ADD-VERSE – Accelerating Digitalisation for Decision Making in VUCA Environments

ADD-VERSE – Accelerating Digitalisation for Decision Making in VUCA Environments

With the support of a research team that has its roots in computer aided engineering design research back in 1990’s merging research from Luleå University of Technology, Blekinge Institute of Technology and Stanford University we are now embarking on ADD-VERSE- Accelerating Digitalisation for Decision Making in VUCA Environments, in collaboration with the growing eco-system around Marine Technology Center of Sweden.

A formal application for KKS research profiles was submitted early february with a volume of around 100 msek for an 8 year period. Pending response in may.

Please contact us (Marco Bertoni & Tobias Larsson) if you want to know more on how you may join our research center creation!

Vision

• To create an internationally recognize environment for enhancing modeling, simulation, and visualization capabilities for decision-making in VUCA contexts.

Aim and impact:

• To build capacity around methods and tools for future scenarios planning, simulation and visualization to address VUCA environments effectively.
• To empower organizations to predict, adapt, and react in an unpredictable environment, as well as forecast demand fluctuations and other disruptions.
• To foster a culture of learning and experimentation. This involves supporting organisations in developing capabilities in systems thinking and innovation.

Objective

• To demonstrate, and validate the integration of digital technologies, such as advanced modelling techniques, hybrid simulation approaches, artificial Intelligence and immersive visualizations, to inform decisions when designing and operating complex systems in a VUCA world

The initiative aligns with BTH’s strategic goals by strengthening industry partnerships and promoting interdisciplinary research. It enhances regional, national, and international excellence through coproduction processes that influence educational programs. Focused on applied research, it supports KKS’s mission to drive innovation and competitiveness in Swedish industry, ensuring sustainable growth and long-term impact for both academia and industry.

ADD-VERSE will use the new Virtual Production Studio Lab infrastructure as a core piece for simulation and visualisation capacity.

VUCA stands for Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity. Initially introduced by the U.S. Army to describe the complex and unpredictable nature of the post-Cold War military world, the concept has transcended its military origins to become a widely used framework in business, education, and leadership.

A VUCA environment is characterised by volatile customer demands influenced by the rapid spread of information, raw material shortages that disrupt manufacturing and development processes, as well as uncertain technology readinesses that impacts production timelines. VUCA can simply take the form of a stuck vessel, such as the 2021 Suez Canal blockade caused by the Ever Given container ship, which disrupted global trade for six days, delaying over 400 vessels and turning industries on their head overnight.

The modern VUCA world challenges decision makers to make timely decisions despite incomplete or conflicting data. How to choose ‘right’ amidst mixed customer feedback, complexities arising from globalized operations, distant political disruptions and more?

ADD-VERSE is an initiative for:

• EUROPE: The recent ‘Draghi Report’ calls for closing the gaps with global competitors, navigating economic, environmental, and geopolitical shifts, fostering adaptability and resilience. There is a need for tools that can support evidence-based decisions, that are adaptive to uncertain global conditions, and that can provide precise and flexible responses to rapid changes in technology, markets, and geopolitics.
• SWEDEN: VINNOVA has recently discussed how leading innovation countries like Sweden can make use of simulation support in conjunction with trend analysis, scenario planning and monitoring to identify potential challenges and threats and to develop long-term sustainable strategies that are both flexible and adaptable.
• BLEKINGE: Blekinge is a region on a mission, with a strong focus on smart industry, maritime applications and advanced technologies. Operating in the Baltic’s volatile geopolitical environment, the region has a history and a present marked by environmental unpredictability and complex relationships with neighbouring powers. Its military and trade prominence have made it both a target and an adaptable force.

WHAT IS VUCA?

The concept of VUCA describes today’s rapidly changing world, characterized by Volatility (fast-paced changes), Uncertainty (lack of predictability), Complexity (interconnected challenges), and Ambiguity (unclear information).

