Education and research

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.

The Government proposes in a government bill that the children of members of foreign missions from countries outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland will have the right to education in preschool class free of charge in the same way that they have the right to education in other compulsory school forms.

On Sunday 8 September, Minister for Education Anna Ekström will visit Yad Vashem, one of the world’s most prominent knowledge centres for Holocaust remembrance. Ms Ekström will be in attendance when a declaration of intent between the University of Gothenburg, the Living History Forum and Yad Vashem is signed in Jerusalem. This is the first declaration of intent between Yad Vashem and Sweden.

When Prime Minister Stefan Löfven met French President Emmanuel Macron today in Paris, the countries’ strategic partnership for innovation, digital transformation and green solutions was updated and deepened. When Mr Löfven and Mr Macron entered into the partnership in November 2017, it was agreed that Sweden and France needed to work together in a number of strategic areas to better address digital transformation and climate adaptation.

The national roadmap for the European Research Area contains measures that help to strengthen the priorities agreed at EU level. The Swedish roadmap provides an overall overview of what various stakeholders in the research and innovation system are implementing in areas such as open science, gender mainstreaming, research infrastructures and societal challenges. The national roadmap covers the years 2019-2020 and has the same end year as the roadmap at the EU level.

Listen to Matilda Ernkrans, Minister for Higher Education and Research, talk about her new role and how she wants to address important challenges.

Improving attainment, strengthening equity and guaranteeing the provision of teachers, safety and peaceful study environments in Swedish schools. Listen to Minister for Education Anna Ekström talk about some of her priorities during this electoral period.

As citizens of a state within the European Union, British citizens are exempt from application and tuition fees for studies at higher education institutions in Sweden. If the United Kingdom leaves the EU on 30 March without a withdrawal agreement, British citizens will become subject to the rules applying to third-country nationals. On 21 March 2019, the Government decided that a temporary exemption from the provisions on application and tuition fees at higher education institutions will apply for certain British citizens so as to mitigate the consequences of withdrawal.

On Sunday 31 March, Minister for Higher Education and Research Matilda Ernkrans will travel to Germany to visit Hannover Messe, the world’s largest trade fair. Ms Ernkrans will meet Germany’s Minister of Education and Research Anja Karliczek and others.