Sustainability Issue #2 July 2009

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Memorandum of Understanding

In December 2005, Sweden and India signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for cooperation in science and technology. Another MoU on sustainable development and environmental technologies was also signed in February 2008. These agreements form the basis for Indian-Swedish cooperation through the Swedish network INSTEC (Centre for Indian-Swedish Cooperation on Technical Research and Education), the aim of which is to create a long term basis for a gradually expanded exchange between India and Sweden concerning reseaerch, trade and education in the field of environmental technologies.

Three workshops were held in Hyderabad, Pune and New Delhi. A smaller group went on after this to Kerala to meet  representatives of the State government and university there. The workshops that were held focused on sustainable urban development, comprising systems and technical aspects. The concept of sustainable urban development encompasses energy issues, transport, water and sewerage, waste and ecosystem services. The objective of these workshops was to:

  1. chart the present status of research on sustainable urban development in Sweden and India,
  2. draw up proposals for joint projects in research and development, which are of common interest and are considered likely to be financed by Indian and Swedish funding agencies
  3. form an Indian-Swedish platform/network of players in the field of sustainable development and environmental technologies, comprising universities, institutions and business.
  4. investigate the possibilities of establishing regional centres for Indian-Swedish cooperation in sustainable development and environmental technologies.

These workshops have resulted in follow-up discussions between Swedish and Indian partners at different levels. In conjunction with the workshop in Pune, discussions were initiated with the rector of the University of Pune concerning the formation of an Indian counterpart to the Swedish INSTEC network.  In Pune, discussions were also held with the Swedish chamber of commerce about arranging a fair in Pune for small and medium sized companies in the field of environmental technologies. The visit to Trivandrum resulted in the Kerala State government launching a proposal on developing a Swedish-Indian institute in the field of environmental technologies in Kerala.

These three workshops have not yet resulted in publications, but the following are planned:

  1. INSTEC travel report – INSTEC's road show in Hyderabad, Pune, Delhi and Kerala State, April 2008.
  2. A report or a book on environmental improvements and sustainable development, with both Swedish and Indian experts as authors.

This project was coodinated by Professor Christer Bengs, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences.

Responsible for this page: Birgitta Bruzelius

Journal links

Sustainability July 2009

Focus presentation

EU counters environmental threats with knowledge Biodiversity, climate conventions, climate-neutral energy, marine acidification, chemicals in the environment … the list of the areas where acute international solut...

Focus articles

Biodiversity – on several levels Genetic diversity within one species, diversity of species within an ecosystem, and diversity of ecosystems at global level are all essential for human existence. Re... What is the cost of biodiversity? What is the economic value of biodiversity for agriculture and forestry? The brief answer is SEK 2.60 per metre. But in order to delve a little more deeply into this... How did Animals cope before … and now? An international research project, CLIMIGRATE, is now starting, with the aim of investigating how different species responded to historic climate changes over the pa... Biodiversity in historical landscapes The historical landscape is of great significance for the numbers and types of plants we find today in our meadows and pastures. With the help of Sweden's unique map... Invasive species alter the plankton ecosystem Since 2007, extensive investigation of plankton in Gullmarsfjorden has been in progress in several projects financed by Formas and EU. The investigation was started ... Who is afraid of the wolf? Psychological factors are in many cases more important than objective facts for the attitudes and behaviours of people in relation to a sustainable development. An i... Genetic basis for sustainable fishing Pike, salmon and herring have widely different population structures. Different approaches are therefore needed to establish biologically sustainable management of t... Fungi provide nutrition for trees Soil is a globally limited resource which humanity needs for the production of food, fodder, fibres and biofuels. In the soil there are more than a thousand species ... Formas and the EU presidency During the time that Sweden has the presidency of the EU, the country is responsible for taking initiatives in a number of issues and to act as the host for many con... ERA-nets accelerate European research ERA-nets can be seen as the hothouse of European research, with couplings to the EU Commission. Formas is a member of over 10 ERA-nets and has been the member of sev... Conserve the usefulness and intrinsic value of species It is not enough to protect a certain flower, bird or meadow. We need a functioning ecological and social system which will do this. There is therefore a very great ... Exchange of researchers with Eastern Europe Cooperation with researchers in the EU obviously includes cooperation with researchers in the former Eastern Europe, both with EU members and with Russia. Leif Norrg... The feedback from viviparous blenny Lars Förlin and Joakim Larsson have cooperated for over ten years in various projects, with fish and environmental toxins as the common denominator. In one of their ... REACH misses nano! The new chemical legislation of the EU, REACH, is already in need of updating. Its demands for information concerning substance and production volume misses many nan... Is REACH enough? Several investigations show that a large proportion of the ca 70,000 industrial chemicals on the European market lack fundamental data regarding their toxicity. One ... After REACH: What do we do now? Despite the new EU chemical legislation, it may in some cases be difficult to make high quality hazard assessments that are anchored in actual conditions. There are ... Remote controlled camera and genetic technology reveal the fate of the deep Knowledge of our marine environments is decades behind – but research is now beginning in earnest. Just now, there are extensive investments in marine research. New ... Will the Baltic Sea have sustainable management? Eutrophication, decrease in biodiversity, overfishing, toxic chemicals, environmentally hazardous marine transport: Without a doubt, the Baltic Sea is an environment... Models for the health of the Baltic Sea Baltic Nest Institute describes the flux of nutrients in the Baltic Sea drainage basin and builds models for the effects of these in the sea. International marine en... Climate neutral energy One quarter of the energy that is annually used in Sweden comes from bioenergy. Most of this originates from forestry. Crops and processed biofuels from forest raw... New forms of governance in environmental policy Society today has three dominant forms of governance: legislation, market control and network governance. These are particularly noticeable in environmental policy. ... Permafrost - to be or not to be Permafrost is a hot subject. One quarter of the northern hemisphere is permanently frozen. Regions both with and without infrastructure will be affected when the per...

