fulltäckning. The event was co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund.

The AI Day 2023

In January 2023, Vetenskapens hus in Luleå hosted the AI Day, an event on artificial intelligence. One of the prominent speakers at the event was Marcus Liwicki, a professor at Luleå University of Technology. He highlighted the remarkable advances in AI, noting that in the past AI could simulate the intelligence level of a five-year-old, whereas now it has risen to the level of a ten-year-old child.

The AI Day was organised in cooperation between Applied AI DIH North, Luleå University of Technology, Norrbotten Region, Luleå Municipality and Skellefteå Municipality. The event revolved around the latest developments in artificial intelligence and included applications, experiences, business models, future predictions and collaboration between universities and companies in northern Sweden.

One of the highlights of the event was the session entitled “The technologies that enable”,” led by Marcus Liwicki. He discussed how AI enables technical systems to perceive their environment, manage what they perceive and solve problems to achieve specific goals. Machine learning, a key aspect of AI, was the focus of his presentation.

AI systems can adapt their behaviour by analysing the consequences of previous actions, with the aim of enabling machines to understand the world in a similar way to humans. Access to rich and diverse data is essential

to the success of AI, as insufficient data can lead to incorrect conclusions. Michael Nilsson, project manager at CDT, gave an example of how AI could help alarm operators and highlighted the potential for robots to play a more important role, especially in an ageing population.

The next steps for the AI community are to democratise AI and make it accessible to a wider audience. Marcus Liwicki emphasised the goal of using AI to simplify life for everyone, not just large companies with vast resources. The potential of AI to solve complex problems and tackle repetitive tasks in different industries was also discussed.

The day was met with an overwhelmingly positive response. The audience at the event ranged from small businesses to established IT experts and large industry groups. Understanding the business models and return on investment of AI was seen as crucial for companies adopting AI, especially in the context of the green transition.

New initiative to secure critical infrastructure for electricity supply

Luleå University of Technology has started a collaboration with companies such as Hitachi Energy, Vattenfall, Ericsson, Telia, Metrum and IETV. The aim is to research and demonstrate how 5G technology can be used to increase the operational security of critical infrastructure.

By using technologies such as 5G and automation, it is hoped to simplify the construction and maintenance of power systems and create smart grids that are more flexible and adaptable. Smart grids can optimise the distribution of electricity, reduce the risk of interruptions and support a higher share of renewable energy, which is crucial for a more sustainable energy transition and future.

“We will combine the latest from IT, telecommunications and the energy sector with groundbreaking research. The collaboration is an important step in developing new application areas for 5G technology and strengthens Sweden’s position on a global level,” says Karl Andersson, Professor of Pervasive and Mobile Computing at Luleå University of Technology.

Peter de Bruin, a senior researcher at Ericsson and one of the parties to the project, emphasises the benefits of 5G networks:

“With 5G comes the opportunity to create local solutions for secure and fast data transmission. 5G offers high security, high reliability and low latency, enabling a completely new environment for application development in local clouds or clouds at the edge of the communication network”.

Math Bollen, professor of electrical power engineering at Luleå University of Technology, is involved in the project.

“We are now planning the experimental work, which will first take place in Luleå at Luleå University of Technology and then be moved to Älvkarleby in Vattenfall’s newly established 5G test environment, which Telia has built with technology from Ericsson,” says Math Bollen.

The initiative for more reliability in critical infrastructure is taking place within the VISA/5G project, Vendor Independent Substation Automation over 5G. Substations in particular are critical to the distribution of electricity and are an important part of the power grid. With the help of 5G and automation, substations can be monitored and controlled more efficiently. You can collect data in real time from different parts of the power grid and optimise operations. This way, you can quickly identify and solve problems, which increases operational reliability and reduces the risk of interruptions.

Vinnova is the main financier and the project has a budget of SEK 14.8 million. For more information, visit www.visa5g.se

Virtual music studio for remote creation

Luleå University of Technology and the development company BD Pop have started a collaboration with the aim of creating a virtual studio where musicians can produce music without geographical restrictions.

“The development will be cross-border and location-independent between the music and games industry, academia and business developers,” says Michael Nilsson, project manager at Luleå University of Technology.

´The project is being carried out as part of Let’s Create Music, a cross-sector innovation project at Luleå University of Technology.

“We see the need for an arena where music creators can work with creating music regardless of their geographical location,” says Pär Soini, CEO of BD Pop.

Regional artists

BD Pop is a Norrbotten founded music development company with a mission to support regional artists and music productions. The Norrbotten Region and the municipalities of Boden, Jokkmokk, Luleå, Pajala, Piteå, Älvsbyn, Överkalix and Övertorneå are co-owners of BD Pop.

Digital creative environment

The project is based on two preparatory studies in which the needs were investigated and technical obstacles were identified. One wish that came up was for a virtual studio that will develop the project together with the game industry.

A big problem with digital songwriting sessions is the delays in communication. But with 5G technology, opportunities are opening up for multiple musicians to make music at the same time with minimal delay. Part of the work will therefore be to conduct technology assessments and tests in the university’s 5G environments.

Sustainable music creation

“We want to enable sustainable music creation and production regardless of geographical location,” says Annica Bray, project manager at Luleå University of Technology.

This means reducing the need to travel and facilitating collaboration with musicians around the world.

“We need to strengthen entrepreneurship and contribute to innovation-based businesses and sustainable growth within the industry. We will create a platform that offers a unique opportunity for music production, wirelessly and remotely,” Annica Bray continues.

Also involved in the project are Anna-Karin Gullberg, researcher in music education and Senior Lecturer in Education at Luleå University of Technology, and producer and songwriter David Lindgren Zacharias. He sees great opportunities in the project, which he believes can attract both national and international collaborations, including virtual meetings and master classes.

5G test environments

The work focuses on the creative process, where 5G through low latency allows musicians to work where they are most creative, without technical barriers. The University is providing the technical expertise and a range of 5G testing environments. BD Pop contributes with its knowledge of music production, creation and its network with songwriters.

The project is funded by the European Regional Development Fund, Region Norrbotten, Luleå Business Region, Skellefteå Municipality, and Sparbanken Nord.

In September, an important test of the 5G network’s ability to produce music in real time took place at Luleå University of Technology. It aimed to test the ability to produce music online in real time using the 5G test environment.

