Digital meetings during Almedalen Week

This year’s Almedalen Week will be somewhat different as it will largely be a digital event taking place over four days.

Blue Centre Gotland is a collaborative project between Uppsala University, the County Administrative Board of Gotland and Region Gotland. The centre is one of the organisers of Baltic Sea Days together with a network of 20 different stakeholders.

“We have taken part in Almedalen Week for seven years now and this year we are addressing four themes that are highly topical for the Baltic Sea, Gotland and the research conducted here,” says Professor Gunilla Rosenqvist, project manager at Blue Centre Gotland.

The issues being raised are what action Sweden can take to conserve and sustainably utilise the sea’s resources, how a fossil-free Gotland can create opportunities for a healthier sea, whether there is enough fish to go round and how we can put more and sustainable seafood on our plates.

“We are addressing a broad audience: politicians, researchers and the public – anyone who has, or should have, an interest in the Baltic Sea. A few of us will be in the studio but others will be participating digitally. It will be slightly different but, on the other hand, we can invite stars and inspirations such as Sylvia Earle of the international network Mission Blue.”

Sustainability in the Nordics and India

The research programme Future Urbanisms at Campus Gotland is arranging four seminars on sustainability issues in the Nordic region and India.

“We held a very successful day-long event at Almedalen Week two years ago at which we brought together Swedish and Indian researchers, innovators and entrepreneurs. This year, our aim is to build on this, starting from the idea that sustainable development demands well-developed collaborations between researchers, entrepreneurs and representatives of society,” says Professor Owe Ronström of Uppsala University’s Department of Cultural Anthropology and Ethnology.

In addition to the Ambassador of India to Sweden and the head of the Indian Chamber of Commerce, this year’s event will be attended by a number of leading researchers and innovators from Sweden and India. Among the topics for discussion will be how we can build new energy systems for the people and how we can rethink sustainability, urbanisation and technology post-COVID-19.

“Our intended audience is people who are committed to sustainability issues, especially those with experience of the transfer of knowledge and undertakings between countries, cultures and places.

Combining teaching with research

Almedalen Week will also include a seminar on the theme of providing teachers with opportunities to combine teaching with research. The event is organised by the University of Gothenburg, Uppsala University, Umeå University and Karlstad University.

“We need combined positions that enable us to combine teaching and research. This is possible as an employee of a single higher education institution or education provider. What we want is the opportunity to combine research and teaching between a higher education institution and an education provider,” explains Professor Elisabet Nihlfors of Uppsala University’s Department of Education.

The seminar will provide examples of how one can progress from student to lecturer with an education provider and higher education institution, both of which have created combined positions. 

“We are addressing policymakers at all levels dealing with both resources and regulation in legislation or contracts. Naturally, we are also keen to raise the issue to demonstrate the possibilities and that this is a recruitment issue – both higher education institutions and education providers face shortages of competent staff in certain areas.”

Participation via link

The seminar is led by Elisabet Nihlfors and Maria Jarl of the University of Gothenburg, who were in the same studio for recording. Others participated via link from Piteå, Arvika, Stockholm and Gothenburg.

“It is by no means certain that we could have arranged a seminar with this geographical representation if everyone had been required to travel. We hope that those watching and listening will feel the energy we felt during recording! We will miss the presence in the room but, at the same time, we can reach out more effectively in this way,” says Elisabet Nihlfors.

These seminars are being arranged by Uppsala University:

4/7 13:00–13:45: The Sea’s Limits (Blue Centre Gotland, Baltic Sea Days, Hope Spot Gotland) In Swedish

4/7 14:00–14:45: A Fossil-free Gotland Creates Opportunities for Healthier Seas (Baltic Sea Days, Blue Centre Gotland)

5/7 09:00–10:30: Co-thinking Urbanisation, Technology and Sustainability in a Changing World (Future Urbanisms, Uppsala University, Content People AB, Zerocity Network)

5/7 11:00–12:00: New Energy Systems for the People: Lessons, Insights and Models from Sweden & India (Future Urbanisms, Uppsala University, Content People AB, Zerocity Network)

5/7 12:45–13:45: SDG:s and Industry 4.0: Creating a New Purpose Economy  (Future Urbanisms, Uppsala University, Content People AB, Zerocity Network)

5/7 13:00–13:45: A Living Sea and Swedish Fish for All: How Do We Balance the Equation and Whose Responsibility is It? (Marine Centre in Simrishamn, Baltic Sea Days)

5/7 14:00–14:45: How Do We Put More Sustainable Seafood On Our Plates?(Baltic Sea Days, Blue Centre Gotland, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Uppsala University) In Swedish

5/7 14:15–15:30: Towards a Zero City: What the World can Learn from Swedish `Lagom´and Indian `Sunya´ (Future Urbanisms, Uppsala University, Content People AB, Zerocity Network)

6/7 09:00–10:30: Give Teachers the Opportunity to Combine Research and Teaching (University of Gothenburg, Uppsala University, Umeå University, Karlstad University) In Swedish