Research centres

KTH's research centres perform research in new research areas and in close collaboration with society and the industry. The centres gather expertise within various specialist areas, through collaboration in projects.

An illustration with different icons connected to research. — Illustration by Jens Magnusson.

Our research centres

KTH's research centres can be divided into seven research areas: Digitalisation, Energy, Industrial Transformation, Life Science, Materials, Transport and Sustainable Development. Read more about each centre under the tabs below.

Centre for Cyber Defense and Information Security (CDIS)

CDIS was established in 2020 as a collaboration between KTH and the Swedish Armed Forces. The centre develops new techniques and methods to strengthen Sweden’s cyber defence via research and education. CDIS contributes to the only course in Sweden for national service cyber soldiers, and around 25 researchers are connected to the research centre.

Center for Trustworthy Edge Computing Systems and Applications (TECoSA)

TECoSA aims to provide methods, tools, theory, and new partnerships to build safe, secure, and predictable systems relying on edge computing.

Digital Futures

Digital Futures is an interdisciplinary research centre whose vision is to create a sustainable society via digital transformation.

Swedish e-Science Research Centre (SeRC)

SeRC develops and integrates e-science tools and infrastructure to strengthen scientific breakthroughs in a large number of research areas in Sweden.

Academic-Industrial Nuclear Technology Initiative to Achieve a Future Sustainable Energy Supply (ANiTA)

The centre's objective is to create a Swedish knowledge and know-how base for new nuclear energy technologies that can provide information to enable decision-makers to make fact-based decisions on the future Swedish energy supply system. As such, the centre will be a resource for society to make the independent assessments needed for the transition to Swedish power and energy supply systems. ANiTA is hosted by Uppsala University.

Centre for Sustainable Nuclear Energy Research In Sweden (SUNRISE)

SUNRISE is preparing the construction and operation of a Swedish lead-cooled research reactor in Oskarshamn. The reactor will offer commercial services to customers and research opportunities for higher education and research institutes. These services include irradiation of fuels and materials for GenIV reactors and advanced modular reactors and the development of safety assessment strategies for a potential global expansion of small modular lead-cooled reactors.

Production, use and storage of hydrogen (PUSH)

PUSH performs research on the production, use, and storage of hydrogen. The centre’s researchers use electrolysis to produce hydrogen from water and renewable energy, convert hydrogen into fuel cells to generate electricity in vehicles, for example and investigate the possibility of binding hydrogen to organic molecules for ease of storage and distribution.

Excellence in production research (XPRES)

XPRES is a research and education environment within advanced production that creates new technologies and business models for a world-leading Swedish manufacturing industry and a sustainable society.

AdBioPRO

AdBIOPRO looks to develop competitive technology for bioproduction with a focus on the coming paradigm shift towards continuous biopharmaceuticals processes and on the manufacture of emerging potent therapeutic agents such as recombinant viral vectors and cell products.

CellNova

CellNova pursues research for the development and production of next-generation pharmaceuticals. The centre’s long-term aim is to become world-leading in the development and production of such pharmaceuticals.

MedTechLabs

MedTechLabs is an interdisciplinary centre for medical technology research that aims to improve the prospects of patient survival and a better quality of life for people with cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and other non-infectious diseases. The centre creates ways that enable healthcare providers to offer patients more secure diagnoses and better treatment at a lower cost.

Science for Life Laboratory (SciLifeLab)

The SciLifeLab is a national centre for molecular biosciences with a focus on translational medicine, data-driven life science, and molecular biosciences.

Center for Mechanics and Materials Design (MMD)

MMD brings together solid mechanics and materials science with the aim of generating processes for the production of superior materials. The development towards more powerful simulation methods within both solid mechanics and materials science, plus higher demands on optimal designs are bringing these areas ever closer to each other. By synchronising these activities, processes for the production of better materials can be accelerated.

Hierarchical Engineering of Industrial Materials (Hero-m2i)

The competence centre works with a hierarchical method to design materials, components, and structures. The knowledge that emerges at the centre contributes to the circular economy and sustainable society.

Treesearch

Treesearch looks to drive and continuously develop a world-leading research and innovation environment in the form of a national platform to support collaboration between the world of higher education and the forestry industry and to make this more efficient in relation to four pillars: research, collaboration, education and the research infrastructure. The platform combines know-how and knowledge in industrial research and development by creating access to an advanced research infrastructure for challenge-driven research and development to support industrial innovation and enable a sustainable bio-based society.

