Sweden
On 1 January 1983, membership was transferred to the Swedish Council for Planning and Coordination of Research.The Swedish Research Council for Environment, Agricultural Sciences and Spatial Planning (FORMAS), is the organization currently representing Sweden.
FORMAS performs a secretariat function in terms of Swedish communication with IIASA. To enhance opportunities for collaboration FORMAS has established an IIASA committee comprising representatives from universities and other agencies.
Professor Anna Ledin, Secretary General of FORMAS is the Council Member for Sweden and a Member of the Program Committee.
Key Relationships and Collaborations
IIASA collaborates with a broad range of organizations in Sweden, select examples include:
- The Swedish Research Council for Environment, Agricultural Sciences and Spatial Planning (FORMAS)
- The Kempe Foundation
- University of Lund
- Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI)
- Stockholm Resilience Centre
- Luleå Technical University
- Umeå University
- Government of Sweden
- Swedish Energy Agency
Select Research Highlights
Following is a selection only, for more information about IIASA research relevant to Sweden please read the Country Profile.
Land use food security:
- Swedish scientist Professor Sten Nilsson, acting Director IIASA (May–December 2008), Deputy Director (2002–2008), has provided ongoing input to the Swedish forest sector since IIASA was established. A creative example of this advice was the writing and publication in 2004, of a "mock" Government Bill, entitled: Shared Responsibility Sweden’s Policy for Forest Sector Development.
- With Sweden, IIASA is on the international scientific committee for the 2010 International Conference on Applied Energy and is a long-term collaborator with the Swedish Energy Agency in renewable energy research.
Fisheries:
- FISHACE: Sweden, through Lund University and the National Board of Fisheries, is a major contributor to the European Research Training Network on Fisheries-induced Adaptive Changes in Exploited Stocks (FishACE). This IIASA coordinated network was established to investigate the prevalence and consequences of fisheries-induced adaptive changes in exploited aquatic systems in European waters.
- FINE: Sweden, through the Swedish Board of Fisheries and Institute of Coastal Research, participates in FINE, the Fisheries-induced Evolution Network. Coordinated by IIASA, FINE aims to understand the effects of fisheries exploitations on the genetics of select fish populations as a contribution to the sustainable management of Europe’s natural resources.
Air quality and GHG mitigation:
- IIASA in partnership with Sweden (and 10 other countries), are members of the Network for Integrated Assessment Modeling (NIAM). Established under the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution, NIAM facilitates collaboration between "in-country" national activities and IIASA on integrated assessment modeling, providing a forum for discussion and enhancing the development and communication of integrated assessment modeling.
- IIASA participates in the “Arctic Initiative” involving Sweden and other Arctic countries. The initiative aims to develop mitigation options for pollutants (black carbon, ozone, halocarbons, and methane) affecting the Arctic, the initiative employs the IIASA GAINS model to identify and cost mitigation options. GAINS is one of two models underpinning a report presented at the Arctic Council Ministerial Meeting, in May 2011. An Assessment of Emissions and Mitigation Options for Black Carbon.
Energy security and sustainability:
- Sweden, through FORMAS and the Swedish Energy Institute, provides financial support to the GEA, while leading Swedish scientists, Thomas B. Johansson - Professor, the University of Lund, and Johan Rockström - Executive Director Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) and Stockholm Resilience Centre, Sweden hold significant positions on the Executive Committee, the Organizing Committee and the GEA Council. Additionally five Swedish scientists are either Lead Authors or Lead Analysts of the GEA, which will deliver its findings in late 2011. The Government of Sweden through the Ministry for Enterprise, Energy and Communications is also a member of the GEA Council.
Population and health:
- Sweden, through Uppsala University and the Institute for Future Studies contributes to several joint studies on population and aging in Europe. One output is the European Demographic Datasheet 2008, produced by IIASA and the Vienna Institute of Demography. This datasheet summarizes the major factors driving population aging in Europe, including Sweden, and is a helpful data source for policymakers and planners.
- IIASA with the Stockholm Centre on Health of Societies in Transition (SCOHOST), organized the expert meeting, ‘The Eastern European Suicide Symposium’, held in Estonia, 2010. The meeting explored the growing crisis in Eastern Europe, which has the highest suicide rates in the world.
Capacity Building
IIASA’s annual Young Scientists Summer Program (YSSP) offers advanced level PhD candidates the opportunity to work with IIASA scientists over a 3-month period, with the explicit aim of refining or extending their research skills in the area of systems analysis.
Since the first Swedish participant in 1978, a total of 106 Swedish nationals, or students supported by Sweden, have completed the YSSP, several later returning to IIASA in postdoctoral or research positions.
The Kempe Foundation
The Swedish Kempe Foundation offers postdoctoral scholarships, of up to two year’s duration for researchers to come to IIASA from the following three northernmost Swedish universities:
- Luleå University of Technology
- Umeå University
- Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences Umeå
The scholarships support research on topics closely related to IIASA's research objectives. Since they were established in 2002 eight scholarships have been awarded for study in the area of forestry, energy, and demography.