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NORDTEK 2026

Welcome to the 54th NORDTEK conference “Digital Humanism and Engineering” at Mälardalen University in Västerås, Sweden, on June 2-4, 2026.

The conference explores how Digital Humanism External link. – rooted in human values, ethics and rights—can guide the future of engineering education and research. Together with experts from across disciplines, we will discuss ethical implications of emerging technologies, human-centered problem-solving and the necessity of interdisciplinary collaboration. Through keynotes, panels and best-practice sessions, NORDTEK 2026 aims to inspire engineering programs that develop technically skilled, ethically aware, and socially responsible engineers with panoramic abilities.

NORDTEK is a network of the Rectors and Deans of the Technical Universities in the Nordic and Baltic countries.

About the NORDTEK network External link.

Logo Nordtek

Date

2-4 June, 2026

Place

Mälardalen University in Västerås, Sweden

Contact

nordtek2026@mdu.se

 

Programme

09:00 – Registration and coffee (room Alfa)

09:45 – Welcome to MDU (Damir Isovic, local chair for the conference)

10:30 – Campus Tour

  • Computer science labs (Radu Dobrin, Deputy Head of Department)
  • Future Energy labs (Sebastian Schwede, Deputy Head of Department)

12:30 – Lunch (restaurant Rosenhill)

14:00 – Parallel Sessions

  • Board and Rectors' meeting (MDU board Room)
  • Task Force: Mobility (Kappa)
  • Task Force: Engineering Education (Gamma)
  • Task Force: Sustainability (Lambda)
  • Student Board (U2-024)

17:30 – Guided City Tour (meet by the entrance of Elite Stadshotellet External link, opens in new window.)

19:00 – Reception with finger food and drinks (Västerås Castle External link, opens in new window.)

Parallel activities: Main conference (room Alfa) and Mobility Coordinators meeting (room Kappa)

09:00 – Official welcome address (MDU Vice Chancellor and NORDTEK President)

09:15 – Keynote: Introduction to Digital Humanism (Hannes Werthner, TU Wien)

10:15 – Coffee break

11:00 – Session 1: Technology in Service of Humanity (chair: Damir Isovic)

  • AI and Society (Anette Hallin, MDU)
  • Empowering engineers with the skills and values to shape a sustainable future (Tove Keldsen, ANE)
  • Aligning technological innovation with human values and societal well-being (Marianne Kinnula, UOulu)
  • Responsible AI under the philosophical framework of Digital Humanism (Fei Sun, PhD student MDU)
  • Panel discussions with all speakers and a student representative

12:45 – Lunch break (restaurant Rosenhill)

14:15 Session 2: Building Technology in an Ethical Way (chair: Gordana Dodig Crnkovic)

  • AI Ethics and Governance (Gordana Dodig Crnkovic, MDU)
  • AI as a partner in learning – importance of training and human-centric solutions (Gert Jervan, TalTech)
  • Beyond the Zone of Proximal Development: How AI Creates an Actual Development Zone Trap in Higher Education (Robert Leščinskij, VilniusTech)
  • New technologies and engineering ethics (Aive Pevkur, TalTech)
  • Panel discussions with all speakers

16:00 – Coffee with posters and demos (outside Alfa)

19:00 – Conference dinner (Elite Stadshotellet External link.)

Parallel activities: Session 3 (Alfa) and Mobility Coordinators meeting (Kappa)

09:00 – Opening of day 3 (Damir Isovic, local conference chair)

09:15 – Keynote: Breaking Disciplinary Silos: The Case of Software Engineering (Carlo Ghezzi, Politecnico di Milano)

10:15 – Coffee with posters and demos (outside Alfa)

11:00 – Session 3: Breaking Disciplinary Silos (chair: Sebastian Schwede)

  • Solar Car – Multidisciplinary student project (Svante Eklöf, student MDU)
  • Interdisciplinary MSc of Product Creation (Kari-Pekka Heikkinen, UOulu)
  • AI-enhanced active learning (Osmo Kauppila, UOulu)
  • Enabling Interdisciplinary Education through Model-Based Design (Federico Seri, MathWorks)
  • Panel discussions with all speakers

