Production: Chalmers Communication and Marketing C 2009/833
Chalmers’ strategy of excellence within Areas of Advance is to
visualize and focus on research, education and innovation.
The Areas of Advance are driven by sustainability, innovation
and education with basic and applied sciences as a fundament.
Our vision for the Areas of Advance is to match our scientific
excellence to global challenges where we can make a difference.
INNEHÅLL
Areas of Advance ... 4
Built Enviroment ... 6
Energy ... 8
Information and Communication Technology ...10
Life Science...12
Materials Science ...14
Nanoscience and Nanotechnology ...16
Production ...18
VISION
Our vision for the Areas of Advance is to match
our scientific excellence to global challenges
where we can make a difference.
AREAS OF ADVANCE
Five of our Areas of Advance have received sub
-stantial strategic governmental funds; • Energy
• Materials Science
• Nanoscience and Nanotechnology • Production
• Transport
The other three areas are considered equally im
-portant with the potential to address major chal
-lenges through scientific excellence: • Life Science
• Information and Communication Technology • Built Environment
MISSION
Our mission is to create a unique integration of the knowledge triangle – research, innovation and education – by including a new dimension to the existing organisation. Through this strategic
instrument, we will concentrate, visualise and ad
-vance our scientific excellence by bridging gaps and accelerating the interplay between academia, industry and society.
The new dimension creates a virtual matrix organ
-isation and enables a powerful working method with an operational bottom-up process combined with a strategic top-down process. The Areas of Advance can thereby provide powerful meeting places across boundaries and form the basis for
new interdisciplinary research.
DESIGN OF AREAS OF ADVANCE
Each area is based on excellence profiles and
ac-tive fields.
Excellence profiles are areas where we take
na-tionwide responsibility and where there is poten
-tial to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow. They are positioned in the international forefront
of research, education and innovation with a mis
-sion to satisfy long-term needs from society and industry.
Active fields on the next level describe research areas within or between excellence profiles. They include excellence centres, research programs,
clusters of research groups and international net
-works, coupled with education and innovation activities in collaboration with research institutes,
industry and society. Research is frequently car
-ried out at several departments as a joint effort where both applied and basic sciences are vital aspects.
Chalmers’ strategy of excellence within Areas of Advance
is to visualise and focus on research, education and innovation.
The Areas of Advance are driven by sustainability, innovation
and education with basic and applied sciences as a fundament
for the vision of excellence.
OUTSTANDING RESEARCH
Research that is performed within most of the Areas of Advance is recognised as excellent, and the aim is to position a major part of the research
in the category of outstanding. International eva
-luations enable us to continuously develop our Areas of Advance and to be one of the leading universities in the respective areas.
The Areas of Advance offers platforms for inter
-disciplinary research and networks, which adds to the basic research performed at departments. The research is organised in excellence profiles, which makes it possible to address urgent issues within areas such as energy, health and sustainability by involving the right mix of disciplines needed to
meet the demands.
INTEGRATED EDUCATION
Academies will be developed in conjunction with
the areas of research, which will give PhD stu
-dents and master’s stu-dents important insights in areas of strategic significance for Chalmers, industry and society. The Areas of Advance will play an important role for the reorganisation of the education programs for master’s students, and a specific school for researchers within Areas of Advance is being developed.
INNOVATION AND IMpACT ON SOCIETy The innovation system will meet all dimensions
of the Areas of Advance from scientists to compe
-tence centres and more long-term collaborations with actors from academia, research institutes,
industry and society. This provides a unique opp
-ortunity to put research results into effective use in society and industry.
CHAlMERS FOR A SUSTAINAblE FUTURE This is Chalmers’ overall vision and all Areas of
Advance have a strong driving force in this di
-rection. By providing synchronised platforms of eight Areas of Advance, Chalmers can ensure that sustainability is a key factor at all times.
RESEARCH EDUCATION INNOVATION
Fr v: Martin Markström, Anders Palmqvist, Rikard Söderberg, Nina Ryd, Aleksander Matic, Jari Kinaret, Anne-Marie Hermansson, Jan Grahn, Mats Rydehell, Johan Stahre, Anna Dubois, Jens Nielsen, Krister Holmberg, Magnus Blinge, Davis Sands and Thore Berntsson.
DIRECTED BY VICE PRESIDENT, PROFESSOR ANNE-MARIE HERMANSSON
Together we can tackle pressing resource and quality issues by combining technical knowledge with design expertise within the environment and climate, energy, architecture and urban planning,
infrastructure and knowledge of design and de
-velopment processes and management across the built environment field.
VISION
Our vision is to be a catalyst for positive change in these profiles together with strong academic,
industrial and public partners. In so doing, Chalm
-ers’ Built Environment Area of Advance will play an important role in shaping the area towards a sustainable future, incorporating high-quality living and achieving a built environment that is highly valued by society.
DESIGN
Built Environment at Chalmers is initially clus
-tered in five thematic excellence profiles. The profiles include: Infrastructure for a Sustainable Future, Energy in Buildings, Strategic Planning and Processes, Smartgeometry and Health Impact.
