80 Million SEK to Mistra Urban Futures
The board of Mistra, the Swedish Foundation for Strategic Environmental Research, has granted Mistra Urban Futures 80 million SEK (approx 8.5 million EUR, 9.5 million USD) for the 2016-2019 period. The decision follows a review of the Centre’s activities of the first five years (2010-14) by an independent international panel.
Mistra Urban Futures is also funded by a Gothenburg consortium and Sida, the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency. After 2019, the Mistra 10-year funding period is over, and the Centre will continue, seeking funding from other existing and new partners and stakeholders.
“It is very gratifying that the rigorous independent review reached such positive conclusions about our work, emphasising especially the originality of our locally embedded co-production approach to solving problems identified by various partners”, says Mistra Urban Futures director David Simon.
During the last year, Mistra Urban Futures has made significant contributions to sustainable urban development planning and policies, not least in the cities where the Centre is represented, i.e. Gothenburg, Greater Manchester, Cape Town and Kisumu in Kenya. A number of projects that have been initiated in the first couple of years are now coming to an end with academic publications as well as policy recommendations for urban planners and politicians.
One project of immediate specific relevance is the pilot project for testing indicators and targets for the Urban Sustainable Development Goal that is going to be announced by the United Nations this weekend as one of a set of 17 SDGs.
The continued funding from Mistra will make it possible to continue the development of co-creation and co-production of knowledge, the signature approach of Mistra Urban Futures and to initiate processes to include new partners and platforms in the Centre.
”This will enable Mistra Urban Futures to consolidate our work in the cities where we currently work as well as bringing on board new teams within Sweden and abroad. It will also facilitate our exploration of the possibilities and principles of co-production among diverse stakeholders in most world regions.”
For further information: Professor David Simon, Director of Mistra Urban Futures, or Jan Riise, phone +46 708 718288.
Photo: Mistra Urban Futures participated in several sessions in Almedalen, the Swedish political week in Visby, in June-July 2015. Photo Jan Riise
