News from the management

It is also wonderful to see all our new and returning students on the Alnarp and Ultuna campuses. We are now looking forward to a great autumn semester with colleagues and many newly admitted students at our campuses.

A lot of exciting things are happening at the faculty

Autumn is an intensive period, with teaching and, for many of you, preparing applications to research funding agencies. The faculty has invested in providing coordination grants to researchers who are willing to take on the task of applying for and coordinating larger research proposals (e.g. Horizon Europe, ERC, MISTRA and the Swedish Research Council’s Centres of Excellence). The grant amounts to SEK 100,000 if a consultant is used and SEK 50,000 without a consultant. If you would like to receive the grant, please contact your head of department; the grant application is submitted by the head of department.

Last week, we decided to award funding to four exciting and innovative projects within the call Formas targeted grants for vegetables, fruit and berries in northern Sweden (blackcurrants, apples, potatoes, and white cabbage and broccoli).

The four projects that made it through the tough competition were:

1. Next-Generation Blackcurrants for the North: Breeding Research for Adaptation, Resistance, and Berry Quality,
2. NORDPOM: Breeding Apples for the New North – Research for Climate Resilience, Disease Resistance and Fruit Quality,
3. NorrPotatis: Innovative Research for Understanding Potato Adaptation to Northern Sweden and the Deployment of Climate-Resilient Cultivars, and
4. Developing Climate-Adapted Brassica Vegetables for Northern Sweden.

We are very much looking forward to following these four projects, which are also an active part of SLU’s strategic initiative, SLU Norra Livsnoden.

Focus of the Faculty Board this autumn

At the Faculty Board meeting in September, the faculty’s strategic recruitment plan for 2026–2028 concerning senior academic positions (professors, associate senior lecturers and senior lecturers) was adopted, in accordance with the new rules governing the recruitment process.

During the remainder of the autumn, a large part of the faculty’s focus will be on the allocation of funding for 2027, finalising the faculty’s strategic operational plan for 2026–2030 based on SLU’s strategy, and deciding which research-strategic and research-excellence initiatives we should undertake during the period 2027–2030 to further strengthen research at the faculty.

What else is happening at the faculty and SLU?

A great deal of exciting work is underway both at our faculty and across SLU more broadly. For the Alnarp area, the campus development plan 2025–2045 was adopted some time ago, and it forms the basis for our continued work, together with Akademiska Hus and Lomma Municipality, to develop our fantastic campus area.

A number of activities related to the campus plan are already underway, including:

a) the development of Smedjevägen/Växtskyddsvägen from a road safety perspective, with changes to traffic flows for all road users,

b) sustainable water management, initially through the implementation of water abstraction from Plaskan for irrigation,

c) a lighting project involving lighting fixtures, primarily north of Sundvägen and in the future station area,

d) safety and security initiatives, with SLU and Akademiska Hus carrying out joint safety walks on the inner and outer campus in November to identify possible measures, and

e) SLU and Akademiska Hus joining forces to create a safer situation at the bus stops in Alnarp.

The construction project in Västra Noden is progressing slowly but steadily. The group appointed by the steering committee to investigate whether our laboratories could be accommodated within Västra Noden has now completed its work. The laboratory group has done a fantastic and challenging job analysing synergies, collaborations, workflows and logistics for different types of laboratories, with the aim of creating the most efficient and effective laboratory facilities possible. This is an important piece of the large and complex puzzle that is Västra Noden.

We now know that our laboratories could, if we choose to do so, be accommodated in Vegetum on the ground and basement levels. This would provide efficient and safe work and logistics flows in modern and advanced laboratory facilities.

The next step in the Västra Noden process is to move forward with workspaces, meeting and teaching areas, as well as greenhouses.

This autumn, we also have a number of exciting agricultural conferences taking place on the Alnarp campus: SLU Landscape Days 2026 on 11–12 November, Primärt – Forum för hållbart lantbruk on 25 November, the Agricultural Economics Conference 2026 on the theme Businesses in Transition on 26 November, and Milk Week 2026 on 2 December.

This year’s Doctoral Award Ceremony took place on the Ultuna campus and at Uppsala Castle on 2–3 October. During the ceremony, new doctors, jubilee doctors and honorary doctors were conferred, and SLU’s Medals of Merit (awarded to Ingrid Öborn, Ann Dolling and Maliheh Mehrshad), the pedagogical awards (awarded to Cecilia Kronqvist and Jonas Bohlin), and the Alumnus of the Year award (Jens Thulin) were presented. Watch Jens’s acceptance speech here, approximately 2 hours and 17 minutes into the broadcast.

Every four years, our faculty is responsible for the ceremonial lecture, and this year Professor Rickard Ignell gave the lecture on mosquitoes’ preferences. Watch the lecture from the doctoral conferment ceremony on 2 October, “Why Am I So Attractive?”, approximately 34 minutes into the broadcast.

We are delighted that our faculty was able to welcome seven new doctors and one honorary doctor this year, restaurateur Daniel Berlin. Watch Daniel’s honorary doctorate lecture here, approximately 2 hours and 1 minute into the broadcast.

Read more about the Doctoral Award Ceremony, the award recipients and the honorary doctorate lectures here.

As mentioned, we have a very exciting autumn ahead of us, with a great many activities. But in between everything – take a moment to enjoy the beautiful autumn days in the wonderful outdoor environments across our different campuses.

Warm autumn greetings,

Christina