Better mobile phone coverage and higher capacity in the Luleå archipelago

On the island of Storbrändön in the Luleå archipelago, a 45-metre-high mobile phone mast (in Swedish: Samhällsmast) has been erected, mainly financed by public authorities. The mast strengthens civil preparedness and improves safety, among other things for maritime traffic in the area. The mast provides better coverage and more capacity for mobile and broadband services for people in the archipelago.

“The mast improves availability for residents, visitors and businesses in the Luleå archipelago. For people in the archipelago, good mobile reception is crucial to be able to communicate with others. Luleå Municipality’s decision to co-finance the modern infrastructure and issue a building permit shows that they take the need seriously and prioritise investment in the archipelago,” says Annika Svensson, project manager at Luleå University of Technology and deputy coordinator of the Rural ICT Testbed – #fulltäckning.

Volume in Luleå harbour estimated to be four times higher

Luleå is a city dominated by maritime traffic and the Port of Luleå is the largest bulk port in Sweden. Overall, the port is the fifth largest port in the country. Thanks to the state-owned icebreakers and ice-breaking tugs, the navigation channel and the harbour are accessible even in winter. Every year, more than eight million tonnes of goods are shipped to and from the Port of Luleå. As a result of industrial expansions in northern Sweden, the volume is expected to quadruple. The mast on Storbrändön is crucial for the expansion of the port of Luleå. There are more than 1,000 islands in the Luleå archipelago, where there is a busy boating life and the possibility of renting cabins. Interest in visiting the archipelago is simply growing – and the ability to visit while having access to a well-functioning mobile network is becoming increasingly important.

A mast financed in whole or in part by the public can improve mobile coverage in a larger area where the commercial conditions to roll out a mobile network alone do not exist. It also allows several mobile operators to share the infrastructure. Publicly funded masts are tall lattice tower structures on which multiple operators can place their own antennas or share them with each other. In addition to the potential for better coverage, publicly funded masts are also important for improving transmission capacity in a geographical area. Increased capacity allows more people and connected technologies to use the mobile network at the same time without experiencing poor quality or slow connections. Improved and expanded network coverage in an area can, for example, lead to more people moving to the area and increased tourism

because more people are interested in and feel safe to visit the area and have access to communication services. In addition, the mast improves mobile communications at sea.

Increased safety

The publicly funded mast on Storbrändön is a partnership between several actors inside and outside the project #fulltäckning. The project partner MW Cyber as part of the MW group and Scanmast are responsible for the installation of the publicly funded mast on Storbrändön, as they are specialists in installations and connectivity in rough terrain.

The project has played an important role in enabling the construction of the publicly funded mast on Storbrändön, the first publicly funded mast of its kind in northern Sweden. The mast is located on the highest point of the island, called “Knöppeln”. The project is a partnership in Vinnova’s Challenge-driven Innovation, Level 3 programme, where around 30 partners are working together to improve network coverage and create opportunities for people living and working across the country. In areas where there will be no commercial mobile network roll-out, mobile coverage can be increased by building publicly funded masts, thus avoiding the exclusion of these areas from the digital society. The long-term goal of #fulltäckning is to create attractive and competitive rural areas that have access to mobile coverage.

“We are currently looking for other locations that might be interesting for similar installations. In the near future, the project will install more off-grid base stations along Kungsleden south of Abisko in the Swedish mountains,” says Annika Svensson.

The partners in the #fulltäckning project involved in the construction of the publicly funded mast on Storbrändön are: Luleå University of Technology, Luleå Municipality, Swedish Transport Agency, MW Cyber, Radio Innovation, Luleå Archipelago Association and Småskären Economic Association.

Other stakeholders involved in the construction of the publicly funded mast on Storbrändön are: The property owners Margareta Rönnqvist and Maria Öqvist, Storbrändön Marina and Road Association, Scanmast and Telia Towers.

Community masts for mobile phone coverage - an important issue

Mobile coverage for rescue operations in sparsely populated areas is an important issue. Better coverage in extremely sparsely populated areas can mean the difference between life and death in an emergency.

Mobile coverage is an important part of our daily lives. We depend on being able to communicate digitally, no matter where we are. Although technological solutions have advanced significantly in recent years, there are still areas with a lack of mobile coverage. The challenges posed by the lack of mobile coverage are particularly great in extremely rural areas such as the mountains. This is not only a problem for private individuals, but also for important social functions such as emergency services and health care.

Rescue operations in the mountains

Stefan Fjällström, commissioner and business developer for the police mountain rescue service in northern Sweden, says that a lack of mobile phone coverage can be crucial in an emergency:

- Mountain rescue depends on good mobile communication. When private individuals are in the mountains and need help, it is important that they have access to functioning mobile communication. Then they can alert and cooperate with the rescue services quickly and efficiently in an emergency. If there is no reception, it can take longer for the emergency to be detected, which can have serious consequences.

The police are responsible for all rescue operations in the mountain area. To support them, there is the mountain rescue service, which relies on the work of volunteers who are trained and equipped by the police. The mountain rescuers help people who need emergency assistance in the mountains.

Stefan Källström continues:

- We have seen many examples of situations where the mobile phone did not work as it should, delaying or complicating rescue efforts. It also happens that our resources are called to people who are outside the coverage of mobile networks and where there has been no emergency at all, due to alarms from concerned relatives. A rescue mission costs about 150,000 SEK. So there is a lot to be gained by putting resources where they are really needed.

High-altitude radio cabins enable mobile communication

The police and other blue-light authorities use the Rakel network for their own communications in connection with operations. However, in the mountainous regions where Stefan and his colleagues work with rescue operations, the coverage of this network is also severely limited, making it difficult to coordinate and carry out rescue operations.

The topography of the mountains makes coverage with conventional mobile phone masts difficult. The Rural ICT Testbed - #fulltäckning project has therefore developed a solution with high-placed radio cabins. The project has implemented the solution in the mountains of Kiruna, where four radio cells cover parts of the Kungsleden south of Abisko, where they enable mobile communication and effective rescue operations.

So better mobile coverage and sufficient capacity in the networks is an important issue. This is also the impetus for the project, which is being carried out by Luleå University of Technology in cooperation with about thirty other private and public stakeholders. The project is actively working to improve mobile coverage and communication in rural areas.

Establishing hotspot networks

Mobile communication infrastructure is not only important for the inhabitants of rural areas, but also for society as a whole. Better mobile phone coverage, for example, allows people to work remotely, which in turn can increase the number of people settling in rural areas. This is shown not least by the project’s experience with a community mast erected on an island in Strängnäs municipality. Better mobile phone coverage can also boost tourism in the region, which benefits local businesses and creates new jobs. Companies can also benefit by being able to do business in places where this was not possible before.

