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Last chance to join the configuration of the Nordic Testbed Network

Nordic Testbed Network – supporting the digital bioeconomy
An initiative by Nordic Council of Ministers

WORKSHOP Malmö, Nov 12

Tree in silhouette with text. Illustration.Facilitating knowledge transfer, allocating seed money, running Nordic projects… What do you think the network should focus on? Join us in setting the vision and structure of the Nordic Testbed Network.

Information about the Nordic Testbed Network

 

AGENDA

  • Inspiration talks – what’s the latest in the digital bioeconomy?
    • Organizing for digital innovation in the bioeconomy. University of Gothenburg/Swedish Center for Digital Innovation
    • Mobilizing a testbed – how to reach out and facilitate Nordic innovation. The Bioeconomy region.
  • Testbed presentations – get to know testbeds engaged in the digital transformation in the Nordic bioeconomy.
  • Setting vision and structure for the network – together we discuss and decide on vision and structure for the network.
  • Allocating seed money – joint discussion on how to allocate existing funding for supporting the digital transformation in the Nordic bioeconomy.
  • Networking – meet Nordic stakeholders from public and private sector.

REGISTER 

There are a limited number of seats available!


CONTACT

Maria Tunberg, PhD
maria.tunberg@analysysmason.com
Senior consultant
+46 730 21 75 30

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NKJ interconnects researchers in the Nordic countries

New contacts, a business modell and a push to get closer to realize their dream project. That was what the participants at our Matchmaking day in Reykjavik brought back home. And of course a lot of new experiences!

 

Woman gesturing. Photo.Our special guest this day was Dr Hannes Ottosson, project manager at Innovation Centre Iceland and adjunct lecturer. He teaches innovation and business development at the University of Iceland, and his fields of interest is innovation, entrepreneurship, social capital, social innovation, cluster development and innovation education. He shared his business modell with the researchers at the Matchmaking day, for them to think new when it comes to communication of their knowledge. We heard quite a few positive words about it later on so we thank you so much Hannes for your contribution to the day!

Workshops

Two women sitting at table facing each other. Photo.During the day the participants joined small workshops and were active in developing their dream project and to improve their professional networks. They also acted as mirrors and were of good help in the creative processes for their colleagues. There where also time in the schedule for mingle, so in the evening many new friends and colleagues had found each other.

Iceland in an afternoon

Five people standing in a forest looking at the ground. Photo.In the afternoon we left for a tour by bus to see a small part of Iceland and the Icelandic forests. Our very much appreciated guide A∂alstein Sigurgeirson teached us about the reforestation of Iceland, Icelandic history and a lot more. We ended up around the campfire, chatting and trying some Icelandic specialties.

Thank you all, for joining us and contribute to this great day! We hope you are as happy as we for having the opportunity to meet, learn and having new contacts!

See networks photos here

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Matchmaking heaven in Reykjavik: networking for researchers

Develop your dream project and make your professional networking even more creative at our matchmaking day in Reykjavik! Register and join us September 19th 2019.

 

Close up on spider in a spiderweb. Photo.

We have prepared our Matchmaking Day for you to not just dream, but to realize your dreams. You will get to know more about our funding opportunities and how to write successful applications, and develop your best ideas in various workshops during the day. And all of it is back to back with the NordGen conference Future Forest Health – Early detection and mitigation of invasive pests and diseases in Nordic forests!

As our guest we have invited an expert on creativity: Dr Hannes Ottosson, project manager at Innovation Centre Iceland and Adjunct lecturer at the University of Iceland where he teaches innovation and business development (fields of interest; innovation, entrepreneurship,  social capital, social innovation, cluster development and innovation education). He will give us insights in how to make our research networks creative and help us enhance and improve our networking skills in a hands-on way.

We will cover the travel and accommodation costs for 10-12 PhD students!  More info below.

 

Field trip

In the afternoon we will go on a half-day tour to Geysir, a geyser that can hurl boiling water up to 70 metres in the air, and Gullfoss, the famous waterfall in the river Hvítá in southern Iceland where the waterfalls in two rounds: first 11 meters and then 21 meters down into a gorge that is 20 meters wide and 2.5 kilometers long. We will make various short forest stops (including some forest research sites) along the way.

