Category: Network

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Transnational learning on indigenous peoples law

Land use, indigenous rights, and the application of national and international law were key issues discussed at a Nordic seminar at Luleå University of Technology.
 
 
The Nordic Network of Researchers in Sami and Indigenous Peoples Law (NORSIL) has now launched its first activity within the newly funded project period 2025–2027.

From 19–20 November 2025, the network gathered at Luleå University of Technology, Sweden, for a two-day seminar focusing on the theme “Transnational Comparison and Learning – Current Cases, Legal Reforms, Strategies/Policies, and Research Findings”.
 
During the seminar, participants explored key issues related to land use, indigenous rights, and the application of national and international law across Norway, Sweden, and Finland. The event marked the starting point for renewed collaboration, knowledge exchange, and comparative legal perspectives within the Nordic region.
 
The continuation of NORSIL for 2025–2027 is funded by the Nordic Joint Committee for Agriculture and Food Research (NKJ) through the Nordic Reindeer Committee, enabling strengthened cooperation among researchers to benefit reindeer husbandry in the Nordic region.
 
A representative from our Secretariat participated in the seminar, contributing to discussions and engaging with the network’s ongoing and future work.
 
 
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Online matchmaking event and information webinar

NKJ has an open call for networks in agriculture and food. We want as many nordic researchers as possible to exchange knowledge, therefore we arrange a matchmaking event for you to find new colleagues, to elaborate your scientific project further and to get inspired.

 

When: December 16 2025, 13.30–16.00 CET
Where: Online via Zoom, link will be sent out in advance of the meeting
Registration: Application form (Deadline: Dec 11th)

 

Welcome to join our online matchmaking event, to find out more about how to apply for funds from Nordic Agri Research (NKJ), hear from an ongoing network how they use their collaboration platform, and connect with other researchers who are looking for collaboration opportunities!

You will be inspired by an ongoing research network who will talk about what type of activities they have done, what they have achieved so far and how they have benefitted from collaborating in the Nordic region. NKJ will also inform you about the current open call that can fund your future networking activities.

AGENDA
13.30 Welcome and presentations
13.50 How to apply for funds from NKJ – tips and tricks
14.10 Inspiration talk from an ongoing Nordic research network
              Nicolai Fog Hansen, Nordic Field Trial Network
14.30 Networking workshop with Malin von Essen
16.00 Finish

CONTACT
If you have any questions, send an email to 

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OPEN CALL: Funding opportunity for agricultural and food researchers

Calling all researcher networks in food and agriculture!

NKJ welcomes applications for funding to boost Nordic collaboration and spark new ideas across disciplines. The call aims to strengthen Nordic cooperation and inspire new, cross-disciplinary collaborations.

 
Deadline for application: 31 January, 2026
Apply by filling in the application form and sending it to  

The aim of the call is to promote Nordic collaboration between researchers from agricultural and food sectors by networking activities including workshops, conferences and seminars. Transdisciplinary networks between researchers and stakeholders are encouraged.

This open call welcomes applicants from all fields of research within food and agriculture!

NKJ will host an online matchmaking event on December 16 2025 (information and registration here), where you will be able to connect with other researchers who are looking for collaboration opportunities. This event will also include information on the open call and an opportunity to ask questions.

It is also possible to find inspiration and information on previously funded networks on NKJ’s website.

To have the chance to be granted, the network should include applicants from at least three Nordic countries. Each binary gender must be represented by a minimum of 40% of the participants in the network, and NKJ welcomes applicants and participants of other genders. Young researchers should be included in the network. 

Network outputs should be useful for the Nordic community and should include knowledge exchange across national borders through e.g. arranging workshops, seminars/webinars, scientific meetings or open conferences. The funding can be used to bring additional value to ongoing research projects through mentioned activities.

Successful applicants may receive funds from NKJ of up to 300.000 SEK for two years of network activities from April 2026 to March 2028, covering at most 50% of the total budget for the network. The total budget for the call is 2.500.000 SEK.

This call is open for applicants from all fields of research within food and agriculture!

 

Call text

Application form

NKJ strategy

Gender equality guidelines

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Nordic approach advances soil health

The researcher network TerraNordica emphasises the urgency and opportunity for advancing soil health and agroecology in the Nordic region. It highlights the essential ecosystem services provided by healthy soils, the risks of continued degradation, and regionally adapted actions to support sustainable food systems.

 

The network has arranged a seminar, which gathered experts, researchers and stakeholders. They emphasized the need for regionally adapted frameworks that include policies and incentives, collaborative monitoring frameworks, and stakeholder engagement to support sustainable soil management.

