Mapping sustainability research at KI, KTH and Stockholm University
A mapping of publications from Karolinska Institutet, KTH Royal Institute of Technology and Stockholm University shows a broad range of research linked to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Bibliometric analysts at the three universities have compiled an overview of publications issued by the universities between 2018 and 2023. The results point to opportunities for further collaboration.
"The idea is to develop a tool to help the public engage with the research being carried out in the field of sustainability,” says Magnus Breitholtz, a professor at Stockholm University (SU) and chair of the collaborative initiative.
"What we can say from the analysis is that there isn’t a great deal of collaboration in the articles we’ve identified, but it’s also fair to say that the research projects complement one another. This shows that we have an enormous breadth of scientific expertise within the Stockholm Trio and that there is a solid foundation for more interdisciplinary collaboration between our universities," says Magnus Breitholtz.
The bibliometric methos includes 7 of 17 development goals
The bibliometric method used was developed at the University of Bergen. As the method is not yet fully developed, it covers only seven of the 17 global sustainable development goals. The fact that only certain sustainable development goals are included in the analysis means that a great deal of research, is missed in the searches, and the results are therefore limited.
Of around 15,000 publications, approximately 10,500 were published by KI, 1,700 by KTH and 3,000 by Stockholm University.
"Sustainable development goal 3 – Good Health and Well-being – is undoubtedly the most significant of the 17 goals in terms of research worldwide. It is therefore no coincidence that this goal dominates, particularly as one of the Stockholm Trio’s universities, KI, is among the world’s largest producers of medical research publications," says Gabor Schubert, bibliometric analyst at Stockholm University.
According to bibliometricians, the fact that Sustainable development goal 3 is a high-output research area may also contribute to KI’s dominance. Furthermore, the sustainable development goals are formulated in a way that leaves room for different interpretations.
"Research related to a specific sustainability goal cannot be easily defined or operationalised. Depending on how the goal is interpreted and subsequently operationalised, the results of an analysis can vary considerably," says Peter Bjurström, bibliometric analyst at KI.
Deveopling a search tool - the next step
The next step is to see whether it is possible to adapt the so-called Bergen method to cover all the global Sustainable development goals, in order to provide a comprehensive overview. This is also a prerequisite for developing a comprehensive search tool that researchers can use to find research and collaboration partners.
"The ideal solution would be to develop some form of software that makes it easier for the wider world to easily find out which researchers are doing what in the field of sustainability at our three universities," Magnus Breitholtz says.