Johan Jobér, co-founder of the Nätägarna economic association, which has been a strong advocate for the establishment of a hotspot network south of Abisko, points out that the network is important for the economy in the region:

- The hotspot network that the #fulltäckning project has built not only creates opportunities and more security for individuals, but also for businesses. Besides the obvious advantage of being able to communicate with mobile coverage, emergency calls, digital payments and access to other community services - which are now taken for granted - are also made possible, both privately and for business.

Annika Svensson, project manager at Luleå University of Technology and active in the #fulltäckning project, says:

- We are pleased that the project was able to contribute to improved mobile coverage and are happy to help find more places where mobile coverage needs to be improved.

Cross-disciplinary research collaboration

Our collaboration with LTU’s research groups remains a very important component of our work. Today, we collaborate actively with several different areas of research.

Architecture

The research team sees architecture, design, economic, practical and functional design integrated with the aesthetic harmonious and symbolic dimensions. It also includes what architecture means for the relationship between people, nature, history and built environment in the various levels of society.

CONTACT:

Agatino Rizzo, Chaired Professor agatino.rizzo@ltu.se +46 (0)920 493438

Automatic control

Automatic control is “the science of automated systems”. Simply put, automatic control theory is about to control systems so that they behave as desired.

CONTACT:

Dina Shona Laila, Professor dina.shona.laila@ltu.se +46 (0)920 493448

Construction Management and Building Technology

Technical solutions, tools, methods and organizing for the planning, information management and control of sustainable and integrated industrialized construction and business processes.

CONTACT:

Lars Stehn, Chaired Professor Lars.Stehn@ltu.se +46 (0)920 491976

Cyber-Physical Systems

Focus is on fully integrated software and application architectures with implementations of highly distributed embedded systems. The systems interact with each other and their surroundings to enable secure, goal-oriented, autonomous and developable solutions.

CONTACT:

Jerker Delsing, Chaired Professor jerker.delsing@ltu.se +46 (0)920 491898

Dependable Communication and Computation Systems

The research subject focus on cyber physical systems and Internet of Things, simulation of complex distributed systems, agent-based architectures and bio inspired control in complex industrial infrastructures, among other things.

CONTACT:

Valeriy Vyatkin, Chaired Professor valeriy.vyatkin@ltu.se +46 (0)920 492505

Design

Design research is conducted within, among other things, engineering technology and development of methods used with modern design technology, multidisciplinary collaboration in design, cultural aspects of global design and ergonomics and design.

CONTACT:

Åsa Wikberg Nilsson, Chaired Professor Asa.Wikberg-Nilsson@ltu.se

+46 (0)920 491342

Electric Power Engineering

Electric power engineering covers studies of sustainable systems for production of electrical energy, transport of electrical energy and the interaction between the power grid, electricity production and electricity consumption.

CONTACT:

Math Bollen, Chaired Professor math.bollen@ltu.se

+46 (0)910 585713

Electronic Systems

The research subject includes electronic design, measurement technology and electromagnetic compatibility for control, monitoring and instrumentation of technical processes and systems.

CONTACT :

Jonas Ekman, Chaired Professor Jonas.Ekman@ltu.se

+46 (0)920 492828

Energy Engineering

Energy engineering concerns the development of technologies and processes in order to build a sustainable energy supply.

CONTACT:

Marcus Öhman, Chaired Professor marcus.ohman@ltu.se

+46 (0)920-491977

Entrepreneurship and Innovation

The subject deals with development of firms and organizations with a specific focus on business development based on innovative products and services, production solutions or ways to lead and organize activities.

CONTACT:

Vinit Parida, Chaired Professor vinit.parida@ltu.se

+46 (0)920-492469

Fluid Mechanics

Focus is on flow through porous media, multiphase flow, flow with free surfaces and in-stationary flow.

CONTACT:

Staffan Lundström, Chaired Professor staffan.lundstrom@ltu.se

+46 (0)920 492392

Human Work Science

The research group Human Work Science is part of the Division Humans and Technology. Since 1974, we have conducted research and education within human work science in both technical and social science sectors.

CONTACT:

Lena Abrahamsson, Chaired Professor lena.abrahamsson@ltu.se

+46 (0)920 492107

Industrial Marketing

Industrial Marketing involves activities and processes for creating, communicating, and delivering value to customers and other stakeholders. This includes marketing of goods, services, and information between organizations and their customers. Marketing across international borders and in digital channels are areas of particular importance for the subject, as well as services marketing, tourism, and branding.

CONTACT:

Maria Ek Styvén, Chaired Professor Maria.Styven@ltu.se

+46 (0)920 491501

Information Systems

Information Systems covers design and use of information technology in relation to people, organizations and societies.

CONTACT:

Ahmed Elragal, Professor ahmed.elragal@ltu.se

+46 (0)920-493670

Machine Elements

Machine Elements comprises the analysis and optimization of machine components and component systems in order to enhance performance, longevity, energy-efficiency, reliability and sustainability.

CONTACT:

Roland Larsson, Chaired Professor Roland.Larsson@ltu.se

+46 (0)920 491325

Machine Learning

The Machine Learning group targets fundamental and application-oriented research in Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence, including deep learning, pattern recognition, and human computer interaction; with applications in digital humanities, education, document analysis, and Industry 4.0.

CONTACT:

Marcus Liwicki, Chaired Professor marcus.liwicki@ltu.se

+46 (0)920 491006

Pervasive and Mobile Computing

Pervasive and mobile computing address distributed systems and mobile networks, which enable mobility, ubiquity and interactivity of computers, data, software and users.

CONTACT:

Christer Åhlund, Chaired Professor chister.ahlund@ltu.se

+46 (0)910 585331

Robotics and AI

The Robotics team is world class when it comes to Robotics and specifically drone technology. As part of NASA’s team in the Subterranean Challenge, they successfully came in second place in the world in the first circuit of the prestigious competition

CONTACT:

George Nikolakopoulos, Chaired Professor george.nikolakopoulos@ltu.se +46 (0)920 491298

Signal Processing

Luleå University of Technology established Sweden’s first professor’s chair in Signal Processing in 1988. Current research areas are flexible radio communications and signal processing methods in measurement technology applications.

