SEK 225 million targeted for strategic research areas at Umeå University
NEWS
The Swedish Research Council has recommended 225.6 million kronor (SEK) in funding for strategic research areas at Umeå University. The university is involved in eight research projects, two as main applicant and six as co-applicant.
“We are pleased with the outcome of funding. The fact that Umeå University is a main applicant and co-applicant in so many strategic research areas proves that we are leading university in medicine and also have many prominent areas of research in the natural sciences,” says Göran Sandberg, Vice-Chancellor of Umeå University.
The largest grant proposal to Umeå University was for SEK 50 million, which was approved to an application within the area of energy titled Bio4Energy.
Bio4Energy is an investment in green energy sources based on forest raw materials. The project also includes Luleå Technical University and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. In addition, industry partners such as Processum in Örnsköldsvik and ETC with Sollander Science Park in Piteå are associated with the project.
“This has a tremendous potential for the development of green energy in Sweden. Our project will study everything from how trees grow to how we can best process resources ranging from ethanol and biodiesel to visco material," says Stellan Marklund, professor of chemistry and responsible for the application.
Umeå University also received a grant of SEK 8.3 million as a main applicant in the area of marine environment.
The research project is to create an overall picture of what effects climate change may have on the Baltic Sea. Heightened temperatures and increased inputs of pollutants and terrestrial, organic matter caused by increased freshwater inflows are some factors that may influence the status of the Baltic Sea. The project is a collaborative effort between Umeå University, Kalmar University College, the Swedish Board of Fisheries and the Swedish Museum of Natural History.
“Our finds will be used to formulate the necessary protective measures for the management of the Baltic Sea as ecosystems and renewable resource,” explains Agneta Andersson, Department of Ecology and Environmental Science.
Researchers from Umeå University are also involved in six other applications that have received funding in the areas of:
sustainable use of natural resourcescancer researchdiabetes researchneurosciencescare sciences e-Science
The main applicant for the cancer research consortium U-Can is Uppsala University, but Umeå University will receive 40 per cent of the funding. The area was awarded a total of SEK 19.6 million in the government proposal.
“The goal of the consortium is to collect, record, and organise patient samples taken before, during and after cancer treatment. We will use this material to develop ways to refine the diagnosis, better characterise various tumour diseases and be able to choose optimal treatment for the individual patient. We will also develop and evaluate new medicines and other new treatments, and examine what makes a treatment works or not," explains Professor Anders Bergh.
Background from the Swedish Research Council: The Government bill on research and innovation proposed increased support for strategic research areas. More specifically, during 2009 to 2012 the additional resources for the 24 strategic research areas will mean an increase of 1800 million Swedish kronor (SEK) to Sweden’s higher education institutions (HEIs). This call for grant applications includes 20 of these areas, and the level of increase in grants for the areas during the period will reach SEK 1315 million per year. Normally, at least two HEIs will be chosen for targeted initiatives in the respective areas.
The Swedish Research Council is a government agency that provides funding for basic research of the highest scientific quality in all disciplinary domains.
