Research infrastructure Umeå University is one of the participants in the Swedish Research Vessel Infrastructure for Marine Research, SWERVE, which is a national infrastructure initiative funded by the Swedish Research Council (VR). SWERVE will improve the conditions for Swedish ship-based marine research, by giving Swedish marine researchers enhanced access to ships, equipment, technical expertise, and data.
SWERVE's infrastructure is coordinated through a partnership between 7 organizations: SLU, Stockholm University, Geological Survey of Sweden (SGU), Umeå University, the Swedish Polar Research Secretariat, the University of Gothenburg and SMHI. Together, these organizations have access to six advanced research vessels (Svea, Electra, Ocean Surveyor, KBV181, Oden and Skagerak), as well as infrastructure for data management and support via the National Oceanographic Data Center. The University of Gothenburg is the host organisation for SWERVE and is responsible for the infrastructure management and delivery.
SWERVE contributes to covering the cost of ship time for Swedish research, supports the training and skills development of technical personnel on board, supports the collection of important ocean data in a standardized manner, and ensures the delivery and availability of this data to the international research community.
Researchers can apply annually for ship time on board one of the ships included in the initiative. The call is made in the autumn for the ship time the following year.
