Published: 2022-01-19

WASP-ED to Make Swedish Universities at the Forefront of AI Education

NEWS In January, a new national education program for artificial intelligence, WASP-ED, is launched. The research programs WASP-HS, coordinated at Umeå University, and WASP will together receive SEK 18.6 million from the Marianne and Marcus Wallenberg Foundation to develop WASP-ED

Text: Hanna Nordin

WASP-HS and WASP are Sweden's largest research programs in artificial intelligence, AI. In December 2021, the Foundations announced that the programs will receive SEK 18.6 million in funding from the Marianne and Marcus Wallenberg Foundation.

The millions will be used to start WASP-ED (Wallenberg AI and Transformative Technologies Education Development Program) with the aim of increasing Swedish universities' ability and capacity to provide up-to-date and relevant education in AI. The program will focus on educations where you can include AI and similar tools to strengthen and broaden knowledge. This applies, for example, to courses and programs that train doctors, economists and teachers.

Through the work started within the framework of WASP-ED, Umeå University and all the higher education institutions connected to WASP-HS and WASP will be able to join forces to spread knowledge about AI so that more courses include elements that incorporate the technology. It will be both a development and research program that complements the research being done within WASP-HS and WASP.

About WASP-HS and WASP

WASP-HS (Wallenberg AI, Autonomous Systems and Software Program - Humanity and Society) started in 2019 and has a total budget of SEK 660 million. The program is an investment in multidisciplinary research, education and recruitment in the opportunities and challenges of artificial intelligence and autonomous systems, with a strong focus on research in the humanities and social sciences.

WASP (Wallenberg AI, Autonomous Systems and Software Program) started in 2015 and has a total budget of SEK 5.5 billion. The program is an investment in basic research, education and recruitment in autonomous systems and software development.