3 Aug 2026
New WISE Researchers to Gather at the Welcome Meeting 2026
On 24 – 25 August, the WISE Community will welcome its newest members to the WISE Welcome Meeting 2026 at Vildmarkshotellet in Kolmården.

12 Jan 2024
WISE is now investing 500 MSEK for equipment and infrastructure at seven universities in Sweden to establish a national infrastructure for sustainable materials research.
Picture taken by Thor Balkhed, Linköping university.
WISE, the Wallenberg Initiative Materials Science for Sustainability, is the largest-ever investment in materials science in Sweden and is financed by Knut and Alice Wallenberg foundation. WISE is now investing 500 million SEK (45 million Euro) for equipment and infrastructure at seven universities in Sweden to establish a national infrastructure for research into sustainable materials. This is the largest investment in material science in Sweden.
To combat climate change and to transform to a sustainable society, there is an urgent need for new advanced materials. To speed this development, cutting-edge research infrastructures are needed to enable the generation of new knowledge of materials and to develop green technology solutions.
– Finding new materials for a sustainable world can only be achieved by better knowledge. Material scientists make use of research tools, both for growth and characterization, e.g. in the form of spectrometers, microscopes, and additive manufacturing, to discover and understand the fundamental properties of materials. We are very enthusiastic about this investment in research technology platforms, and we are convinced that they will make a tremendous impact on the transformation towards a sustainable future, say Magnus Berggren and Olle Eriksson, director and co-director of WISE, respectively.

“Arwen”, transmission electron microscope at Linköping University. Picture taken by Magnus Johansson, Linköpings University
More about the platforms
Infrastructures for transmission- and scanning electron microscopy, photoelectron spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance and magnetic resonance imaging, mass spectroscopy, crystallography, additive manufacturing, as well as dedicated fabrication and synthesis laboratories for electronic and circular materials are being financed. Several of the research technology platforms will be organized as distributed infrastructures, with complementing equipment hosted at individual universities. Substantial additional financing and support are also provided by the WISE partner universities.
The equipment is expected to be commissioned in 2024 and run throughout the entire WISE project period. For the more time-consuming build-up of certain WISE research platforms, the equipment is expected to be in operation during 2025.
3 Aug 2026
On 24 – 25 August, the WISE Community will welcome its newest members to the WISE Welcome Meeting 2026 at Vildmarkshotellet in Kolmården.
25 Jun 2026
Magnus Berggren, Director of WISE, will assume the role as the Executive Director of Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation from 1 January 2027. As a result, he will step down as Program Director of the WISE program and remain at Linköping University on a part-time basis.
23 Jun 2026
“Sustainability is the central theme of my research. Rather than focusing only on performance, we aim to develop technologies that are sustainable from the materials level all the way to manufacturing and end-of-life”, says Magdalena Titirici, Professor at the Imperial College London and WISE Invited Professor.
23 Jun 2026
WISE-affiliated researcher, Professor Ergang Wang at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden, is coordinating a new EU-funded project, SPECTRA, to develop groundbreaking technologies that use solar energy to transform plastic waste into valuable resources. The project also involves Professor Moyses Araujo at Karlstad University, another WISE-affiliated researcher, as a partner.
22 Jun 2026
Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation has increased the searchable framework budget with an additional SEK 265 million to the Wallenberg Initiative Materials Science for Sustainability (WISE), marking a significant expansion of the programme.
12 Jun 2026
Imagine opening a juice box made from materials designed with deeper scientific insight into how they behave at the smallest scales.
4 Jun 2026
“My best advice is simple: think before you buy. Many of the products we purchase today ultimately end up very quickly in our waste streams”, says WISE co-Director for Sustainability, Niclas Svensson.
3 Jun 2026
When Zhejian (Jerry) Cao joined the WISE programme in 2023, he was already exploring a promising research direction. What followed was a journey defined by intellectual freedom, interdisciplinary growth, and a clear path toward academic independence
29 May 2026
Don’t miss to register for the upcoming WISE Invited Professor Lecture on 4 June 2026, from 3.00–4.00 pm CET.
28 May 2026
A new research platform for advanced tribological measurements was inaugurated on May 26 at Luleå University of Technology.
27 May 2026
“We want to influence the way electric vehicles are designed and built so multifuctional possibilities are integrated in the design from the beginning”, continues Prof. Leif Asp from Chalmers University of Technology and WISE-afilliated researchers.
26 May 2026
The May WISE Study Trip brought doctoral students and postdocs to Jönköping.
26 May 2026
The call for KAW Proof of Concept Grants in Materials Science for Sustainability will open soon
25 May 2026
The Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation has published the call text for the 2026 Proof of Concept Grants in Materials Science for Sustainability is now available. The call opens September 1, 2026, and closes October 15, 2026, at 13:00.
24 May 2026
“Undertaking my PhD under the WISE framework has been a wonderful opportunity and positive experience thus far. It has connected me with a strong network of outstanding researchers and provided a collaborative environment focused on solution-oriented research for a more sustainable future,” says Patrick Korir, PhD student at LTU and Höganäs.
19 May 2026
A successful partnership between CelluXtreme, KTH, and WISE is redefining what sustainable materials can achieve and deliver.
13 May 2026
“The most valuable aspect of this program was meeting different people and understanding different aspects of research”.
11 May 2026
Join us for the 9th Machine Learning Meets Materials Science Seminar, part of the WASP–WISE initiative! Mark your calendars: May 20 at 10:00!
11 May 2026
Don’t miss to register for the upcoming WISE Invited Professor Lecture on 4 June 2026, from 3.00–4.00 pm CET.
8 May 2026
The 2026 Machine Learning for Materials and Molecular Discoveries (ML2MD) symposium will bring together researchers to discuss recent advances at the intersection of machine learning, materials science, and molecular research.
7 May 2026
Sustainability is at the heart of WISE-ap3. All projects are expected to combine cutting-edge materials science with a meaningful contribution to a sustainable future.
7 May 2026
During our recent study visit to Kiruna in northern Sweden, participants had the opportunity to explore cutting-edge research, large-scale industry, and unique cultural experiences in an inspiring and unforgettable setting.
6 May 2026
Registration is now open for WISE Networking Days 2026, taking place on November
23 – 24, 2026.
5 May 2026
This time, you’ll have the chance to hear from Professor Carsten Gachot and Professor Yen-Chieh Huang. If you haven’t signed up yet, now’s a great time to secure your spot. It’s shaping up to be a valuable and engaging experience, and we don’t want you to miss out!
4 May 2026
This call aims to support joint research projects between researchers within WACQT and WISE in the areas of quantum technology for materials science or materials science for quantum technology, with a required focus on sustainability.
30 Apr 2026
We are excited to welcome all new members of the WISE Community and invited guests to this year’s WISE Welcome Meeting!
29 Apr 2026
A new powerhouse for materials research is emerging at Luleå University of Technology.
20 Apr 2026
The call text for the third WISE Industrial Project Call (WISE-ip3) is now available, marking the start of a new round of funding aimed at strengthening collaboration between academia and industry. The application portal is set to open in April 2027.
17 Apr 2026
In the spring sunshine, the Uppsala node of Wise-EST was officially inaugurated at Uppsala University by Vice Rector Charlotte Platzer Björkman and WISE co-director Olle Eriksson, marking the launch of a new research infrastructure for tribology.
15 Apr 2026
An international team of researchers has developed a high-performance, biodegradable membrane made from jute agricultural waste to filter oily water. The material is produced using a simple and scalable process and it can be removed using ultrasound and easily re-casted, restoring its performance again and again. Even after repeated use, the membrane maintains over 99% separation efficiency.