CONTACT: Jaap van de Beek, Chaired Professor jaap.vandeBeek@ltu.se +46 (0)920 493383

Results

Our aim is to identify highly innovative and novel research findings with technical and commercial potential. We also need to export these ideas to society and companies by creating sustainable business innovation.

Moreover, our research groups at Luleå University of Technology is a key asset of our activities. To secure continuous world class innovations, academic achievements are of great importance to us. Consequently, we measure the number of publications, reports, Doctoral degrees as well as how many Licentiate degrees that were awarded each year.

CDT in figures 2020-2023

Post-Graduate Degrees Accumulated

Professors/

Associate Professors

Anita Mirijamdotter

Anna Ståhlbröst

Birgitta Bergvall-Kåreborn

Dick Schefström

James P LeBlanc

Jeaneth Johansson

Karl Andersson

Kåre Synnes

Malin Malmström

Mari Runardotter

Mikael Wiberg

Olov Schelen

Peter Parnes

Wolfgang Birk

Åsa Wikberg Nilsson

Doctors

Abdolrasoul Habibipour

Ahmed Afif Monrat

Ali Padyab

Anders Lindgren

Anna Ståhlbröst

Anton Koval

Aya Rizk

Björn Lindqvist

Dan Johansson

Daniel Granlund

Dick Schefström

Eva Källhammer

Frank Sjöberg

Jan-Jaap van de Beek

Jeremiah Scholl

Jil Sutaria

Johan Karlsson

Johan Kristiansson

John Lindström

Josef Hallberg

Juwel Rana

Kazi Main Uddin Ahmed

Kåre Synnes

Lara Lorna Jimenez

Lars-Åke Larzon

Malin Malmström

Marita Holst

Mikael Degermark

Mikael Drugge

Mikael Sundström

Niklas Karvonen

Olov Schelén

Oluwatosin Adewumi

Per Ödling

Peter Parnes

Raihan Ul Islam

Roland Hostettler

Roland Parviainen

Thomas Pederson

Ulf Bodin

Yulia Berezovskaya

Licentiates

Ahmed Afif Monrat

Ali Padyab

Anders Lindgren

Andreas Jonsson

Andreas Papadimitriou

Anna Ståhlbröst

Dan Johansson

Daniel Granlund

Emad Ibrahim

Frank Sjöberg

Helena Oskarsson

Jeremiah Scholl

Johan Karlsson

Johan Kristiansson

Johan Nykvist

Josef Hallberg

Josefin Lassinantti

Karl Löwenmark

Kåre Synnes

Lars-Åke Larzon

Laurynas Riliskis

Lena Palmqvist

Marcus Nilsson

Martin Sehlstedt

Mats Folke

Matthias Wahlqvist

Mikael Drugge

Morteza Alizadeh

Nosheen Abid

Oluwatosin Adewumi

Pierre Fransson

Prakash Chandra Chhipa

Raihan Ul Islam

Richa Upadhyay

Richard Nilsson

Robert Granlund

Roland Parviainen

Stefan Elf

Tomas Nilsson

Ulf Bodin

Ulrika Wiss

Spin-off companies

CDT supports and finances the commercialization process of research innovations. A powerful way to do this is the generation of commercial spin-off companies. Since start, CDT has been involved in the forming of many spin-off companies based on academic research from Luleå University of Technology. The creation of these companies is beneficial to local economic development in the region.

Actegra – A design, product development and manufacturing company of electronic equipment for wireless communications and positioning. The concept behind the company arose in year 2009. In 2011, the collaborations with the CDT project “Sense Smart City”, was one of the factors that led to that the company expanded its activities and registered as a limited liability company. www.actegra.se

iGW – A company focusing on a developing infrastructure for collection, management and visualization of large amounts of data. www.igw.se

Oricane AB – The target customers of the company are vendors of software based network equipment, such as routers and firewalls, as well as vendors of custom hardware classification engines for high-end network equipment, 2006. www.oricane.se

Parnes Labs – Realizes dreams in the realm of development for the Web, Android, iPhone/iPad and just about anything related to the Internet! www.parnes.com/labs

Adela Innovation AB – A company developing products and services within area of enabling people to receive and listen to speech news-papers, 2008. www.adela.nu

Rubico AB – A company targeting the Swedish market for digital audio newspaper receivers/recorders, 2004. www.rubico.se

Operax AB – Operax develops key technology for data and telecommunication over Internet and Intranet within fixed and mobile systems, 2000.www.operax.com

Marratech AB – An Internet company developing products and services, which facilitate meetings between people on Internet, so called e-meetings, 1998. Bought by Google 2008, now a part of Google toolbox. www.marratech.com

Effnet AB – A developer of Internet Protocol (IP) header compression technologies, 1997. www.effnet.com

IT Norrbotten AB – A regional development company with the objective to create economic growth and develop work and industry in Norrbotten, 1996. www.itnorrbotten.se

Bollen Labs – A company that experiment with new ways to interact with computers, and new types of data visualization. www.bollenlabs.com

Skylite Affärsutveckling AB - The company offers qualitative services in digital business development, with expertise in project management, collaboration development, Business Intelligence and Artificial Intelligence. www.skylite.se

Team Tools Sweden AB - A company that develops simple and effective digital services for managing financial flows, administration and incomegenerating activities in associations. www.teamtools.se

Awards

AMBASSADOR OF THE YEAR FOR ADVANCED DIGITALISATION

Karl Andersson, CDT, LTU, won Vinnova’s Ambassador of the Year Award for Advanced Digitalisation 2023.

Infra Awards

The project Predictive Movement won second place in Infra Awards in 2021.

Winner: Datatadriven innovation

The project Predictive Movement won “Sveriges paketombud” and their data driven innovation challenge in 2020.

IM 100

CDT’s project manager Annika Svensson was named by the organization Infrastructure Masons as one of the 100 most important people who have contributed to the industry in 2020.

Finalist: Challengegov

The project Predictive Movement was finalist in the Challengegov competition in 2020.

New entrepreneur of the year

Partner company Team Tools won “New entrepreneur of the year” at the Boden Business gala in 2020.

Best Impact Maker

Team Pay was awarded best Impact Maker in the Venture Cup Regional Final in Start-up, Region North 2019.

Norrbotten’s Equality Award

NOMINATION

Paula Wennberg at CDT was nominated to Norrbotten’s Equality Award 2019.

Norrbotten’s Equality Award

NOMINATION

Paula Wennberg at CDT was nominated to Norrbotten’s Equality Award 2016.

