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News

• 2026-10-05

  Can a Quarter-Hour of Singing in School Influence PISA Results?

  For several decades, singing and music have occupied a diminishing place in Swedish schools, despite scientific evidence demonstrating numerous health benefits, including reduced stress, increased levels of the “feel-good hormone” oxytocin, and strengthened social cohesion. Against this background, the research project Singing for Health in School – A Matter of Social Concern was launched. But can just fifteen minutes of singing each day at school be enough to help pupils feel better and, ultimately, perform better academically? This is the question the research project set out to investigate.

  The project is funded by the Marcus and Amalia Wallenberg Memorial Foundation, with the Royal Swedish Academy of Music acting as fund manager. No previous studies have examined this area, making the project unique, both because of the interdisciplinary combination of expertise represented by the researchers and because of the practical singing intervention at its core, which has the potential to be directly implemented in everyday school teaching.

• 2026-10-02

  Kick-off for Hotspot – Celebrating 30 years!

  – We often say that it will be the best Hotspot ever, and I am convinced that it will be. After all, this is the 30th anniversary, says project manager Erica Jansson as the project team for Hotspot 2027 gathers for its kick-off.

  – Yes, it always turns out to be the best Hotspot ever, and it is hard to imagine how it can be surpassed, but somehow it is. Every year. And now we are celebrating 30 years. It is going to be great fun! says Susanna Lundborg, Head of Internationalisation and External Relations at Karlstad University.

• 2026-10-01

  New model aims to improve pain management for people with dementia

  Pain management in people with dementia is complex. Pain can manifest itself in many different ways, and changes in behaviour may have several different causes. New research indicate that the solution is not a single assessment tool, but rather a more structured and person-centred care process that helps healthcare staff identify, assess and follow up on pain.

  “Small deviations from a person’s usual behaviour can be important signs of pain. But recognising them requires both knowledge and staff who know the person well,” says Caroline Kreppen Overen, PhD student in nursing and one of the researchers behind the study.

• 2026-09-30

  Regional Test Arena to Strengthen Companies’ Digital Development

  Many companies see the opportunities offered by new technology but lack the support needed to make use of it. That is why Karlstad University, together with Compare, is launching a joint test arena where research and technology will be made more accessible to companies and the public sector.

  Small and medium-sized enterprises in Värmland need to be able to take advantage of AI, digitalisation and cybersecurity in order to continue developing and strengthen their competitiveness. At the same time, requirements for information security and digital resilience are increasing. The new arena will make it easier for companies and public-sector organisations to access new technology, knowledge and expertise.

• 2026-09-29

  Music Education Student Goes on Exchange to Germany

  Margareta Uusijärvi, originally from Stockholm, is about to begin her third year in the Music Teacher Education Programme at the Ingesund School of Music. Instead of settling in at the school for the upcoming autumn semester, she has chosen to study abroad through EUNICE, the European university alliance of which Karlstad University is a member together with nine other European universities, during the coming academic year.

  “Since the third year of the Music Teacher Education Programme is designed around a great deal of independent study, I decided to take the opportunity to broaden my horizons abroad. I have chosen Brandenburg University of Technology (BTU) Cottbus-Senftenberg in Cottbus, Germany, which is part of EUNICE. One of the reasons for my choice is that I have previously lived in Germany as an au pair and speak German. During that time, I lived with a German family, sang in a choir in my spare time, and also took German lessons. Studying at a German university will be more formal.

• 2026-09-29

  Stop Blaming the Packaging – It May Be Food’s Best Friend

  – Without packaging, food waste would increase dramatically, say researchers Fredrik Wikström and Helén Williams at the Service Research Center (CTF) at Karlstad University.

  29 September is International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste. As global interest in conserving resources continues to grow, researchers Fredrik Wikström and Helén Williams have now seen their book Stop Food Waste translated into English. Through the book, they aim to highlight the importance of viewing the entire product system, not just the food itself.