Previous projects

The Transformers program will inspire leaders with a wealth of methods for driving change, work with them in their transformation project, and create peer-support groups for other transformation projects and participants. The program is implemented in collaboration with leading stakeholders in civil society, private and public organizations and with three high-ranking international universities.

• Responsible researcher from SWEDESD: Eva Friman
• Funder: Swedish Institute, Sida, Vinnova
• Partners: Uppsala University in collaboration with Karolinska Institutet, the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Business Sweden, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), and SALAR International.
• Period: 2022-2025

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Explores ways in which small Arctic communities can live with cruise tourism in a more sustainable way. We utilize co-creative methodologies to generate knowledge that communities can implement to gain more control over the development of cruise tourism to enhance sustainable development for healthy environments and human communities.

• Responsible researcher: Ulrika Persson-Fischier
• Funder:
• Partners: Nord University, Aalborg University, Högskolan Dalarna, Nordland Research Institute, Nord University, Northern Arctic Federal University, Icelandic Tourism Research Center, Uppsala Universitet
• Period: 2022-2024

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NePeriQIP – (Nepal Perinatal Quality Improvement Project) implements a package of multi-faceted quality improvement (QI) interventions for improving perinatal care in hospitals of Nepal. The intervention combines three different implementation strategies: (1) Facilitation, (2) Training, and (3) Audit and Feedback, with the aim to strengthen the health system and thereby improving quality of perinatal care in the hospitals.

• Responsible researcher: Ashish KC
• Funder: Laerdal Foundation
• Partners: Unicef Nepal
• Period: 2018-2022
• Publications:
  • Kc A, Ewald U, Basnet O, Gurung A, Pyakuryal SN, Jha BK, Bergström A, Eriksson L, Paudel P, Karki S, Gajurel S, Brunell O, Wrammert J, Litorp H, Målqvist M. Effect of a scaled-up neonatal resuscitation quality improvement package on intrapartum-related mortality in Nepal: A stepped-wedge cluster randomized controlled trial. PLoS Med. 2019 Sep 9;16(9):e1002900. doi: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1002900. PMID: 31498784; PMCID: PMC6733443.
  • Litorp H, Målqvist M, Sunny AK, Gurung A, Gurung R, Kc A. Improved obstetric management after implementation of a scaled-up quality improvement intervention: A nested before-after study in three public hospitals in Nepal. Birth. 2023 Sep;50(3):616-626. doi: 10.1111/birt.12709. Epub 2023 Feb 12. PMID: 36774588.
  • Chaulagain DR, Malqvist M, Wrammert J, Gurung R, Brunell O, Basnet O, Kc A. Service readiness and availability of perinatal care in public hospitals - a multi-centric baseline study in Nepal. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2022 Nov 15;22(1):842. doi: 10.1186/s12884-022-05121-z. PMID: 36380317; PMCID: PMC9667676.
  • Brunell O, Chaulagain D, Kc A, Bergström A, Målqvist M. Effect of a perinatal care quality improvement package on patient satisfaction: a secondary outcome analysis of a cluster-randomised controlled trial. BMJ Open. 2022 Jun 6;12(6):e054544. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2021-054544. PMID: 35667734; PMCID: PMC9171223.
  • Bhattarai P, Gurung R, Basnet O, Malla H, Målqvist M, K C A. Implementing quality improvement intervention to improve intrapartum fetal heart rate monitoring during COVID-19 pandemic- observational study. PLoS One. 2022 Oct 14;17(10):e0275801. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0275801. PMID: 36240185; PMCID: PMC9565417.
  • Chaulagain DR, K C A, Wrammert J, Brunell O, Basnet O, Malqvist M. Effect of a scaled-up quality improvement intervention on health workers' competence on neonatal resuscitation in simulated settings in public hospitals: A pre-post study in Nepal. PLoS One. 2021 Apr 29;16(4):e0250762. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0250762. PMID: 33914798; PMCID: PMC8084235.
  • Chaulagain DR, Malqvist M, Brunell O, Wrammert J, Basnet O, Kc A. Performance of health workers on neonatal resuscitation care following scaled-up quality improvement interventions in public hospitals of Nepal - a prospective observational study. BMC Health Serv Res. 2021 Apr 19;21(1):362. doi: 10.1186/s12913-021-06366-8. PMID: 33874929; PMCID: PMC8054430.
  • Kc A, Bergström A, Chaulagain D, Brunell O, Ewald U, Gurung A, Eriksson L, Litorp H, Wrammert J, Grönqvist E, Edin PA, Le Grange C, Lamichhane B, Shrestha P, Pokharel A, Pun A, Singh C, Målqvist M. Scaling up quality improvement intervention for perinatal care in Nepal (NePeriQIP); study protocol of a cluster randomised trial. BMJ Glob Health. 2017 Sep 29;2(3):e000497. doi: 10.1136/bmjgh-2017-000497.

