Students at LiU and WSU participate in a pioneering four-way collaboration 

Published December 4th, 2023. Text by Edith Malmberg, SIREUS

Students at LiU and WSU participate in a pioneering four-way collaboration between LiU, WSU and aircraft manufacturers Saab and Boeing


In our increasingly globalized and interconnected society, gaining industry experience in a global setting provides a vital asset for students preparing to enter the workforce. SIREUS member Linköping University (LiU) and affiliate Washington State University (WSU) have united their efforts to establish a groundbreaking four-way collaboration combining a student exchange with research and industry. This initiative is focusing on the computing-based design philosophy supporting Boeing’s and Saab’s co-designed and co-produced cutting-edge T-7A Red Hawk training aircraft.
The three-year program is initiated and led by Jan Nordström and Andrew Winters at Linköping University and Joseph Ianelli at Washington State University, who proposed the program concept to LiU in 2020. LiU and WSU began partnership discussions in 2017 and then formalized their collaboration with a Memorandum of Understanding and a reciprocal student exchange agreement. The four-way collaboration resulted from this successful partnership between the two universities. In 2022 both LiU and WSU joined the SIREUS project which serves as a platform for facilitating the exchange of knowledge and enhancing the mobility of students and researchers between Sweden and the U.S., focusing on innovation, research, and entrepreneurship.

Support from industry and external funding


Saab is a strategic partner to LiU and Boeing to WSU. The two global industrial organizations have entered into a joint development agreement to produce the T-7A, a new Advanced Pilot Training System, to be delivered to the U.S. Air Force. Both companies are actively endorsing this project by site visits, seminars, and project work. These program components offer students an exceptional chance to gain insights into the intricate process of advancing challenging designs through the collaborative efforts of multinational corporations on a global scale. The project has received external funding from the United States’ National Science Foundation (NSF), to support WSU students at LiU, Sweden’s STINT (The Swedish Foundation for International Cooperation in Research and Higher Education), and the European Union’s Erasmus+ program.
Linkoping University buildingLinkoping University building
liu campus
liu campus building

Cultivating International Experience


Beginning during the 2023 fall semester and continuing through each fall semester for the next three years, this program will host a diverse cohort of WSU students at LiU. The participants from WSU will work collaboratively with an equal number of LiU students, who will subsequently reciprocate by embarking on an exchange semester at WSU. The two student groups will form an integrated cohort for an entire academic year. While working together on various projects, the students will gain experience in both international collaboration and mutual cultural understanding, during the period they spend abroad. Additionally, the students from WSU will have the opportunity to engage in English-taught workshops and immerse themselves in cultural events that provide them with a deep understanding of the Swedish culture and language. The same opportunity regarding US culture is of course granted to the Swedish students visiting WSU.

More about the SIREUS Project


​​​​​​​SIREUS, a collaboration between The Swedish American Chambers of Commerce (SACC-USA) and 13 Swedish universities, focuses on knowledge exchange in innovation, science, and entrepreneurship, as well as talent mobility for students and researchers between Sweden and the U.S. 
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The Embassy of Sweden in Washington, D.C., and the Swedish Institute support the project through advice and contacts.   


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Meet the participating students


Below you can find more information about the students participating from each university. Each student is set to be awarded a fellowship of $12,000 and will dedicate the fall semester to their studies at Linköping University (LiU), a globally recognized institution known for its focus on multidisciplinary research and the management of Sweden's National Supercomputer Centre. The collaborative exchange and research initiative between WSU and LiU will underscore a design philosophy rooted in computing, specifically tailored to bolster the development of Boeing's and Saab's innovative T-7A Red Hawk training aircraft. 
Photo: Magnus Liam Karlsson //imagebanksweden.se