News

Call for applications to SLU's Interdisciplinary Academy (IDA) 2026-2027

Published: 19 January 2026

The Interdisciplinary Academy (IDA) is a programme where SLU researchers are offered the opportunity to collaborate across disciplinary boundaries on complex issues in the broad field of sustainable transition.

The fifth call for applications to SLU's Interdisciplinary Academy (IDA) (2026-2027) is now open.

The call welcomes 2 groups of researchers (5 researchers/group) who are employed at SLU, regardless of faculty affiliation or subject specialisation, to submit proposals for themes that consist of questions about a scientific problem area of a complex nature and that need a cross-disciplinary approach to be managed and develop solutions. For example, a theme may concern sustainable land, water and energy use; animal husbandry and its relationship to humans; land for forestry, settlement, food production, carbon sequestration, or biodiversity; food security, urban development or digitalisation for sustainable societal transition on an increasingly urbanised planet. Applications with a Swedish, Nordic or EU perspective on sustainability challenges (environmental, economic and social), but preferably in relation to the global context, are prioritised.

In this call, a maximum of 2 groups will be granted. Each group that is awarded the grant develops the theme's questions together for eight months (1 September 2026-30 April 2027). IDA's program manager Marie Stenseke will offer support and inspiration to the groups during the project period.

The project period ends with a forward-looking activity with an emphasis on future questions and continued research in the field.

The last day to apply to IDA 2026-2027 is 29 April 2026.

Read more about the call and how to apply here

Read more about Interdisciplinary Academy (IDA) here

Information and match making events 

On 4 and 11 February 2025 SLU Future Food together with SLU Urban Futures will arrange lunch webinars with more information about IDA 5 (2026-2027), as an opportunity to meet other interested researchers to form groups and to ask questions.

Other important dates

Facts:

The Interdisciplinary Academy (IDA) at SLU was established in 2022 by the NJ Faculty and SLU Future Food, with the aim of building a long-term organization for the development of interdisciplinary research at SLU. Since 2025, IDA is run by SLU Future Food together with SLU Urban Futures. Inspiration has been drawn from the Pufendorf Institute at Lund University and experience has also been drawn from the Futures Lab at SLU. The goal is for IDA to lead to increasing interest in interdisciplinary research work at SLU, strengthen the ability to process research questions from an interdisciplinary perspective and facilitate collaboration between SLU's various departments within the framework of investments in interdisciplinarity. The development of IDA is taking place in dialogue with SLU's other future platforms and SLU Global. So far, funding has been granted for seven IDA groups.

SLU Future Food is a platform that stimulates and develops cross-disciplinary research and collaboration for economically, ecologically and socially sustainable food systems.

SLU Urban Futures is a strategic platform that develops and strengthens transdisciplinary research, education and collaboration in sustainable urban development.

Links

Aggregated information about IDA

SLU's future platforms and interdisciplinarity

Related pages:

Contact