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!

How can we balance the multiple needs of land use in the Nordic region? Nordic Agri Research (NKJ) and Nordic Forest Research (SNS) invite you to a conference where challenges and opportunities in land use will be discussed from both research and policy perspectives.

The Nordic Land Use Conference
– solutions for sustainable land use in the Nordic region
Place: Hótel Varmaland, Borgarnes, Iceland
Time: May 7, 2025
Programme: scroll down

The conference aims to engage researchers and civil servants in a dialogue on national policy needs related to land use. Therefore, participants from the political sector, research organizations, and other relevant stakeholders are welcome.

The program will begin with a presentation of the upcoming report “Changes to Agricultural Land Use in the Nordic Countries – and Future Prospects for Collaboration”, providing an overview of changes in land use and future opportunities for collaboration. This will be followed by keynote speakers who will delve into the conference’s overarching theme.

The conference will then continue with thematic sessions that delve deeper into current issues. These sessions will bring together research projects and policy examples from the Nordic countries, with discussions led by experienced moderators to foster a dynamic and constructive dialogue.

Don’t miss the opportunity to participate in this important conference and contribute to the development of more sustainable land use in the Nordic region!

Register here THE CONFERENCE IS CANCELLED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE 
Registration fee is 1.500 SEK and includes lunch, conference refreshments and a three course dinner.

Target group
Developers or owners of concrete examples within the themes and current and potential users of them (this includes researchers, state officials, municipal workers, interest groups, intergovernmental organisations and private land owners, primarily in the Nordic region).

Preliminary program:

09:00–09.30 Registration

09:30–09:45 Opening statement

09:45–10.00 Presentation of report and purpose of conference

10:00–10:45 Keynote speaker 1

10:45–11.00 Coffee break

11:00–11:45 Panel discussion: The role of land use planning in preparedness

12.00–13.00 Lunch and networking

13.00–15:00 Thematic session 1 & 2 (parallel), see information below

15:00–17:00 Thematic session 3 & 4 (parallel) see information below

17.15 – 17.45 Conclusions & sum up

18:30 Networking dinner

Thematic sessions
Each thematic session will engage the participants in a discussion on solutions and challenges to get there within the chosen topic. The session will begin with 2-3 presentations of best practices, tools and models which will be followed by a workshop.

 Thematic session 1
Managing conflicting policy goals in land use management – Energy production

Description: The first two sessions will look into different tools, models and conclusions made from different parts of the Nordic region on how to handle conflicting policy goals and how various considerations and land-use interests can be balanced. This session will specifically focus on photovoltaics, how they can co-exict within landscapes, strategies and guidelines for handling the increased demand for photovoltaics.

Thematic session 2
Managing conflicting policy goals in land use management – functional landscapes

Description: The first two sessions will take a look into different tools, models and conclusions made from different parts of the Nordic region on how to handle conflicting policy goals and how various considerations and land-use interests can be balanced. This session will specifically focus on functional landscapes, for example the potentials of increasing biodiversity within a production landscape and steering instruments to prioritize between different national and international policy goals.

Thematic session 3
Spatial tools to support decision- and policymaking

Description: Spatial data, analysis and models can offer knowledge foundation to make decisions in high complexity situations. This session includes how to meet the challenge of data security, potentials of combinations of spatial data and sources and investigating how the establishment of the EU soil monitoring can be utilized for land use planning.

Thematic session 4
Multistakeholder dialogues in land use planning

Description: Dialogues can serve as a powerful tool to balance private and public interests in land use and to increase acceptance for land use changes amongst actors within a landscape. Improved cooperation between different stakeholders can also increase the likelihood that synergies in land use are exploited. This session explores local examples of stakeholder dialogues in the Nordic region and looks into the results and key learnings of them, to ultimately consider how these models and tools can be scaled or transferred to other parts in the Nordic region.

