Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU)

SLU develops the understanding and sustainable use and management of biological natural resources. This is achieved through research, education and environmental monitoring and assessment, in collaboration with society. Sound basic research is combined with more practical studies to solve concrete problems, not least global issues. Environmental analysts at SLU use multi-year series with data from environmental monitoring and surveys, e.g. the Swedish National Forest Inventory, which has been ongoing since the early 1920s. SLU’s environmental monitoring and assessment is a world leader in terms of the design of environmental monitoring programmes and in forest inventory methods. SLU has interdisciplinary platforms addressing future needs and opportunities, e.g. Future Forests, where researchers can collaborate across scientific boundaries and with society’s stakeholders.

Research-intensive university

SLU is a research-intensive university – 70 percent of its budget goes to research and doctoral education. SLU’s publications are among the most cited in their scientific fields. SLU researchers contribute to around 1 400 scientific articles every year. In accordance with SLU’s vision of being world leading, the university achieves very high standards in international comparisons. The CWUR Rankings by Subject 2019, rank the world’s leading universities in subject categories, based on the number of research articles in top-tier journals. SLU is ranked as the number one university in the subject of forestry.

SLU GLOBAL

SLU Global is a unit supporting and developing SLU’s engagement to improve the situation for people and societies in low income countries, based on the Agenda 2030. This is done through delivery of SLU’s scientifically based knowledge to national and international stakeholders. SLU Global also promotes global cooperation with partners within education, research and capacity development. SLU’s effort is substantial: 20 percent of all peer reviewed published research from SLU is in partnerships with low and middle income countries (DAC, OECD). This work by departments and research groups is in line with the Swedish policy for bilateral and regional development support, both within Swedish capacity development programmes as well as within SLU’s regular activity as a governmental agency in accordance with the Policy for Global Development. In this work, the engagement with young researchers and entrepreneurs in agriculture and forestry in low income countries has an increasingly important role for the goals of eradicating poverty and hunger.

SLU, facts and figures

  • SEK 4 200 million turnover (2022)
  • 4 400 full-time equivalent students
  • 3 200 full-time equivalent employees
  • 535 doctoral students
  • 218 professors
  • 46 degree programmes
  • 5 students per teacher

Political and economic stability

SLU has a positive capital development and strong liquidity with a turnover of 340 million EUR in 2016. The Minister for Rural Affairs declares that SLU, which is not only a university but also formally a governmental agency, will have the necessary resources to arrange the World Congress in accordance to IUFRO’s expectations.

Sweden has long been an example for other European countries on political stability, public finances, health and security. Currently, the Swedish economy and the public finances are strong, creating the right incentives to build mechanisms to prepare the country for future societal developments in which political, economic, health and security issues will be even more integrated. The broad stakeholders support and collaboration between the Nordic and Baltic countries at the Ministerial level further secures the economic stability and political will to carry through the XXVI IUFRO World Congress 2024 in spite of possible future insecurities.