The University is part of the Knowledge Foundation’s initiative for the
collaborative researchers of tomorrow

The Jubilee Doctoral Students will be located at 22 universities in Sweden. The initiative is intended to strengthen the research environments at Swedish higher education institutions overall, according to the Knowledge Foundation.

Therése Nordström is Development Manager at the Knowledge Foundation.
“Our Jubilee Doctoral Students are a unique investment in strengthening research and educational environments at Sweden’s university colleges and new universities”, she says in a statement.

The doctoral students are not only prepared for academic careers, but also for roles outside academia.

“Doctoral students who get to do their doctoral education in co-production with external parties in the public sector or the business community get to develop their abilities to work multidisciplinary and solve complex, socially relevant problems”, says Jens Nygren, Professor of Health Innovation at Halmstad University and leader of one of the new doctoral projects.

AI and staffing challenges

The PhD student in Health Innovation will focus on the use of AI to solve staffing challenges and workforce planning in healthcare. The work will be carried out in collaboration with the companies Capio and Ambea.

“Being able to actively collaborate with the business community, the public sector and research and education is very stimulating and highlights new opportunities and challenges. Halmstad University is good at creating unique opportunities through its work, which we are grateful to be a part of”, says Niklas Sundler, Technology Innovation Director at Capio.

Jennifer Ivstam, Innovation Manager at Ambea Innovation Hub, believes that the collaboration with Halmstad University gives Ambea the opportunity to combine academic excellence with care activities.

“By exploring AI and the role of digitalisation in care, we hope to be able to find new ways to empower our employees, increase the quality of care and free up more time for human encounters. We believe that collaboration is the key to sustainable innovation. Through this project, we not only want to develop technical solutions, but also contribute to new knowledge that the entire care sector can benefit from”, says Jennifer Ivstam.

Design for sustainable student housing

The second doctoral project at Halmstad University is located within Smart Cities and Communities and aims to jointly create design concepts for socially sustainable student housing on the University’s campus.

Vaike Fors, Professor of Design Ethnography, is the leader of the project.

“It will be exciting to be involved in the development of the environment on campus and to do it with a way of working that is based on the principles of participatory design”, says Vaike Fors.

The project is about gaining in-depth knowledge about what students value today and exploring how digital technology can be implemented to create sustainable living environments. Partners are Halmstad Student Union, HFAB, Intea Fastigheter, Carlstedts Arkitekter and Ikea. Katalin Osz is a Principal Experience Design Researcher at IKEA Group.

“Theoretical advancements and transdisciplinary perspectives on socially sustainable living and future livable smart communities offer a rich field for knowledge exchange and learning to bring back to the IKEA Group. In particular, developing the Tiny Living Labs methodology is a fascinating area of study for exploring sustainable living solutions for younger generations”, says Katalin Osz.

Veronica Junblad, Manager for Maintenance and New Production at HFAB, says it is a given to collaborate with Halmstad University and together create the conditions for student housing and a vibrant campus.

“Through the doctoral project, we see opportunities to involve and create dialogues with students and gain different perspectives on what a vibrant campus can be like“, says Veronica Junblad.

Rikard Ahlgren, Property Manager at Halmstad University, believes that the development of student housing on campus is an important part of the University’s development.

“The fact that we have the opportunity to collaborate on a doctoral project with property owners, students and external stakeholders with a focus on socially sustainable housing and living environments at an early stage in the planning of student housing, provides unique conditions for the continued work. The project can affect the design of the living and campus environment both here and elsewhere in Sweden”, says Rikard Ahlgren.

Develop a special understanding

Vaike Fors argues that this approach to collaboration fosters processes in which various stakeholders engage with one another in novel ways.

"This implies that the doctoral students' research not only contributes to knowledge, such as that related to the design of socially sustainable housing, but also enhances understanding of diverse co-creative work processes," she explains.

Jens Nygren emphasises that the doctoral students develop a special understanding of the needs and challenges of organisations through collaboration.

“This not only contributes to the doctoral students’ own skills development, but also to creating research that is directly useful and that drives innovation and development in society”, he says.

Text: Kristina Rörström

Photo: Istock