Autonomous cars, decision-support systems in industry and robots that collaborate both with each other and with humans are just some examples from the initial phase of the fourth industrial revolution.
Linköping University is home to several leading research environments in fields central to WASP. LiU’s research into computer vision was selected in 2018 by Vinnova as the most prominent Swedish research environment in artificial intelligence. Top-flight research groups in automatic control and vehicle systems, both of which will be vital in the development of autonomous systems, are also based at LiU. The Media and Information Technology division at Campus Norrköping has world-leading research within visualization, artificial intelligence and decision support. Other leading research is carried out at the Department of Computer and Information Science within artificial intelligence, multiagent systems and machine learning.
WASP is a forceful initiative in basic research, education and recruitment within autonomous systems and software development. It is located at the Chalmers University of Technology, the Royal Institute of Technology, Umeå University, Lund University and Linköping University, with Linköping University as host.
The investment will amount to SEK 6.2 billion during the programme, which ends in 2031. The Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation will provide SEK 4.9 billion of the funding, with further contributions from the university and participating industrial companies. WASP is the largest individual research investment in Sweden in modern time.