Research that makes a difference
BTH's research in software engineering is ranked second in the world and BTH's research in strategic sustainable development is among the most cited in the world.
As a university, we have great opportunities to contribute to sustainable social development. One way we do this is by conducting research that makes a real difference.
To succeed, BTH invests in close collaboration with industry and society and in high quality in everything we do. Research is concentrated in areas where it has good potential to benefit society.
BTH has high ambitions - and in some areas, such as software engineering and strategic sustainable development, we are already world-class. Today, just over a third of BTH's activities are research, and we have the ambition to increase that proportion further.
"To maintain our leadership in the areas in which we are active, we need, among other things, to collaborate with the research environments that have the right expertise - and BTH has that."
Helena Olá
Head of R&D
Ericsson, Karlskrona
Quick facts
- BTH's research in software engineering is ranked second in the world.*
- 41 professors
- BTH has the right to award doctoral degrees in technology, and we conduct doctoral education in the areas of "IT with applications" and "Planning and management"
- 106 PhD students
- Postgraduate programs in 9 subjects
- Approximately one-third of turnover is research and doctoral education
Data from the annual report for 2025.
* According to the Journal of Systems and Software, October 2021.
Marine technology venture
Blekinge Institute of Technology and Region Blekinge are making a strong joint investment in the future of marine technology - an investment of SEK 50 million over five years. The initiative comprises a number of projects, all of which are firmly rooted in real-world needs and are run in close collaboration with the business community and the public sector. The focus of the projects is always on developing solutions that are tested, evaluated and implemented in practice.
Podcasts with researchers
Niklas Lavesson
In episode 59 of "The Innovation Land", Emma Frans is joined by Niklas Lavesson, Professor of Software Engineering with a focus on AI. They talk about the explosive development of AI technology and about sustainable AI technology, both from an environmental and social perspective.
The episode was recorded on May 6, 2024. You can find the podcast wherever you find podcasts.
Tony Gorschek
In episode 51 of "The Innovation Land", Emma Frans meets Professor Tony Gorschek to discuss the need for software engineers, what quality management means and how AI technology will impact the future software landscape.
The episode was recorded on December 18, 2023. You can find the podcast where podcasts are located.
Top rankings
Software engineering
- According to the Journal of Systems and Software, research in the field is ranked second in the world and first in Europe in terms of the number of publications in leading journals in the field.
- In the same category, eight BTH researchers are ranked individually in their respective experience groups; experienced, established and early career.
- One researcher is also among those with the highest impact, based on citations, in the category of early career researchers.
- Two BTH researchers are also behind one of the three articles that, according to the Journal of Systems and Software, had the most impact 10 years after publication.
- Senior professor Claes Wohlin has been on the top-15 list of the most published researchers in the world in the field four times in the last six rankings. Claes Wohlin is also at the top of two lists of the authors who have contributed most to the literature in the field of software development. On the lists of the 30 most contributors to the literature in the field in the world, Claes Wohlin is ranked fourth and seventh, respectively.
- According to GPS Scholar (2025), Claes Wohlin ranks 5th and is considered to be among the best (top 0.05%) researchers in the world in software engineering.
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Welcome new students
Today, new students starting their studies at BTH are welcomed to campus for the Introduction Day. -
Tomorrow's products can be made from yesterday's steel
The steel industry is responsible for significant carbon dioxide emissions, but recycled steel can dramatically reduce its carbon footprint. Researchers at BTH are now investigating how recycled steel can be used in everyday consumer products without compromising quality.
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BTH Strengthens Strategic Partnerships in Ghana
A delegation from Blekinge Institute of Technology (BTH) recently visited two key academic partners in Ghana—Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Kumasi and the University of Cape Coast (UCC) in Cape Coast—to advance and operationalize collaboration agreements signed in 2025. -
BTH research is behind an award-winning European cybersecurity project
The European cybersecurity project CISSAN, in which researchers from BTH are participating, has received the highest rating in an international final review. The project is developing new methods to protect critical infrastructure against cyberattacks.
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