International collaboration
The aim of Formas’ activity is to promote international contacts, import new knowledge, new ideas and experiences, and to bring about greater Swedish participation in the international research collaboration.
Formas shall:
- promote internationalisation of research
- prioritise research collaboration within the expanded Europe
- continue Nordic research collaboration
- follow up the UN Conference in Johannesburg
The Nordic area
Nordic collaboration is important for several sectors within the sphere of responsibility of Formas. The ongoing collaboration which Formas is conducting has the aim to continue collaboration within the partnership agreements which have been drawn or are being developed under the auspices of the Nordic Council. When developed, Nordic Centres of Excellence can be competitive within a pan-European framework.
Europe
Swedish is a member of EU and is playing an active part in European research collaboration. Within Formas, European research collaboration is a priority activity. Formas is specially involved in the theme 2 KBBE and theme 6 Environment in the current running FP7.
The European Research Area, ERA, has been created to coordinate European research. It comprises around fifty collaboration projects in the form of ERA Network projects. At present, Formas is taking part in about ten ERA Network projects.
Other countries of special interest
Formas is active within Swedish collaboration to promote Swedish-Japanese contacts with regard to sustainable development. Formas also has ongoing bilateral collaboration with France in agricultural and forestry research.
Collaboration with the southern hemisphere
Follow-up of the UN Conference in Johannesburg on sustainable development demands initiatives in a north-south perspective, and Formas is collaborating with the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency SIDA to promote research collaboration between Sweden and South Africa, and with Asia and North Africa within the framework of cooperation with the Swedish Research Council.
Another research platform which focuses on the southern hemisphere is the work, financed by SIDA/SAREC, within the global Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). This comprises work at 16 research institutes located in developing countries.
International organisations
Formas is a member of the Institute for Applied System Analysis (IIASA), located outside Vienna, which has around 15 member countries. Issues of the global environment are occupying an increasing proportion of the work of this institute.
Formas is participating in the Swedish MAB committee assemble within Unesco´s Man and the Biosphere Programme.
Formas is a member of the International Union of Forest Research Organisations (IUFRO) which is an independent non-profit network of individual researchers and research-related organisations in forestry research. The object of the work is to promote international collaboration within forestry and forest products research.
Formas is participating in the internationalisation of energy issues in the built environment by representing Sweden in the International Energy Agency (IEA). Formas intends to continue its participation in this agency for research. The same applies to the International Council for Research and Innovation in Building and Construction (CIB). During the period 2003-2004, Formas and the Swedish Research Council hold the chair and secretariat for the International Group of Funding Agencies for Global Change Research (IGFA).
