MILJö OCH INNOVATION - FRåN IDé TILL MARKNAD

Turbulent times increase the importance for innovation and transformation in all sectors. The understanding about future trends and how to identify them is an important skill. Trend spotting is important in innovation processes to understand how needs and contexts may change from now and into the future. In this course, you will gain an understanding of how trend spotting and contextual analyses are relevant parts of the innovation process. You learn methods and tools that you can use in your professional role and other roles you have in life. As a professional worker, you can use the course's exercises in your own development work in parallel with your studies. The goal is to create knowledge about the field itself, and to provide the conditions for self-reflection and a future-oriented approach to innovation and changes. This is valuable both for individuals and on an organizational level. Besides the online course, it will also be given in Skellefteå.

Fiber-optic sensing technologies are fast evolving and have entered in a large domain of our industry. Today all geothermal fields, water dams, railroads and to some lesser extent mines are equipped with fiber-optic cables to allow not only digital data transmission but also to interrogate fiber cables for information such as temperature changes or values (leakage issues or fractured rocks) but also strain measurements that can be indicators of soil failure or movements. When conducted in a controlled manner, artificial signals can be generated to help image the subsurface for mineral exploration, mine tailing characterization and for geothermal field development work by mapping faults and thermal fluids. There are other applications such as traffic monitoring that can also be done using this technology. Given its vast applications in the green transition, fiber-optic sensing is one of the most advanced technologies to be implemented in a wide range of fossil-free energy systems, hence, of a great importance to learn about their pros and cons and possibilities. Course content The course will have the following content: Introduction to DAS DAS Interrogators for temperature and strain measurements Fiber optic cables and their health conditions (hands-on with fiber-cable microscopes and fusion splicers) Design of a fiber-optic survey (surface and borehole) Parameter testing such as gauge length, laser pulse and width Field trials at a mine tailing test site or a mineral exploration borehole Work with the data and reporting Course design Hybrid and blended including hands-on practices.  This course takes about 30 hours of study to complete. You will learn By taking the course the participants are intended to learn about: Fiber-optic cables and their specifications including how to check their health and splice them DAS interrogators and their interior designs for fiber-optic sensing applications Design surface and borehole experiments Read and work with the data (hands-on) Who is the course for? The course will be given to a broad range of participants from engineering to geoscience backgrounds including university students but also participants from the industry. Participants can be from construction industry, road administration, energy sector (e.g., water dams), mining and defence workers. The course will be run within the newly established Smart Exploration Research Center involving tech companies such as BitSimNow Part of Prevas who are also expert in PFGA and fiber-related technologies. A prerequisite to the course is prior knowledge on different problems in the energy sector but some knowledge with Matlab and/or Python programming. The course can continue as an industry offer through the SERC-center as a multidisciplinary course at Uppsala University and for industry participants. 

Batteries and battery technology are vital for achieving sustainable transportation and climate-neutral goals. As concerns over retired batteries are growing and companies in the battery or electric vehicle ecosystem need appropriate business strategies and framework to work with.This course aims to help participants with a deep understanding of battery circularity within the context of circular business models. You will gain the knowledge and skills necessary to design and implement circular business models and strategies in the battery and electric vehicle industry, considering both individual company specific and ecosystem-wide perspectives. You will also gain the ability to navigate the complexities of transitioning towards circularity and green transition in the industry.The course includes a project work to develop a digitally enabled circular business model based on real-world problems. Course content Battery second life and circularity Barriers and enablers of battery circularity Circular business models Ecosystem management Pathways for circular transformation Design principles for battery circularity Role of advanced digital technologies Learning outcomes After completing the course, you will be able to: Describe the concept of battery circularity and its importance in achieving sustainability goals. Examine and explain the characteristics and differences of different types of circular business models and required collaboration forms in the battery- and electric vehicle- industry. Analyze key factors that are influencing design and implement circular business models based on specific individual company and its ecosystem contexts. Analyze key stakeholders and develop ecosystem management strategies for designing and implementing circular business models. Explain the role of digitalization, design, and policies to design and implement circular business models. Plan and design a digitally enabled circular business model that is suitable for a given battery circularity problem. Examples of professional roles that will benefit from this course are sustainability managers, battery technology engineers, business development managers, circular developers, product developers, environmental engineers, material engineers, supply chain engineers or managers, battery specialists, circular economy specialists, etc. This course is given by Mälardalen university in cooperation with Luleå University of Technology Study effort: 80 hrs