 

DETAILS Matchmaking Day Iceland
Date: September 19th, 2019
Cost: € 0 (PhD students can apply for travel reimbursement)
Venue: Grand Hotel Reykjavik
Adress: Sigtún 38, 105 Reykjavík, Iceland
See Googlemap for the Matchmaking day

 

Program:

08:00 Welcome
08.25 Creativity Workshop: My Dream Project
08.50 Information from Nordic Forest Research (SNS), Nordic Agri Research (NKJ), The Forest Bioeconomy Network and NordGen Forest: How to apply for our funding, tips and trix
09.15 Coffee, tea and mingle
09.35 How to be more innovative and entrepreneurial as a researcher, Hannes Ottósson from Innovation Centre Iceland and University of Iceland will help us explore creativity
10.20 Mingle
10.30 Group exercise: “Networking treasures”
11.20 Mingle
11.30 Speed Dating: How to advance My Dream Project
12.10 Wrap up
12.30 Lunch, field trip and continued networking

 

Registration

Register before September 2nd. Our Matchmaking Day is free of charge and PhD students can apply for travel reimbursement for up to € 550 per person! Note that you need to submit your application for travel reimbursement at June 24th, at the latest.

You can change or delete your registration until September 2nd. Please note that those who are not granted travel reimbursement need to arrange accommodation in Reykjavik.

Download the registration form for Matchmaking day (docx)

 

Travel reimbursement

Our Matchmaking Day is especially (but not only!) designed for PhD students to get in contact with experienced colleagues and to expand their research networks in an inspiring environment. Therefore we will support 10-12 PhD students with travel reimbursement for the Matchmaking Day.

Apply latest June 24th if you want to apply for the travel grant! The granted PhD students will be reimbursed with up to € 550 for travel costs to Reykjavik (return ticket). The accommodation for two days will be paid by SNS in advance. There is a limited number of grants that will be distributed evenly between the Nordic countries.

Successful travel grant applicants will be contacted June 25 and asked to sign a contract, that should be returned July 22 at the latest.

If you are not among the granted for travel reimbursement, you are most welcome to register here again (without travel reimbursement this time) before September 2.

 

 

About the organisers:

Nordic Forest Research (SNS) is a co-operating body under the Nordic Council of Ministers that strives to enhance benefits for the Nordic region and to contribute to a sustainable society. We provide funding to interlink researchers and to facilitate exchange of brilliant ideas within sustainable forest research in the Nordic countries.

Forest Bioeconomy Network (former EFINORD) Forest Bioeconomy Network (ForBioeconomy) will primary focus on the forest-based bioeconomy in the context of northern Europe, addressing both regional diversity as well as emerging challenges and opportunities. Within that, specific scientific focus of the Research Network lays in: (i) sustainable and efficient production and use of biomass, (ii) securing sustainable provision of forest ecosystem services and (iii) promotion of supply and demand for bio-based products.

The primary objective of the Nordic Joint Committee for Agricultural and Food Research (NKJ) is to contribute to promote and coordinate a knowledge-based agriculture and food sector in the Nordic countries. To meet this end, NKJ encourages and provides support to joint Nordic cooperation within agriculture and food research, including forestry and fishery.

NordGen Forest is a Nordic body dedicated to forest regeneration, plants, seed and genetic resources. NordGen Forest addresses conservation and sustainable use of forest genetic resources, by being a forum for researchers, practitioners and managers working on forest genetics, seeds, planting stock and regeneration, and by facilitating the flow of scientific information and knowhow between these groups.

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Climate change adaptation: cooperation is the medicin

The Nordics need to find ways to meet climate change. Primary production in agriculture and forestry are already facing new situations and we will most effectively meet them together. NKJ has arranged a workshop to make it happen.

LECTURES further down

The nordic working group for agriculture is now creating a powerful front to make agriculture stand ready for a new climate. February 28th the group had their third meeting, and this time accompanied by Nordic and European experts in agriculture and food. The purpose of the meeting was to learn from each other, broaden the perspectives and develop methods and processes to cope with extreme weather events. And such extreme weather will occur more often as the climate is changing. We experienced it already last summer when drought and heat put severe pressure on agriculture and forestry in the Nordic countries.

Now it’s urgent not just to stop climate change, but also to make sure we can handle the new situations that the primary production unquestionably will face.

Networking is crucial

The meeting pointed out the importance of networking to be well prepared for the future climate. To learn from each other and share experiences makes everybody stronger, and we need to make cooperation smooth and effective.

The meeting also found it crucial to have the right perspective when trying to adapt agriculture to the changing climate. It is a matter for the whole society, not only for agriculture itself.

Water is a problem

There is a need for Nordic cooperation in the water issue (drainage, irrigation). What knowledge are we lacking? And how to make different disciplines cooperate in the best way? The working group wants mapping and analysis of the issue.

Plant breeding was also discussed as an important matter when the climate is changing. Maybe NKJ, Nordforsk and NordGen can make a joint effort to gather stakeholders to breed plants that can thrive in a climate with more extreme weather. There were a few thoughts about how to go on with a common effort.