Young Researcher Prize

Awarded Associate Senior Lecturer Damiano Varagnolo, Luleå University of Technology in 2015 from Norrbottens Forskningsråd.

Best Exhibitor

Awarded the CDT project USEMP during the ICT Days 2015 in Lisbon.

Spin-off

of the year

The CDT spin-off company KYAB receive the award “Spin-off of the year 2013” from the Luleå University of Technology.

Ericsson Patentable Invention Award

Award received by Ph D student Juwel Rana, LTU, Associate Professor Kåre Synnes, LTU and Stefan Håkansson and Johan Kristiansson at Ericsson in 2012, Sweden.

Best Student Paper Award

The International Conference on Social Computing and its Applications awarded Juwel Rana, Kåre Synnes and Johan Kristiansson “Best Student Paper Award”, in November 2012, in Xiangtan, China.

IT Personality of the Year

Dataföreningen i Norr, awarded Professor Christer Åhlund “IT personality of the year 2012”, in Skellefteå, Sweden.

Best Idea

Awarded the research project Sense Smart City at the European summit on the future of Internet in Luxembourg, 2011.

IT Organization of the Year

Awarded CDT in year 2011 from the IT society in Norrbotten, Sweden.

Chester Carlson Prize NOMINATION

Finalist Mikael Sundström in 2009 by IVA for efficient compression, storage and retrieval of information.

Best Paper NOMINATION

Awarded Bigitta Bergvall-Kåreborn, Marita Holst and Anna Ståhlbröst for “Concept Design with a Living Lab Approach at HICSS-42 at Big Island, Hawaii, in 2009.

SBAPA Award

Received by Kimmo Yliniemi (KYAB) in 2008.

Mobile Technology of the Year 2008

GULDMOBILEN

Awarded Oricane in 2008.

The Competence Gala´s Great Honorary Prize

Shared by Östen Mäkitalo and Anton Abele in 2008.

European Grand Ict Prize FINALIST

Awarded Operax AB in year 2007 by the European Commission.

Best Presentation Award

Awarded Mikael Sundström at ItechPartner Forum in Porto, Portugal, in 2007.

Best Paper

Awarded Christer Åhlund, Robert Brännström, Karl Andersson, and Örjan Tjernström for ”Multimedia Flow Mobility in Heterogeneous Networks Using Multihomed Mobile IPv6” at The 4th International Conference on Advances in Mobile Computing and Multimedia in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, in 2006.

Best New-Establishment In Luleå Rubico AB, a CDT-offspring, awarded for the best new establishment in Luleå in 2006.

Competitive Regions Best Practice 3 VITAL Project selected for presentation in Magdeburg, Germany, 2005.

Best Student Paper

Awarded Anna Hedman, David Carr, Hans Nässla in year 2004 for “Browsing thumbnails: A comparison of three techniques” by ITI2004 in Croatia.

Ericsson Inventor of the Year

Awarded Krister Svanbro at Ericsson in year 2001 for Header compression by Ericsson.

No 1 Swedish Research Project

Awarded Rocco project in 2000 by magazine Ny Teknik.

No 1 Swedish Researcher

“Chester Carlson Prize”

Awarded Mikael Degermark in year 2000 for “high performance routing” by IVA.

European Grand IST Prize FINALIST

Awarded Marratech AB in year 2000 in Nice by the European Commission.

Best Paper

Awarded Mikael Degermark in year 2000 for “high performance routing” by ACM/SIGCOM.

European Grand IST Prize (1st)

Awarded Effnet AB in year 1999 in Helsinki by the European Commission.

1st Prize In Swedish Innovation Cup 1998: Brodnik/Carlsson/Degermark/Pink – The Luleå Algorithm

FINANCES

Enabling our efforts

CDT is mainly financed by institutional sources, both nationally and internationally. This is for example EU framework programs and structural funds, along with national and regional governments.

CDT is a non profit organization. Nonetheless, a strong financial position helps us achieve our goals by being able to better support the projects we are involved in.

Balance Sheet (SEK ´000)

Income Statement (SEK

CDT Income 2023 (SEK ´000)

CDT Income 2023-2020 (SEK

Our Network

-One of our strongest assets

CDT offers an integrated environment for efficient cross-border collaboration between universities, commercial companies, governments and end users.

Our partners come from different organizations and working cultures, located at different geographical sites. CDT’s goal is to be a preferred R&D partner and meeting place. We have for several years invested in building long-term alliances with

selected national and international scientific communities as well as business partners.

Today, we consider our network one of our strongest assets, including many companies, organizations and research centres.

