WASP Research Arenas
WASP Research Arenas, WARA, connect researchers and industry partners to test, validate, and develop research in real-world settings. By combining scientific expertise with application-driven challenges, the arenas help turn research results into solutions with relevance for industry and society. Researchers also gain access to data, infrastructure, expertise, and real-world environments.
Vision
To increase the value and relevance of research by strengthening collaboration between WASP researchers and industry partners.
Interested in joining a WASP Research Arena?
The arenas offer WASP researchers, PhD students, and industry partners opportunities to collaborate, test ideas, and address challenges where AI, autonomous systems, and software can make a difference. If you are interested in joining a WASP Research Arena, please contact the contact person listed on each arena page.
Why engage in a WASP Research Arena?
The arenas strengthen research impact, support dissemination, and create connections between academia and industry.
WASP PhD students
- Test and validate research results in relevant environments
- Access advanced resources, data, and infrastructure
- Build networks across WASP and Swedish industry
WASP faculty
- Collaborate with leading industrial researchers
- Identify relevant research challenges with industry
- Connect research and education through project courses
Industry partners
- Help shape research agendas
- Gain early insight into research results
- Connect with WASP PhD students and researchers
WASP Research Arenas
WARA currently includes five research arenas, with a sixth arena being established. The arenas are either scenario-driven or technology-driven. Scenario-driven arenas focus on real-world settings and defined research challenges. Technology-driven arenas start from specific research needs and may provide infrastructure for other parts of WASP.
WARA Operational Data
WARA Operational Data, WARA Ops, supports research on data-driven operations by bringing Swedish industry and academia together. The arena provides infrastructure for large operational datasets and enables collaboration around shared data, challenges, and research questions. WARA Ops is a technology-driven arena.
WARA Robotics
WARA Robotics focuses on manufacturing-relevant manipulation tasks in realistic environments. The arena supports research on robots that can navigate, learn, adapt, and perform tasks safely and reliably. WARA Robotics is a scenario-driven arena.
WARA Media and Language
WARA Media and Language, WARA M&L, builds a multidisciplinary ecosystem around Media AI. The arena connects research and industry through shared data, benchmarking, engineering support, and legal guidance. WARA M&L is a technology-driven arena.
WARA Medicine
WARA Medicine connects Swedish academia and the pharmaceutical industry across the pharmaceutical value chain, from drug discovery and development to manufacturing, supply chains, and commercialization.
WARA Public Safety
WARA Public Safety focuses on autonomous vehicles and sensors working together in complex public safety scenarios, including applications in air, on land, on water, and underwater. The arena brings engineers, researchers, and users together to test relevant use cases in realistic environments. WARA Public Safety is a scenario-driven arena.
WARA AI Training and Inference Compute at Scale
The establishment of the WASP Research Arena AI Training and Inference Compute at Scale, WARA AI-TRICS, will bring researchers and industry into close collaboration, focusing on real‑world data, systems, and challenges where both advanced research and powerful computing capacity are required to drive progress.
Proposals for starting new arenas can be initiated either by industry or academia. Ideas can always be discussed with the WARA Director, please see contact information in the bottom of this page.