“By embracing a regionally adapted agroecological approach, Nordic countries can lead the way in building resilient, climate-smart food systems rooted in healthy soils”, the network says in a policy brief, which provides a range of advice that can lead to better soil.

The advices also includes to develop a dynamic online dashboard where current state of soil health can be viewed, establish monitoring systems that reflect local soil types, and to fund interdisciplinary research – among more.

– Based on the discussions during within the TerraNordica network and the seminar we have identified knowledge gaps and future challenges, as well as policy constraints and opportunities for Scandinavian countries. This information is used for composing the policy brief on agroecology and soil health opportunities and challenges for Scandinavian conditions. The members of the network are enthusiastic about the established contacts, and we will continue this cooperation in coming related events, says Jannes Stolte, coordinator of the NKJ co-funded researcher network TerraNordica.

Find all policy advice and key messages from the network in the policy brief!

 

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Workshop: Adapting Winter Wheat for Harsh Winters

Join the workshop ”Adapting Winter Wheat for Harsh Winters”, organised by the NKJ network “Fimbulwinter wheat”!

 

Time: October 28, 2025, 09.00-16.30 EET (UTC+2)

Place: Teams (online). The Teams link will be shared with registered participants after registration deadline (26/10 2025).

 

The participants will, together with several knowledgable speakers, delve into for example the role of VRN2 in cold adaptation, freezing tolerance, winter wheat from Finland’s perspective, and a lot more.

Program

Keynote speakers:
Dr. Dominique Hirsz (IPK, Germany),
”VRN turning into winter: Exploring the role of VRN2 in cold adaptation”

Dr. Sebastian Michel (Boku, Austria)
“Can we teach machines to select like a plant breeder?”

Additional speakers are part of the research network. Together they will form the two sessions “Understanding the trait of winter hardiness” (morning), and “The role of winter hardiness in breeding, different country perspectives” (afternoon).

Register  Register at the latest 26/10 2025

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New platform for sustainable food systems

For the first time, the “Nordic-Baltic Food Systems Conference and Policy Forum” (NFN2025) has been organised. The conference succeeded in its goal: to serve as a platform for meetings between researchers and decision-makers working towards more sustainable food systems.

Photo: Minna Kaljonen

 

In Helsinki, Finland, nearly 300 researchers, policymakers, and other stakeholders connected to food systems, gathered for the conference under the theme ”Securing sustainable food systems in turbulent times.”

– The aim was to dig deep into how the Nordic and Baltic countries can create resilient and sustainable food systems for the future together, in these geopolitically turbulent times, says Minna Kaljonen, coordinator and one of the organizers of the conference.

The key messages from the NFN2025 were delivered to the Nordic Council of Ministers meeting in Kuopio 11-12.6.2025. The organisers emphasized the need for strong institutional support for transdisciplinary food systems research and policy. They argued that the Nordic Council of Ministers could take a stronger role in breaking the siloed sectoral policies and prioritizing food systems research in research funding. The geopolitical turbulences underline the need to look for solutions that give multiple benefits.

Results seminar and policy forum

The conference started with the results-seminar after a Finnish six-year long Food-program, funded by the Strategic Research Council Finland. Three transdisciplinary projects concentrating on just food systems transition (www.justfood.fi), legume value chains (www.leg4life.fi) and regenerative farming (https://www.bsag.fi/en/carbon-action-en/) showcased the solutions for building sustainable, climate-smart and healthy food systems.

The events continued with the Food Policy Forum with high-level keynotes on how the Nordic and Baltic countries are aiming to strengthen the resilience of their food systems and making them crises proof at the same time. The keynotes from Finland, Estonia and Sweden showcased somewhat different approaches to preparedness, but highlighted the collective challenges as well.

A PhD network was also kicked off during the conference and will continue to support peer-to-peer learning amongst the early career researchers.

– It really allowed mutual learning among the different countries, says Minna Kaljonen.
– It also brought up some key differences between them as well.

Prepare for crises

Minna Kaljonen points out the importance of preparing our food systems for various types of crises today, while also maintaining a long-term perspective. This may, for example, concern the use of inputs: fertilizers, seeds, energy and the like. As an example of how to tackle the existing challenges, she mentions the importance of decentralizing production to support circular solutions, and better collaboration between plant and livestock farms in nutrient recycling. Agro-ecological symbiosis was showcased as one example by Rogier Schulte, one of the keynotes in the conference.