To learn from experience and train for the unknown

The meeting asked for deepened discussions about parts of the issue, as well as discussions with more professions, stakeholders and authorities. They also talked about the need for strategies for different hypothetical scenarios. Common Nordic training and simulations could be useful.

Concrete suggestions to reach the goals were:

  • seminars for evaluation of and to learn from the effects of the drought 2018
  • a network and a series of seminars about the future management of water (for example irrigation and drainage) in the Nordic countries
  • a conference for advisors with extreme weather in focus: what did we do? what could have been done?
  • a call for funding of networks, for example with focus at management of water

During April the report on Nordic cooperation in extreme weather events will be completed. That will form the ground for future work with preparing the Nordics as a unified front to meet the future climate.

Lectures/Video

Klimatförändringarnas roll för matproduktionen – risker och möjligheter
Arne Bardalen, Specialrådgivare NIBIO, Norsk institutt for bioøkonomi
Arne Bardalen presentaion (PDF)

Extremväder och dess effekter på jordbruket – vad görs på EU-nivå för att hantera riskerna?
Bengt Johnsson, Enheten för handel och marknad, Jordbruksverket Sverige
Bengt Johnsson presentation (PDF)

Finansiell resiliens – torkans effekter ur ett företagsekonomiskt perspektiv
Torben Wiborg, Chefkonsulent Udvikling, LMO Future, Danmark
Torben Wiborg presentation (PDF)

Hur anpassar vi det nordiska jordbruket till klimatförändringarna? – växtforskningens roll
Lise Lykke Steffensen, CEO NordGen
Lise Lykke Steffensen presentation (PDF)

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Workshop: Sustainable forest management in pellet supply chains

A workshop is coming up to engage stakeholders to identify ways to improve data and data use for documenting sustainable forest management in wood pellet supply chains.

The workshop under the long title “Adequacy of spatial databases for conducting risk assessments of sustainable wood sourcing practices of the U.S. industrial wood pellet industry supplying European energy demand” will take place 1-3 May 2019 in University of Georgia, Athens, GA USA. It is a follow-up workshop from the conference “Biomass feedstocks for energy markets”, co-arranged by the SNS-NKJ network “Governing sustainability of bioenergy, biomaterial and bioproduct supply chains from forest and agricultural landscapes” and CAR-ES III “Centre of Advanced Research on Environmental Services from Nordic Forest Ecosystems”.

The workshop aims to identify ways to improve data and data use for documenting sustainable forest management in wood pellet supply chains through the following:

  • Review current wood sourcing practices and state-of-art practices for conducting company level and regional risk assessments of the U.S. industrial wood pellet industry supplying European bioenergy demand, based on the findings of a new study and company experiences.
  • Identify new ways in which existing regional databases and data collected by use of new technologies can help conducting supply area, regional and national level risk assessment.
  • Identify possible needs for improved or new data.
  • Discuss alternative approaches to certifying wood pellet feedstock sourced from sustainably managed forests in the southeast U.S., such as group certification.
  • Discuss proposals for improving the overall efficacy of Forest Management Unit level, group and risk-based certification for all stakeholders associated with wood pellet supply chains to Europe and other developing regional markets.

Program, registration and information about the workshop (PDF)

 

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Matchmaking Day: A step forward for the career

Networking can be an act of art – at least in Ås at the Matchmaking Day arranged by SNS, NKJ, EFINORD and NordGen Forest.

Text and photo: Sara Hildebrand

Photos from Matchmaking day (PDF)

Man looking at white board holding a pen in his hand. Photo.

Researchers from several Nordic and Baltic countries met in Ås at the Matchmaking Day. The day started with tea and mingle, first contacts and interests were shared between the participants.

Theme of the day

People sitting at tables viewing a presentation. Photo.Introduced to Lukasz Andrzej Derdowski, who’s also conducting research in the field of work-related creativity, the participants were invited to draw themselves and note their key interests. Pinned to the wall and done relations to the people they already knew participating at the Matchmaking day, this activity resulted in a low-tech social network, which got expanded throughout the whole day.

In presentations of SNS, NKJ, NordGen Forest and EFINORD the participants received a short insight into the organisations, the opportunities to receive funding from them and how to be successful in writing applications. Outlined from the EFINORD to be creative in this process and also use social medias, an inspiring speech from Lukasz Andrzej Derdowski continued on the red thread of creativity and the ingredients of a climate in working groups stimulating creativity.

New contacts and input

Gray background with text and food supplies at the bottom. Illustration.The intense networking day ended with a last coffee and mingle while completing the low-tech network to a real piece of art with many new, interesting and helpful contacts for the participants.

