Swedish Research Vessel Infrastructure for Marine Research (SWERVE)

The oceans and its ecosystems stabilise climate, produce oxygen and store carbon, support biodiversity, and provide humanity with food, energy, recreational and cultural services.

Understanding these processes is vital to sustainably manage and govern human impact and uses of the ocean and its resources.

Robust marine science and knowledge development requires quality controlled, standardised and multidisciplinary data from the ocean, the collection of which depends on access to research vessels and advanced instruments and platforms.

Swedish marine scientists are researching some of society´s most pressing challenges, howeverthese efforts are hampered by limited access to research vessels, advanced equipment, expert technical support, and the required data. Sweden currently operates 6 research vessels, independently delivering research and data.

This capacity should support all Swedish researchers to undertake research, and to deliver the data to the international community, however vessel access is limited and expensive, equipment is institutional, and the data is siloed and infrequently delivered to respositories in a coordinated way.

The Swedish Research Vessel Infrastructure for Marine Research (SWERVE) will align the research vessel infrastructures across government organisations to enhance access to vessels and equipment and deliver quality-controlled priority data to the international community—ensuring greater scientific impact and knowledge from all activities.