The Håkan Frisinger Award for Excellence in Transportation Research is awarded annually to a distinguished researcher active in the area of transportation, at a university or research institute of academic standing located in the Nordic countries. Universities in Sweden are invited to nominate candidates for the award, and apply for a grant for a guest researcher program for the nominated researcher.
- The objective of the Award is to promote and support research and development in the area of transportation, to the benefit of academia, industry and society in general, but not benefitting any specific private company or government.
- The award consists of an individual award of SEK 300,000 and a period as a visiting researcher at a university in Sweden, including a grant of SEK 500,000 to the university that receives the visiting researcher in a Volvo Research and Education Foundation guest researcher program.
Since the start 2000 Håkan Frisinger Award has been granted to more than 20 recipients. The recipients have been selected based on a broad understanding of the field of transportation research, which includes engineering, the natural, social and behavioral sciences and the humanities, with a diversity of thematic profiles such as but not limited to: vehicle and fuel technologies; transportation systems and planning; end-user and consumer needs, perspectives and behavior; environmental impacts and climate change; and transport economics and efficiency. We encourage multidisciplinary research approaches and
cooperation between scientific disciplines.
Meet recent year’s recipients:
Lars Eriksson, Simon Matti, Johan Holmgren and Sonia Yeh
2023: Professor Lars Eriksson, Linköping University, Sweden
Lars Eriksson was awarded for his long tradition of making research results easily accessible, and several collaborations with industry in general models and product-oriented research projects that resulted in various solutions used by global truck manufacturers. Lars Eriksson’s strong scientific credentials are combined with a significant contribution to industry.
2022: Professor Simon Matti, at Luleå University of Technology, Sweden
Simon Matti was awarded for his research concerning strategy and policy for climate and the environment. His focus is on general political attitudes, political legitimacy and political behavior, and also has well-documented experience of interdisciplinary research.
2021: Professor Johan Holmgren, Molde University, Norway
Johan Holmgren was for his extensive research work on sustainable investments in infrastructure. From a scientific basis in transport economics, Johan Holmgren has made important contributions both in empirical works and policy-related publications. Several of his studies have focused on the so-called wider ‘benefits of accessibility’, which is highly relevant for ensuring sustainability in the development of infrastructure and making sure that investments are efficient to society.
2018: Professor Sonia Yeh, Chalmers University of Technology
Sonia Yeh was awarded for her research on alternative transport fuels, consumer behavior and urban mobility as well as work with sustainability standards. Her expertise is in energy economics and energy system modeling, alternative transportation fuels, sustainability standards, technological change, and consumer behavior and urban mobility.
(2019 and 2020 was renovation years)
Call for nomination 2024
The Call for Nomination is open 6 February – 8 April 17.00 CET 2024.
- All universities located in Sweden are invited to nominate a researcher for the award and apply for the visiting scholar grant
- Nominated candidates should be currently active in transportation research within any of the five Nordic countries
- Nomination builds on an agreement and acceptance between the nominating university (also applying for the Visiting Scholar Grant), the nominated candidate and the university where she/he is based.
See full CALL FOR NOMINATION AND GUIDELINES (pdf)
Background Håkan Frisinger Award
Håkan Frisinger worked for Volvo for almost 50 years. As CEO of AB Volvo in the 1980s and chairman of the board in the company in the 1990s he was known as a leader who made a difference, not the least through a major contribution to strengthening the connection between Swedish research and the transport industry.
When he stepped down in 1999 Volvo’s Annual Shareholders Meeting voted to honor him by founding Håkan Frisinger’s Foundation for Transport Research, which since then is one of the Volvo Research and Educational Foundations. Today the Håkan Frisinger Award has been granted to more than 20 recipients. The recipients have selected based on a broad understanding of the field of transportation research, which includes engineering, the natural, social and behavioral sciences and the humanities, with a diversity of thematic profiles such as but not limited to: vehicle and fuel technologies; transportation systems and planning; end-user and consumer needs, perspectives and behavior; environmental impacts and climate change; and transport economics and efficiency.
It is with great pride and humility that VREF continues to work in the spirit of Håkan Frisinger.
