SLU news

81 SLU projects receive close to 400 million in research grants from Formas

Published: 30 November 2022

When the research council Formas decided last week which projects would receive funding within a number of calls for proposals, almost SEK 400 million went to researchers at SLU. Close to one hundred million refers to research into new forms of forestry. Other special investments concern, among other things, water resource management and food supply. Other projects deal with everything from fly larvae composting to pharmaceutical residues in nature.

The SLU-led research projects that have now received funding from Formas relate to five different calls for proposals. Most of the projects originate from the so-called open the call, of which the purpose is to enable researchers to formulate their own questions based on identified societal needs within Forma's areas of responsibility. Here, SEK 196 million goes to 59 projects within SLU.

In the separate call for proposals "New forest management practices for multiple societal goals", close to SEK 100 million goes to ten SLU projects. See separate news in Swedish about these.

The other calls that have been decided on are "Securing future water supply through sustainable management", "Sustainable and resilient food systems in uncertain times" and "Taste and sensorics – from farm to fork".

Below are lists of all SLU researchers who were granted funding in the various calls, with the size of the grant and project title (all decisions are preliminary).

Annual open call – Research projects

  • Stergios Adamopoulos, 2 997 999, Contribution of wood products to climate change mitigation
  • Petter Axelsson, 3 000 000,Synergies and trade-offs with the use of forest genetic resources for carbon sequestration and conservation in face of climate change
  • Åsa Berggren, 2 846 721, Developing disease control measures to ensure environmental & economic sustainability in a key emerging livestock industry
  • Anna Bergh, 2 689 506, Knowledge and recognition of pain in companion animals – an important animal welfare issue
  • Charlotte Berkström, 2 997 807, Sustaining marine biodiversity under climate change: Spatial planning to maximise the future connectivity of the Baltic Sea marine protected area network
  • Stefan Bertilsson, 2 999 094, Effects of declining sulfur deposition on methane cycling in lakes
  • Kevin Bishop, 2 994 358, Improved evidence-base for understanding and managing surface water brownification
  • Riccardo Bommarco, 2 997 192, How multifunctionality in agricultural ecosystems depends on crop diversity and succession
  • Henrik Böhlenius, 2 994 960, Browsing tolerant trees
  • Anders Carlsson, 2 999 955, Use of SIGS (Spray-Induced Gene Silencing technology) as an innovative weed control of very problematic weeds such as Alopecurus myosuroides (Black-grass)       
  • Joris Cromsigt, 2 984 619, Wilder rangelands as a Natural Climate Solution: the carbon offsetting potential of African grassy biomes with wild grazing regimes       
  • Christina Dixelius, 2 999 865, Plasmodiophora brassicae: Infection machinery and host interactions
  • Mats Dynesius, 2 999 967, The contribution of Mountain birch forests to the conservation of boreal biodiversity associated with broadleaf dead wood
  • Malin Elfstrand, 2 999 385, Breeding for Boundaries: using specific and general quantitative disease resistance to control compartmentalization of necrotrophic stem decay pathogens in breeding
  • Marcus Hedblom, 2 997 999, Smell from nature and reduction of human stress in urban environments
  • Daniel Hofius, 2 999 745, Autophagy-based improvement of productivity, quality and resilience in potato
  • Rickard Ignell, 2 999 151, Mechanistic basis of mosquito detection of human odor
  • Sandra Jämtgård, 2 885 499, Can the soil priming effect enhance plant growth under elevated CO2 by alleviating nutrient limitation?
  • Mari Jönsson, 2 997 507, Can translocation of deadwood help help preserve wood-living metacommunities and ecosystem functions?
  • Selvaraju Kanagarajan, 3 000 000, Breeding oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.) for durable disease resistance and improved seed cake nutritional quality
  • Linda Keeling, 2 999 780, Integrating improved animal welfare and sustainable development within the Swedish broiler industry
  • Jonas Knape, 3 000 000 Cost effective biodiversity monitoring at small spatial scales
  • Ramune Kuktaite, 2 999 124, Unlocking plant protein and CRISPR potato starch novel uses: Design of fibre-based absorbents with tailored functionalities
  • Cecilia Lalander, 2 960 752, Circular economy in feed production by fly larvae composting - risks of accumulation of  persistent disease agents in the reuse chain                    
  • Ingrid Ljungvall, 2 997 101, Deciphering the genetic architecture underlying valvular heart disease in dogs - A multidisciplinary project to improve cardiac health
  • Mattias Qviström, 2 998 101, Reinventing landscape planning for targeting “undisciplined” environmental challenges
  • Joachim Rodrigues De Miranda, 2 995 766, SkandicBuzz: Do imported commercial bumblebees affect the disease profile of wild Swedish bumblebees?
  • Anders Roos, 2 795 640, Fair business development for Non-Timber Forest Products based on local knowledge. Tamarindus in Kenya.
  • Henrik Rönnberg, 2 999 418, Increase animal welfare and quality of life in dogs with tumors as we search for the silver bullet for cancer
  • Adrien Sicard, 2 999 997, Importance of the hologenome in the optimization of plant reproduction and pollinators’ nutrition.
  • Johan Stenberg, 3 000 000, Herd immunity in food crops: promoting efficient and durable use of biocontrol and chemical fungicides
  • Claudia Von Brömssen, 2 955 710,Making the most out of synoptic sampling campaigns and large datasets: development of new statistical tools to optimize evaluation of environmental change                      
  • Anna Wallenbeck, 2 997 341, Dynamic Sow? Improved animal welfare and production in systems with dynamic sow groups and electronic sow feeders (ESFs) through automatic surveillance and strategies for introduction of sows
  • Magnus Åbrink, 2 997 774, Extracellular vesicle-based vaccination as a novel strategy to fight Ant-Helmintic Resistance 

