About PROCEED
The shift towards sustainable, circular production calls for robust and adaptable industrial processes. To drive circular innovation and speed up the industrial transition, KTH and Södertälje's industry clusters are exploring new ways of expanding their long-standing collaboration.
PROCEED – Research Programme for Production, Circular Economy and Engineering Design was launched in 2026. It is a cohesive research and competence development programme focused on circular design and manufacturing, further strengthening the close collaboration between KTH and industry partners in Södertälje.
The initiative places research directly within companies in a unique way, while mobilising the full breadth of KTH's expertise – from engineering and production to design, digitalisation and sustainability.
As part of the academic–industrial hub and working closely with the Sustainability Technologies Innovation Platform in Södertälje, the programme promotes research cooperation and skills development. PROCEED also aims to support Swedish industry in driving sustainable technologies, advancing the circular economy, modernising manufacturing, and developing strong innovation ecosystems.
Research contributing to industrial transformation
With a focus on circularity and resource efficiency, PROCEED is designed to cultivate a new generation of researchers whose competencies span product design, innovation management, production, industrial systems, and business models. The programme develops industry-relevant capabilities such as flexibility, robustness, traceability, and adaptability. Taking a broad ecosystem perspective, it also encompasses student projects and thesis collaborations with industry partners.
The programme includes fully and partially funded postdoc roles. It creates opportunities to engage researchers across multiple areas, enabling industry doctoral students, existing KTH doctoral students, and adjunct and affiliated researchers to participate actively through collaborative projects and mobility initiatives. Industry partners gain continued access to leading expertise, increased innovation capacity, and complementary infrastructure at KTH.
PROCEED builds on a Government mission to KTH to strengthen research in Södertälje. It is carried out in collaboration with AstraZeneca and Scania, and aligned with the Sustainability Technologies Innovation Platform to ensure strong industrial cases and strengthen the Södertälje innovation ecosystem.