STIFTELSEN THE STOCKHOLM ENVIRONMENT INSTITUTE

Their core work

SEI is an independent research institute that analyzes how environmental and climate risks cascade through societies, economies, and policy systems. They specialize in climate adaptation and mitigation pathways, modeling how climate change drives migration, land-use change, and food supply chain disruption. Their work bridges environmental science with policy analysis, producing scenarios and decision-support tools that governments and businesses use to plan for climate-related risks. They also develop nature-based solutions for disaster risk reduction and assess the economic and social costs of climate inaction.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In the early H2020 period (2015–2018), SEI focused on climate risk assessment fundamentals — urban disaster resilience, cost-benefit analysis of mitigation options, and platform-building for climate adaptation knowledge (EDUCEN, TRANSrisk, PLACARD). From 2019 onward, their work shifted decisively toward systemic and cascading effects: how climate impacts ripple through finance, foreign policy, food systems, and human migration (CASCADES, HABITABLE, LANDMARC). The recent period also shows a turn toward participatory methods, co-creation, and nature-based solutions, reflecting a move from analyzing risk to designing responses.

SEI is moving toward complex systems thinking — modeling how climate change triggers chain reactions across migration, food security, finance, and geopolitics — making them ideal partners for cross-sectoral climate impact research.

How they like to work

SEI operates exclusively as a participant or third-party contributor — they have never coordinated an H2020 project, preferring to embed their analytical expertise within larger consortia. With 240 unique partners across 47 countries, they are a highly networked institute that rarely repeats the same consortium, suggesting they are sought out as a specialist voice rather than building locked-in alliances. Their average funding per project (€296K) indicates they take focused analytical work packages rather than leading large implementation tasks.

SEI has collaborated with 240 distinct partners across 47 countries, making them one of the most broadly connected environment research institutes in H2020. Their network spans Europe, Latin America (ODYSSEA/Amazon), and Africa (SESA), reflecting global research reach well beyond the EU.

What sets them apart

SEI stands apart by sitting at the intersection of environmental science and policy economics — they don't just model climate scenarios, they trace how those scenarios affect trade, migration, security, and financial systems. Few research institutes can credibly contribute to both a disaster resilience project and a foreign policy analysis. For consortium builders, SEI brings immediate credibility on climate-society interactions, a massive international network, and a track record of working across disciplinary boundaries without leading — making them low-friction, high-value partners.

Highlights from their portfolio

• TRANSrisk
  Largest single EC contribution to SEI (€978K), analyzing transition risks and cost-benefit trade-offs of climate mitigation — their flagship H2020 engagement.
• CASCADES
  Second-largest funding (€677K) and most cross-cutting scope — linking climate impacts to finance, foreign policy, trade, and institutional resilience across Europe.
• HABITABLE
  Pioneering work on climate-driven migration modeling, connecting habitability thresholds with social tipping points — a topic with rapidly growing policy relevance.