Organisers
Nordisk Kommitté för Jordbruks- och matforskning (NKJ) and SamNordisk Skogsforskning (SNS) / funded by the Nordic Council of Ministers

Background
During the Nordic Committee of Senior Officials for Fisheries, Aquaculture, Agriculture, Food and Forestry (EK-FJLS Agriculture and Forestry) meeting in Hardanger in April 2022, land use conflicts related to food production and agricultural land were discussed. The committee members recognised that agricultural and arable land is a limited resource, and that strategies and political guidelines to limit agricultural land loss and ensure food security while also ensuring that other national needs are met differ among Nordic countries. Following this discussion, Nordic Agri Research (NKJ) and Nordic Forest Research (SNS) were assigned to provide the committee with further knowledge on the situation of agricultural land and how agricultural land use disputes are handled in the Nordic countries. The results from this upcoming report form the foundation for this conference.

The NKJ board made a decision to fund nine new networks, during their last meeting in the end of February. The number of applications was all time high, and the number of funded networks also turned out higher than usual. The applications was of high standard and the networks highly relevant, and therefore the board found it easy to grant more of them.

The total sum shared between the networks is 2 500 000 SEK, which is much higher than usual, due to the large number of granted networks.

The focus of the call this time was broad and open for networks in all aspects of food and agricultural research. The aim of the call was to facilitate collaboration between researchers in the Nordic countries, increase synergies and bridge gaps between research and practice. And in the end, nine applicants was found responding best to the requirements.

Congratulations to all granted networks, and welcome to work for a sustainable agriculture sector together with NKJ!

Next chance to apply for funding for research networks from NKJ will be in 2025. Sign upp for the NKJ newsletter to know when the next call opens!

These are the new NKJ researcher network:

2024-01 Nordic network of agricultural data scientists

2024-02 Nordic-Baltic Plant Phenotyping Network (NB-PPN)

2024-03 Sustainable meat production in the Nordic region – NordMeat

2024-04 Nordic Field Trial Network 2

2024-05 A Nordic-Baltic framework for sustainable food systems

2024-06 The Arctic ReseArch Network for Diseases in reindeer related to hUSbandry and climate change (TARANDUS 2.0)

2024-07 Nordic Food Systems Transdisciplinary Research Network

2024-08 Sustainable dairy for the future – product quality and new technologies

2024-09 Developing Integrated Pest Management in Nordic currant production

When: December 14th 2023, 13.30–16.00 CET
Where: Online via Zoom, link will be sent out in advance of the meeting
Registration: Register to the event by sending an email (name, research area and institution) to nkj@slu.se

The main goal of the Mission ‘A Soil Deal for Europe’ is to establish 100 living labs and lighthouses to lead the transition towards healthy soils by 2030.

On the matchmaking day we take a deep dive into how you as a researcher can utilize living labs and lighthouses. We also offer an opportunity to connect with other researchers who are looking for collaboration opportunities on research connected to living labs and/or light houses. Matchmaking with other researchers will be carried out in smaller groups to maximaze the chance for the participants to gain new contacts in their own area of interest.

The groups will mainly focus on food and agricultural research in living labs/light houses connected to:

• Climate resilience
• Soil health
• Plant health

You will be inspired by speakers from light houses and living labs 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
13.35 Inspiration talk: PLEN Living Labs
13.55 Inspiration talk: cooperation on light houses, Mære landbruksskole
14.15 How to apply for funds from NKJ: tips and trix
14.30 Networking workshop
16.00 Finish

Deadline for application submission is April 21^th, 2022.

Text på svenska längre ner
With this funding opportunity, NKJ wants to interlink researchers in the Nordic region to find solutions on how to sustainably transform the food system.

That transformation is a powerful tool to reach the 17 SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals). We need to change the way we produce, consume and think about food; a new food narrative that acknowledges systems issues in agriculture – from broken nutrient cycles to biodiversity loss, erosion, fossil fuel dependence and CO2 emissions – interlinked issues that could in part be solved at the regional level.

NKJ encourages networks that relate to aspects of transformation and transition in agriculture and the food system at large to apply for funding. The focus could be either on farms or focusing anywhere from the downstream refinement of agricultural products to upstream innovations and production flows needed to increase primary agricultural production in the Nordic region. The goal is to encourage activities directed to novel tools and improve current production to increase resilience, sustainability and competitiveness of agriculture in the Nordic region.