– Personally, I see climate change as the one big key threat that compels us to really think about how we produce and consume food. In addition to building long-term resilience, we need to find solutions to be prepared to crises in short-term as well. The key challenge for both food system actors and policy makers is how to keep these both time horizons in mind in decision-making, says Minna Kaljonen.

As part of the solution, she wants to see the Nordic-Baltic food systems as several different systems, but she also emphasizes that they are interconnected. According to Minna Kaljonen, systems thinking can help us move forward.

– This conference took several steps forward in this direction, at the very least brought people together to discuss in these terms, and it really showed that there is a great need for this kind of platform for people from different disciplines to reflect on how food systems work. The Baltic-Nordic perspectives make the solutions tangible.

Now, the organizers are planning the next conference, eyeing Estonia as a possible location. The aim is to hold the conference every other year.

 

Find more information about the NFN2025

Join the LinkedIn NFN2025 group

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Nine new networks will work for Nordic benefit

Nine new research networks will work towards Nordic benefits and progress in agriculture and food over the next two years, supported by NKJ. The NKJ board has now decided which networks will receive funding after the latest call for proposals.

 

 

The number of applications was high, and they were well-written with important focus areas, making the selection process challenging. The board had a demanding task in balancing the budget. In the end, nine networks were granted funding for their upcoming collaboration.

See the list below for a brief overview of what the networks will be working on!

Nordic network for food control research
The long-term aim of the network is to increase the science-based knowledge in food control, which will ultimately benefit consumer safety and fair treatment of food businesses. This will be achieved by facilitating food control research across disciplines, initiating research collaboration resulting in international research funding applications and increasing transdisciplinary collaboration between academia, food control authorities and food businesses.
Nordic Alternative Protein Knowledge and Innovation Network (NAPKIN)
The NAPKIN network wants to position Iceland, Finland, Denmark, Sweden and Norway as key actors in protein transition, which leads to economic growth as well as increased health and well-being of the people and the planet. The aim is to establish a viable Nordic network of researchers and stakeholders, fostering the exchange of ideas and knowledge, and facilitating joint funding applications at both the Nordic and EU levels, to address knowledge/research gaps collaboratively and strengthen the region’s common capabilities.
Fimbulwinter wheat – creating a team with a plan to adapt winter wheat for difficult winters
The long-term aim of the network is to deepen understanding of important traits for increased stability of winter wheat cultivation in the Nordic and Baltic countries.
Network for Nordic Landrace Sheep Wool (NordWool)
The long-term aim of the network is to enhance sustainable use of Nordic sheep breeds, emphasizing wool quality to balance the current focus on meat production. By promoting the often-overlooked role of wool, the project contributes to a more holistic utilization of these genetic resources. T
Nordic berry research network
The long-term aim is to establish a research forum for the mutual exchange of knowledge across a wide range of issues and challenges related to both wild and cultivated berries. This approach will enable the identification and utilization of synergies between existing resources while fostering the creation of new ones.
Cultivated muscle-cell based food (CMBFood)
The network gathers a diverse group of stakeholders (including scientists working with all aspects of cultivated meat), to support a holistic exchange of ideas and knowledge, and joint applications for research in cultivated muscle-cell based food, with special focus on the end-product, in the Nordic countries.
Healthy udders through a herd health perspective
The long-term aim of the network is to enhance health, welfare and milk quality of dairy cattle as the basis for long-term sustainability of dairy farms in the Nordic countries. Furthermore, this collaborative network aims to enhance competitiveness and profitability of the Nordic dairy production and safe dairy products for the consumers.
NORDIC-BALTIC Research Network on Organic Food and Farming
The network will arrange a scientific in-person conference directed towards the Nordic-Baltic organic research, and relevant stakeholder, community. The aim of the conference is to share and discuss recent research outcomes within organic food and farming and its societal interactions – dialogue and cooperation between stakeholders are necessary for implementation of research.
Understanding plastic pollution in agrifood systems to protect agriculture and health: The AGRIFOODPLAST Network
The network will strengthen the Nordics’ role in shaping EU policies on soil protection and food safety regarding plastic and chemical additive pollution, drive innovation in Nordic and EU research agendas, coordinate Nordic research efforts and integrate plastic pollution into broader agricultural sustainability analyses.

 

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Matchmaking for researchers in agriculture and food – and a funding opportunity

NKJ has an open call for networks in agriculture and food. We want as many nordic researchers as possible to exchange knowledge, therefore we arrange a matchmaking event for you to find new colleagues, to elaborate your scientific project further and to get inspired.

