Sustainable Digitalisation Research Centre

About the research

The aim of the research is to investigate how the possibilities of digitalisation can be used in a sustainable way, i.e. sustainability in digitalisation. Another goal is to contribute knowledge and solutions on how digitalisation can support the development of a more sustainable society, i.e. digitalisation for sustainability. We will therefore not only investigate how digitalisation can be implemented in a sustainable way, but also how digitalisation can be used to contribute to a society that develops in socially, economically and ecologically sustainable directions, for example through concrete case studies and applications.

Two overarching research areas

The first concerns social factors, such as trust, user experience, inclusion, privacy and other ethical aspects including human dignity, bias and discrimination, misuse of information, disinformation and deep fakes, system autonomy and accountability, and power imbalances.

The second research area addresses technological factors, such as resilience, adaptability, interoperability, performance, environmental impact and resource efficiency.

Together, they capture the main issues of social, economic, ecological and technological sustainability in digitalisation. Informed by research on these issues, the Centre also aims to develop interdisciplinary theories and methods for sustainable digitalisation.

Five themes

Research is organised into five themes corresponding to key areas of digitalisation.

• Health and well-being: the use of digital technologies to support all phases of healthcare, including preventive care and well-being. It can empower people to proactively engage with their health and manage their recovery from illness but also to share data to improve outcomes and reduce inequalities. Theme Leaders: Dario Salvi and Elisabeth Mangrio

• Home and everyday living: this includes the use of digital technologies and the impact of digitalisation in everyday life. Homes are of particular interest as they are increasingly filled with internet-connected devices such as cameras, microphones and other sensors. Theme Leaders: Andreas Jacobsson and Ulrika Sjöberg 

• Education and lifelong learning: the use of digital tools to facilitate lifelong learning in different contexts, including both professional and informal learning in different sectors of society. Theme Leaders: Bahtijar Vogel and Lisa Björklund Boistrup
• Transport and mobility: to move people and goods efficiently and safely. By using IoT and other digital technologies to plan transport, guide travellers and support autonomous actions, such as self-driving vehicles, we can achieve higher efficiency, improved traveller experience and comfort, reduced environmental impact and increased safety. Theme Leaders: Åse Jevinger and Jan Persson
• Energy and buildings: Includes digital solutions to improve the production, distribution and consumption of energy, as well as to increase the safety and efficiency of buildings. Theme Leaders: Reza Malekian and Per Linde