Education and research

Research and innovation are crucial to Sweden’s competitiveness and to rebooting the economy after the COVID-19 pandemic. In the autumn budget, the Government is therefore proposing increased funding to Vinnova, RISE and Business Sweden for measures that help reboot Sweden. The proposal is based on an agreement between the Government, the Centre Party and the Liberal Party.

The University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) is being strengthened to meet educational needs and fight unemployment due to the COVID-19 crisis. SLU will receive additional funding that will enable it to offer more places on educational programmes in shortage occupations and for lifelong learning.

At a press briefing on June 11, Minister for Education Anna Ekström explained the Swedish decision to not close down the entire school system.

As a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government, the Centre Party and the Liberal Party are today presenting new measures. A boost for care of the elderly is being implemented that means that employees in care of the elderly will be offered paid education and training during working hours. This will lead to more permanent positions.

The Swedish Government has adopted an updated strategy to combat antibiotic resistance. The overarching goal continues to be preserving the possibility of effective treatment of bacterial infections in humans and animals. The strategy will apply until the end of 2023.

The Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences is increasing the number of student places. One hundred new places are already being created for summer courses this year and the number of places in the foundation year is being increased. The aim is to meet the increased need for education and transition in the labour market as a result of the effects of the COVID-19 virus.

With the outbreak of the coronavirus which causes the illness COVID-19, the Government is following developments carefully and is in continuous contact with the responsible authorities. The Government is taking the decisions that are necessary to help curb the spread of the coronavirus and combat the effects of the virus spreading through society. Below is a summary of the work being done in the policy areas of the Ministry of Education and Research.

The Government, the Centre Party and the Liberal Party are now presenting further measures to alleviate the impact of the virus outbreak on jobs and the economy in Sweden.

In connection with the Government’s International Forum for Holocaust Remembrance and Combating Antisemitism, the Government is allocating SEK 10 million to a national initiative to increase knowledge in schools and society.

On Sunday 19 January, the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) held a ministerial meeting in Brussels. Minister for Education Anna Ekström represented Sweden. During the meeting, a Ministerial Declaration was adopted to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the end of the Second World War and the 20th anniversary of the adoption of the Stockholm Declaration.

Seville, Spain, November 27-28, 2019 Check against delivery.

Stockholm, November 20, 2019 Check against delivery

In its written communication A strategy for Swedish space activities (2017/18:259), the Government has presented a strategy that now forms a platform for Sweden’s long-term work on space activities. The strategy includes an overall description of the areas the Government wishes to prioritise and the targets that exist for the respective areas.

Paris, November 14, 2019. Check against delivery.

A temporary exemption from application and tuition fees at institutions of higher education was previously introduced for certain British citizens to mitigate the consequences of the United Kingdom leaving the European Union without a withdrawal agreement. The UK's withdrawal has since been postponed until 31 October 2019, and the Government has therefore decided to extend the temporary exemption from application and tuition fees.

Minister for Higher Education and Research Matilda Ernkrans travels to Japan Friday, 4 October. Her programme will include holding an opening address at the Science and Technology in Society (STS) forum on Sunday. The majority of the visit will take place in Kyoto and Tokyo, and the political focus will be on the climate and the environment.

Minister for Higher Education and Research Matilda Ernkrans will travel to Japan today, 4 October. Her programme will include a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, and holding the opening address at the Science and Technology in Society (STS) forum on Sunday. The majority of the visit will take place in Kyoto and Tokyo, and the political focus will be on the climate and the environment.

Sweden took over the two-year chairmanship of the Barents Euro-Arctic Council at the ministerial meeting in Arkhangelsk on 19 October 2017. Since its inception, the Barents cooperation has aimed to promote peace, stability and the development of the Barents region, through cross-border collaboration and people-to-people contacts. The Swedish chairmanship programme, with the title ‘Regional sustainable development for the future’, was formed with a view to advancing cooperation and deepening collaboration in key areas of common interest.

The Government will soon present a government bill to the Riksdag containing proposals for new rules on residence permits for research and higher education studies. The proposals will implement the European Union’s ‘Students and Researchers Directive’. An important aim of the proposals is to attract more students, researchers and other highly qualified people to Sweden, and make it easier for those who have studied in Sweden to stay in the country to work.