On 16–17 September, the Product Development Research Lab (PDRL) took part in SIMS 2026, the 67th International Conference of the Scandinavian Simulation Society. The conference was hosted at the Mälardalen Industrial Technology Center (MITC) in Eskilstuna. PDRL researchers presented six papers, chaired two sessions and joined the educational panel. BTH was also one of the inviting institutions behind this year’s conference, and part of the SIMS 2026 Organizing Committee.
Simulation as decision support runs through all six papers. They apply it to public transport, mining value chains, large-scale evacuation, engineering education and the design of complex, uncertain systems.
Designing resiliency for autonomous and electrified waterborne public transport: Discrete Event Simulations as a collaborative decision support tool
Alessandro Bertoni, Marco Bertoni and Tobias Larsson
The paper describes how discrete event simulation can help public and private stakeholders understand an electric, autonomous waterborne public transport system in Karlskrona. It covers the economic, environmental and societal effects of developing such a system. The work builds on the RECS project, funded by the Swedish Energy Agency (Energimyndigheten), and continues in CEROC.
Related projects: RECS – Resilience in electricity & charging systems · CEROC – Cstrider Multi-Ship Efficiency Remote Operations Centre
Simulation-supported decision-making in the design of volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) systems: a research agenda
Marco Bertoni, Alessandro Bertoni, Tobias Larsson and Carl Toller Melén
The paper builds on a portfolio of PDRL projects. Some are funded nationally (Vinnova, the Swedish Energy Agency, the Swedish Civil Defence and Resilience Agency) and some at European level (EU Horizon). From these it sets out a research agenda for how digital and simulation-supported tools can help industrial and public organisations navigate uncertainty and complexity when developing resilient systems. The agenda is intended as guidance for future research and development investment in the field.
Related projects: MiSo · DISTURB · Tested-SOS · RESIST · Future Fossil Free Rock Loading Solution · RECS
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Towards Holistic Value-Chain Simulation in Mining and Quarrying: Requirements for a Cross-Company Platform
Alessandro Bertoni, Carl Toller Melén, Raj Jiten Machchhar and Anders Persson
The work is funded by Vinnova through the FFI initiative on fossil-free mobile work machines. The paper defines the requirements for a cross-company simulation platform for the mining industry. The platform should optimise physical and economic resources and reduce environmental impact. The aim is a unified view of optimal operations across the value chain, in place of separate, company-specific optimisations.
Related project: MiSo – Optimization & Simulation Platform for Integrated Sustainable Mining
Planning large-scale evacuations using agent-based discrete-event simulations: a case from Blekinge, Sweden
Marco Bertoni, Tobias Larsson, Peter Ryman and Alexander von Buxhoeveden
The paper presents results from the DISTURB project. DISTURB is run with the County Administrative Boards of Blekinge and Skåne and funded by Swedish Civil Defence and Resilience Agency (MCF). The paper shows how simulation can support the planning, evaluation and exercising of large-scale evacuations. Authorities and emergency-response organisations can test scenarios, resources, infrastructure and logistics in a safe virtual environment. They can do this before committing to real-world exercises or facing a real emergency.
Related project: DISTURB – Digitalt beslutstöd för storskalig utrymning
An Integrated Experiential and Active Learning Approach to Teaching Simulation-Driven Design
The paper presents a pedagogical approach to teaching simulation-driven design. It helps future engineers build the skills to apply the method in complex, real-world product development.
Building a Simulation Engine for Effective System-of-Systems Design
The paper draws on a range of case studies and simulation developments. From these it identifies the key demands on a simulation engine, meaning the software that hosts and executes simulation models, for System-of-Systems design. It also presents GABSE (Generic Agent-Based Simulation Engine), an engine built by the author to meet those demands. GABSE is open source and available on GitHub. The work stems from RESIST (EU Horizon) and from Tested-SOS, MiSo and ASPECT (Vinnova FFI).
Related projects: MiSo · Tested-SOS · ASPECT · RESIST
All papers will be published in the SIMS 2026 Proceedings on IFAC-PapersOnLine, part of ScienceDirect, later in 2026 (december). We will add links to the individual papers here once they are available.
Panel on professional upskilling
Dr Johan Wall took part in the educational panel session “Professional upskilling in the digital era”. The discussion covered lifelong learning in modelling and simulation. It highlighted the growing need for continuous professional development in AI, digitalisation and advanced engineering methods. BTH is well placed to meet that need. It has an established portfolio of standalone courses, long experience of flexible and distance education, and close links to industry. Shorter course formats, hybrid learning and tighter integration with regional innovation ecosystems are natural next steps.
BTH PDRL as co-organiser
BTH was an official inviting institution and co-organiser of SIMS 2026. It served on the National Organization Committee alongside Mälardalen University, MITC and Linköping University. Tobias Larsson, Alessandro Bertoni and Marco Bertoni were members of the SIMS 2026 Organizing Committee. Alessandro Bertoni and Carl Toller Melén each chaired a conference session.
Thanks to the organisers at Mälardalen University and MITC for a well-run conference, and to everyone who joined our sessions.