Transdisciplinary research is carried out in col
-laboration with the University of Gothenburg and
spans civil engineering and architecture to behav
-ioural and social science.
INTEGRATED EDUCATION
Chalmers’ Academy of Built Environment is a joint venture between Chalmers and industrial partners with a stake in the built environment. It serves as a platform for contacts and a forum for exchange of knowledge, ideas and visions to achieve mutual benefit. It is also a hub where the community and industry have easy access to
Chalmers’ master´s programmes that are most rel
-evant to the design and construction sector. One
aim is to help students and teachers form the con
-tacts they need for internships, projects, master´s
theses, field trips, etc. Another objective is to in
-crease the quality and flexibility of the master´s
programmes, and keep them in line with continu
-ously developing needs by supporting interaction between practitioners and academics. At present, the master’s programmes at Chalmers’ Academy of Built Environment are divided into four areas: Architecture/Design, Infrastructure, Management, Structures/Building Performance.
lINkS TO OTHER AREAS OF ADVANCE
Built Environment has links to several of the other
Areas of Advance, in particular Energy, Produc
-tion and Transport. A prime example is the Energy in Built Buildings profile, which is shared with the Energy Area of Advance. Another example is
the Future Urban Transport initiative that was tak
-en by the Transport Area of Advance. Moreover, Mistra Urban Futures will act as a special hub in the Built Environment Area of Advance.
FOR A SUSTAINAblE FUTURE
Taking an integrated approach to a sustainable built environment, Chalmers’ Area of Advance offers opportunities to develop the strategies and
new technologies that are required for the transi
-tion of today’s society into a low carbon society, and encourages significant energy savings and
increased use of renewable energy. The ongo
-ing and rapid demographic changes and urban growth taking place are other great challenges,
and hence constitute opportunities to achieve sus
-tainability. Cities, when properly managed, can be transformative arenas in which natural resources are used more efficiently and economically, thus contributing to a high quality of life for everyone
(including the increasingly older members of soci
-ety). Consequently, a sustainable urban future will achieve breakthroughs in technology, planning and
governance and the engagement of all relevant ac
-tors – people, industries and governments. Further
-more, ensuring secure supply of food and water is
a prerequisite for human well-being. The develop
-ment of technologies and processes within water and wastewater systems is also considered through a holistic approach within the Built Environment. ExCEllENCE IN RESEARCH AND
RElEVANCE TO SOCIETy
Research is primarily carried out at the depart
-ments of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Architecture, Energy & Environment, as well as at the departments of Technology Management & Economics and Applied Information Technology at Chalmers. There are a number of excellence centres in the built environment field, and they span departmental boundaries and have strong community and industrial significance. Foremost centres include the Centre for Management of the Built Environment, Konstruktionscentrum, FRIST: Forum for Risk Investigation and Soil
Treatment, Mistra Urban Futures, the new Re
-search Centre for Healthcare Architecture and the Centre of Visualization Göteborg, amongst several others. All of the centres aim to achieve holistic research in the design and construction of our built environment.
Moreover, the establishment of Johanneberg
Science Park – a company founded by Chalm
-ers and the City of Gothenburg – will reinforce
and develop the region’s economy through col
-laboration between industry, academia and the community. Activities will involve the areas of built environment, energy and materials, and the initial focus will be on the built environment.
DIRECTED BY ASSISTANT PROFESSOR NINA RYD
BASIC SCIENCE
INFRASTRUCTURE ENERGY IN BUILDINGS STRATEGIC PLANNING AND PROCESSES SMARTGEOMETRY HEALTH IMPACT
Infrastructure for sustainable mobility & transport
Infrastructure for water and energy supply
Management and organization of large
infrastructure projects Indoor climate Energy use and technology integration
in buildings The building as
a system
Value driven design and briefing Project management
Regional and Urban planning
Building physics Advance construction
Parametric Design Demography Multi-scale modeling
EXCELLENCE PROFILES
ACTIVE FIELDS
EMERGING PROFILES
built Environment at Chalmers has a comprehensive research community that is engaged in advanced research in the human and built environment, much of which also involves national and international partners from both academia and the business world.
Industrial collaboration is a key activity in terms of ensuring that research results are industrialised.
We have a well-established industrial collabora
-tion network with important industry areas such
as utility, process industry (pulp and paper, petro
-chemical/chemical, food), vehicle manufacturing,
construction, equipment manufacturers and SME
industry.
INTEGRATED EDUCATION
Energy education is conducted at all of the depart
-ments at Chalmers. An important feature in our education is the interaction between technology and system aspects in the energy area.