Focuses on how civil society organisations can collaborate with public and private actors to generate sustainable development, by focusing on modes of collaboration and co-creation of knowledge and meaning within the Uppsala Climate Protocol.

• Responsible researcher: Ulrika Persson-Fischier
• Funder: MUCF – Swedish Agency for Youth and Civil Society
• Partners: Division of Rural Development SLU, Institute for Housing and Urban Research, Uppsala University, Uppsala Religion and Society Research Centre, Uppsala University
• Period: 2022-2024

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Capacity building to support educators to integrate Education for Sustainable Development into all areas of education in Southern Africa.

• Responsible researcher: Ulrika Persson-Fischier
• Funder: Uppsala University through the advisory board for Campus Gotland
• Partners: Department of Earth Sciences, Uppsala Universitet
• Period: 2019-2024

This thesis project aimed to evaluate methods for identification of infants in need of neonatal resuscitation and in risk of disability with particular focus on neonatal encephalopathy and cerebral palsy.

• Responsible researcher: Antti Kukka, Ashish KC, Helena Litorp
• Funder: Laerdal Foundation, Stiftelsen Promobilia, Linnéa and Josef Carlssons stiftelse, Folke Bernadotte Stiftelse, Födelsefonden
• Partners: Golden Community, Nepal; Paropakar Maternity and Women's Hospital, Nepal
• Period: 2021-2024

The overall purpose of the proposal is to study the implementation and effects of a social innovation with peer support targeting socioeconomically disadvantaged groups in the cities of Gothenburg and Malmö, Sweden.

• Responsible researcher: Per Kåks, PhD och Mats Målqvist, Professor
• Funder: Forte
• Partners: Yalla Trappan, Malmö och Tidigt föräldrastöd, Göteborg
• Period: August 2018 – May 2024

Articles from the project can be found here here.

This project aims to assess the prevalence and facility preparedness to diabetes in Sudan health system and evaluate the effectiveness of introducing diabetes educators to primary diabetes health care.

• Responsible researcher: Mats Målqvist, Professor
• Funder: Uppsala Univeristy
• Partners: Ahfad University for Women, Sudan
• Period: 2018

Understanding factors that influence reporting of pregnancy and adverse pregnancy outcomes during population and health surveys in order to provide recommendations to improve DHS and HDSS data collection processes.

• Responsible researcher: Doris Kwesiga Kambugyiro, PhD och Mats Målqvist, Professor
• Funder: Uppsala Universitet
• Partners: Makerere University, Uganda
• Period: 2021-2024
• Publications:
  
  • Kwesiga D, Malqvist M, Orach CG, Eriksson L, Blencowe H, Waiswa P. Exploring women's interpretations of survey questions on pregnancy and pregnancy outcomes: cognitive interviews in Iganga Mayuge, Uganda. Reprod Health. 2024 Jan 29;21(1):14. doi: 10.1186/s12978-024-01745-w. PMID: 38287426; PMCID: PMC10826263.
  • Kwesiga D, Wanduru P, Eriksson L, Malqvist M, Waiswa P, Blencowe H. Psychosocial effects of adverse pregnancy outcomes and their influence on reporting pregnancy loss during surveys and surveillance: narratives from Uganda. BMC Public Health. 2023 Aug 18;23(1):1581. doi: 10.1186/s12889-023-16519-5. PMID: 37596665; PMCID: PMC10439567.
  • Kwesiga D, Eriksson L, Orach CG, Tawiah C, Imam MA, Fisker AB, Enuameh Y, Lawn JE, Blencowe H, Waiswa P, Bradby H, Malqvist M. Adverse pregnancy outcome disclosure and women's social networks: a qualitative multi-country study with implications for improved reporting in surveys. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2022 Apr 6;22(1):292. doi: 10.1186/s12884-022-04622-1. PMID: 35387593; PMCID: PMC8988398.
    

This research project focused on the importance of reliable and safe food production and handling by exploring and evaluating potential solutions for a model of sustainable food market related to safer pork in Vietnam.

