Sweden has decided to give Finland a joint forest research project as a gift to mark Finland's centenary as a nation.
The bilateral forestry research project “Tandem Forest Values”, which now makes up Sweden’s official gift to Finland, was initiated by the Cultural Foundation project offices Tandem. The key word in Finland’s centennial anniversary is “together”.
– Tandem Forest Values is the start of an intensified bilateral cooperation, said Governor Chris Heister, Vice President of the Culture Fund for Sweden and Finland.
The gift includes 12 postdoctoral services with a total value of SEK 26 million (≈EUR 2.7 million) of which the Swedish government will provide half. The project is a collaboration between the Swedish government, Marianne and Marcus Wallenberg Foundation, the Kempe Foundation, Forest Industry Research Foundation and the Royal Swedish Academy of Agriculture and Forestry (KSLA). Half of the grants will be available are for Swedes, half for Finns.
– We think it is extremely important that the government together with private investors, could contribute to such an important project for the future which Tandem Forest Values is, said Heister.
The project is one of two official gifts, the second consists of an artwork for Hanasaari Swedish-Finnish Cultural Centre. The gift will be delivered in Helsinki by H.M. King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden to the President of Finland Sauli Niinistö at Hanasaari on June 1.
In addition to this, KSLA plans to hold a seminar on October 26 together with the Finnish-Swedish cultural fund. Both King of Sweden and the President of Finland are scheduled to attend along with the ministers of forestry from both countries and a group of representatives of forest livelihoods and forest research from both countries.
