Project is finalized per 2022-08-31:

Summary

Evaluation of the research profile MD3S showed that the profile is at the forefront of research as three articles are among the top 1% most cited in the world in their category (top 5% there are 6 publications and within the top 10% there are approx. 17% of all the profile’s publications, which is a high proportion compared to other KK profiles). The MD3S+ lead to even stronger focus on scientific publications of high value and international networking. Some 30-40 percent of the articles produced within the profile are written together with industry, which is a higher percentage. In addition to publications and collaborations, there are also ongoing commercialization processes around parts of the research results in collaboration between companies and BTH.

I n the media, the participants in the research profile have been seen in the local press, nationally and in trade press and are highlighted i n various contexts on behalf o f BTH. This exposure takes place via educational catalogues a s well as the web, social media, radio and television. It is particularly interesting that MD3S has been on IVA’s list for projects with high potential both 2020 and 2022 (https://www.bth.se/nyheter/tva-forskare-med-pa-ivas-100-lista/, https://www.bth.se/nyheter/bth-projekt-med-pa-ivas-100-lista/).

The profile and its partners have also been involved i n the development of BTH’s two new MSc programs in marine technology and data science, which started i n 2018 and 2019 respectively. Via KKS AVANS new MSc program in mechanical engineering in line with MD3S research will roll out spring 2023, together with the partner companies. The research profile’s connection to Stanford University is unique in Sweden and means that students on BTH’s mechanical engineering and industrial economics program get the opportunity to carry out global innovation projects together with students from Stanford Mechanical Engineering, something that is attractive for future recruitment. Here a global top 20 position in James Dyson Award is one of the accomplishments of this Stanford/BTH/Volvo collaboration (https://www.jamesdysonaward.org/2020/project/reglove/).

Performance in publications and examinations includes some 300 research papers and 30 lic/PhD exams.

Find full list of research publications from MD3S here.

Find presentations from final seminar 2022-09-14 here. 

More profile news

This Knowledge Foundation (KKS) profile+ center is based on a clear vision and objective regarding model driven development and decision support for sustainable product-service system (PSS) innovation and is building on the further deepening of the ongoing profile work with perspectives of raising international recognition through further presence in top publications, partnering with academics internationally, and also affecting educational programmes at BTH.

The research focus is model-driven sustainable product-service system innovation. The concept of model-driven means that throughout the development process using models (virtual representation of reality) as communication media in order to shorten development cycles and improve multidisciplinary understanding. By also adding capability to collect live data from machines via connected sensors (Internet of Things – IOT) and finding patterns and solutions using big data analytics (including AI and Machine Learning) creating the potential for digital twin approach, the aim is to increase the profiling in this research even further.

Project leader & Centre Director: Prof Tobias Larsson

Time span: 2013-2019 Profile, 2019-2022 Profile+

Funding: 163 MSEK (110 budget and 36 MSEK KK Foundation profile funds, 53 budget and 18 MSEK KK Foundation profile+ funds)

Partners: 

• Aura Light International (2013-2019)
• Avalon Innovation (2013-2019)
• Dynapac Compaction Equipment
• GKN Aerospace Engine Systems
• Holje International Group
• Roxtec International (2019-)
• Tetra Pak Packaging Solutions AB
• Volvo Car Corporation (2019-)
• Volvo Construction Equipment
• Industrigruppen Karlskrona (affiliated network partner)
• Techtank (affiliated network partner)
• Blekinge Institute of Technology
• The Knowledge Foundation

The industrial relevance is threefold: 

1. increased capabilities to mitigate risks, explore opportunities, and take informed decisions early on, 
2. increased opportunities to bring new sustainability-driven innovations to the market and
3. research findings, methods and tools that help industry undertake the changes on several levels that are necessary to stay competitive.

The driving research question is broken down into several sub-questions that are being dealt with in the research tracks of MD3S+ as presented below.

(mechanical engineering, innovation engineering)

• How can value models iteratively translate customers’ desires into terms that are meaningful for PSS design decision-making?
• How can a PSS process look like that supports a system of systems perspective and different component life-cycles over the course of PSS deployment?
• How to drive innovation in multi-stakeholder environments (both internal/external stakeholders)?

(sustainable development, mechanical engineering)

• How can sustainability criteria and indicators guide the finding of generic LCA data to be used in a model-based decision support for value and sustainability assessment?
• How can a risk perspective be applied to identify, assess, and manage potential consequences of sustainability-related decisions?
• How to define a methodology to identify and assess how strategic sustainability criteria can be integrated in requirements and model how they affect value criteria?

(mechanical engineering, data science, electrical engineering)

• How to assess model maturity levels: confidence in models and model generated results as a basis for decision making?
• How to use/asses IoT data-driven design and machine learning configurators for conceptual design?
• How to perform design automation tasks in a multi-discipline environment for decision making?