On May 28, WASP celebrates its ten-year anniversary. An impact report, concluding a decade of impact and the program’s ambitions going forward, is now available.
During the decade that has passed since the first press briefing launching the program, WASP has grown into Sweden’s largest research program ever, uniting academia, industry, and society in a long-term commitment to building national excellence in AI, autonomous systems, and software.
To celebrate its achievements, to give credit to those who have contributed to its success, and to put the spotlight on those who have accelerated their careers thanks to WASP-led opportunities, we announce this 10-year Impact Report.
“Without WASP, Sweden would have missed the opportunity to be at the forefront of top-tier research. WASP has also enabled Sweden to sustain its technological transformation by providing a new generation of researchers with deep technical knowledge. Now, Sweden will need to continue to invest and make use of these outstanding research results,” said Anders Ynnerman, Chair WASP Board of Directors.
The power of people
A common conclusion throughout the report, diving into scientific, ecosystemic, international and societal impact, is the impact of bringing people together.
“The greatest strength of WASP lies in our ability to bring together top researchers from various scientific communities and provide them with the necessary resources to drive excellence. Paired with an openness towards collaboration across institutional borders we are the Swedish initiative driving world class research in AI, autonomous systems and software,” said Amy Loutfi, WASP Program Director.
The commitment to driving excellence remains
To this date, more than 740 PhD students have been admitted to the WASP Graduate School, 75 top international researchers have been recruited to Sweden and more than 2 200 scientific publications have been shared with the scientific community.
The last two years, one doctor per week has graduated from the program and this pace will continue for several years to come. As put forward in the report, it is hard to overestimate the impact WASP has had for the partner universities and for the Swedish innovation system.
The program’s achievements over the past decade are a testament to the dedication and collaborative efforts of the entire WASP community. Moving forward, WASP remains committed to sustaining this excellence and continuing to drive impactful research that shapes the future of AI, autonomous systems, and software in Sweden and beyond.
Read the WASP 10 Year Impact Report
Published: May 27th, 2025
