New collaborations for a sustainable industry

The conference was jointly organized by Mid Sweden University and the Norwegian research institute SINTEF and was held at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim. Approximately 50 researchers and representatives from industry and the public sector participated.

The conference focused on four main themes: forest-based resources, sustainable materials, industrial symbiosis and green chemicals.

Among the participants were also representatives from the public sector. Tomas Widenfalk from Ånge municipality presented the municipality's planned investments in hydrogen and industrial symbiosis in Alby, a development that aroused great interest among the conference participants.

Collaboration between researchers in Sweden and Norway

Within the SIFMA project, researchers in Västernorrland and Trøndelag collaborate on the development of advanced materials. One of the research areas is to measure and describe how silicon nanoparticles are formed and grow, and how their size can be controlled.

"By increasing our knowledge of how silicon nanoparticles grow, we can develop materials with properties that are important for future energy storage. Silicon nanoparticles have great potential to be used in lithium-ion batteries and contribute to increased storage capacity," says Jonas Örtegren, associate professor at Mid Sweden University.

The conference also provided an opportunity to discuss new research collaborations between academia, industry and the public sector.

"There are great opportunities to develop cooperation between stakeholders in Västernorrland and Trøndelag. We look forward to deepening our work in silicon and silicon composites, but also to exploring new collaborations in areas such as forest-based products, energy-efficient industrial processes, carbon capture through mineralization, electrochemistry, production of hydrogen and ammonia, and new types of graphite and graphene for battery applications. says Jonas Örtegren.

Made new contacts

"It was great that we got so many participants from both Norway and Sweden. Actually, it is not far between Trøndelag and Västernorrland, but much of what is happening in research and industrial development on one side of the border has nevertheless remained unknown to the other country's stakeholders. Therefore, it was great to see that new contacts were made across the border, and I hope that this can lead to increased cooperation and exchange of experiences," says Stefan Andersson from SINTEF, who was the local organiser of the conference.

The conference was part of the ongoing work to strengthen research, innovation and industrial development in the Swedish-Norwegian region through joint investments in sustainable materials and the green industry of the future.