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• 2026-08-25

  Innovators from Karlstad University receive awards

  It has now been decided which innovators will represent Värmland at the national SKAPA Award ceremony in Stockholm in November. Birgitta Persdotter, a researcher in social work and creator of Vaves®, has been named the winner of the 2026 SKAPA Award Värmland. Amal Nammouchi, a former doctoral student at Karlstad University and founder of Wattzo, has been awarded the 2026 SKAPA Talent Award Värmland.

  The SKAPA Award is Sweden’s largest innovation award and recognizes innovators who develop new solutions with the potential to create societal benefits, promote sustainable development and drive future growth.

  Vaves® is a research-based method and digital platform that strengthens social services’ ability to carry out systematic follow-up, analysis and knowledge development through collaboration between municipalities and academia. For Birgitta Persdotter, the award is an important recognition of her continued work:

• 2026-08-18

  How can food packaging become more circular?

  Food packaging is currently one of Europe's most resource-intensive material flows. The SABOR project aims to advance recycling, digital traceability, and circular business models to meet the EU's new requirements.
  – SABOR is an example of how research, innovation, and industry can work together to support Europe's circular transition, says Mikael Johnson.

  The Service Research Center (CTF) is participating in the European project SABOR (Spain, Sweden and the Netherlands Advancing Traceability and Recycling Solutions for Safe Food Packaging). The project brings together eleven universities, research institutes, companies, and cluster organizations from Sweden, Spain, and the Netherlands to develop safer, more traceable, and more circular food packaging solutions.

• 2026-08-13

  New project to help circular solutions move from testing to real-world implementation

  Many companies in Sweden and Norway are already testing circular solutions such as take-back systems, repair and reuse, but few succeed in scaling them up. A new project at the Service Research Center (CTF) at Karlstad University will help companies move from pilot initiatives to viable business models.

  – What is missing today is not technology, but workable business arrangements around it. When several actors need to share data, responsibilities and revenues, uncertainty arises, which prevents initiatives from being taken forward, says Mikael Johnson, senior lecturer and project leader at CTF and Karlstad Business School.

• 2026-08-13

  Three New Research Projects on Sustainable Energy and the Circular Bioeconomy

  The NewDePT (New Development for Pellet Technology) research group at Karlstad University has secured funding for three new research projects. Supported by the Richert Foundation and Vinnova, the projects focus on long-term storage of biofuel pellets, resource recovery from sewage sludge, and the sustainable utilisation of forestry industry residues.

  Pellets for Enhanced Energy Security

  This project will investigate how pellets produced from alternative and blended biomass feedstocks can be manufactured and stored safely and efficiently. Led by Associate Professor Magnus Ståhl, the project will run from September 2026 to June 2028.

• 2026-08-13

  From Code Examples to Learning in Practice: School of Business Master's Student Taught in China

  How does theory become real competence? During a teaching assignment in China, the classroom was transformed into an engaging and participatory learning environment. Through prototyping and active collaboration, students developed both knowledge and confidence.

  – At Karlstad Business School we put the same approach at the centre of learning. As a student, you actively shape your own learning process, says John Sören Pettersson, professor in information systems.

  During a teaching period in China, the connection between theory and practice became particularly clear in web development courses. By using prototypes and a participant-centered approach, the classroom became an active learning environment.

• 2026-07-15

  The University Ready to Provide Support Following Fire at Student Accommodation

  Late on the evening of Tuesday, 14 July, a fire broke out in an apartment building in the Kronoparken area, near the University. The fire affected a student accommodation building and also impacted several other flats in the property. The University is monitoring the situation and currently has no information indicating whether any students are among those affected.

  If it becomes clear that one or more of the University's students have been affected, the University's support services are ready to provide assistance. The incident is being investigated by the Police, and the landlord is responsible for contacting tenants regarding accommodation arrangements.