Partners

CORE PARTNERS

Ericsson

Luleå University of Technology

Skellefteå Municipality

COMPANIES

Swedish SMEs

3eflow

5 Addven

Agio

Arctic Med Tech

Arctic Space Technologies

Arctos Labs

Barrage Nordx

Behavioural Informatics

BI Nordic

BiTi Innovations

Brain Stimulation

Bnearit

Compodium

Conifer

Curest

DataDuctus

Earhart

Ecoloop

Effnet

Elastisys

Exercite

Flasheye

Ecodatacener

Gassecry

Grepit

Grönbo

Handla.io

Hydro66

IETV

Insightgap Psychology

Iteams Solutions

Jump Onboard

Lumire

Mindforce Game Lab

Mirror

Mobilaris

Softhouse

Nextree

Noah International

Nuiteq

ONar

Once Upon

Optimation

Orbigo

Peckas Tomater

Photon Sports

Predge

QT Systems

Raytelligence

Remos Space Systems

Senseworks

Service Node

Skylite

Skyresponse

Smart Recycling

Substorm

Susanns livs AB

Svenska Ljud

Team Tools

Tooltech Töre

The Fit

ThingWave

TnTX

Tuxodyne

Unlimited technologies

WDO

Winterkvist Design AB

Xarepo

Swedish Industry

ABB

AFRY

Bodens Energi

Boliden

H2 Green Steel

Hexatronic Cables & Interconnect

Hitachi Energi

InfoVista

LKAB

Luleå Energi

Lumire

NodePole

Northvolt

Nordlo Elevate

Pite Energi

Radio Innovation

Scanmast

Skellefteå Kraft

Swebio

SWECO

SWERIM

Telia

Telia Towers

Tieto

Vattenfall

Öviks Energi

International companies

Datariver, Modena Italy

Funlus Oy, Finland

Frontida Zois, Greece

Hellenic

Telecommunications, Greece

Italtel, Italy

Pikei New Technologies, Greece

Re:Lab SRL, Italy

SAMMY PC, Greece

Uniper

PUBLIC SECTOR

North Sweden municipalities

Boden

Luleå

Piteå

Älvsbyn

Övertorneå

Dorotea

Lycksele

Norsjö

Skellefteå

Storuman

Umeå

Ljusdal

Västerviks kommun

Kalmar Län

Dalarnas län

Other

Municipality of Egaleo, Greece

Region of Western Greece

Council of Oulu Region, Finland

NON-PROFIT

ORGANISATIONS

ABI - Arctic Business

Incubator

Brainport Development

Boden Business Agency

Business Sweden

Cluster Health, EmiliaRomagna, Italy

Clust-ER Innovate, Emilia-Romagna, Italy

Cluster SCC, Lombardia, Italy

iMEC

Infrastructure Masons

IT Norrbotten

IT-branschrådet Luleå

IUC Norr

Luleå Business Region

LTU Business

Luleå Science park

Skellefteå Science City

Skellefteå Digital

Alliance

Sveriges paketombud

SDIA - Swedish

Datacenter Industry

Association

Uminova

BD-pop

Unboxx

Luleå skärgårdsförening

Småskärens intresseförening

Laevas sameby

Polismyndigheten

Trafikverket

Insamlingsstiftelsen för

totalförsvarsstudier

Skogforsk

Statens

Veterinärmedicinska

Anstalt (SVA)

Totalförsvarets

Forskningsinstitut (FOI)

Frivilliga flygkåren

Samarkand2015

UNIVERSITIES AND RESEARCH INSTITUTES

Lapin University of Applied Sciences

Lunds universitet

Oulu University RISE

UiT The Arctic University of Norway

Umeå universitet

Sveriges

Lantbruksuniversitet SLU

University of Patras

Savonia University of Applied Sciences

PROJECT SPONSORS

Horizon Europe

I3-programmet

Vinnova

The Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth, ERUF

Interreg Aurora FORMAS

The Swedish Energy Agency Kolarctic Region Norrbotten

Region Västerbotten

Norrbotten Chamber of Commerce

Västerbotten Chamber of Commerce

Bodens Municipality

Boden Development

Luleå Municipality

Luleå Business Region

Lycksele Municipality

Sorsele Municipality

Åre Municipality

Vilhelmina Municipality

Norsjö Municipality

Piteå Municipality

Skellefteå Kraft

Storuman Municipality

Umeå Municipality

Älvsbyns Municipality

Övertorneå Municipality

Elastisys

NodePole

Our projects Connect research, industry and society

One of CDT’s main tasks is to initiate and coordinate innovation projects. In most of our projects, research from Luleå University of Technology is combined with real-world applications. During a project, important resources are created, such as architectures, new technologies, methods and models. If the projects prove to be very successful, the results can lead to innovations in the form of products, services, prototypes or business concepts.

AMBITIOUS

The project AMBITIOUS aims to advance the state of the art in AI, 5G and IoT and to promote interregional collaboration and commercialisation.

It demonstrates its solutions through five use cases based on existing 5G testbeds in Sweden, Finland (Oulu and Kuopio) and Greece. By providing funding, testbeds and support, the project enables SMEs to compete globally, improve security measures, minimise energy waste and improve their innovation pathway to eventually integrate into EU value chains. The consortium consists of 10 SMEs, 1 large company, 1 region, 1 municipality, 4 universities and 1 research institute and includes both the demand and supply side. The main funder is the EU and the project is led by Luleå University of Technology and CDT.

www.ambitious-project.eu

PROJECT PERIOD: September 2023 - October 2026

CONTACT:

Karl Andersson

karl.andersson@ltu.se

+46 (0) 910-585 364

Applied AI DIH North

The project goal is to create a strong innovation system for growth in the AI industry, in Northern Sweden a Digital Innovation Hub as a base, in collaboration, research, innovation, applied test-driven development, education and clustering.

To achieve the project goal, the project has the following sub-goals:

- Create an innovation system that increases SME’s innovation speed with the help of AI

- Implementing demand-driven AI innovation pilots

- Strengthen research and education in AI

- Package a long-term regional functional innovation system

This will lead to strengthening the Upper Norrland region as Sweden’s leading region within Applied AI, which offers a productive and attractive innovation environment. This creates long-term sustainable growth that attracts people, investments and companies to the region. The main financier is the European regional development fund.

www.aidih.se

PROJECT PERIOD: January 2020 - February 2023

CONTACT:

Michael Nilsson

michael.nilsson@ltu.se

+46(0)70- 288 45 20

Arctic 6G

The main goal of the project is to develop, demonstrate and disseminate new technologies that will improve the societal resilience of future 6G networks in the Aurora region.

Key targeted outcomes include:

- Development of new quantitative tools to evaluate and measure inequality in cellular coverage

- Development of new, energy-efficient 6G technology for rural and remote areas, new IoT device location methods and improved network security features

- Develop understanding of Sapmi and reindeer herders’ connectivity needs

The project is financed by EU Interreg Aurora and Region Norrbotten, led by Luleå University of Technology and CDT with the partners Oulu University and LAPIN AMK.

www.arctic6g.se

PROJECT PERIOD: December 2022 - November 2025

CONTACT: Karl Andersson

karl.andersson@ltu.se

+46(0)70- 819 54 84

Datacenter Innovation Region - Growth and Export

The Datacenter Innovation Region projectGrowth and Export is based on results from the previous project Datacenter Innovation Region.

The project supports SMEs in the data center industry with the aim of increasing their competitiveness through market adaptation of products, market communication and market presence. The project makes efforts through, for example, prototype development, research and expert support for technical development and innovation evaluation.

Examples of innovations that the project is working on are:

n A self-service portal for data centers

n Energy recovery of excess heat from data centers

n A mobile module for data centers

www.datacenterinnovationregion.se

PROJECT PERIOD: June 2020 – April 2023

CONTACT:

Jan-Olov Johansson

jan-olov.johansson@ltu.se

+46 (0) 70 619 22 31

Digital urban development – Campus Skellefteå

The project’s main idea is to connect world-class research with innovative high-tech companies and the public sector and develop innovative and groundbreaking technical solutions for energy management systems with simulation tools and digital twins.

The goal is for energy efficiency measures, implementation of new loads, energy storage and local energy production to be handled in the simulation tool and the digital twin. The idea is that the solutions should be able to be used for the continued development of neighborhoods where lack of power is a limiting factor, where we adapt consumption within the local network to enable new properties or other loads to develop. As a case study, the Skellefteå campus has been selected.