The mission of the established Chalmers Energy
Academy is to provide an interface between re
-search and M.Sc. level education at Chalmers and the energy sector, which is represented by all the industrial branches mentioned above, as well as
subcontractors, consulting organisations and pub
-lic agencies and authorities. Chalmers’ Energy
Academy provides a forum for mutually benefi
-cial exchange of information, knowledge, ideas and visions. In particular, prospective students VISION
Our vision is to further strengthen our position as an internationally leading university as regards a
future sustainable energy system with a high de
-gree of relevance for industry and society. DESIGN
The Energy Area of Advance is the largest single Area of Advance at Chalmers. The structure of the area is broad, and it collaborates with several other Areas of Advance. Research areas that define the Energy Area of Advance at Chalmers are shown in the figure. The Energy Area of Advance covers all of the important elements of basic science, energy
technology and system research as well as connec
-tions to the economy and social sciences. Research is mainly carried out at the departments of Energy
and Environment, Chemical and Biological Engi
-neering, Signals and Systems and Applied Physics
with links to basic science research in applied me
-chanics and mathematics. At Chalmers, an interna
-tionally high level of basic research is conducted
in several areas, for example within physics, nu
-clear chemistry, nu-clear technology, mathematical sciences and micro and nanotechnology.
OUTSTANDING RESEARCH
The Energy Area of Advance is closely related to four competence centres at Chalmers: Combustion
Engine Research Centre (CERC), High Temperature
Corrosion (HTC), Swedish Hybrid Vehicle Centre
(SHC) and Competence Centre for Catalysis (KCK).
It will also be closely connected to three centres that are under construction: Swedish Knowledge Centre for Renewable Fuels (in cooperation with several other universities and institutes as well as
industry), Swedish Wind Energy Technology Cen
-tre and Swedish Cen-tre for Indirect Gasification. The Energy Area of Advance also cooperates with several Swedish institutes such as SP and Innventia as well as major actors in Swedish industry. INNOVATION AND IMpACT ON SOCIETy
Chalmers’ driving forces in innovation and en
-trepreneurship guide activities within the Energy
Area of Advance. However, utilisation of the re
-search results also involves knowledge build-up and transfer, academia-industry collaboration and
open innovation activities such as advice to indus
-try and society on policy-related issues.
have easy access to an overview of education pro
-grammes and activities within the energy area, as well as a network of key contacts with our main partner companies in the energy sector.
INTERDISCIplINARy RESEARCH bETwEEN ENERGy AND OTHER AREAS OF ADVANCE Energy is an important element in all Areas of Advance, and we have excellence profiles and direct cooperation with the Materials Science, Transport, Nanoscience and Built Environment Areas of Advance. Basic knowledge from all of these areas is a prerequisite for truly sustainable development of the global energy system. A SUSTAINAblE FUTURE
In principle, all energy research and development activities aim to create a more sustainable global energy system. This is one important reason that
Energy is the largest Area of Advance at Chalm
-ers. The challenge of sustainability is the beacon
in all our profiles, i.e. basic sciences, efficient en
-ergy conversion technologies, efficient en-ergy use, sustainable transport and distribution and energy systems.
DIRECTED BY PROFESSOR THORE BERNTSSON AND CO-DIRECTOR MATS RYDEHELL
HEAT AND POWER
GENERATION AND GASIFICATION COMBUSTION
MATERIALS FOR ENERGY CONVERSION/ APPLICATION TRANSPORT SYSTEMS AND INFRASTRUCTURE BUILDINGS – ENERGY USE AND
EFFICIENCY
INDUSTRY – ENERGY USE AND
EFFICIENCY ENERGY SYSTEMS Smart Grids Wind Power Energy Storage
Solar Heating and heat pump Technologies Nuclear Physics &
Chemistry Fusion Biomass gaasification Carbon capture technologies Combustion and corrosion using biomass and waste fuels
Materials for energy conversion Materials for energy
storage Materials for energy
production and transfer
Combustion engines research
Renewable fuels Electric and hybrid
vehicles
Sustainable transport solutions
Construction and management processes
Energy use and technology integration in buildings The building as a system Process technologies Industrial biorefineries Energy efficiency
and process integration systems and bridging Global sustainable technologies Technology impact
assessment and innovating processes
Local and regional energy systems
planning EXCELLENCE PROFILES
BASIC SCIENCE
ACTIVE FIELDS
Applied Mechanics Applied Mathematics
we are standing at the threshold of radical changes in European and global energy systems. Chalmers’ energy-related research is at the core of both the challenges and the opportunities with which industry and society are faced as a result of these changes. Conducting world-class energy technology and system research is fundamental within the Energy Area of Advance. In addition, we significantly contribute to other crucial aspects in the transformation of energy systems by developing internationally acclaimed energy system models.
