Photo of a Prinsesstårta, a traditional Swedish cake with a green marzipan cover and a pink marzipan roseThe appointment as research area was celebrated at UPSC with some cake.

Last week, Umeå University decided on three research areas that they will prioritise and fund with SEK 3.5 million each for a period of five years starting in 2024. One of the prioritised areas will be “Plant science for a sustainable green transformation of the Subarctic” which is coordinated by the Department of Plant Physiology at UPSC.

The proposed research area comprises fundamental and applied plant research like it is done at UPSC but also political and economic science approaches, involving nine additional departments or centres from Umeå University. The goal is to “work towards fostering the transition towards a sustainable forestry and food production in the European arctic”.

The selection process for research areas has started in 2022 when the Swedish government proposed to allocate research funding to all higher education institutions based on specific profile areas. Even though the government is not funding this initiative any longer, Umeå University decided to continue the work with the aim to strengthen research quality and competitiveness at the university.

Please find more information in the news from Umeå University