Annual open call – Research projects for early-career researchers

  • Tibebe Dejene Biasazin, 2 999 727 Combining semiochemicals with ecological intensification to harness aphid biocontrol in various cropping settings
  • Lorena Chagas Torres, 3 999 988Soil compaction risks in Sweden: spatio-temporal assessment under current and future climate
  • Anna Karin Dahlberg, 3 993 336 Greenhouse gas (GHG) production in Swedish fiberbanks – combining GHG measurements and microbial analysis for improved assessment (FIB-GHG)                   
  • Carolina Diller, 3 999 648 Wild resources and predictions for strawberry production in light of climate change and global pollinator decline
  • Harry Fischer, 4 000 000 Can community forest governance improve rural prosperity and well-being from forest restoration?                  
  • Shun Hasegawa, 4 000 000 Unearthing the Role of Root Carbon in Liberating Nitrogen in Boreal Forest
  • Nils Henriksson, 3 996 000 Applying modern scientific methods to a century-old problem for alternative forest management
  • Vivian Wei Huang, 3 998 788 Towards fossil-independent dairy farming in Sweden: Technical strategy, climate and economic effects, drivers and barriers
  • Hussein Khalil, 3 884 972 Rain, Rats, and Residents: Tracking animal and human movement to understand disease risk in urban slums (acronym: RRRISK)                        
  • Naga Charan Konakalla, 3 999 988 A new tool for precision agriculture: Plant Virus-like particles as Nano-carriers for targeted delivery of agrochemicals and biomacromolecules
  • Brian Kuns, 3 000 000 Food security, food sovereignty and collective action during the war in Ukraine. Ukrainian and global perspectives          
  • Neva Leposa, 3 999 700 Therapeutic landscapes beyond the lush season: extending the well-being benefits of urban green and blue spaces through outdoor leisure        
  • Max Lindmark, 3 990 208 Improving estimates of climate-driven body size changes and range shifts in fishes by accounting for fine-scale spatial heterogeneity
  • Ola Lundin, 2 999 859Integrated pest and pollinator management for sustainable plant protein production                
  • Katharina Meurer, 3 979 052 Impacts of drought on grassland production and SOC stocks in a future climate        
  • Marcus Michelangeli, 3 997 000 Drugs in the wild: Evaluating the impacts of pharmaceutical pollution in aquatic ecosystems, from individuals to animal communities                           
  • Parisa Norouzitallab, 3 997 600 Harnessing epigenetics to induce robustness in rainbow trout for sustainable production in the light of climate change (EpiTrout)          
  • Christos Palaiokostas, 4 000 000 EpiBreedCharr -  Epigenetic powered breeding in farmed Arctic charr
  • Lisa Petersson, 3 874 852 The return of wetland forests - improving biodiversity while restoring carbon sinks
  • Vahidehalsadat Rafieebanadaki, 3 995 816 The underlying mechanisms of assembly and endophytic colonization of Fusarium species complex causing head blight disease on cereal
  • Sanna Stålhammar, 2 671 518 Numeric trees and measurable ecosystem services: threats and opportunities for sustainable urban planning      
  • Lena-Mari Tamminen, 3 987 172 From sensitive to robust athlete – exploring the opportunities of genomic selection to help dairy cows cope with increasing temperatures   
  • Joran van Blokland, 3 999 258 Framework for development and implementation of bio-based wood adhesive systems through fracture mechanical testing
  • Torun Wallgren, 3 999 743 ActPig - improving pig production, now!        
  • Rebecka Westin, 3 999 698 PigNovations - Improving the design of novel, innovative systems for finisher pigs reared in large groups