VISION
Our vision is to advance novel hardware and soft
-ware technologies for more efficient communication and computing, with the purpose of driving long-term societal and industrial system development. FROM wAVES TO bITS
The ICT Area of Advance at Chalmers is represent
-ed by six research excellence profiles. Each profile is represented by several internationally leading professors and their groups. Our profiles are driven
by the needs of the individual, society and indus
-try. Hence we are constantly looking for ways to initiate research across discipline boundaries from hardware to software as well as from components to systems. In addition to fundamental scientific curiosity, our main stakeholders are found in the telecommunication, space, security, transport and vehicles, and component and software industries. OUTSTANDING RESEARCH AND INNOVATION
The ICT Area of Advance at Chalmers encom
-passes some of the strongest international groups. This is proven by a strong ability to attract external
funding despite national and international compe
-tition. We also collaborate in long-term research
EXCELLENCE PROFILES
ANTENNA
SYSTEMS TECHNOLOGIES MICROWAVE PHOTONICS COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS
PARALLEL & DISTRIBUTED SYSTEMS SOFTWARE ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY
Space & defence & security Energy & environment
Infotainment,media Life science
Telecommunications
BASIC SCIENCE
ACTIVE FIELDS
Transport & vehicles
Infotainment,media
Component suppliers
Software tools & production Component suppliers
projects with industrial partners in the microwave technologies and antenna systems profiles. The ICT Area of Advance can highlight several
success stories where research that was conducted
over many years at Chalmers is now being im
-plemented in industry. Some examples include
fiberoptic communication (ultrafast optical sam
-pling), microwave circuits (mm-wave communi
-cation), software quality (efficient testing meth
-ods), THz components (space science), photonics
(surface-emitting lasers) and antennas (measure
-ments on wireless devices).
Successful innovation in the ICT Area of Ad
-vance at Chalmers is also shown by a proven track record of spin-off businesses from our research. They currently employ more than 700 people at 17 companies.
INTEGRATED EDUCATION
Chalmers offers a unique teaching curriculum
in ICT. Apart from the traditional ICT under
-graduate M.Sc. programs in electrical engineer
-ing, computer science and information technol
-ogy, we offer an advanced two-year master’s
level curriculum for international students that
is closely connected to the ICT research labo
-ratories. It is composed of eight programmes in various ICT subjects. An ICT academy links the programmes together and helps students network with industry and researchers. In total, around 2,000 undergraduates study one of Chalmers’ ICT programmes.
In research education, 130 PhD students are ac
-tive at 15 laboratories within the ICT Area of Ad
-vance. Chalmers examines an average of 18 PhD students per year within ICT.
INTERDISCIplINARy RESEARCH bETwEEN ICT AND OTHER AREAS OF ADVANCE
The ICT Area of Advance has several interdisci
-plinary links to other Areas of Advance; for ex
-ample, sensors and networks for telecommunica
-tion are now being tested for intelligent vehicle systems to promote increased safety in traffic. Antennas are used in the diagnosis of cancer and brain malfunctions. Advances in novel materials and nanoscience such as graphene may result in
new component technologies for more quickly in
-tegrated microwave circuits.
DIRECTED BY PROFESSOR JAN GRAHN AND CO-DIRECTOR PROFESSOR DAVID SANDS
The Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Area of Advance at Chalmers performs research that is required by the future information society. About 170 senior researchers (50 professors) at Chalmers are active in scientific fields within ICT.
FOR A SUSTAINAblE FUTURE
The ICT Area of Advance supports Chalmers’
vision for a sustainable future. Our research im
-proves energy efficiency in materials, components and systems for the wireless society. We develop control and sensor concepts for reduced CO2 emissions in transportation. We also demonstrate how software systems can be engineered with higher security and efficiency at a reduced cost.
VISION
Our vision is for Chalmers to expand and main
-tain its world-leading position in the fields of industrial biotechnology, synthetic biology and metabolic engineering. Furthermore, our vision
also involves becoming a European leader in hu
-man nutrition, systems medicine and diagnostics, with a focus on metabolic diseases.
DESIGN
The Life Science Area of Advance is organised
into five research profiles, each consisting of sev
-eral active fields. An overview of the research
profiles and fields is provided below. All the dif
-ferent research activities cover one of the three
major application areas of life science, namely 1)
human health, 2) food and nutrition and 3) indus
-trial production, and several of the research fields involve activities in two or three of the different application areas.
OUTSTANDING RESEARCH AND ExCEllENCE A large number of research groups from several
different departments are involved in the Life Sci
-ence Area of Advance, but the majority of activi
-ties are found at the Life Science Division under
the Department of Chemical and Biological En
-gineering.
SYNTHETIC
BIOLOGY MATHEMATICAL BIOLOGY FERMENTATION TECHNOLOGY NUTRITION FOOD AND BIOENGINEERING
Metabolic Engineering Macromolecular
Interactions
Food Availability Synthetic Organelles Evolution
Bioinformatics Metabolic Models Enzyme Technology Biopharmaceuticals Biofuels and Biochemicals Nutrition Food Processing and Bioavailability Bioactive Foods Tissue Engineering Medical Technology Pathway Modeling BASIC SCIENCE EXCELLENCE PROFILES ACTIVE FIELDS
Particularly strong research activities in the Life Science Area of Advance include:
Food & Nutrition. We bridge the gap that can ex
-ist between food production and nutrition, with the objective of designing novel foods that ensure
disease prevention and prevent disease progres
-sion.
Mathematical Biology. We use systems biology approaches to clinical data with the objective of
identifying the molecular mechanisms that under
-lie human diseases, biomarkers for diseases and
drug targets for disease treatment, and thereby ad
-vance the field of systems medicine.
Synthetic Biology. We use metabolic engineer
-ing to advance the development of cell factories
that can be used to produce the fuels and chemi
-cals of tomorrow. We also use reconstituted lipid membranes to advance our understanding of viral
infections and the interactions between lipid com
-position and membrane function.