In the maritime defense industry, VUCA environments are exemplified by the rapid advancements in naval technologies (volatility), unpredictable geopolitical shifts that affect security dynamics in strategic regions (uncertainty), the intricate web of international alliances and regulatory frameworks (complexity), and the ambiguous nature of emerging threats like cyber-attacks on naval systems (ambiguity). These factors make decision making especially challenging in this sector.

The fast-paced development of electric and autonomous vehicles (volatility), uncertain consumer adoption rates and changing regulations on emissions standards (uncertainty), the complexity of supply chains impacted by global events like semiconductor shortages (complexity), and the ambiguity surrounding the future of mobility and the role of shared transportation models (ambiguity) are more examples of the meaning of VUCA in the automotive sector.

Our academic partnerships in the topic fo ADD-VERSE

• Politecnico of Milano (IT): leading in the development of XR application, haptic and AI interfaces.
• Via University college (DK): leading in the development of XR and Virtual Production technologies for the design of resilient solutions
• Denmark Technical University (DK): leading in the fields of sustainability and circular economy.
• Linköping University (SE): leading in the field of product modelling, simulation and optimization.
• McGill University (USA): leading in analysis, synthesis and optimization of engineering systems.
• University of Bergamo (IT): leading in the design and management of industrial plants and integrated logistics systems.
• Augmencity (NO): leading provider of system simulations and digital twins solutions.

WHAT TYPE OF SUPPORT IS NEEDED?

Track 1: MODEL AND TWIN

Digital Twin architectures : develop sensors, data-driven approaches, security protocols and privacy measures for digital twins to evolve alongside their physical counterparts.

Resilience modelling: develop and apply models that help teams in simulating system-of-systems vulnerabilities and disturbances, reducing recovery time.

Probabilistic techniques: develop and apply better stochastic models (e.g. Bayesian networks) to quantify uncertainty and to simulate random events in VUCA environments.

Uncertainty and Maturity assessment: develop and apply techniques that communicate how much models can be ‘trusted’, showing where knowledge is insufficient.

Track 2: SIMULATE

Multi-level hardware simulations (MHS): develop and apply AI-driven geometric and kinematic simulations representing the system physical property with high detail.

Hybrid process simulations (HPS): develop and apply AI-driven hybrid simulation approaches to simulate what a system is doing and how it interacts with its environment and ecosystem.

Data-driven predictive analysis (DPA): develop and apply AI-driven approaches to handle high-dimensional data from simulation results, ensuring transparent predictions.

Synthetic Training Environments (STE): develop and apply best practices to turn digital twins produced for design purpose into training environments for the operational stage of the system.

Track 3: VISUALISE

Extended Realities (XR): develop and apply immersive virtual environments where multiple users can simultaneously view, manipulate, and analyse shared data.

Virtual Production (VP): develop and apply best practices for how AI-powered dashboards in virtual production environments can be used to interact with a large multitude of data.

Haptic (H): develop and apply multisensory tools to add a physical dimension to data interaction, making abstract information more tangible and accessible.

Human-in-the-loop interactions (HIL): develop and apply techniques to integrate human feedback into simulation processes to reflect real-world decision-making nuances.

Track 4: VALUE CREATION

Foresighting and sense-making (FSM): develop and apply techniques to analyse data and weak signals from the surrounding environment to navigate complex scenarios.

Innovation engineering (IE): develop and apply best practices to drive ambidexterity and radical innovations in VUCA settings, balancing exploration and exploitation.

Complex systems thinking (CST): develop and apply approaches to embrace multiple system dimensions (cost, sustainability, feasibility, desirability etc) in the innovation process.

Agile and rapid prototyping (ARP): develop and apply ‘sandbox’ techniques to test solutions in controlled/flexible environments, exploring ideas before full-scale deployment.

Featured work of relevance

Ongoing research

Research publications

Find full list of research publications from MD3S here.