The project is financed by VINNOVA, led by Luleå University of Technology and CDT with partners such as Skellefteå Municipality, Skellefteå Kraft and ABB.

https://digitalstadsutveckling.se

PROJECT PERIOD: August 2022 - July 2025

CONTACT: Karl Andersson karl.andersson@ltu.se +46(0)70- 819 54 84

DIT4BEARs

DIT4BEARs stands for Disruptive IT for Barents Euro-Arctic Regions.

The project works with four different use cases in the areas of smart roads, smart ID blockchain applications, waste management and the prevention of collisions with reindeers on roads. Overall objective is to enhance adaption and transfer of Disruptive Information Technologies (IoT, Big Data and Distributed Ledger Technologies, and other) for the societal and economic needs of Barents Euro-Arctic Region. The project faces challenges, relevant to the field of transport, waste management system, movement of people and goods within the region and transport security connected to winter roads maintenance and reindeer husbandry.

www.dit4bears.org

PROJECT PERIOD: January 2020 - June 2023

CONTACT: Björn Backe +46 (0) 920 - 492111 bjorn.backe@ltu.se

Green Transition North

Green Transition North includes 13 subprojects aimed at smart energy systems and circular economy. The projects are carried out in close collaboration with industry within the green transition and with a focus on small and medium-sized companies in northern Sweden.

The goal is to focus on research, development and innovation within the region’s SMEs to make them even more competitive and relevant in the ongoing green societal transformation. The project involves the most important actors in the green transition and their need for knowledge to create businesses and products with high circularity, i.e. minimal use of non-renewable resources.

The project is a collaboration between researchers and 15 companies within the green industrial transition in northern Sweden. The project is led by Luleå University of Technology, CDT. Project partners are LTU Business, Boden’s development, IUC Norr and Skellefteå Science City. Financiers are the European Regional Development Fund, Region Norrbotten, Skellefteå Municipality, Luleå University of Technology and participating industrial companies.

www.greentransitionnorth.se

PROJECT PERIOD

April 2023 - March 2026

CONTACT :

Michael Nilsson

+46(0)70- 288 45 20 michael.nilsson@ltu.se

IFPS

IFPS stands for Intelligent Food Production Systems.

The aim of the project is to, with the help of research in biological production and with expertise in AI and machine learning, develop a model of how residual heat from the next generation of steel production and from server halls in Boden, can enable a circular autonomous food system.

The project will explore opportunities for circular land-based food production within an artificial ecosystem that includes a closed cycle consisting of fish, insects, microalgae and vegetables.

Parties include Boden Business Agency, ONar AB, Boden Municipality, Tebrito. Main financier is FORMAS.

PROJECT PERIOD: December 2021 - November 2023

CONTACT:

Michael Nilsson

+46(0)70- 288 45 20

michael.nilsson@ltu.se

Secure information flows with a digital platform for trading in biofuels

The project will establish a digital platform for trading in solid biofuels that is used by a significant proportion of market participants.

This is the goal of the project funded by the Swedish Energy Agency, where CDT is one of several parties. In order for Sweden to be able to restructure the energy system and reach the target of zero net emissions by 2045, a significantly increased use of biofuels is necessary. Digitization of the biofuel market can contribute to an increased rate of change, but for digital commerce to be successful, safety aspects must be carefully investigated. This issue will be investigated by the project. It will also look at whether blockchains can be used to meet users' demands for safety, traceability and integrity in the digitalized trade in biofuels in Sweden.

PROJECT PERIOD: June 2020 – June 2023

CONTACT:

Michael Nilsson

michael.nilsson@ltu.se

+46(0)70- 288 45 20

TRE-m

The project will, among other things, develop new autonomous road maintenance concepts, recycling of batteries as well as testing and demonstration of liquid and gas fuels and biofuels from the region.

TRE-m is an ERDF-funded project with the Swedish Proving Ground Association (SPGA) as a beneficiary, where CDT is the project manager for one of the work packages.

The project will create growth in the industry, increased added value and sustainable adjustment through a deeper regional range of both research-related and market-related resources in tests and demos.

The goal for the project is to result in a structure for the development of the test cluster which has been proven to work by highlighting at least 10 new regional test offers linked to at least three regional test resources.

PROJECT PERIOD :

January 2020 - February 2023

CONTACT:

Björn Backe

+46 (0) 920-492111

bjorn.backe@ltu.se

Wireless ICT

The project aims to scale up industrial pilots in the area of wireless ICT.

Collaborating parties will join the forces to scale up vertical pilot cases into full-scale crossEuropean value chains and sustainable business cases, aiming to industrial pilots utilising fast, reliable, secure, and energy-efficient wireless ICT. Approach used to the prepared pilots is from bottom-up, listening carefully to the needs of the companies. Active participation of regional governments will ensure alignment between the business and the societal challenges thus making the value chains robust on a long-term perspective.

Thematic working areas are

• Health

• Future sustainable industry

• Autonomous vehicles

• Smart cities/regions

PROJECT PERIOD :

December 2022- November 2024

CONTACT:

Michael Nilsson

+46(0)70- 288 45 20 michael.nilsson@ltu.se

Wireless Innovation Arena

Wireless Innovation Arena focuses on the industry for wireless communication in North Sweden where organizations together with users create innovative services based on new technologies.

The project aims to create favourable conditions for small and medium-sized companies. Together with academia, institutes, large companies, the public sector and end-users, we will develop skills and competitive products and services. This will primarily be done in the area of wireless communication, specifically 5G, which is an important enabler for the internet of things to reach its full potential. An important part of the project is the 5G test environment, “5G Innovation Hub North”, at Luleå University of Technology, which is in collaboration with Telia. There, companies can easily perform different types of tests and experiments to validate new products and services.

www.wirelessinnovationarena.se

PROJECT PERIOD : January 2019 – October 2023

CONTACT:

Jan-Olov Johansson

jan-olov.johansson@ltu.se

+46 (0) 70 619 22 31

VISA/5G

VISA/5G stands for Vendor Independent

New

Substation Automation over 5G.

One of the biggest advantages of edge computing is the ability to run time-critical protection and control applications on-site. This combination of low latency and edge computing capabilities offered by 5G is very attractive for power grid protection and control. In this scenario, both centralised and distributed automation architectures are conceivable, and a vendorindependent approach can be explored.