Bioengineering. We develop advanced analytical
techniques based on bioimaging and microfluid
-ics that can be used for basic and clinical research,
and that can lead to development of novel diag
-nostic tools for evaluating disease progression.
INNOVATION AND IMpACT ON SOCIETy Innovation is the focal point of the Life Science Area of Advance, and we have several examples where our research has resulted in patents and spin-off companies. We collaborate extensively with Swedish and international companies, which
ensures transfer of innovation to the benefit of so
-ciety.
INTEGRATED EDUCATION
We currently have two M.Sc. programmes in life
science at Chalmers: Biotechnology and Bioin
-formatics and Systems Biology. The M.Sc. pro
-gramme in biotechnology follows a 3-year B.Sc. program in biotechnology – the biotech B.Sc. programme in Sweden with the largest number of applicants. There is also a strong and vibrant graduate school in biosciences associated with the Life Science Area of Advance, and it currently has more than 70 affiliated PhD students.
INTERDISCIplINARy RESEARCH bETwEEN lIFE SCIENCE AND OTHER AREAS OF ADVANCE
We interact closely with most of the other Areas of Advance at Chalmers. Our closest interactions
are through our research on sustainable bioen
-ergy, biomaterials and nano-technologies for use
in life sciences. We also have close interaction with computer science and serve as a bridge to mathematical sciences for a number of research projects.
A SUSTAINAblE FUTURE
The Life Science Area of Advance is running sev
-eral projects that actively contribute to ensuring a
sustainable society. This is particularly manifest
-ed in projects that are developing novel processes
for sustainable production of fuels and chemi
-cals through microbial fermentation, as well as projects on novel foods and food ingredients that
will contribute to the establishment of a more sus
-tainable society.
we provide engineering solutions that promote change towards a bio-based economy, where biotechnology is used for sustain-able production of fuels, chemicals and materials. Our researchers are also actively involved in advancing nutrition, disease diagnosis and systems medicine to help society move from disease
treatment to disease prevention.
DIRECTED BY PROFESSOR JENS NIELSEN AND COORINATOR Dr. MARTIN MARKSTRÖM
BASIC SCIENCE MATERIALS FOR HEALTH SUSTAINABLE MATERIALS MATERIALS FOR ENERGY APPLICATIONS EXPERIMENTAL
METHODS THEORY AND MODELLING
Tissue and cell engineering Materials for pharmaceuticals and
personal care Materials for
biosensing Energy conversion Energy storage Energy supply and
energy transfer
Reduction of environmental impact through materials research
Recycling and long term behavior
of materials Materials from renewable raw materials Infrastructure for new materials synthesis Instrumentation projects at large scale facilities
Advanced characterisation tools and methods Multi-scale modeling Ab-initio modelling EXCELLENCE PROFILES ACTIVE FIELDS Materials for food technology Multi-scale modeling Nano-scale modelling Multi-scale modeling Macro/meso scale modelling
Research spans five departments and includes
several world-leading excellence centres and re
-search programmes. The Department of Biomate
-rials at the University of Gothenburg is also part of the government-funded initiative.
VISION
Our vision is to make an impact on society and contribute to sustainability through excellence in materials research.
DESIGN
Materials Science at Chalmers is structured into three thematic and two generic excellence profiles.
In the thematic profiles, Materials for Energy Ap
-plications, Materials for Health and Sustainable Materials, multi-disciplinary research is carried out and spans natural science to engineering, and materials theory to processing.
The generic excellence profiles, Theory and Mod
-elling and Experimental Methods, focus on devel
-oping new methodology and research infrastruc
-tures, which form the basis for thematic research.
Staying at the forefront of materials theory, mod
-elling, and experimental tools lays the foundation for breakthroughs in materials science.
Materials Science at Chalmers covers a broad range and takes on global challenges related to health, energy and sustainability from a materials science perspective. It in-cludes all the important elements of advanced materials research: theory and modelling, synthesis, characterisa-tion and evaluacharacterisa-tion.
OUTSTANDING RESEARCH
Research is primarily carried out at the departments of Applied Physics, Applied Mechanics, Chemical and Biological Engineering, Microtechnology and Nanoscience, and Materials and Manufacturing Technology. There are several excellence centres
in the materials science area that span departmen
-tal boundaries and have strong industrial involve
-ment. The main centres are the VINN Excellence
Center (Supramolecular Biomaterials), Wallenberg Wood Science Centre, the Competence Centre for High Temperature Corrosion, the Competence Centre for Catalysis and the Center of Excellence in Railway Mechanics. Chalmers is also involved
in the VINN Excellence Center (BIOMATCELL), which is hosted by Gothenburg University. INNOVATION AND IMpACT ON SOCIETy
The combination of scientific excellence and rel
-evance for society guides activities for the Area
of Advance. Research aims to achieve new break
-throughs in materials science and to increase the competitiveness of industrial partners through new processes and products, thus creating a base for new companies through research ideas and becoming a competence resource for society and industry. The means to reach the aims include:
• Supporting the development of young, talented
scientists
• Funding seed projects to develop new research lines and collaborations
• Establishing exchange with academia and industry
• Collaborating with large-scale facilities and
research centres
• Organising outreach activities INTEGRATED EDUCATION
Several of the master’s programmes at Chalmers
directly relate to materials science. All of the mas
-ter’s programmes are taught in English and there are a large number of international students from Europe, North America and Asia. On the PhD level, the cross-departmental graduate school in
Materials Science provides genuine cross-disci
-plinary training and a common curriculum in ma
-terials science for PhD students from five differ
-ent departm-ents. Chalmers also hosts the graduate
school in Soft Matter, with a national responsibil
-ity to provide specialised courses in the field of
soft matter.
