Board appointed for UUniCORN
Marika Edoff, Professor at the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, has been appointed Chair of the Board of the Uppsala University Conflicting Objectives Research Nexus (UUniCORN). Photo: Mikael Wallerstedt.
The Vice-Chancellor has appointed a board for the Uppsala University Conflicting Objectives Research Nexus (UUniCORN).
It can be described as a platform for cross-disciplinary, multi-disciplinary and transdisciplinary research and collaboration with a focus on conflicting objectives associated with sustainable development.
UUniCORN was established in September 2024, and its director is Mats Målqvist. In January 2025, the Vice-Chancellor appointed a Board for UUniCORN.
From 22 January 2025 to 21 January 2028, the Board of UUniCORN is:
- Marika Edoff, Chair, Professor at the Department of Materials Science and Engineering
- Erik Lindberg, Dean of the Faculty of Arts
- Pernilla Åsenlöf, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine
- Staffan Svärd, Deputy Vice-Rector for the Disciplinary Domain of Science and Technology
- Charlie Gullström, Adjunct Professor in Circular Economy at Chalmers
- Gustaf Arrhenius, CEO of the Institute for Futures Studies.
The Board also includes a student representative appointed by the students.
The Board is to ensure that operations are conducted in accordance with UUniCORN’s objectives, work for the highest quality and long-term financing, and provide overall support for UUniCORN’s strategic development.
Call for catalyst funding
In November 20224, UUniCORN issued a call for applications for catalyst funding for programme development on conflicting objectives in sustainable social transformation. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until 8 May 2025, the next deadline is 26 February 2025.
Scientific staff and instruction
In November 2024, the Vice-Chancellor decided on the instruction for UUniCORN. The instruction states that:
"The main purpose of UUniCORN is to create a multidisciplinary research environment, a leader in the field internationally, that develops new methods and knowledge on how conflicting objectives can be identified, analysed and managed. The societal transformations in focus are very much linked to social, economic and environmental sustainability.”
The scientific staff at UUniCORN have previously been appointed. Their task is to develop ideas and activities for UUniCORN in order to create a meeting place and forum for research programmes with different specialisations.
Anders Berndt
Facts about UUniCORN
Vice-Chancellor Anders Hagfeldt wants Uppsala University to take a leading role on the road to a more sustainable society. In order to achieve this, the Vice-Chancellor has decided to invest in research institutes in selected areas. This initiative goes under the name of Uppsala University’s Institute for the Future (UUniFI).
Initially, UUniFI will consist of six institutes in the areas of:
- sustainable development with a focus on conflicting objectives and on synergies
- migration
- precision health
- green energy conversion
- AI and digitalisation
- interdisciplinarity and multidisciplinarity.
The Uppsala University Conflicting Objectives Research Nexus (UUniCORN) started up in September 2024. UUniCORN is the first of the institutes that are part of UUniFI to be launched. Preparatory work is under way to be able to start operations for the other five planned institutes.
Read more
UUniCORN starts construction, information on the first catalyst funding distributed
https://www.uu.se/en/research/uunicorn/news/archive/2024-12-18-uunicorn-starts-construction
Studying social aspects of sustainable technology, news article from 16 January 2025
Uppsala University Conflicting Objectives Research Nexus, information on the Internet
Uppsala University Future Institutes – UUniFI information on the Internet