K2 enters a new phase

"The decision underscores the need for a national knowledge centre for collective mobility as a basis for accessibility in and between sustainable cities and regions. Much of what has been built up will be preserved as K2 enters the next phase, while some areas will be developed and renewed," says John Hultén, who will hand over the reins after nearly ten years as the director of K2.

"K2 will continue to foster collaboration between researchers and between research and practice, initiating and conducting research, and promoting learning and competence development among industry stakeholders. In the upcoming phase, our focus will intensify on addressing industry-specific knowledge demands" says Helena Svensson, who will assume the directorship of K2 mid-year.

From public transport to collective mobility
One significant change moving forward is that K2 will adopt a broader perspective by shifting from public transport to collective mobility (“kollektiv mobilitet” in Swedish). This shift aims to inspire new ways of thinking about what collective travel is and can be. Collective mobility is envisioned as a more comprehensive system of shared transport, with traditional public transport as its backbone.

Opening up to more researchers
Another change is that K2 will invite researchers from all organisational affiliations to participate. After the summer, researchers can apply to become affiliated with K2.

Seven partners
The initiative is supported by seven partners: Lund University, Malmö University, the Swedish National Road and Transport Research Institute (VTI), Region Stockholm, Region Västra Götaland, Region Skåne, and the Swedish Transport Administration. The initiative is also supported by Vinnova. These partners collectively contribute 27 million SEK annually to K2. Of these funds, one-third comes from the state, one-third from the regions, and one-third from the research organisations.

New leadership
John Hultén will step down as K2’s director mid-year to lead the innovation program ShiftSweden. Helena Svensson, currently the education manager at K2, will serve as interim director until the end of the year. The recruitment process will begin soon, and a new chairman of K2's board will also be appointed in the fall.