• Responsible researcher: Hai Hoang Tuan Ngo, PhD
• Funder: Australia Center for International Agriculture Research
• Partners: International Livestock Research Institute, Hanoi University of Public Health
• Period: 2020-2023
• Publications:
  • Ngo HHT, Dang-Xuan S, Målqvist M, Nguyen-Thanh L, Pham-Duc P, Nguyen-Hong P, Le-Thi H, Nguyen-Viet H, Le TT, Grace D, Lindahl JF, Unger F. Effect of light-touch intervention and associated factors to microbial contamination at small-scale pig slaughterhouses and traditional pork shops in Vietnam. Int J Food Microbiol. 2023 Aug 5;406:110351. doi: 10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2023.110351. Online ahead of print.PMID:37567054
  • Ngo HTH, Dang-Xuan S, Pham-Duc P, Nguyen-Hong P, Le-Thi H, Le THT, Nguyen-Viet H, Målqvist M, Grace D, Lindahl FJ, Unger F. (2023). Impact of perception and assessment of consumer on willingness to pay for upgraded fresh pork: An experimental study in Vietnam. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, 7, 1055877.

Read the dissertation here

The aim of BONUS RETURN was to improve the adaptation and adoption of eco-technologies in the Baltic Sea Region for increased efficiency and co-benefits. SWEDESD’s role was to foster co-learning processes between the project researchers and a diverse constellation of stakeholders in 3 case study areas (Fyrisån, Sweden; Vantaanjoki, Finland and Slupia, Poland) through the development and facilitation of an innovative decision support tool in the form of a Serious Game System (SGS). SWEDESD worked in close cooperation with the Department of Game Design at Uppsala University in the development process of the SGS.

• Responsible researchers: Neil Powell, Thao Do
• Funders: BONUS (Art 185), funded jointly by the EU and Swedish Foundation for Strategic Environmental Research FORMAS, Innovation Fund Denmark, Academy of Finland, and National Centre for Research and Development in Poland.
• Partners: Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI), Warsaw University of Life Sciences (WULS), Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE), Swedish Technical Research Institutes of Sweden (RISESP), University of Copenhagen (UCPH)
• Period: 2017-2020

Contact: Neil Powell, Thao Do
Project website: www.bonusreturn.com

The overall objective of the BONUS MIRACLE project was to enact a social learning process that would lead to the identification of new governance configurations to reduce nutrient enrichment while providing multiple ecosystem services to diverse stakeholders in the Baltic Sea Region. The intention was to foster a process that acknowledged the need for an integrated approach to ecosystem services as a novel governance approach. To achieve this objective, learning platforms between project researchers and stakeholders were created in four case study areas, namely Berze (Latvia), Reda (Poland), Helgeå (Sweden), and Selke (Germany). Through these platforms, we facilitated deliberations among stakeholders, developed roadmaps and identified new models of cooperation and governance (conceptual, institutional and practice-based) with consideration to the need of adaptation to climate change.

• Responsible researchers: Neil Powell, Thao Do
• Funders: FORMAS/BONUS
• Partners: Linköping University, Sweden; POMinnO Sp. z o.o., Poland; Institute of Meteorology and Water Management, Poland; Johann Heinrich von Thünen-Institut, Germany; Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Germany; University of Latvia, Latvia; Latvia University of Agriculture, Latvia; University of Copenhagen, Denmark; Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute, Sweden; Stockholm Environment Institute, Sweden.
• Period: 2015-2018

Contact: Neil Powell, Thao Do

Reports

• Report on surfacing issues from the perspective of stakeholders and understanding measures to address those issues Pdf, 655 kB.
• Report on rethinking stakeholder boundaries Pdf, 2 MB.
• Report on reconciling multiple demands Pdf, 2 MB.
• Report on cross-case learning workshop Pdf, 1 MB.
• Report on Baltic Sea Region learning Pdf, 7 MB.
• Policy brief No. 2. Actions for more effective water resource management and policies delivering multiple ecosystem service benefits – Lessons learnt for the Baltic Sea Region Pdf, 771 kB.
• Roadmap for improving water resource management in the Baltic Sea Region: Enhancing the effectiveness of nutrient management and providing multiple ecosystem service benefits Pdf, 654 kB.

