Lund University is proposed to become a key player in the next generation of strategic research areas and to participate in six of eight new national research environments. In total, the Swedish Research Council recommends that 16 research environments be funded – the final decision will be made by the Government. One of the research environments is Practice-oriented professional research on crime, coordinated by the Faculties of Social Sciences and Law at Lund University.
Only one SRA in the field of crime is proposed to receive funding: “Resilience in crime prevention (BRiC): Advanced professional knowledge on children’s vulnerability, drug markets and new technologies.” The proposed funding amounts to SEK 12.5 million in 2027 and SEK 25 million in 2028.
The SRA brings together researchers from Lund University, the University of Gothenburg, Linnaeus University and Malmö University who, in collaboration with practitioners – including the police, prosecutors, judges and the Prison and Probation Service – will conduct evidence-based and interdisciplinary research on crime prevention.
– We are very pleased and proud of this initiative, which creates strong and long-term conditions for developing research on a pressing societal challenge. It confirms the high quality and relevance of the research we conduct, not least for the justice system and other key societal actors,” says Henrik Wenander, Dean of the Faculty of Law.
– Together with researchers from several higher education institutions and in close collaboration with practitioners, we are creating the conditions for a unique partnership and for generating important new knowledge on future crime prevention. The involvement of the Faculty of Law further strengthens the initiative, not least through legal perspectives on crime prevention. The grant gives us a realistic opportunity to realise our shared visions,” says Ulrika Andersson, Professor of Criminal Law at the Faculty of Law.
Read the press release from Lund University (in Swedish)