”I'm glad that they highlighted our important role"
On Thursday, Sundsvall, Timrå and Härnösand’s municipalities presented a large industrial establishment in the Torsboda area north of Timrå. In connection with the presentation, Mid Sweden University’s importance for education and research was emphasised.
– I´m glad that the municipalities are highlighting our important role in education and that they see that we have excellent research that is relevant to the initiative. We have and will continue to have a close dialogue on which areas may be relevant to cooperate on, says Anders Fällström, Vice-Chancellor.
Torsboda Industrial Park has signed an agreement with the world-leading green tech company Shanghai PTL, which among other things is a supplier to Northvolt. Torsboda Industrial Park is jointly owned by Sundsvall and Timrå Municipality. Part of the initiative is also Härnösand municipality. According to the parties, the investment at Torsboda is initially estimated to comprise approximately 1900 jobs and 13 billion SEK. The plant is expected to be completed by 2025 or 2026.
There have been comments about the initiative, among other things because it includes a Chinese-owned company. What do you think about that?
– Yes, I have seen that, as well as the fact that representatives of the municipalities responded to the comments and expressed an understanding that questions are raised. I think that our role as a university is about having a responsible internationalisation and being a driving force for sustainable social development in a regional and global context. At the same time, we shall safeguard the importance of academic freedom in research, in this context just as in others, and maintain solid security work in close cooperation with other authorities, says Anders Fällström.
Recently, a major industrial initiative was also announced in Östersund. In that case, the company Ecodatacenter intends to build a data centre and, in connection with this, a large greenhouse will also be built. This investment is expected to generate around 1000 new jobs..
– It is obvious that our region attracts investors, not least through the so-called green transition. I am convinced that we as a university have great opportunities to contribute in different ways to strengthen both Västernorrland and Jämtland counties. There will, of course, be challenges of different kinds along the way, but through continued good cooperation with municipalities and regions, we will address them, says Anders Fällström.
Pressrelease in Swedish from Sundsvall Municipality about Torsboda.
Pressrelease in Swedish from Östersund Municipality about Verksmon.