KTH ready for strategic climate research collaboration
Three of Sweden’s leading universities are joining forces on climate research. If the Government follows the Swedish Research Council’s recommendation, KTH Climate Action Centre will play a key role in a new strategic research centre together with Stockholm University and Karolinska Institutet. The goal of the collaboration is a faster transition to a net-negative emission and climate-resilient society.
As part of its research and innovation bill, the Swedish Research Council has recommended that the Government fund a new Strategic Research Area (SFO) in climate research. The initiative would bring together Stockholm University (SU), Karolinska Institutet (KI) and KTH, combining their expertise in Stockholm Centre for Climate Transition (ClimTrio).
“The SFO would give us many possibilities to develop impactful work on the climate transition,” says Francesco Fuso-Nerini, director of KTH Climate Action Centre and KTH PI for the new SFO. “What makes this collaboration distinctive is its cross-disciplinary ambition, recognising that meaningful climate action demands deep societal transformation, and that research addressing different sectors needs to pull in the same direction to create momentum.”
The initiative would develop pathways to net-negative emission and climate resilient societies, analyse how the transition could take place for individuals, governments and the private sector, while identifying synergies and trade-offs between climate action and societal goals.
Strengthening KTH’s climate contributions
KTH Climate Action Centre approaches climate action within a broader societal, economic and policy context. ClimTrio would deepen that work, and function as an accelerator for KTH’s climate research more broadly, connecting departments, schools and initiatives already working towards innovative climate solutions.
“A wide array of researchers across schools and teams at KTH contributed to this success, and I believe this could be a game-changer for speeding up and connecting research on climate adaptation and mitigation at KTH, and connecting our work to other disciplines at SU and KI. For the KTH Climate Action Centre, it reinforces our position as a node for climate research at KTH and in Sweden,” says Francesco Fuso-Nerini.
With the proposed investment, ClimTrio would receive 14.6 million SEK in the first year, rising to 29.6 million SEK in 2028. The final decision on funding rests with the Government.
Facts
ClimTrio would bring together leading research in the social sciences, natural sciences, engineering and medicine within the Stockholm Trio university alliance. The initiative is coordinated by Stockholm University and led by Karin Bäckstrand, Professor of Environmental Social Science. KTH co-leads the initiative. KI is a key partner. Read more at the Vetenskapsrådet website
Contributing researchers from KTH, in alphabetical order:
Karin Bradley
Christophe Duwig
Elina Eriksson
Göran Finnveden
Francesco Fuso-Nerini
Mattias Höjer
Erik Jenelius
Zahra Kalantari
Per Lundqvist
Åsa Persson
Frauke Urban
Text: Alexandra von Kern