Wallenberg Center for Protein Research (WCPR)

The centre is primarily based on the infrastructure and knowledge built up in the course of the Human Protein Atlas (HPA) project to study human proteins and develop platforms for the efficient production of biopharmaceuticals.

Wallenberg Wood Science Centre (WWSC)

WWSC is a multidisciplinary collaboration between KTH, Chalmers University of Technology, and Linköping University that strives for scientific excellence with the general objective of developing new sustainable materials from wood and the forestry industry.

Centre for Sustainable Aviation (CSA)

As residential areas are gradually creeping closer and closer to airports in the country, aviation needs to be developed to reduce noise and emissions. To this end, the Swedish Transport Administration and KTH decided to create the Centre for Sustainable Aviation. The objective is to create leading Swedish research into the control and operation of aviation with regard to the environment and noise in particular. The hope is that the centre will be able to generate societal benefits from both a short and long-term perspective and a local and international perspective.

ECO2 Vehicle Design

The centre is engaged in multidisciplinary and multi-vehicle research to find solutions to cross-functional problems in the vehicle system. The centre has assembled research expertise from higher education and industry within areas such as aerodynamics, acoustics, vehicle dynamics, lightweight structures, life cycle analysis, sustainability, information science, and modularisation.

Integrated Transport Research Laboratory (ITRL)

ITRL aims to simplify the transition to a sustainable transport system via an integrated research method that brings together several stakeholders. Their vision is a world where future generations have access to social justice and environmentally clean and efficient transport systems. The centre is tasked with developing and communicating knowledge contributing to the switch to sustainable road transport. They aim to achieve this by integrating different disciplines, system levels, and stakeholders in their research.

Railway Group (JVG)

The KTH Railway Group aims to contribute to the development of railways and the Swedish rail industry, and to make rail more competitive, by developing knowledge within rail-related subjects. Over the years, the KTH Railway Group has sought to improve railways and has engaged in comprehensive concept studies, such as The Green Train. All these projects aim to make rail transport more efficient and competitive than other transport forms. The Railway Group is currently actively involved in around ten Shift2Rail projects where, in principle, they work with everyone involved in the industry, from rolling stock manufacturers to infrastructure managers, operators, university colleges, and consultants.

Swedish Maritime Robotics Centre (SMaRC)

SMaRC is an interdisciplinary research centre for maritime robotics. Their primary assignment is to explore and demonstrate solutions that can contribute to autonomous intelligent underwater systems. The centre focuses on four research disciplines – autonomy, endurance, perception, and communication – to develop next-generation maritime robotics for maritime production and protect society and the environment.

Transport Research Environment with Novel Perspectives (TRENoP)

TRENoP develops research focused on land transport and explores innovative technology and policy concepts, intelligent decision-making support at a tactical, operational, and strategic level, and implementation processes.

Centre for Future Seafood (Blue Food)

Blue Food is a national seafood centre whose objective is to develop sustainable production of Swedish seafood and increase its availability for people throughout the country. One primary task is to make more efficient use of wild-caught fish and to develop modern aquaculture for fish, shellfish, and algae.

Climate Action Centre (CAC)

CAC aims to create an arena for interdisciplinary and sector-spanning climate research. The centre looks to develop knowledge-based scenarios and future paths to enable transformative changes towards the realisation of a climate-neutral and climate-positive society. Researchers from all KTH Schools are involved with the centre.

Environmental Humanities Laboratory (EHL)

The centre applies humanities and social science methods and theories to questions of environment, nature and climate and their role in society and culture.

KTH FOOD

The vision of KTH FOOD is to establish a leading research environment that strives for a sustainable, resource efficient and fair food system encompassing the entire value chain, resulting in food products with positive impact on health and well-being.

Sustainable Finance Lab (SFL)

Research at SFL aims to create more sustainable finance markets to increase social and environmental sustainability. The Centre focuses on areas such as innovation in risks and opportunities, sustainability standards and policies, plus transformation, technology and innovation.

Collaborate with KTH's research centres

Together with KTH, your organisation can develop its knowledge base and take part in our research and innovation environments. The Research Support Office is KTH's contact point for research collaboration.

More information

List of all KTH research centres

Information for KTH researchers