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Join the SNS-NKJ network symposium about biocontrol

The NKJ-SNS network Dialogue Biocontrol wants to bring together researchers, commercial actors and end users with interest in biocontrol solutions for North European conditions and to strengthen the dialogue between these groups. Therefore they invite you to a one-day symposium with the titel “Biocontrol in Agriculture and Forestry – research, innovations and markets”.

The venue is Alnarp, Sweden, and the date November 13th. Ramesh Vetukuri, Johanna Witzell, Jarkko Hantula, Lars Moelbak and Birgit Jensen will talk and there will be a lot of discussions to find a way forwards.

Register by e-mail to network coordinator: ramesh.vetukuri@slu.se. Deadline for registration: November 5th.

Symposium program for Dialogue Biocontrol Network (PDF)

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Save the date: Matchmaking Day in Ås, Norway, November 8

Welcome to Matchmaking Day in Ås, Norway, November 8! This is a great opportunity to make new contacts and get information about funding opportunities.

Close up on spider in spiderwebb. Photo.

Welcome to our new Matchmaking day, get inspired, let the creativity flow! You will meet representatives from NKJ, SNS, EFINORD and NordGen Forest and we will tell you about how to successfully apply for funding from us. Lukasz Andrzej Derdowski from University of Stavanger (research area: work-related creativity, innovation, conflicts and intra-group dynamics) will give us insight in how to make our research networks creative and effective and there will be some workshops for you to enhance and improve your networking.

But most importantly, you will meet a lot of new colleagues and get in contact with people that can be important for your research and career!

Our Matchmaking Day is free of charge and young researchers/PhDs can apply travel grant for up to 3 000 SEK per person – more information below!

Date: November 8th, 2018
Time: 0930-1530
Place: Ås, Norway

Facebook. Logotype.

 

Travel grant: Are you a PhD student or young researcher?

SNS cover the travel and accomodation costs for PhD students/ young researchers with up to approx. 3 000 SEK/person. Hurry up and register – there is a limited number of grants that will be distributed evenly between countries! October 18th is the latest day for registration if you want us to cover your expenses. Keep your eyes open shortly after – this is when we announce the successful travel grant applicants.

 

About the organisers:

Nordic Forest Research (SNS) is a co-operating body under the Nordic Council of Ministers that strives to enhance benefits for the Nordic region and to contribute to a sustainable society. We provide funding to interlink researchers and to facilitate exchange of brilliant ideas within sustainable forest research in the Nordic countries.

North European Regional Office of European Forest Institute (EFINORD) promotes and facilitate research collaboration and interactions between science and policy in forestry issues that arises in the northern region. A particular focus is given to the bioeconomy research field in combination with natural- and social sciences for a world where forests significantly contribute to sustainable well-being across disciplines.

The primary objective of the Nordic Joint Committee for Agricultural and Food Research (NKJ) is to contribute to promote and coordinate a knowledge-based agriculture and food sector in the Nordic countries. To meet this end, NKJ encourages and provides support to joint Nordic cooperation within agriculture and food research, including forestry and fishery.

NordGen Forest is a Nordic body dedicated to forest regeneration, plants, seed and genetic resources. NordGen Forest addresses conservation and sustainable use of forest genetic resources, by being a forum for researchers, practitioners and managers working on forest genetics, seeds, planting stock and regeneration, and by facilitating the flow of scientific information and knowhow between these groups.

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Bioeconomy and digitalization – Shaping the Nordic future

SNS Nordic Forest Research and NKJ Nordic Agri Research will arrange a workshop about digitalization in the forest and agricultural sectors. June 27th the Nordic ministers make the decisions – April 17th we prepare the roadmap. We will shape the Nordic future!

 

Black tree in silhouette with dark blue background. Illustration.Experts talk about a structural shift paramount to the industrial revolution. But what implications does digitalization have for the Nordic bioeconomy? Join our workshop and take this opportunity to influence the political agenda!

At the workshop April 17th we will discuss opportunities, challenges and ways to keep the Nordic bioeconomy at the forefront of the development. Areas of common strategic interest will be defined, with the purpose of strengthening the competitive advantage of the Nordic agriculture and forestry.

The day offers short inspiration talks, discussions with experts and a creative workshop were we together shape the agenda going forward and prepare input to the ministers’ meeting in June.

 

Program for Bioeconomy and digitalization (PDF)

Registration

Please register before the 9th of April (link not available)

Join us in shaping the future of the Nordic bioeconomy!

Time and date: 9.30-16.00, 17th of April
Place: Nordens Hus, Ved Stranden 18, Copenhagen

Info: Maria Tunberg at maria.tunberg@stelacon.se or +46 736 14 15 97