Call conditions
Networks should include applicants from research institutions from at least three different countries in the Nordic region.

Each gender must be represented by a minimum of 40% of the participants in the network.

PhD students and young researchers should be included in the network.

Network grants are for two years of activities from August 2022 to July 2024.

Stakeholders are encouraged to participate but cannot be main applicants.

Economic framework
The amount applied for from NKJ can be maximum 300.000 SEK. The funding should primarily be spent on costs for arranging scientific meetings, workshops and conferences including accommodation, travel and conference fees but could also cover costs for designing policy recommendations based on research findings, write large-scale research funding applications, creating or maintaining databases or websites (excluding hardware) and communication activities.

Networks are expected to co-finance at least 50% of the total budget.

Read more:
Call text

Application form

Text in Swedish

Forskare inom jordbruk och livsmedelsindustri kan nu söka medel för nätverksaktiviteter som syftar till att öka sektorernas hållbarhet, motståndskraft och konkurrenskraft.

Sista dag för ansökan är 21 April 2022.

Med denna utlysning vill NKJ länka samman nordiska forskare för att hitta ett hållbart sätt att omvandla livsmedelssystemet.

Den omvandlingen är ett kraftfullt verktyg för att nå de 17 globala hållbarhetsmålen. Vi måste förändra vårt sätt att producera, konsumera och tänka på mat; ett nytt matbegrepp som tar hänsyn till de systemproblem som finns inom jordbruket: från brutna näringskretslopp till förlust av biologisk mångfald, erosion, beroende av fossila bränslen och CO2-utsläpp – frågor som hänger ihop och som delvis skulle kunna lösas på regional nivå.

NKJ uppmuntrar nätverk som relaterar till olika aspekter av omvandling och omställning av jordbruket och livsmedelssystemet i stort att skicka in sin ansökan. Fokus kan vara antingen på gårdsnivå eller valfri nivå i kedjan från förädling av jordbruksprodukter, till innovationer och produktionsflöden som behövs för att öka den primära jordbruksproduktionen i Norden.

NKJ vill uppmuntra aktiviteter som syftar till att åstadkomma nya verktyg och förbättra nuvarande produktion för att öka motståndskraften, hållbarheten och konkurrenskraften för jordbruket i Norden.

Krav
Nätverk ska ha sökande från forskningsinstitutioner i minst tre olika nordiska länder.

Vardera könen ska vara representerade av minst 40% av nätverkets medlemmar. 

PhD-studenter och unga forskare ska vara aktiva i nätverket.

Finansiering ges för aktiviteter från augusti 2022 till juli 2024.

Intressenter utanför forskarvärlden uppmuntras att delta i nätverken men kan inte vara huvudsökande.

Ekonomiska ramar
Finansieringen från NKJ uppgår som mest till 300 000 SEK. Finansieringen ska främst gå till att arrangera vetenskapliga möten, workshops och konferenser inkluderande boende, resor och konferensavgifter men kan också användas för att utforma policy.rekommendationer baserade på forskningsrön, skriva större ansökningar om forskningsmedel, skapa databaser och hemsidor och kommunikationsinsatser.

Läs mer:
Utlysningstext

Ansökningsformulär

Who should take part in the production of cultured meat and what is the input required for success? How can we enlighten and inform the Nordic industry so they can see and define their role? How can we make this type of technology an opportunity for the Nordic countries, and not a threat? How do we interact with consumers and society regarding cultured meat?

These were questions discussed and possibly answered by the participants in the second network meeting and workshop arranged by the NKJ funded network Cultured Meat.

The background to asking these questions is that the global food production must increase, and cultured meat R&D is expected to increase to meet this demand.

One of the main issues of cultured meat is the lack of dissemination. That is why the network did organized a 2-day workshop to gain more understanding of and dissemination of the concept among different stakeholders aligned with the network’s aims, e.g. ingredient and equipment suppliers, producers, consumers and politicians, amongst others. The 2-day workshop covered subjects such as technology, regulation, LCA, consumers and the political perspective.

Each day there were around 100 persons participating, the majority from the Nordic region but also from other countries.

Agenda for the workshop

More about the Cultured Meat Network