Summary:

The Evaluation Committee is impressed by the consistent high quality of the research activities at Simula Research Laboratory as well as the continued growth in breath and impact that is evident since the last evaluation. The leadership has followed the majority of past recommendations and the organization has matured to become a vibrant research community with strong leadership and a clear mission focusing on research, education and innovation. These ongoing developments are clearly reflected in the impressive and rapidly expanding portfolio of international grants, and the substantial growth in national and international collaborations. The Evaluation Committee commend the quality of the self-evaluation document as a thorough and accurate assessment of the many activities at the laboratory, while offering a balanced discussion of current strengths and weaknesses.

The Evaluation Committee congratulates Simula on the ongoing development of the scientific focus in all three research departments, achieved while maintaining a very high level of academic inquiry. It is also encouraging that the organization has worked hard, and with focus, to continue to develop educational and business opportunities during the evaluation period.

The Simula Research Laboratory offers a unique environment that emphasizes and promotes basic research while covering the broader landscape from postgraduate teaching to commercialization. The organizational and generous national funding framework not only enables basic research to take centre stage, but does so without imposing substantial constraints from the pursuit of external funding, as is typically found in industrial research institutes, or from the heavier teaching commitments found in University environments. This is a unique environment and it gives the laboratory the opportunity to be highly productive in its chosen focus areas. The success of this is clearly measured in the expanded national and international footprint of Simula Research Laboratory.