In Sweden, Finland-headed global forest industry major Stora Enso Oyj has signed a strategic partnership agreement with the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU). Through the agreement, Stora Enso and SLU intend to establish a long-term collaboration in research and development, education, competence building, and innovation within the fields of forestry and bio-based materials.
According to Stora Enso, the main objective of the collaboration is to jointly drive research projects to develop new knowledge within sustainable forestry and wooden biomaterials. Special focus areas include bio-based materials, forest and ecosystem management, forest technology and plant- and forest production. Moreover, the collaboration will act to strengthen competence development of staff members at Stora Enso and SLU.
Collaborating with leading educational institutions, such as SLU, is a key component of Stora Enso’s strategy and an enabler in our continued transformation into a renewable materials company. Our vision is to replace fossil-based materials by innovating and developing new products based on wooden materials. By liaising with the world’s leading forestry science university, we can accelerate this development while also increasing our exposure to educated talents in our field, said Karl-Henrik Sundström, CEO, Stora Enso.
Under the agreement, Stora Enso and SLU aim to have an active portfolio of shared projects. Each party assigns relevant representatives to participate in a dedicated Steering Group for the collaboration which will be responsible for developing and managing the collaboration.
We are excited to partner with one of the world’s leading forest products companies. Stora Enso’s ambition to be an influential force in the bio-economy matches SLU’s strive to break new ground in research and education for bio-based technologies. Through this agreement, we can together strengthen the link between academics and business towards the common goal of a renewable future, said Peter Högberg, Vice-Chancellor at SLU.