The Interview

Favourable conditions for global collaboration The most complex matter that humanity has discussed. This is how Lars Erik Liljelund, Director General of the Cabinet Office who is responsible for coordination of t... The air, the Baltic Sea and the climate A strengthened European framework directive for air quality, the Baltic Sea as pilot area for the EU marine directive and, what is most urgent, data for the climate...

More articles

The countryside has great potential The countryside and the green sector have special conditions for sustainable economic growth. The countryside is at present dominated by agricultural industries and ... New activities in the forest The importance of family forestry for the countryside and the local economy has decreased. It is managed at a distance and through others. The forest is not the base... The "invisible" population of the countryside Overnight stays in the more than 500,000 second homes in Sweden account for one quarter of all the nights spent away from one's home. Nordic experiences indicate tha... Consultative panels invigorate the countryside No decisions without consultation. Water management in Sweden in 2004 is our model for implementing the European Water Framework Directive. It is based on consultati... There are no philosophers in research for society On a bleak November day Sustainability meets Ola Engelmark, the MD of MISTRA, to have a talk on the mantra "research results belong to society". He has just come bac...

In brief

Environmental classification – on the way to implementation in Sweden How is environmental classification of buildings to be achieved in Sweden? This was the subject of a Formas seminar during the Swedish energy meeting in March. Study of the immune system of horses Formas has given the National Veterinary Institute SVA over 1 million kronor for a period of two years for the study of horses' interferon system. This is an importa... Study of the prehistory of plants In all plants whose genome has been studied in detail, there are genes that have been duplicated in the course of evolution. This is a phenomenon that has promoted t... Diatoms provide information on ecosystems and the climate Diatoms are not only beautiful. The fossil diatoms also provide information on environmental history in the past, for instance that ecosystems in a French lake and i... Sweden rehearses for the presidency of EU In July, the Swedish presidency arranges a major conference in Lund on European research policy issues. Isotopes reveal the feeding habits of toxic algae Algal blooms in the Baltic Sea proliferate because of discharges of nitrogen and phosphorus. But the toxic golden algae not only absorb nitrogen and phosphorus from ... Indicator environments in alpine regions and their sensitivity to climate changes The alpine ecosystem and its biodiversity are facing drastic changes as a consequence of the ongoing climate change. Forecasts from the UN Climate Panel IPCC show th... The use of PICT (induced tolerance) for monitoring the toxic effect of organic compounds on the soil microorganism community In order to determine whether a compound is toxic in nature, it is in most cases not enough to study how individual species react to this compound under controlled c... Incineration for energy recovery Incineration for energy recovery produces large quantities of bottom ash and pulverised fly ash, totalling ca 1,300,000 tonnes annually in Sweden. Memorandum of Understanding In December 2005, Sweden and India signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for cooperation in science and technology. Another MoU on sustainable development and e...

Results from research

The city as society's arena How did the research turn out? What were the findings? Researchers themselves report briefly on the research they have undertaken with funding support from the Forma... The changing landscape How did the research turn out? What were the findings? Researchers themselves report briefly on the research they have undertaken with funding support from the Forma... The cultural heritage of the forest How did the research turn out? What were the findings? Researchers themselves report briefly on the research they have undertaken with funding support from the Forma... Fibre plants - strength and safety How did the research turn out? What were the findings? Researchers themselves report briefly on the research they have undertaken with funding support from the Forma... Nanotechnology needs careful consideration How did the research turn out? What were the findings? Researchers themselves report briefly on the research they have undertaken with funding support from the Forma... Do not cross ecological tipping points! How did the research turn out? What were the findings? Researchers themselves report briefly on the research they have undertaken with funding support from the Forma... Stressed fish are not healthy How did the research turn out? What were the findings? Researchers themselves report briefly on the research they have undertaken with funding support from the Forma...
5
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