The founding members of are the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), the Afrint Group at Lund’s University, the Environmental Economics Unit at the University of Gothenburg, and the Swedish Institute for Food and Agricultural Economics (SLI) [now obsolete].

The Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) has a long history of broad development engagement. Around 275 staff have experience of development research and education. SLU has strong competences in plant/biology sciences, soil and environmental sciences, ecology, forest sciences, animal husbandry and genetics, veterinary medicine, and rural development. SLU competences have, for multiple reasons, not been merged to create a coherent focus on land management in developing countries. Ph.D. training and two M.Sc. programmes deal with developing countries, complemented by other courses. SLU has research and education cooperation with approximately 100 universities and research institutes in developing countries.

The Afrint Group comprises the Departments of Sociology, Social and Economic Geography, Statistics (LU), and the Tema Institute (LIU), and has further collaboration with the Development Research Group at the Department of Economic History (LU). Around 15 staff have experience of development research and education. Strong, integrating and complementary competences are found in intercontinental comparative studies of agricultural development, sociology, social and economic geography, development economics, and cooperative development. Ph.D. training and two M.Sc. programmes deal with developing countries, complemented by other programme and individual courses. Afrint Departments have research and education cooperation with approximately 20 universities and research institutes in developing countries.

The Department of Economics/Environmental Economics Unit of Gothenburg University has around 20 staff with experience of development research and education. Strong, integrative and complementary competences are found in the disciplines of environmental economics with a focus on natural resource management in developing countries, and policy instruments. Ph.D. training, including capacity building programmes for Sida, and 3 M.Sc. programmes deal with developing countries, complemented by other programme and individual courses. The Unit has research and education cooperation with approximately 20 universities and research institutes in developing countries, including six environmental centres as part of the Environment for Development initiative.