Stora Enso partners with technical universities

The strategic partnerships will result in concrete collaboration projects, based on needs identified in close dialogue between the management of Stora Enso and the respective university management. The priority competence areas for research collaboration are bio-based chemistry, process options, digitalization, material science and design.

The aim of the agreements is to strengthen collaboration between Stora Enso and leading academic institutes through long-term competence development, joint research and innovation incubation, and to, ‘leverage the agreements in order to tie our own research resources closer to these universities,’ commented Markus Mannström, Stora Enso chief technology officer. ‘This collaboration with leading engineering universities will support Stora Enso's transformation into a renewable materials company and allow us to further advance our positions in the field of innovation.’

The partnership agreements also target the improvement of competence development within Stora Enso and an increase in student recruitment to those universities.

‘There are so many interesting opportunities within our industry,’ said Lars Häggström, executive vice president of human resources of Stora Enso. ‘If we can make the forest industry a more attractive workplace, it will attract more students to apply to the technical education programs of the universities. All the involved parties will benefit from that.’