New forest management practices for multiple societal goals

  • Vilis Brukas, 9 999 718 Co-creating advisory services and planning for diversified management in Swedish family forestry, Co-Creator
  • Michelle Cleary, 10 000 000 Diversification of forests with silver birch to safeguard resilience and multifunctional roles of forests
  • Lucas Dawson, 9 992 247 Transition pathways towards clearcut-free forest management alternatives: opportunities and challenges for different forest owner categories
  • Jeannette Eggers, 9 996 108 E-tools: Evidence-based knowledge and tools for decision making on adapted forest management practices
  • Eliza Maher Hasselquist, 10 000 000 Using blue infrastructure to lead the way to a better forested green infrastructure
  • Nils Henriksson, 9 997 000 Methods for forest regeneration without clear-cuts in order to enable transitioning to alternative forestry methods in Sweden - What is the role of blow ground competition?
  • Sara Holmgren, 9 818 400 Shadow forests – Re-thinking dominant forest cultures in times of emergency
  • Magnus Löf, 9 999 972 The BROADEN Project: Finding alternative paths to a mixed-broadleaf CCF future
  • Jörgen Sjögren, 10 000 000 Pros and cons with continuous cover forestry for biodiversity and ecosystem services
  • Fredrik Widemo, 9 889 507 Multiple choice of goals in forestry- voluntary transition of Swedish forest ecosystems to increase multifunctionality & sustainability

Securing future water supply through sustainable management

  • Lutz Ahrens, 16 000 000 Sustainable innovative drinking water treatment solutions for large-scale water supply and reuse (SIDWater)                        
  •  Martyn Futter, 15 997 574 PUDDLE JUMP: Promoting Upstream-Downstream Directed Linkages in the Environment: “Joined-Up” Management Perspectives
  • Oksana Golovko, 13 993 552 Mapping of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) including microplastic in landfill leachate, their current ecological impact and sustainable technologies for their removal (MECROPLAN)

Sustainable and resilient food systems in uncertain times

  • Cristian Alarcón-Ferrari, 5 971 000 FoodAct: Action Research for Sustainable Food Security in times of Crisis - Agroecology in Sweden, Italy and Chile
  •  Uliana Gottlieb, 5 652 814 Aligning GHG emission reduction with economic resilience – the case of Science-Based Targets in the dairy sector
  • Helena Hansson, 5 993 962 Towards sustainable preparedness in Swedish agriculture
  • Anna Jansson, 5 924 345 Cattle – a sustainable and resilient food system during times of water scarcity
  • Maud Langton, 5 999 351 A strong pulse - resilient Swedish grain legume supply from field and factory to fork
  • Volkmar Passoth, 5 993 835 Fungal protein and lipids from lignocellulose

Taste and sensorics – from farm to fork

  • Gun Hagström, 6 000 000 Tasty pea and bean food products: An integrated approach of plant breeding, raw material processing and food product development              
  • Eva Johansson, 6 000 000 Nutritious, tasty and health-promoting novel wheat products
  • Anders Karlsson, 5 994 330 Sensory sensation for both everyday and party – Use of side stream food resources to produce tasty, climate-smart and healthy meat products from nose to tail     

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