Research vessels in collaboration
Collaboration is the key to successful marine research and environmental monitoring. SLU participates in numerous alliances and networks – both nationally and internationally.
As the driving force behind SON – the Ship Operators Network – SLU leads a strategic collaboration between seven Swedish universities and government agencies. Together, we coordinate joint technology development and promote the strategic use of Sweden’s research fleet. In total, we manage six state-of-the-art research vessels.
With support from the Swedish Research Council, SLU also contributes to SWERVE, a national infrastructure initiative designed to improve access to vessels, equipment, data and expertise for researchers in Sweden. The goal is to lower the threshold and raise the pace for marine research at sea.
Through the EU-funded initiative AQUARIUS, international research projects gain access to Swedish marine research infrastructure.
National and international collaborations
SWERVE is a national infrastructure initiative funded by the Swedish Research Council (Vetenskapsrådet), aimed at improving access to vessel-based research resources and technical expertise for scientists working in Sweden.
The initiative is a collaboration between seven key organisations: the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Stockholm University, the University of Gothenburg, Umeå University, the Geological Survey of Sweden (SGU), the Swedish Polar Research Secretariat, and the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute (SMHI). Together, they form the backbone of the Swedish research fleet, operating six advanced research vessels.
- R/V Svea (SLU)
- I/B Oden (Swedish Polar Research Secretariat)
- R/V Skagerak (University of Gothenburg)
- R/V Electra af Askö (Stockholm University)
- KBV 181 (Umeå University)
- S/V Ocean Surveyor (SGU)
But SWERVE is more than just ships. It is also a coordinated system of support services and data flows – with the National Oceanographic Data Centre (NODC) playing a key role in collecting, safeguarding, and making marine data available to the research community.
The Swedish Research Council has allocated SEK 14.5 million over three years to fund the initiative. Including co-funding from participating organisations, the total budget amounts to SEK 29 million.
This funding enables access to vessel time for Swedish research projects, supports onboard training and technical development, ensures standardised collection of key ocean data, and promotes secure and open access to research data both nationally and internationally.
The University of Gothenburg is the host institution, responsible for coordinating and delivering the infrastructure.
SLU and the research vessel R/V Svea are part of AQUARIUS – a European infrastructure programme involving 45 partner organisations. The aim is to provide international research projects with access to a world-class, integrated set of marine research infrastructures.
In total, AQUARIUS offers 57 different services and technical resources, including research vessels, mobile marine observation platforms (such as autonomous underwater and surface vehicles, gliders, remotely operated vehicles, and ferry boxes), aircraft, drones, satellites, sensors, fixed observatories, test sites, data buoys, experimental facilities, and advanced data infrastructures.
The goal is to connect technologies, people, and knowledge – enabling research that can address the major ocean challenges of our time.
From Sweden, SLU and SMHI are participating in the programme. This means that R/V Svea is now part of a European system where researchers from other countries can apply to use Swedish marine resources in their projects – making Swedish expertise, technology, and marine environments part of something bigger.
AQUARIUS is funded through Horizon Europe, the EU’s research and innovation framework programme, and coordinated by the Marine Institute (Ireland).
During the programme period, two transnational calls for access are launched. Researchers from across Europe are invited to apply for funded access to the infrastructures.
AQUARIUS has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe Framework Programme for Research and Innovation under grant agreement No 101130915. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Research Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
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