STERF Jubilee Call 2026 – Project period 2027 – 2029
STERF (Scandinavian Turfgrass and Environment Research Foundation) is an independent research foundation that supports existing and future R&D efforts and delivers applied ‘ready-to-use’ research results that benefit the golf and turfgrass sector. STERF was set up in 2006 by the golf federations in Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Iceland and the Nordic Greenkeepers’ associations. This year STERF celebrate its 20th anniversary by announcing a STERF jubilee call. This call focus on two for the Nordic countries important research areas:
• Multifunctional golf courses and ecosystem services
• Winter stress management
The world is changing rapidly and the environmental, social and economic reality we are now facing is very different to what we are used to. The cumulative effects of parallel crises need to be addressed by all sectors, actors and levels in society, including the golf community. All this calls for more research and innovation for a sustainable future.
The future challenges for golf and the larger turfgrass industry are many and diverse, in order to provide high quality golf courses and other sport fields. Climate change is transforming abiotic stress patterns, pest life cycles, and basic turfgrass selection and management. Strong restrictions on the use of chemicals and fertilizers, and increasing pressure on natural resources (notably water, energy and land) and rising operating costs for turfgrass maintenance are expected. The situation today is that societal development is accelerating the loss of ecosystem services and biodiversity.
In this call for proposals, STERF has decided to prioritize research and development the areas of landscape resilience, accessibility and winter stress management.
Read the complete description in the document below!
Instructions for those wishing to apply for funding for research projects from STERF can be found in the below “Guide for applicants”. It provides details on the template for proposal submissions and describes how applications for funding are assessed by STERF.
Deadline for application: October 1st.
Agreement for approved projects will be written for one to three years; however, continuation of the project will be determined annually based on progress and status reports delivered to STERF. Decisions regarding funding should be made by December 2026.
For complete details see PDF-files below!
