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Pressrelease | 2022-01-19
Kristineberg Center i Lysekil. Foto: Eduardo Infantes

Kristineberg Center for Marine Research and Innovation. Photo: Eduardo Infantes

Five major research institutions now pooling resources in marine research

Chalmers, the University of Gothenburg, IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute, KTH Royal Institute of Technology and RISE are joining forces to operate the marine research station Kristineberg under the name the Kristineberg Center for Marine Research and Innovation. The objective of the new agreement is for Kristineberg Center to become one of Europe’s leading marine research and innovation environments.

Our seas play a key role if we are to solve the challenges we face with securing food supply, renewable energy, new materials and much more. At the same time, we must manage and support the marine ecosystems. Kristineberg Center is an important part of our investment in the blue economy with vibrant coastal communities and sustainable seas, says Marie Fossum Strannegård, CEO of IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute.

Expanded resources for marine research and innovation

Many different types of projects within a series of marine areas are conducted at Kristineberg. Some include developing new materials and foods from the sea. Others deal with the climate’s impact on marine life and include both underwater robots and digital technologies.

Through the new agreement, the partners will work together to develop the research and innovation environment based on society’s needs and in coordination with other environments.

– It is difficult to succeed as an individual organisation. Success requires multiple groups working together and leveraging proximity to one another and joint infrastructure, says Eva Wiberg, Vice-Chancellor for the University of Gothenburg.

Will become a leader in Europe

The five-year agreement between the parties designates the University of Gothenburg as the host of the Kristineberg Center. It will be organised as a national research infrastructure, where multiple parties collaborate on governance and planning, something that also enables more public organisations to participate.

We are five players who together develop the center. I have high hopes that Kristineberg Center will become one of Europe's leading marine research and innovation environments that strengthens the development of a sustainable blue economy and contributes to Swedish attractiveness and competitiveness, says Martin Sjöberg at IVL, operations manager for Kristineberg Center.

For more information, please contact:
Martin Sjöberg, martin.sjoberg@ivl.se, tel. 010-788 69 37

About Kristineberg Center
Kristineberg is situated in Fiskebäckskil in Lysekil municipality and is one of the world’s oldest marine research stations, established in 1877 as the Kristineberg Zoological Ocean Station on the initiative of researcher Sven Lovén.

The station was previously operated by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and has been part of the University of Gothenburg’s marine infrastructure for the last ten years. Since its establishment, the station has served as an international hub for marine research.

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