Chalmers and the University of Gothenburg to host Mistra Urban Futures jointly
Chalmers and the University of Gothenburg continue to be committed to sustainable urban development.
The formal decision has now been taken that Chalmers together with the University of Gothenburg will host both the secretariat of Mistra Urban Futures and the Gothenburg Platform. This will be done through the Gothenburg Centre for Sustainable Development, GMV, a joint collaboration between the two universities.
This decision is based on the work of the Future Commission for Mistra Urban Futures with the directive to investigate the future of the international activities and roles at Mistra Urban Futures and report to the Vice-Chancellors of the two universities. The Commission members are Ylva Norén Bretzer and Merritt Polk from the University of Gothenburg as well as Fredrik Nilsson and Liane Thuvander, Chalmers. From 2020, the Gothenburg Consortium will fund the Gothenburg platform and no longer the Centre as a whole.
Mistra Urban Futures will continue to be an international transdisciplinary research centre committed to realising just cities in close co-operation between researchers based in universities and practitioner institutions.
“We are very grateful for the hard work and dedication that has gone into the report from the Future Commision that has enable this decision from Chalmers. We also look forward to the new possibilities of having both Chalmers and the University of Gothenburg committed as co-hosts for our Centre”, says David Simon, Director of Mistra Urban Futures.
The continued operations will be organized within Chalmers and Gothenburg University's joint organisation the Gothenburg Center for Sustainable Development, GMV, which has extensive experience of conducting interdisciplinary projects, networks and activities.
"It is very welcome that Chalmers and the University of Gothenburg continues to invest jointly in sustainable urban development and that the work is now being organized within the Gothenburg Center for Sustainable Development," says director Jan Pettersson. We work to promote collaboration between the two universities and we see many synergies with other projects within sustainable development that we run.”
The decision about the continued organisation means that both Mistra Urban Futures international secretariat and the platform in Gothenburg will from 15 February 2019 will be two separate, but closely collaborating, entities within GMV. There will be a transitional process, starting immediately, to integrate Mistra Urban Futures secretariat and the Gothenburg Platform into GMV in readiness for the new phase of work and funding from 2020.
Questions?
David Simon, Director, Mistra Urban Futures
e-mail: david.simon@chalmers.se
phone: + 46 708 64 27 80
Jan Petterson, Director, Gothenburg Centre for Sustainable Development, GMV
e-mail: janp@chem.gu.se
phone: +46 766-22 90 72
