Grant from the Swedish Research Council strengthens Swedish marine research
The Swedish Polar Research Secretariat is one of the participants in the SWERVE project, which received a three-year infrastructure grant from the Swedish Research Council. The grant will be used to improve the conditions for Swedish ship-based marine research, among other things by promoting cooperation between different actors.
– Collaboration is the key to successful marine research. By sharing resources and expertise, we become more efficient in our respective operations. The grant also provides better opportunities for researchers to use Sweden's research ships, says Åsa Lindgren, head of ship-based research support at the Swedish Polar Research Secretariat.
Within SWERVE, the Swedish Polar Research Secretariat collaborates with six other owners and users of Swedish research and survey vessels: the Swedish University of Agriculture, the University of Gothenburg, the University of Stockholm, Umeå University, the Geological Survey of Sweden, and the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute (SMHI). The collaboration includes, among other things:
- Exchange of techniques and skills between the ships
- Loan of sensors and other equipment between ships
- Coordinated procurement of helicopter services
- Economic cooperation.
As part of the approved application from the Swedish Research Council, the secretariat will hire a data coordinator. The data coordinator will work with the ship consortium's data collections and the Swedish Polar Research Secretariat's marine data collections.
- The data coordinator will have an important role in ensuring that collected data is quality assured, reviewed and made available to the international research community, says Åsa Lindgren.
SWERVE – Swedish research vessel infrastructure for marine research
The grant is SEK 14.5 million for three years. The participants co-financed the project, meaning that the total project contribution to SWERVE is SEK 29 million. Through the Swedish Polar Research Secretariat, the icebreaker Oden is one of the ships part of SWERVE.
The grant will cover the cost of ship time for Swedish research, support training and skill development of technical personnel on board to enable expert technical support, support collection of important ocean data in a standardised way, and ensure delivery and availability of this data to the international research community.