STERF yearbook 2016 – 10 years of exceptional progress

By Maria Strandberg and Bruno Hedlund, STERF

2016 STERF celebrated ten-year anniversary. It all started in 2006, when a small Swedish regional foundation was transformed into a pan-Nordic research foundation, with the ambition to become “A leading international centre of competence and knowledge in environmental aspects of turfgrass management for golf, delivering ‘ready-to-use research results’”. The Scandinavian Turfgrass and Environment Research Foundation – STERF – was founded! Now, 10 years later, we are proud to say that STERF has gained a leading position on the international turfgrass scene.

STERF’s ambition is to stimulate and support the golf and turfgrass sector and industry to:

Take the initiative – Work proactively – Create change

This is the only viable attitude if we want to overcome current challenges and develop a sustainable future. Today STERF is recognised as a substantial funder of turfgrass research, an international publisher of ready-to-use research findings and a highly valued partner to different stakeholders in the golf and turfgrass sector.

Despite 10 years of ongoing progress, the challenges are even greater today for the golf sector. The climate change impact is exceeding the worst expectations, strong restrictions on the use of chemicals, fertilisers and energy are expected and there is an accelerating loss of urban green areas and biodiversity. All this calls for more research and innovation for the future.

STERF’s focus for the coming 10 years will be on:

– Increased co-operation and resources, to tackle the global challenges; and

– Improved dissemination of “ready-to-use research results” for better effect in solving today’s problems.

In STERF yearbook 2016 you will get more information about STERF´s activities during 10 years. You will also get an up-date of STERF´s ongoing activities and projects.

Please let us know if you have any questions or comments related to the yearbook. Your feedback on STERF’s ongoing projects and activities would be very valuable for us. Ideas of potential new programmes and projects would also be interesting and inspiring.

The yearbook and more information about STERF´s programmes and projects can be found on: www.sterf.org