 

When: December 10 2024, 13.30–16.00 CET
Where: Online via Zoom, link will be sent out in advance of the meeting
Registration: Register by filling out the form. Registration closes at December 6, 17.00 CET.

Welcome to join our online matchmaking event, to find out more about how to apply for funds from Nordic Agri Research (NKJ), hear from an ongoing network how they use their collaboration platform, and connect with other researchers who are looking for collaboration opportunities!

You will be inspired by a coordinator of an ongoing research network who will talk about what type of activities they have organised, what they have achieved so far and how they have benefitted from collaborating in the Nordic region. NKJ will also inform you about the current open call that can fund your future networking activities.

AGENDA
13.30 Welcome and presentations
13.50 How to apply for funds from NKJ – tips and tricks
14.10 Inspiration talk from an ongoing Nordic research network, Ievina Sturite (NIBIO), CoverCropsNordic
14.30 Networking workshop with Malin von Essen
16.00 Finish


CONTACT
If you have any questions, send an email to 

 

 

 

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OPEN CALL 2025: Funding opportunity for agricultural and food researchers

NKJ now welcomes applications from researcher networks in all aspects of food and agriculture, as part of their 60-year anniversary in 2025. By this call, NKJ wants to promote Nordic and transdisciplinary collaboration.

 
Deadline for application: 31 januari 2025
Apply by filling in the application form below and sending it to  
 
The aim of the call is to promote Nordic collaboration between researchers from agricultural and food sectors by networking activities including workshops, conferences and seminars. Transdisciplinary networks between researchers and stakeholders are encouraged. This open call welcomes applicants from all fields of research within food and agriculture.
 
NKJ will host an online matchmaking event on December 10 2024 (information and registration here), where you will be able to connect with other researchers who are looking for collaboration opportunities. This event will also include information on the open call and an opportunity to ask questions.
 
It is also possible to find information on previously funded networks on NKJ’s website.
 

To have the chance to be granted, the network should include applicants from at least three Nordic countries. Each gender must be represented by a minimum of 40% of the participants in the network, and NKJ welcomes applicants and participants of other genders. Young researchers should be included in the network. 

Network outputs should be useful for the Nordic community and should include knowledge exchange across national borders through e.g. arranging workshops, seminars/webinars, scientific meetings or open conferences. The funding can be used to bring additional value to ongoing research projects through mentioned activities.

Successful applicants may receive funds from NKJ of up to 300.000 SEK for two years of network activities from April 2025 to March 2027, covering at most 50% of the total budget for the network. The total budget for the call is 2.000.000 SEK.

This call is open for applicants from all fields of research within food and agriculture!

Call text

Application form

NKJ strategy

Gender equality guidelines

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Join the Nordic-Baltic Food Systems Conference and Policy Forum

The conference “Challenging Intersections: Securing Sustainable Food Systems in Turbulent Times” will take place in Helsinki, Finland, 26-27.5.2025. Please save the dates, registration opens February 1, 2025!

 

Food systems face multiple and by large, intertwined challenges. Climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution call for immediate actions across the food system, from the fields to the plates. At the same time the geopolitical turbulences have raised food security concerns to the political agendas of the European states and the European Union. The meaning of food for our wellbeing and health is unquestionable and calls for stronger appreciation across society and by the people.

Dealing with such complex problems is a challenge for both research, policy makers, and food system actors. The intertwined challenges cannot be solved by focusing on a single element of the food system, or by a specific sectoral policy or individual scientific discipline. The 1st Nordic-Baltic food systems conference and policy forum invites researchers, policy makers and food system actors to take stock on the challenges related to securing sustainability food systems, share experiences across the Nordic and Baltic countries and look for innovative solutions and future collaborations.

Please find information and more detailed programme of the conference and policy forum here.

The call for papers is open until 17th January 2025.

The scientific committee welcomes all interested researchers, policy makers and food system actors to join the transdisciplinary discussions. Please distribute the call widely in your networks!

You are also welcome to join the LinkedIn group of Nordic-Baltic Network of Transdisciplinary Food Systems Research (NFN), which we have just opened. The aim of the NFN is to foster collaboration amongst Nordic-Baltic researchers, food system actors and policy makers on transdisciplinary food systems research. The network is open to all interested.

 

On behalf of the Nordic-Baltic scientific committee,

Minna Kaljonen, chair of the scientific committee and the conference, research professor, Finnish Environment Institute

Juha Helenius, co-chair of scientific committee and food policy forum, professor, University of Helsinki

 

Contact