Advanced Regional Training Programme (ARTP) in Education For Sustainable Development (ESD) For Ecce, Primary and Tvet Teacher Educators in Southern Africa

This project aimed to provide capacity building to support educators for the implementation of Target 4.7 of SDG 4, which requires educators to integrate Education for Sustainable Development into all areas of education. The project focused on southern Africa, which is one of the region’s most at risk from climate change and the ongoing impacts of poverty.

Together with national, regional and international partners, UNESCO carried out activities under this project to achieve the following expected results in 11 Southern African countries (Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe).

1. Sustainability principles integrated into education and training environments, with emphasis on curriculum change in Teacher Education Institutions (TEIs) and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) College programmes
2. ESD capacity of teacher and TVET institutions enhanced via an Advanced ESD Regional Training Programme (ARTP)
3. ESD reinforced in national and international education and sustainable development policies, with emphasis on policies influencing the education of teachers and TVET educators for Goal 4 of the SDGs (Target 4.7)
4. ESD Professional Networks strengthened in southern Africa
5. Science education and uptake of science related careers enhanced through ESD integration and engagement

The project was built partly on 'Sustainability Starts with Teachers', an ESD Action Learning Programme for Secondary Teacher Educators in Southern Africa in 2017 and 2018. This GAP flagship programme has shown good results with participating TEIs completing Change Projects that show evidence of changed practice in the TEIs towards incorporation of ESD in the TEIs. The environmental scan of this initiative showed very poor and uneven integration of ESD into teacher education in SADC countries, as well as no integration (as yet) of ESD into teacher professional standards (currently being developed) and no Monitoring and Evaluation instruments for aligning ESD teacher education activities with monitoring and evaluation reporting on SDG4, Target 4.7.

The Sustainability Starts with Teachers started to address some of these issues, but only reached a few TEI’s at one level only, and needs to be expanded to include more secondary teacher educators, as well as early childhood teacher educators and primary school teacher educators, as well as TVET educators, STEM teachers, policy makers and curriculum experts in the subsector.

Responsible researcher: Shepherd Urenje
Funder: The Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA)
Partners: The ESD Division of UNESCO, Paris; UNESCO Regional Office for Southern Africa (ROSA Rhodes Universit); the Southern African Regional Universities Association (SARUA); SWEDESD
Duration: 2018-2022

Intrapartum-related neonatal encephalopathy (NE) is, along with prematurity and sepsis, one of the three main contributors to neonatal death and disability in the world. Early detection of asphyxia and NE complications is a prerequisite for early intervention. This programme aims to improve the identification and follow-up of infants at risk of adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes after perinatal insult in low-income settings.
Researcher:

• Responsible researcher: Ashish KC
• Funder: Promobilia, Laerdal Foundation
• Partners: Golden Community
• Period: 2020-2024
• Publications:
  • Kukka AJ, Sundelin HEK, Basnet O, Paudel P, Upadhyay Subedi K, Svensson K, Brown N, Litorp H, Gurung R, Bhattarai P, Wrammert J, Kc A. NeuroMotion smartphone application for remote General Movements Assessment: a feasibility study in Nepal. BMJ Open. 2024 Mar 1;14(3):e080063. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2023-080063. PMID: 38431302; PMCID: PMC10910581
  • Kukka AJ, Berkelhamer SK, Eilevstjønn J, Wood TR, Basnet O, Kc A. Observational study comparing heart rate in crying and non-crying but breathing infants at birth. BMJ Paediatr Open. 2023 Apr;7(1):e001886. doi: 10.1136/bmjpo-2023-001886. Erratum in: BMJ Paediatr Open. 2024 Apr 16;8(1): PMID: 37028906; PMCID: PMC10083872.
  • Kukka AJ, Waheddoost S, Brown N, Litorp H, Wrammert J, Kc A. Incidence and outcomes of intrapartum-related neonatal encephalopathy in low-income and middle-income countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ Glob Health. 2022 Dec;7(12):e010294. doi: 10.1136/bmjgh-2022-010294. Erratum in: BMJ Glob Health. 2023 Feb;8(2): PMID: 36581333; PMCID: PMC9806096.
  • Sunny AK, Paudel P, Tiwari J, Bagale BB, Kukka A, Hong Z, Ewald U, Berkelhamer S, Ashish Kc. A multicenter study of incidence, risk factors and outcomes of babies with birth asphyxia in Nepal. BMC Pediatr. 2021 Sep 10;21(1):394. doi: 10.1186/s12887-021-02858-y. PMID: 34507527; PMCID: PMC8431921.