25 April 2025

A tense political situation in the world, a war in Europe and an everyday life with increasing threats to our security – what do the researchers do? Well, more than you might think and there will be even more. Defence research is more active than ever.

Portrait (Gustaf Hendeby).
Gustaf Hendeby following electromagnetic fields in the lab. His research can be used in both civilian and military applications, and Linköping University now wants to strengthen its position in defence research.  Photographer: Olov Planthaber

Gustaf Hendeby defended his doctoral thesis in 2008, went to Germany as a postdoctoral fellow and came back to Sweden to work at the Swedish Defence Research Agency, FOI. For a few years he was an adjunct researcher, i.e. employed at both FOI and LiU, before becoming a full-time LiU employee in 2016.

“It was good being an adjunct researcher. I got to work with knowledge transfer in practice and with problems that are really relevant. Mobility programmes are good, as a researcher you get to see how your results work in real life,” says Gustaf Hendeby.

He conducts research in signal processing and sensor fusion. Translated into everyday situations, this could involve providing situational awareness for a self-driving car or dealing with GPS interference, solutions that can of course also have military applications. In the past, military technology was developed first and could then have civilian applications. Now the situation is reversed.

“Experiences from the war in Ukraine shows that it’s often civilian technology that’s adapted, applied and used. And this works very well, just look at the drones,” says Gustaf Hendeby.

Close collaboration

The defence company Saab was an important factor in LiU’s creation and there are extensive collaborations with FOI, companies such as Sectra, world leader in cybersecurity, and actors such as the National Forensic Centre and the Swedish Armed Forces’ Cyber Defence units, which are wholly or partly engaged in innovations in the area of defence. The LEAD business incubator has also recently been appointed Sweden’s candidate for NATO’s DIANA Accelerator Programme.

“We believe that there is a golden opportunity to use all the expertise and knowledge available at Linköping University to contribute with innovations that benefit both our security and a stronger defence. The investments in civilian and military defence must be given higher priority, and the pace must be accelerated,” says Vice-Chancellor Jan-Ingvar Jönsson.

A university can probably find research areas to strengthen total defence. But how will individual researchers react to developments? The answer is individual, but is likely to be affected by the global security situation.

“I fully understand that this may pose an ethical dilemma for the individual researcher, but the way I see it, I’m doing this for a good purpose, for a more secure society,” says Gustaf Hendeby.

Contact

An article from LiU magazine

Latest news from LiU

Honorary doctors celebrated their collaborations with LiU

Speaker of the Riksdag Andreas Norlén and Professor Angela Woods praised their collaborations with Linköping University when they were conferred honorary doctorates at the Faculty of Arts and Sciences.

Jan-Ingvar Jönsson and Kristina Edlund on stage

The whole of Östergötland congratulates LiU on its 50th anniversary

When LiU turns 50, the whole county joins forces and gives a present of one Swedish krona per inhabitant. The money will be awarded to selected research projects with the aim of contributing to a better society.

People walking through a park

A festive day with royal splendour

Almost 50 years to the day since he inaugurated Linköping University, His Majesty The King returned to attend the festivities on Campus Valla. The day was filled with lectures, meetings, speeches and music.