We can meet again at last: how we’ll be getting back together this autumn
A new term and at last we can make plans to see each other again in real life. The Energy Platform team is organizing several events where we will meet, collaborate, and share research results with each other. The high point of the term will be the KTH Energy Dialogue on 18th November at Nymble.
Although the summer has been both lovely and long, the Platform has not rested. The summer kicked off with a seminar that we organized with Rifo (the Swedish Society for Members of Parliament and Scientists). Researchers and experts shared their knowledge with MPs, and at the same time contributed to the national electrification strategy. Read more about the seminar here , which you can also watch a recording of .
Rifo is attracting international interest due to the unique opportunities that the Society provides for the transfer of knowledge between us in academia to the Swedish parliament. An example of this is the seminar that focused on energy issues that Rifo hosted during an official visit by Switzerland to Sweden in June. The Energy Platform also participated.
One of the enjoyable get-togethers of the summer was the international summer school for doctoral students, SEEEP, High Level Summer School. The summer school was suspended in 2020 due to the pandemic, but this year it was held digitally, and attracted a record number of participants. For two weeks, as many as 58 doctoral students in the field of energy from universities and colleges in Europe and China participated.
At the end of the summer, the latest report from the UN IPCC was published. I was asked to comment on the report on Swedish TV’s SVT Rapport , and explained how KTH research on small-scale nuclear power can contribute to reducing global emissions. This is just one example of how our energy research plays a key role in driving collaboration that is needed for us to achieve climate goals together.
The term started with a week-long Research Assessment Exercise (RAE). Every six years, about 90 international experts evaluate KTH’s research and offer their recommendations for improvement. The Energy Platform participated on two panels to explain how we work to strengthen research collaboration in sustainability and societal impact. We highlighted how our exchange programmes between industry and academia have been of vital importance. Such exchanges are important to give our research relevance and for transferring knowledge between academia and industry.
Sustainability and societal impact are also the themes of this year’s KTH Energy Dialogue on 18th November. The event gets underway in Nymble on KTH Campus. We have already connected with several key participants who have made a real difference in sustainability and impact work.
One of whom is Bo Normark, who became a new honorary doctor at KTH in 2021 - a leader and inspiration whose ideas have laid the foundations for new energy research. He also has a legendary reputation in electric power technology and is a pioneer in smart grids and battery systems. KTH’s new deputy rector for sustainable development, Per Lundqvist, together with his predecessor Göran Finnveden will also participate in KTH Energy Dialogue.
The full programme is being developed and will be published in our next newsletter - sign up now !
Above all, KTH Energy Dialogue will be a long-awaited opportunity to reconnect, share research results, and identify fresh opportunities for collaboration. We hope to host the day in hybrid form - physically and digitally - so that as many people as possible who want to attend are able to do so.
In the autumn term, we will continue with our popular college visits and first on the agenda is a return visit to the ITM school. We have seen how these visits focus on our core: all our amazing researchers. Visiting researchers in their research environments, listening to their findings, and identifying ideas for potential new collaborations with colleagues at other institutions are among the most inspiring tasks we have at the Platform. This is also completely in line with the Energy Platform’s goal: to create an open meeting place where everyone feels welcome. An equal forum where we have opportunities to listen to all voices and results, regardless of specialisation. An open and welcoming environment where together we achieve new progress through co-operation.
See you in the autumn!
Lina Bertling Tjernberg, Director, Energy Platform