FORIC agreement is signed
We have now signed the agreements concerning our research school FORIC in our KK research environment with KK Foundation. Foric will start this autumn. Program director is professor Per Engstrand.
The following projects are starting 2014
Project |
Partnercompany |
| 1. New use of bio sludge from pulp and paper industry | Ragn-Sells AB |
| 2. Efficient information management at a local shipping agent to improve the sluppy chain coordination of the regional forest- and energy sector | Sundfrakt AB |
| 3. Refining of wood to dissolvent pulp, hemi-cellulose and sulphur free lignin |
Kiram AB with partner company |
| 4. Connecting high yield pulp properties with functional product properties |
Stora Enso AB |
| 5. Technical and economical systems modelling of a mechanical pulping based bio-refinery | Frontway AB |
| 6. Cost-effective NLC as substitute för CMC in multi-layer fibre applications | SCA R&D Centre AB |
| 7. Energy efficiency and systems integration | SCA Östrand AB |
| 8. Strategic networks for user-driven innovation in bio business | Åkroken Science Park AB/Biobusiness Arena |
| 9. Integrated energy solutions | Sundsvall Energi AB |
| 10. Industrially feasible methods for production of nanocellulose from chemical pulps | Valmet AB |
| 11. First principle analyses of refining process using particle dynamics method (2014) | Valmet AB |
| 12. Development of domestic forest based tanning agent | Sylvestris AB and Tärnsjö garveri AB |
| 13. Improved fines material control | PulpEye AB |
| 14. Efficient wood supply logistics adopted to combinates including modern saw mills and bio-refineries | Skogforsk and SCA Forest Products AB |
| 15. Implementation of robust control strategies of wood chip refining in very narrow gaps | SCA / Stora Enso AB |
Academia and industry will benefit from interacting with each other. FORIC is a new graduate school in close cooperation with the business community where graduate students will increase their competitiveness. Today biorefineries become an important way to refine forest resources and develop the industry in a sustainable direction. But not even the really big companies can handle themselves of all the processes around the technology used in a biorefinery. To optimize the chain from forest to finished product therefore requires collaboration between different companies in the forest industry. It is one of the tasks of FORIC that starts this autumn, at the research center FSCN, Fiber Science and Communication Network.
Research funded by KK Foundation and the companies
30 scientists and professors from different disciplines at Mid Sweden University will be attached to the school. Up to 50 percent of the research is funded by the KK Foundation and the rest of the businesses companies. One of the companies that will be attending is the forest company SCA R & D Centre.
- We have very good experience of working with Mid Sweden University and their research schools in the past, and that is why we have chosen to enter also in this project. Based on previous collaborations with them, we have seen that this is a very good way to work says Folke Österberg, SCA R & D Centre.
Find new knowledge and new collaborations
This fall, starting 15 students their research that is directly related to forest companies, but also in industries such as logistics, recycling and energy. One goal is to get companies to interact with each other.
- Take the example of a company working with sludge recycling. Instead of waiting until all the sludge is collected in one place, you can create stations along the process and thus optimize recovery. To do this requires joint system for forest products companies and recyclers. These systems need to be synchronized by someone, and that is where the research enters the picture, says Per Engstrand.
15 researchers starts 2014
Graduate School FORIC's Phase 1 starts in autumn 2014 with 15 companies postgraduates and Phase 2, not yet approved, is starting in autumn 2016, with a further 15 business graduate students. Some of the participating companies have already recruited their students while others will be recruiting in August-October 2014. Interested can contact Olof Björkqvist or Per Engstrand at Mid Sweden University.