Swedish Foundation for Strategic Environmental Research, The

Stiftelsen För Miljöstrategisk Forskning (Mistra) was established in January 1994 with a capital of 2.5 billion Swedish Krone from the former Employee Investment Funds. Its funds are held in the form of Swedish and foreign shares and securities and are managed by four asset managers. The activities of the foundation may eventually entail that the foundation’s endowment is used up. Mistra plans to disburse annual funding of the order of 200 million Swedish Krone. It is consequently expected to be able to remain in operation until around the year 2020.
Every year, Mistra invests a sum of around SEK 200 million in various research initiatives to build bridges among academic disciplines, as well as between research, on the one hand, and companies, public agencies and other stakeholders on the other. Mistra is an active research funder that monitors its own contributions to ensure that they are conferring benefits on society in the form of a good living environment, and that various users are developing new products, services and working methods to meet the environmental challenges facing us.

Mission

The purpose of the Foundation is to fund research of strategic importance for a good living environment. The Foundation shall promote the development of strong research environments of the highest international class with importance for Sweden´s future competitiveness. The research shall be of importance for finding solutions to important environmental problems and for a sustainable development of society. Opportunities for achieving industrial applications shall be taken advantage of.

Geographic Focus

Sweden

Programme Areas

Mistra forms part of Sweden´s system of innovation for an environmentally sound society and globally sustainable development. The foundation supports a limited number of broad research programmes focusing on advanced long-term solutions for sustainable development. The programmes include projects from different disciplines within and between universities and promote participation of industry and international research centres.

Mistra gives priority to the following areas, which are of both Swedish and global significance:
• Reduction of human influence on climate
• Non-toxic environment
• Zero eutrophication, with a focus on the marine environment
• Sustainable use of renewable natural resources
• Sustainable urban development.