Introducing SEI

The Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) is an independent, international research institute specialising in sustainable development and environment issues. It works at local, national, regional and global policy levels. SEI along with its predecessor, the Beijer Institute, has been engaged in major environment and development issues for a quarter of a century.

Our Mission

SEI's mission is to support decision-making and induce change towards sustainable development around the world by bridging science and policy in the field of environment and development.

The SEI mission developed from the insights gained at the 1972 UN Conference on the Human Environment in Stockholm (after which the Institute derives its name), the work of the (Brundtland) World Commission for Environment and Development and the 1992 UN Conference on Environment and Development. The Institute was established in 1989 following an initiative by the Swedish Government.

SEI at the University of York

SEI-York was established in 1989 as one of the constituent centres of the Stockholm Environment Institute. It is located within the University of York, a leading research University in the UK. The centre has 30 core members of staff including four professorial research leaders. It forms a self-funded research unit in the Biology Department and the University acts as employer of all SEI-Y staff on behalf of SEI in Stockholm.An international board and an executive committee oversee SEI. SEI has its headquarters in Stockholm (Sweden) and has an international network of centres in Boston (USA), Tallinn (Estonia) and York (UK) and offices located in Oxford and Bangkok. A further network of associates complements the SEI activities around the globe. Each centre has its own personality and foci of interests, and each operates with significant autonomy while participating in the five crosscutting research programmes.