Four areas of collaboration are emphasised in the new agreement:

  1. Collaboration on research applications and other means of funding. The two parties will identify research areas and make joint applications. This collaboration also includes identifying and approaching foundations and other private financiers.
  2. Collaboration on teaching and seminars. Researchers at SEI will give guest lectures at Stockholm University, and the University’s researchers can attend SEI’s seminars. Opportunities for joint seminars, workshops, and other events will be developed.
  3. Supervision of postdoctoral fellows. Senior researchers at SEI will be able to supervise postdoctoral fellows at the University. In addition, the University and SEI will be able to collaborate on the supervision of Master’s theses. 
  4. Affiliation of researchers. Researchers at SEI will be affiliated with the University, and vice versa. The agreement will also enable the University’s researchers to be affiliated with the SEI centres in Estonia, Kenya, Thailand, Great Britain, and the USA. 

To further strengthen collaboration, the Vice-Chancellor of Stockholm University, Astrid Söderbergh Widding, will serve on the SEI Board. The members of the board are appointed by the government. 

Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) 

In 1989, the Swedish government established SEI as an international centre for research on environmental and development issues. Today, SEI has nine centres in six countries and about 180 employees. In 2013, SEI was ranked as the world’s second most influential think tank in the environmental field (Global Go To Think Tank Index).  

www.sei-international.org