INTERDISCIplINARy RESEARCH bETwEEN MATERIAlS SCIENCE AND OTHER AREAS
Materials Science has links to several other Ar
-eas of Advance, in particular Energy, Production, Transport, and Nanoscience and Nanotechnology.
A prime example is the Materials for Energy Ap
-plications profile which is shared with Energy. A SUSTAINAblE FUTURE
Materials Science contributes to the develop
-ment of a sustainable future by enabling new technologies, as well as by increasing efficiency
and decreasing the environmental impact of ex
-isting technologies. Examples of current research include new materials for batteries and fuel cells,
lightweight materials, improved catalysts for emis
-sion control and for sustainable energy systems, and materials based on renewable feedstock.
DIRECTED BY PROFESSOR KRISTER HOLMBERG AND CO-DIRECTOR PROFESSOR ALEKSANDAR MATIC
NANOPHYSICS NANOBIOPHYSICS NANOCHEMISTRY Quantum nanodevices Nanoelectronics Molecular nanoelectronics Nanosensors Nanofluidics Nanomaterials Molecular nanoelectronics Nanoimaging Nanoelectromechanics Nanocatalysis Nanomaterials Nanooptics EXCELLENCE PROFILES BASIC SCIENCE ACTIVE FIELDS
The Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Area of Advance coordinates research that stretches over several departments at Chalmers. we have established strong research which is supported by an excellent infrastructure that includes, for example, a large first-rate clean room. The results that our over 200 researchers have achieved have already been commercialised in many areas, in particular at the interface of nanophysics and nanochemistry.
DIRECTED BY PROFESSOR JARI KINARET AND CO-DIRECTOR PROFESSOR ANDERS PALMQVIST
VISION
Our vision is to further strengthen Chalmers’ position as the leading Swedish university in nanoscience and nanotechnology. Our aim is to strengthen and support the already strong research environments, promote internal collaboration and transfer research results from the laboratory to society as new products and new knowledge. We work to increase the visibility of research and to support interaction with society and industry. DESIGN
Research at Chalmers is divided into three profile
areas: Nanophysics, Nanobiophysics and Nano
-chemistry. Across the broad excellence profiles,
we have identified a number of more specific ac
-tive fields, many of which are highly interdisci
-plinary. Nanophysics research includes studies of
engineered nanosystems such as quantum comput
-ers, nanoelectronics and spintronics, applications and fundamental science of carbon nanotubes and
graphene, nanosensors for bioanalytics and meas
-urement technologies and nano-optics with appli
-cations in, e.g. efficient solar energy production. Nanobiophysics activities focus on nanofluidics,
soft-matter nanotechnology, DNA-based self-as
-sembly and biomimetic materials science. Nano
-chemistry targets the ultimate miniaturisation of electronics and photonics, molecular electronics
and the development of molecular methods to cre
-ate nanodevices.
OUTSTANDING RESEARCH – MAjOR ObjECTIVES
We have identified four key areas where we be
-lieve our existing experience and resources can make a substantial impact.
Nanosensors. Nanoscale electrical, optical and
mechanical sensors offer unprecedented possibili
-ties both as ultrasensitive local transducers and as low-cost, ubiquitous nanodevices.
Exploiting quantum phenomena on the nano
-scale. Quantum effects manifest themselves in many nanoscale systems, and open up new areas for research and applications. Examples include
components for quantum computers, quantum op
-tics on a chip and mechanical quantum devices.
Nanodevices for a sustainable society. Nano
-science and nanotechnology contribute to im
-proved efficiency of energy production (e.g. more efficient solar cells) and reduced energy consumption through low-dissipation electronic components and nanocatalysis.
Bridging the gap between top-down and bottom-up technologies. Lithographical fabrication tech
-niques of electronics allow positional accuracy down to 10 nm, while chemical techniques yield structural accuracy on the molecular level. We
pursue the grand challenge of bridging the tech
-nological gap between these two approaches. INNOVATION AND IMpACT ON SOCIETy
We continuously develop and initiate new col
-laboration with both large and small companies.
