Hosted initiatives
Wexsus hosts a portfolio of assignments on behalf of universities, funders and partner organisations. The hosting model enables collaboration across institutional and sectoral boundaries and creates synergies between local, Nordic and global engagement. Together, these initiatives expand the reach and impact of Wexsus’ work in sustainable development.
Hosting these initiatives is an important part of Wexsus' role as a collaboration hub. Each brings its own expertise, networks and experience, creating opportunities for knowledge exchange across disciplines, sectors and geographical boundaries.
For researchers, the initiatives offer connections to other research environments, policy processes and societal challenges where academic knowledge can make a difference. For public sector organisations, they provide access to research-based insights, international perspectives and experiences that can inform policy development and sustainability work.
Together, they broaden the knowledge and networks available through Wexsus and create opportunities to connect regional sustainability challenges with developments elsewhere in the world.
Urban Futures
Urban Futures is a collaborative platform with a specific focus on sustainable urban development. Its work is based on an established partnership between eight organisations from academia, the public sector and research institutes. Together, the partners identify shared challenges and develop knowledge through co-creation between research and practice. Their work addresses issues such as urban planning, housing and how cities can develop in socially and environmentally sustainable ways.
Urban Futures is hosted by Wexsus but has its own partnership and steering group. The two organisations complement each other through their different missions and approaches. While Urban Futures brings its partners together around sustainable urban development, Wexsus works to build a long-term framework for collaboration between universities across West Sweden and the public sector, addressing a broader range of regional sustainability challenges.
For researchers and public sector organisations in West Sweden, Urban Futures provides an established environment for exploring urban sustainability challenges together and developing knowledge that is relevant to both research and practice.
Visit the Urban Futures website
SDSN Northern Europe
SDSN Northern Europe is the Nordic chapter of the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network (UN SDSN). Hosted by Wexsus, its secretariat connects universities and other knowledge institutions across the Nordic countries to advance the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The network provides opportunities for researchers and universities to exchange knowledge, develop collaborations and engage with international sustainability research and policy discussions. It also produces and shares reports, methods and tools that help organisations understand sustainability challenges and assess progress towards the SDGs.
Through SDSN Northern Europe, Wexsus connects regional and Nordic sustainability work with a global academic network. Its knowledge resources and international perspectives can also support public sector organisations working with sustainable development.
Visit the SDSN Northern Europe website
Focali – Forest, Climate, and Livelihood research
Focali is a multidisciplinary research network focusing on the connections between forests, land use, biodiversity, climate change, food systems and livelihoods. It brings together researchers from natural and social sciences with stakeholders from civil society, government and the private sector.
The network facilitates dialogue and knowledge exchange between research, policy and practice, with particular attention to how environmental and social challenges interact. By connecting different perspectives, Focali contributes to a broader understanding of complex sustainability issues and the implications of different policy choices.
Focali offers researchers opportunities to engage across disciplines and connect their work with policy development and practical experience. Its activities also provide public sector organisations with research-based perspectives on issues such as sustainable land use, natural resource governance and the relationship between environmental change and human well-being.
Wexsus hosts the Focali secretariat, connecting its international expertise and networks with Wexsus' wider work on sustainability transitions.
Sida's Helpdesk for Environment and Climate Change
Sida's Helpdesk for Environment and Climate Change is a collaboration between the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) and the University of Gothenburg. Wexsus and SLU jointly operate the Helpdesk, which provides research-based advice and support to Sida and Swedish embassies.
The Helpdesk draws on academic expertise to help integrate environmental and climate perspectives into international development cooperation and humanitarian assistance. Its work covers a wide range of issues, including biodiversity, climate change, natural resource management and environmental impacts, often in connection with poverty reduction and human rights.
The Helpdesk is an example of how academic knowledge can directly inform public sector decision-making. It connects researchers with policy and practice, while providing experience of how complex sustainability challenges are addressed in different international contexts.
For Wexsus, hosting the Helpdesk brings valuable experience of collaboration between academia and public authorities, as well as international perspectives that can inform wider discussions on sustainable development.