Rapport

• Towards a non-toxic society
• Improved health and hygiene
• Saving on human resources
• Saving on financial resources
• Increasing Sweden’s competitiveness
Disse overordnede ambisjonene ble fulgt av hva som
ble oppfattet som nødvendige krav for et bærekraftig
(hållbart) urbant VA-system:
• High functional security
• Adaptable to local conditions
• Easy to undertstand and thus promote responsible
behaviour for the users
Disse målene ble lagt av programstyret og forskergruppen
i fellesskap ved igangsetting av programmet
og ble ansett som passende for å utvikle bærekraftige
VA-systemer. Etter at fase 1 av programmet
var gjennomført, ble imidlertid målene ansett for å
være for uklare for å løse identifiserbare utfordringer
som dagens VA-systemene står overfor. Derfor identifiserte
man noen mer spesifikke spørsmål ved inngangen
til fase 2 av programmet (i juli 2002):
• How should the urban water and wastewater systems
be designed and operated in the future Sweden?
• Will the sustainable water and wastewater systems of
the future be an improved version of as it exists today,
or will there be some radical changes?
Den internasjonale evalueringskomiteen som evaluerte
Urban Water etter at det var avsluttet, uttalte:
The Panel regards both the questions and also the
Urban Water Research Programme that aims to answer
them, as highly relevant. There is an interest, not only in
Sweden, but all over the world in the design and evaluation
of more sustainable water systems. Similar research
programmes are taking place in other countries and at
the EU level, but we believe the Swedish programme
was, at the time of its inception, the most ambitious.
The Panel is of the opinion that the Urban Water
Programme fits very well with the policies of MISTRA.
The Urban Water Programme was both timely and
appropriate in the context of the challenges facing the
water sector at the time of the programme’s birth. The
overall methodology was also relevant in the context
of the goals of the programme and the timing of the
programme. The knowledge and experience acquired
through the programme could increase Sweden’s competitiveness
provided the interest and resources are there
to utilise and market this competence.
Det innebærer at innretningen på Urban Water var
god og ambisjonene var riktige både når man ser
det i nasjonalt og internasjonalt perspektiv. Det kan
imidlertid være interessant å se nærmere på noen
av de konklusjoner og anbefalinger som den internasjonale
evalueringsgruppen kom med. Her skal vi
kun trekke fram følgende momenter:
Creating strong research environments, linked
into national and international networks
The Urban Water Programme has generated a strong
research environment amongst Swedish universities and
exhibits some fine examples of national and international
networking. Existing links have been exploited and
strengthened, and new links (although few in number)
have been forged. At the national level there has been
collaboration on projects and PhD theses which have
hopefully generated lasting professional relationships.
In international terms, a limited number particularly
impressive and fertile collaborations have been conducted.
However, despite their quality, these are isolated
highlights in what was, overall, a disappointing level of
international collaboration (and indeed a disappointing
level of international comparison).
Dette er et signal om at Urban Water var for lite
internasjonalt orientert, og dette synes også å kunne
sies om svensk VA-FoU i sin alminnelighet. Dette
inntrykket blir forsterket av et brev fra prof. em.
Gustav Olsson til den svenske nasjonalkomiteen for
IWA. Det er for eksempel overraskende liten deltagelse
av svenske forskergrupper i EU-prosjektene.
Promoting the recruitment,
training and mobility of researchers
The research school initiated as part of the programme
has achieved much in training the PhD-researchers
within a common framework. Students reported general
satisfaction with the experiences of the various
activities. Overall, the PhD students have been well
supported (both financially and intellectually) and this
is considered by the panel to be a major factor in the
very high submission (and successful defence) rate of
PhD theses. Supervisors across the programme should
be proud of their achievement in this respect.
Dette innebærer altså at Urban Water har bidratt
vesentlig til forskerrekruttering i Sverie og at landet
skulle være godt rustet til å møte de FoU-utfordringer
som ligger foran.
I alt 15 personer gjennomførte sin doktorgrad
innenfor Urban Water, noe som er et meget imponerende
antall. Studerer vi nærmere hvilken jobb
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