WARA Medicine is a new research arena from the Wallenberg AI, Autonomous Systems and Software Program (WASP), Sweden’s largest national research program. The new arena is led by AstraZeneca, Cytiva, and Testa Center in partnership with some of the leading universities in Sweden. WARA Medicine focuses on developing intelligent AI agents and other AI/ML approaches with a particular focus on Large Multimodal Models—to transform decision-making in the pharmaceutical industry.
By fostering a collaborative ecosystem between academia and industry, WARA Medicine aims to strengthen Sweden’s position as a global leader in Life Sciences.
WASP’s newest research area, WARA Medicine, has a mission to leverage transparent and explainable AI to enhance decision-making across the pharmaceutical value chain, potentially enabling more effective treatments, faster delivery of novel therapies, and improved patient outcomes.
Bridging academia and industry
The arena will develop intelligent agents and systems based on Large Multimodal Models and other AI/ML approaches to shape decision-making in the pharmaceutical industry. Data sandboxes at AstraZeneca, Cytiva, and Testa Center (owned and operated by Cytiva) will be established to provide secure environments for model development and validation, while Testa Center will also offer real-time testing. This initiative will strengthen the partnership between WASP and SciLifeLab, an institution for the advancement of molecular biosciences in Sweden.
“Close collaboration with industry partners allows us to speed up the translation of research into real-world applications—such as data-driven drug discovery—that ultimately enhance the healthcare system,” says Bo Wahlberg, Chair of the WASP Arena Management Group and Professor at KTH.
Furthermore, the research arena will support industry-relevant research projects—spanning WASP PhD and postdoctoral initiatives to six-month graduate assignments— building a durable bridge between academic research and industry demands.
The companies and universities behind WARA Medicine
AstraZeneca, Cytiva, and Testa Center are the main drivers of WARA Medicine. AstraZeneca is a global biopharmaceutical company with R&D and operations in Sweden. Cytiva is a global life sciences leader that provides technologies, solutions, and services, and Testa Center is an open testbed for bioprocessing technologies. Together, they create a synergistic environment where cutting-edge research and practical applications converge.
Academic partners include WASP-affiliated universities: Chalmers University of Technology, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Lund University, Linköping University, Umeå University, and affiliated groups of excellence: Luleå Technical University, Uppsala University, and Örebro University.
About the WASP Research Arenas
Through WASP Research Arenas (WARAs), companies contribute with advanced technical platforms, data, or infrastructures that are normally not accessible to academic research. This supports collaborative research in challenging and complex environments, allowing researchers to identify new challenges. The arenas enable the WASP community to develop, test, and demonstrate research with high industrial and societal relevance, leading to a high impact.
The five WASP research arenas are:
- WARA Operational Data
- WARA Robotics
- WARA Media and Language
- WARA Public Safety
- WARA Medicine
Published: June 10th, 2025