This project, together with partners Hitachi Energy, IETV, Ericsson AB, Telia, Metrum and Luleå University of Technology (LTU), will demonstrate vendor-independent substation automation over 5G (VISA /5G) in two scenarios: LTU’s 5G testbed and edge computing cluster, and Vattenfall’s real substation.

Project partners are Vattenfall, Hitachi Energy, IETV, Metrum, Telia, Ericsson AB. The main financier is Vinnova.

www.visa5g.se

PROJECT PERIOD: January 2023 - December 2025

CONTACT: Björn Backe +46 (0) 920-492111 bjorn.backe@ltu.se

5G for Healthcare in North Sweden

The overall goal of the project is to make North Sweden one of the natural innovation environments to develop and test solutions within 5G for healthcare.

The aim of the project is to strengthen the industry in North Sweden in the area of 5G Healthcare through new knowledge that has been added to small and medium-sized companies in a joint work on innovation. An important part of the project is to support the region’s SME with the aim of creating new innovations in the wireless communications industry.

Expected results are that new offers have been produced by participating SMEs based on activities within the project and that existing offers from participating SMEs reach markets outside the home region. In the long term, the project intends to have created new central meeting places and collaborative environments that live on and further develop after the project and have contributed to a more inclusive society. www.5gvo.se

PROJECT PERIOD: January 2020 - April 2023

CONTACT: Jan-Olov Johansson jan-olov.johansson@ltu.se

+46(0)706192231

5G Edge Innovations for Mining

The project aims to create more intelligent mining systems that will further push the boundaries of autonomy, productivity and security.

The project will work with pilot demonstrations of 5G-connected drones in a mining environment, innovative use of modern AI technology and a hardware and software stack for edge-to-cloud applications. Examples of applications that will be developed include real-time video analysis, autonomous navigation, time-synchronized seismic sensors, augmented / virtual reality, etc.

The project is funded by VINNOVA, NextGenerationEU. It is led by Luleå University of Technology and CDT with parties such as RISE, BI Nordics, ThingWave and Softhouse

PROJECT PERIOD: November 2021 - November 2024

CONTACT: Karl Andersson karl.andersson@ltu.se

+46(0)70- 819 54 84

Rural ICT Testbed #fulltäckning

The Rural ICT Testbed project works to prevent digital exclusion by increasing mobile coverage in rural areas.

The project creates opportunities for people to live and work throughout the country. The long-term goal is to create attractive and competitive areas in rural areas with access to mobile coverage. www.fulltäckning.se

PROJECT PERIOD:

January 2021 - June 2024

CONTACT:

Karl Andersson

karl.andersson@ltu.se

+46(0)70- 819 54 84

New

Let’s Create Music

The project will work to enable salable and sustainable music production regardless of geographical location.

A virtual music studio will be created and in a 5G testbed the project will work on reducing obstacles such as delay. Collaboration and creative processes will also be developed through research. The work will take place cross-border and location-independent between the music/games industry, academia and business developers.

Parties involved are BD Pop and Luleå University of Technology. Main financiers are the European Regional Development Fund, Region Norrbotten, Luleå Business Region, Skellefteå municipality and Sparbanken Nord.

PROJECT PERIOD

December 2022 - March 2026

CONTACT:

Michael Nilsson

+46(0)70- 288 45 20 michael.nilsson@ltu.se

An interview with CDT’s new board member Jaap van de Beek, Professor of Signal Processing at Luleå University of Technology

Can you tell us a bit about your background?

Since 2013 I have been the Chair of Signal Processing at LTU, the same group where I did my PhD in the nineties. I came to Luleå from the Netherlands as part of an international student exchange programme to write my thesis. I could hardly imagine that 30 years later I would still be connected to LTU. From 1999 to 2013, I worked in the industry, at Nokia Networks and Huawei Technologies, where I mainly worked on the development and standardisation of mobile networks. I commute weekly between my family in Stockholm and my co-workers in Luleå.

Why did you accept the role as a board member?

The last part of my PhD was funded by early CDT projects and in close collaboration with Telia Research, which was based in Aurorum at the time. I look forward to helping many more PhD students benefit from CDT:s strong position at the intersection between technical research and industrial innovation.

My technical expertise lies in the areas of radio communication, cellular networks and signal processing. As I have many years of experience in both industrial and academic research, I know how different the driving forces in both research worlds can be. It will be exciting to help align these forces in the important technology areas targeted by CDT so that LTU’s research results will continue to have an impact on small and large companies in the region.

How do you see the future of the CDT? Is there a particular area that you consider important or in which you are particularly involved?

Distance-spanning technologies are more important than ever, and in a broader context today than in the 1990s. Social divides of various kinds are widening and I would say that ‘cross-distance-spanning technology’,

the original purpose of CDT, is therefore still very modern and relevant. In recent years I have been looking at the challenge of improving mobile coverage in rural areas, i.e. how to provide urban standard internet connectivity in areas where the market cannot find solutions. Technology (and other innovations) can help bridge such distances, but the challenges remain many and difficult. With its history, location and expertise, few centres are better equipped than CDT to meet these challenges.

CDT Management Team

Karl Andersson

Executive Director

karl.andersson@ltu.se

+46 (0)70 819 54 84

Michael Nilsson

michael.nilsson@ltu.se

+46 (0)70 288 45 20

Jan-Olov Johansson

jan-olov.johansson@.ltu.se

+46 (0)70 619 22 31

Marie Nolin marie.nolin @associated.ltu.se

+46 (0)72 526 20 70

Annika Svensson

annika.c.svensson @associated.ltu.se

+46(0)70 591 04 23

Björn Backe bjorn.backe@ltu.se

+46 (0)920 49 21 11

Board of Directors

Annica Bray annica.bray@associated.ltu.se

+46 (0)70-600 18 06

Jan Pettersson jan.pettersson @associated.ltu.se

+46 (0)70 242 68 04

The CDT board of directors have approved the CDT annual report 2023. Luleå, March 2024.

Markus Andersson Ericsson Research Niklas Lehto Luleå University of Technology

Michael Carlberg Lax

Skellefteå Municipality

Ida Lind Skellefteå Municipality

Jaap Van De Beek Luleå University of Technology

Mats Nordberg Acting Chairman Ericsson Research

Luleå University of Technology, SE-971 87 Luleå. Phone: +46 (0)920 49 10 00. E-mail: cdtinfo@ltu.se, www.ltu.se/cdt CDT is a research center at Luleå University of Technology, www.ltu.se