SLU news
More marine research from the Svea with support from the Swedish Research Council and the EU
Published: 28 November 2023
Now it will be easier for more people to utilize R/V Svea and other research vessels. A Swedish network, which includes six research ships, receives funding from the Swedish Research Council so that more Swedish researchers can use the vessels. Additionally, Svea will become more accessible to international researchers through a new EU grant from Horizon Europe
Through an initiative from SLU, there is now a collaborative network covering six Swedish research vessels. In addition to SLU, the University of Gothenburg, Stockholm University, Umeå University, the Swedish Polar Research Secretariat, the Geological Survey of Sweden (SGU), and the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute (SMHI) participate.
This network has now been granted support from the Swedish Research Council (VR) for the project 'Swedish Research Vessel Infrastructure for Marine Research' (SWERVE), with the University of Gothenburg as the coordinator. The project aims to promote marine research by covering costs for ship time and coordination of resources, data, and technical expertise for the operation and maintenance of the advanced equipment used on ship expeditions. Through this, Swedish researchers, regardless of their organizational affiliation, will have equal opportunities to use Sweden's research vessels.
SLU with R/V Svea has also received new funding through Horizon Europe, the EU's framework program for research and innovation, which contributes to the UN's sustainability goals. Here, SLU and 44 other organizations receive funding for the infrastructure program AQUARIUS, whose main purpose is to provide international research projects with access to ship time and advanced equipment.
'This is big news and significant investments in marine research. For SLU's and Svea's part, we see great opportunities to, in addition to our regular environmental monitoring, offer more expedition time for both Swedish and international research projects,' says Mattias Sköld, research coordinator for R/V Svea.
'We are very pleased with the opportunities that are now opening up. We want Svea to be used as much as possible in the service of research,' says Lars Thorell, head of SLU's ship management unit. 'We already have a national network for shipowners, and now we get resources to further develop and train our technicians together as well.'
Contact persons:
Mattias Sköld, researcher
Department of Aquatic Resources
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
+46(0)10-478 40 46, +46(0)70-537 87 74, mattias.skold@slu.se
Lars Thorell, head of SLU's vessel unit
Ship Management Unit
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
+46(0)18-67 15 07, +46(0=70-557 15 07, lasse.thorell@slu.se
More about R/V Svea:
https://www.slu.se/en/Collaborative-Centres-and-Projects/research-vessel-svea/