This course has an English version. Look for course with title "Why choose wood for the next high rise building?" KursbeskrivningOlika typer av biomaterial (t.ex. trä) är mycket viktiga i utmaningen att avkarbonisera byggmiljön och minska koldioxidavtrycket för byggnader och infrastruktur genom att ersätta material som stål och cement som har höga koldioxidutsläpp. Samtidigt får vi inte glömma bort att biologisk mångfald, natur och sociala värden i våra skogar är viktigt att behålla samtidigt som skogsbruk bedrivs. I kursens 13 moduler tas skogsbrukets kretslopp upp inklusive avverkningsmetoder, biologisk mångfald, skogsskötsel, logistik, skogens roll i klimatomställningen, kolinlagring, miljöfördelar med att bygga flervåningshus i trä mm. Syftet är att ni som deltar i kursen ska få en gemensam förståelse av det svenska skogsbruket för att ni sen ska kunna fatta välgrundade beslut om materialval vid nästa byggprojekt. KursperiodKursen kommer att vara aktiv under 3 år. InnehållSkogshistoria: Skogens nyttjande i Sverige genom historienSkogsbruksmetoder och skogsskötselSkogsföryngringVirkets egenskaperMätning av skog och virkeSkogsträdsförädling: nutid och framtidSkogens kolbalans och klimatetAffärsmodeller och marknadsutveckling: Fokus flervåningshus med trästommarNaturvård och biologisk mångfald i skogen Kursens uppläggKursen är helt digital med förinspelade föreläsningar. Du kan delta i kursen i din egen takt. Modulerna avslutas med quiz där du kan testa hur mycket du har lärt dig. Du kommer få kunskap omEfter avslutad kurs kommer du att ha lärt dig mer om olika skogliga begrepp, förvärvat kunskap om skogens nyttjande i Sverige genom historien, ökat dina kunskaper om skogsskötsel och hur olika skogsskötselmetoder påverkar den biologiska mångfalden i skogen, lärt dig om skogsbrukets kretslopp – från föryngring till slutavverkning mm. Vem vänder sig kursen till?Den här kursen är tänkt för dig som är yrkesverksam arkiktekt, anställd på kommun som arbetar med stadsplanering och byggande, verksam i bygg- och anläggningsbranschen samt verksam i andra relaterade yrken. Detta är en introduktionskurs och kommer att bidra till en kompetenshöjning i hela byggsektorns ekosystem vilket ökar branschens internationella konkurrenskraft, samtidigt som det ger viktiga förutsättningar för utvecklingen av framtidens hållbara, vackra och inkluderande städer. Eftersom kursen är öppen för alla hoppas vi att fler grupper, exempelvis studenter, doktorander, skogsägare och andra med skogsintresse tar kursen, tar del av inspirerande föreläsningar där vetenskaplig kunskap som producerats huvudsakligen inom SLU presenteras.För mer information kontakta kurskoordinator dimitris.athanassiadis@slu.se  

This course explores the role of intelligent sensor systems in driving sustainability and enabling the green transition. Participants will learn the fundamentals of sensor technologies and their integration into intelligent, distributed systems. Emphasis is placed on applications in energy efficiency, environmental monitoring, and sustainable automation. The course covers topics such as basic sensor technologies, embedded systems, distributed computing, low-resource machine learning approaches, and federated learning for privacy-preserving, decentralized model training across sensor nodes. Through a combination of lectures, practical examples, and hands-on project work, participants will gain experience in designing and deploying intelligent sensor systems tailored to real-world sustainability challenges. The students bring their own case study example as the background for a practical project, through which the student is also finally examined. Recommended prerequisites: At least 180 credits including 15 credits programming as well as qualifications corresponding to the course "English 5"/"English A" from the Swedish Upper Secondary School. Online meetings (estimated): 14 Oct.: Introduction11 Nov.: Project Idea16 Dec.: Project Presentation Study hours: 80 This course is given by Örebro University.

Hydrometallurgy is vital for the green transition and the growing production and need for critical metals. In hydrometallurgy, metals are produced with the help of liquids instead of high temperatures, this approach requires less energy and can be used on complex materials. The course provides knowledge about hydrometallurgical processes used for the extraction and recovery of metals from various primary and secondary raw materials. It focuses on the theory behind unit operations such as leaching, separation, and metal recovery, as well as environmental management of waste products. The content is delivered through online-accessible lectures, interactive seminars, guest lectures, and laboratory exercises. Through quizzes, assignments, and presentations, students are trained to apply theoretical principles and understand the technological environmental challenges in the field. The course is designed to enable studies besides daily work. Study hoursHydrometallurgy is vital for the green transition and the growing production and need for critical metals. In hydrometallurgy, metals are produced with the help of liquids instead of high temperatures, this approach requires less energy and can be used on complex materials. The course provides knowledge about hydrometallurgical processes used for the extraction and recovery of metals from various primary and secondary raw materials. It focuses on the theory behind unit operations such as leaching, separation, and metal recovery, as well as environmental management of waste products. The content is delivered through online-accessible lectures, interactive seminars, guest lectures, and laboratory exercises. Through quizzes, assignments, and presentations, students are trained to apply theoretical principles and understand the technological environmental challenges in the field. The course is designed to enable studies besides daily work. SeminarsSeminar lab: December 10th 2025 at 16:00-18:00 Seminar assignments: January 14th 2026 at 16:00-18:00 Entry reqirements180 credits in science/technology, including a basic course in chemistry of 7.5 credits (e.g. Chemical Principles, K0016K). Good knowledge of English, equivalent to English 6 or equivalent real competence gained through practical experience. Target groupProfessionals in industry, academia or institute, everyone that fulfills the criteria is welcome but the course is created for further education.