We actively seek to protect key intellectual prop
-erty that is generated from research; at present, nearly 50 patents have been issued or are under review, either through individual researchers or Chalmers’ established innovation system. We encourage companies to be launched and create new employment opportunities in existing ones. Several startup companies on nanotechnology have originated from this research environment, including Cellectricon, Q-Sense (now a part of Biolin AB) and Nanofactory Instruments AB. A third aim is to strengthen the technology transfer process through verification of research results
and development of prototypes. Here our collabo
-ration with the research institute IMEGO plays an
important role, as do our contacts with network
-ing organisations such as SwedNanoTech and Na
-noConnect Scandinavia. INTEGRATED EDUCATION
The Area of Advance is very closely linked to graduate-level education: most of the day-to-day research at Nanoscience and Nanotechnology is
performed by graduate students. Advanced cours
-es in the area are integrated into several graduate schools. On the M.Sc. level, several programmes are closely related to the Area of Advance. INTERDISCIplINARy RESEARCH
At the interfaces to other Areas of Advance, we have identified activities which are expected to become common active fields: nanomaterials (with Materials), nanoelectronics (with ICT) and a number of nanotechnological applications with
connections to Energy (improved solar cells, na
-nocatalysis). Nanosensors, cell membrane and DNA studies clearly overlap with Life Sciences. A SUSTAINAblE FUTURE
Nanodevices for a sustainable society is one of
our key areas, with a focus on the nanotechnologi
-cal means of improving energy efficiency in both energy production and consumption. Other areas where nanotechnology research contributes to a sustainable future include nanomaterials, which
can be used to replace toxic or scarce materi
-als (e.g. graphene electrodes in solar cells), and strong lightweight nanocomposites, which have
great potential in many fields ranging from aero
SUSTAINABLE MANUFACTURING PROCESSES SUSTAINABLE PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION SYSTEMS Components manufacture Process modelling and
materials behaviour
Micro-fabrication Virtual production systems Production system
performance Human and automation
optimisation
Virtual assembly and disassembly simulation and
planning methods Environment strategic product
and production development and recycling Sustainable product
lifecycle platforms
Virtual robust design and simulation
BASIC SCIENCE
EXCELLENCE PROFILES
ACTIVE FIELDS
VISION
Our vision is sustainable and innovative produc
-tion, with respect to economic, ecological and social aspects where industries, the environment and members of society all benefit.
Our mission is to achieve excellence in scientific
research and development and to support sustaina
-ble and innovative production through knowledge, methods and tools. This is realised by creating: • Development processes for innovative and competitive product and production systems, based on a lifecycle perspective.
• Optimised production systems and facturing processes.
• Minimised environmental impact through reduced waste of energy and natural resources. • Safe, healthy, and rewarding work
ments.
• World-class education in sustainable production.
Chalmers rests on 50 years of continuous research in the field of production, and has been given the task of lead-ing Swedish production science into a sustainable future. Scientific excellence and industrial impact are two main objectives within the production Area of Advance.
DESIGN
The Production Area of Advance assembles over
half of Chalmers’ departments, 10 research cen
-tres, 25 research groups and a network of collabo
-rating industries.
This collected expertise focuses on the three main scientific profiles presented below that represent important present and future industrial challenges that are closely related to our mission.
OUTSTANDING RESEARCH
Our research stands out internationally as a result of our close collaboration with industry. We have a profound understanding of the conditions that influence industry, for example cost, quality, time and sustainability. An additional strength is our
ability to perform research across industrial sec
-tors and scientific areas, including collaboration between competing companies. This is unique. INNOVATION AND IMpACT ON SOCIETy
Innovative ideas are based on industrial and sci
-entific needs. New concepts are rapidly tested by
industry and the resulting feedback stimulates the creative and scientific process. Our strong track record of having produced numerous spin-off companies and commercial software that are used daily by thousands of industrial clients around the
world ensures our ability to leave a permanent im
-pression on society. INTEGRATED EDUCATION
Our responsibility towards future generations
involves providing world-class education in sus
-tainable production to create a solid foundation where creativity and new innovations thrive. We support this responsibility by providing a broad
range of master’s and doctoral programmes to
-gether with regional, national and international graduate schools.
INTERDISCIplINARy RESEARCH bETwEEN pRODUCTION AND OTHER AREAS OF ADVANCE
The Production Area of Advance assembles over half of Chalmers’ departments, five Centres of Excellence, 25 research groups and a network
of collaborating industries. Our research is fun
-damentally based on science in mathematics, physics and/or chemistry and spans all the other Chalmers Areas of Advance.
pRODUCTION FOR A SUSTAINAblE FUTURE
Sustainable production is a crucial key to a sus
-tainable society. Researchers working within the
active fields of the profiles are committed to ad
-dressing the challenges posed by sustainable pro
-duction.
Sustainable Manufacturing Processes
Environmentally benign, resourceful and energy-efficient manufacturing processes for traditional and new materials.
Sustainable Production Systems
Development and operation of resources and
energy-efficient, high performing production sys
-tems and human-friendly workplaces.
Sustainable Product Development
Methods and tools for robustly designed and life
-cycle-based product platforms with early consid
-eration of sustainability requirements and effects.
DIRECTED BY PROFESSOR RIKARD SÖDERBERG AND CO-DIRECTOR PROFESSOR JOHAN STAHRE
VISION
Our vision is to be among the internationally lead
-ing universities with regard to green, safe and ef
-ficient future transport systems. To achieve this, we are building on a wide range of disciplines and the close connection between research and higher education as well as on intense cooperation with industry and societal actors.
