New research environment KRAFT strengthens Sweden’s supply preparedness

The Swedish Defence and Resilience Agency (MCF) is funding the new research environment KRAFT – Climate-Adapted Resilience and Supply Preparedness in Sweden. Over the next five years, researchers, together with stakeholders, will develop knowledge and methods to strengthen Sweden’s ability to meet both present and future climate and security challenges.

“With KRAFT, we aim to move from analysis to actual capability. When climate-related disruptions and security threats coincide, society must be able to maintain the flow of drinking water, energy, and food while ensuring that vital goods reach where they are needed. Our task is, together with authorities, municipalities, and industry, to develop methods that work both in everyday life and in crises, enabling Sweden to prioritize the right investments at the right time,” says Karina Barquet, senior researcher at SEI and project leader for KRAFT.

This broad approach makes it possible to understand how different societal sectors affect one another and to build expertise at the local, national and international levels.

A key question within KRAFT is how Sweden can maintain the flow of critical goods and services. SEI contributes expertise from its research on transport, energy, food security, drinking water and wastewater management. In addition to Karina Barquet, who has extensive experience researching water-related extreme events and domino effects on critical infrastructure, three other leading SEI researchers are involved in the project.

Henrik Carlsen is a senior researcher at SEI and an expert on decision-making related to climate adaptation. He has vast experience researching climate-related risks, for example in the Mistra Geopolitics and Promoting food security under climate change projects.

Johanna Hedlund is a senior researcher at SEI working on international climate risk. Within KRAFT she focuses on cross-border climate impacts and food trade using network methods. She leads the Extreme weather effects on global food supply chains and Promoting food security under climate change projects, funded by Formas.

“Extreme heatwaves occurring simultaneously in different locations have been shown to disrupt food supply. KRAFT enables a new, comprehensive approach to the climate issue and preparedness, increasing resilience to such disruptions,” says Johanna Hedlund.

Björn Nykvist leads SEI’s department for Global Agendas, Climate, and Systems. Within KRAFT, he will contribute expertise on energy systems and transport. He works on research into global value chains for steel  (CAST)and battery minerals (Mistra Mineral Governance) and has previously worked at FOI on energy issues and the Swedish Armed Forces’ climate transition.

“I look forward to developing methods to understand how supply security and the climate transition come together. Climate risks and other security threats not only affect today’s supply systems but also how we can carry out the climate transition. This is something we are already exploring in projects on resilient public transport,” says Björn Nykvist.

Karina Barquet’s role within KRAFT is to lead the overall research environment and ensure cohesion, from scientific quality and budgeting to collaboration and utilization. She is responsible for strategic direction, dialogue with MSB and relevant societal actors, and coordination between SEI, KTH, Lund University, and FOI. Barquet will also lead efforts to translate research results into practical methods and decision support that strengthen Sweden’s supply preparedness.