The Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation (KAW) has increased the budget framework for the Wallenberg Initiative Materials Science for Sustainability (WISE) by an additional SEK 265 million, which will enable a future integration of forest-based materials research.
“It is very encouraging that the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation continues to invest in research on forest-based materials. This is a research field of strategic importance to Sweden, both for industry and for society at large. Long-term investment in research and innovation based on forest resources is an investment in a sustainable future,” says Eva Malmström, Director of WWSC.
The Swedish forest industry is one of the country’s most important industrial sectors, employing around 140,000 people and accounting for approximately 9–12 percent of Sweden’s industrial GDP.
The announced support from the KAW will help sustain and further develop the world-leading research environment that WWSC has built around forest-based materials. Since its establishment, WWSC has brought together researchers from multiple disciplines to advance sustainable materials science and unlock new opportunities for forest-based resources.
To date, WWSC has educated 110 PhD students and contributed to scientific breakthroughs, innovation, and competence development in bio-based materials.