DESIGN
Research is focused on the three profiles illustrated
below. Sustainable vehicles and fuels includes re
-search on electrification, hybridisation, renewable fuels, catalysis, combustion engines, lightweight materials – and their respective applications for different modes of transport. Transport efficiency and customer adapted logistics encompasses all
aspects of efficient and effective transport includ
-ing and connect-ing several subsystems such as
individuals’ mobility, companies’ logistics sys
-tems, transport and traffic systems. Traffic safety captures all aspects of safe road transport of or by people, including safe inter-connections to other transport areas and modes.
OUTSTANDING RESEARCH
Our research on Transport efficiency and customer adapted logistics focuses on transport systems as part of supply chains, which is a holistic construct that involves close collaboration, synchronised
processes and material flows between organi
-sational units. This requires a holistic approach,
and the Northern LEAD research centre
coordi-nates the activities that address these issues. The Traffic safety research profile encompasses three
main areas: understanding the real traffic envi
-ronment through collection and analysis of data, countermeasures to avoid accidents and prevent injuries and mitigation of their consequences. The research included in this profile is coordinated by
the SAFER competence centre, which is hosted
by Chalmers. The centre includes over 20 part
-ners who are involved in joint research on vehi
-cle and traffic safety. The Sustainable vehi-cles
and fuels profile engages several research cen
-tres: the Swedish Hybrid Vehicle Centre (SHC),
the Competence Centre for Catalysis (KCK), the
Combustion Engine Research Centre (CERC) and
a newly formed centre that focuses on renewable fuels. This profile was developed in cooperation with the Energy Area of Advance. In addition, several centres relate to more than one profile and
to other areas: the Lighthouse – Maritime Compe
-tence Centre, the Compe-tence Centre in Railway
Mechanics (CHARMEC) and the Antenna Systems
Excellence Centre (Chase).
Research within the profiles connects to different
types of infrastructures and clusters. For Sustain
-able vehicles and fuels and Transport efficiency
and customer adapted logistics, we plan to develop wide-ranging and long-term collaboration with
KNEG (Climate neutral road transport), which cur
-rently includes 17 companies and authorities. The
Traffic safety profile ties into plans for ASTA (Ac
-tive Safety Test Area) and other research and dem
-onstration infrastructures that are coordinated by Test Site Sweden and for Vision Zero Academy. INNOVATION AND IMpACT ON SOCIETy
The research centres facilitate and coordinate col
-laboration between academic researchers and indus
-try. In order to develop the impact of our research on society, we will develop additional platforms for interaction with industry and society as well as new ways of organising and stimulating innovation in order to foster the development of new transport solutions. Collaboration with Test Site Sweden, the School of Entrepreneurship and other actors in the
innovation system to which Chalmers is linked cre
-ate a starting point for these efforts. INTEGRATED EDUCATION
Chalmers’ Automotive and Transportation Acade
-my (www.chalmers.se/cata) is a joint effort between
Chalmers and industrial partners. It serves as a plat
-form for contact between students, teachers and
industry as well as a forum for exchange of knowl
-edge, ideas and visions. As a portal for all relevant transport-related higher education, it provides easy
access to information and relevant contacts. One aim is to help students and teachers with projects,
master’s theses, field trips, internships, guest lec
-turers etc. For companies, it provides access to current curricula and opportunities to influence the direction of the programmes to ensure they satisfy the changing needs of the industry.
INTERDISCIplINARy RESEARCH bETwEEN TRANSpORT AND OTHER AREAS OF ADVANCE Two emerging fields that cut across the profiles and tie the research in transport to other Areas of Advance are currently being developed: Future urban transport, which links the three excellence
profiles to Built Environment and Energy, and In
-telligent transport systems, which links the three excellence profiles to ICT. Rail road transport and Transport safety are additional emerging fields that cut across profile and centre boundaries. A SUSTAINAblE FUTURE
The development of green, safe and efficient trans
-port systems is paramount in the efforts to tackle climate challenges. While solutions to reduce greenhouse emissions from many other sources have been developed, transport remains one of the main sources of carbon emissions. At the same time, transport is a cornerstone of economic growth, and mobility is increasingly considered a quality of human life.
SUSTAINABLE VEHICLES AND FUELS
TRANSPORT EFFICIENCY & CUSTOMER ADAPTED
LOGISTICS TRAFFIC SAFETY
Efficient powertrains Vehicle concept development Vehicle operation and control Demand for transport services Interplay and interfaces Supply of transport services Traffic analysis Accident avoidance Injury prevention BASIC SCIENCE EXCELLENCE PROFILES ACTIVE FIELDS
Efficient transport systems play a vital role in our society. However, carbon emissions generated by transport need to be reduced by 90% by 2050 in order to keep the temperature increase under 2 degrees. Another consideration involves projections for road transport growth. when adding demands for increased traffic safety and efficient trans-port solutions, this Area of Advance faces great challenges.
DIRECTED BY PROFESSOR ANNA DUBOIS AND CO-DIRECTOR SENIOR LECTURER MAGNUS BLINGE