12:45 – Closing session (NORDTEK president and Secretary General)

13:00 – Grab-and-go Lunch (outside Alfa)

14:00 – 17:00: Extra time for additional parallel activities (if needed)

  • Task Force: Mobility (Kappa)
  • Task Force: Engineering Education (Gamma)
  • Task Force: Sustainability (Lambda)
  • Student Board (U2-024)

Registration

Please register by selecting the appropriate link for your participant category. The registration fee covers all social events, including the welcome reception and dinner, as well as all conference lunches and refreshments. Pre-registration is required to help prevent unnecessary expenses and reduce food waste. If you wish to bring a guest to the conference dinner, you may purchase an additional ticket for 100 EUR.

Early-bird fee = before April 1.

  • Early-bird: 4 000 SEK (360 EUR) 
  • Late registration: 4 600 SEK (400 EUR)

  • Early-bird: 3 300 SEK (300 EUR)
  • Late registration: 4 000 SEK (360 EUR)

  • Early-bird: 3 000 SEK (270 EUR)
  • Late registration: 3 500 SEK (320 EUR)

Travel and living

Visiting address

Mälardalens universitet, Universitetsplan 1, Västerås.

From Arlanda to Västerås

The easiest way to travel from Arlanda Airport to Västerås is by direct bus or by train.

Travel by direct bus with Vy Bus4you & Vy Express External link.

Travel by train with SJ External link.

Public transport

Train: The university is located approximately 25 minutes' walk from Västerås Central Station.

Book trains with SJ External link.

Bus: If you are travelling by bus in Västerås, the nearest stop is Universitetet. Bus line 2, 6, 21 stops outside campus.

Travel by bus with VL External link.

Car

There are limited parking facilities at Västerås campus. Free parking is available approximately 15 minutes north of the campus at ABB Arena Syd.

Map

Map of Västerås (Google maps) External link.

We have pre-booked a number of rooms at these hotels in Västerås. The booking must be made no later than 7 April. Please quote the code NORDTEK when booking.

Elite Stadshotellet Västerås

15 minutes' walk from campus
Stora Torget 7, Västerås
Contact: info.vasteras@elite.se | +46 (0)21-10 28 00

Elite Stadshotellet Västerås External link.

Best Western Plus Hotel Plaza

16 minutes' walk from campus
Kopparbergsvägen 10, Västerås
Contact: info@plazavasteras.se | +46 (0)21-10 10 10

Best Western Plus Hotel Plaza External link.

Best Western Hotel Esplanade (recommended for students)

13 minutes' walk from campus
Domkyrkoesplanaden 2, Västerås
Contact: info@esplanadevasteras.se | +46 (0)21-495 58 00

Hotel Esplanade External link.

Comfort Hotel Västerås

22 minutes' walk from campus, next to the train station
Sigurdsgatan 23, Västerås
Contact: co.vasteras@strawberry.se | +46 (0)21-580 10 10

Comfort Hotel Västerås External link.

 

Fun facts about MDU and Västerås

MDU is Sweden’s newest university, located in the dynamic growth region of Mälardalen. We have around 1,200 employees and approximately 19,000 students enrolled in courses and programmes in areas such as design and communication, economics, health, engineering, education, as well as classical music and opera.

Our research spans all educational fields and is internationally recognised, particularly in areas such as future energy and embedded systems. The majority of our research is conducted in collaboration with industry and the public sector.

About MDU

The city by Lake Mälaren, the energy capital, the city of engineers, the cucumber city, the small big city – a beloved city goes by many names. Västerås has more than 160,000 inhabitants, over 13,000 businesses, and every day around 32,000 children and young people attend preschool, primary school or upper secondary school.

Västerås boasts a strong industrial heritage with a large number of engineers and invests heavily in research and development. Companies such as ABB, Alstom, Westinghouse, Voith Hydro and Hitachi Energy make Västerås a world-leading centre for energy expertise. Robotics and automation are also areas of competence that have long been established here.

Welcome to Västerås External link.

Contact