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Photo: Jenny Svennås-Gillner, SLU
Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation allocates SEK 272 million to a strategic research initiative on forestry research at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU). The grant includes funding for a new research school within Future Silviculture, five recruitment packages to establish new research groups and the extension of two ongoing research programmes. One of them is coordinated by UPSC.
The future use and conservation of forests is in the centre of this strategic research initiative at SLU. The main part of the grant is allocated to a new research school in Future Silviculture which will be coordinated by the Faculty of Forest Sciences. More than 50 doctoral students including 14 industry doctoral students will be trained in this research school involving also doctoral students and researchers from UPSC.
The grant will also cover five recruitment packages for new research groups. Two of them will be established at UPSC. Moreover, the two ongoing research programmes “Future Silviculture”, coordinated by the Department of Forest Ecology and Management at SLU, and “Forest Biology and Biotechnology”, coordinated by UPSC will be extended until 2030.
“Together with the already existing support to the “Future Silviculture” and “Forest Biology and Biotechnology” projects, this represents by far the largest investment we have ever seen in forestry-related research”, says Ove Nilsson, director of UPSC and coordinator of the research programme “Forest Biology and Biotechnology". “This will provide a solid foundation and stability for the basic research and knowledge needed to develop a sustainable forestry taking into account both productivity, survival and biodiversity aspects in the face of a changing climate.”
News from the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation (English)
News from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (Swedish)
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Stefan Jansson (photo: Fredrik Larsson)
Stefan Jansson, plant researcher and professor at Umeå University, is honoured by Örebro University and The Hamrin Foundation for his research communication.
There is a conscious effort behind Stefan Jansson's success in reaching out to the society with his research. For many years, he has chosen to set aside one day a week for public outreach.
"Many researchers do not have this opportunity because it hinders their academic career. It is therefore very good that this prize exists as the academic system does not manage to reward research communication very well," he says in an interview with Örebro University.
Stefan Jansson is professor of plant cell and molecular biology at the Department of Plant Physiology, Umeå University, and group leader at Umeå Plant Science Centre. He receives the prize of SEK 100 000 "for decades of patiently contributing the scientific perspective in the polarised debate on genetically modified crops".
In addition to a number of debate articles, Stefan Jansson has also written a book on GMOs, which has been published in several languages, and given a number of lectures on his research.
Read the full interview and more about the award on Örebro University's website (in Swedish only)
Text: Sara-Lena Brännström (Umeå University)