Digital technology has been used for several years in the agricultural sector. The development is fast and from initially being used in ventilation, feeding and animal environments, the technology is now entering the animals via microchips and sensors.
Mats Wiktorsson is a business and innovation advisor at SLU Holding. He has extensive experience in marketing and business development and is passionate about climate issues - this is a global challenge that researchers at SLU can contribute to with knowledge that helps to achieve the UN sustainability goals. The work that Mats and his colleagues at SLU Holding are particularly engaged in is the finding of ways to build on the results of research.
In the Plant Protein Factory the aim is to become a raw-material supplier of plant proteins. The first stage involves extracting proteins from plant tops, plant parts and other green plant material that is not currently used but remains in the fields after the harvest. The technology exists. The challenge is to scale up and develop the process – and make it profitable.
At Balsgård in northwestern Skåne, SLU (Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences) has a plant-breeding business with an emphasis on fruit and berries. Aroma, Katja, Fredrik and Rödluvan are four apple varieties developed here. The past ten years have also seen exciting development work in the field of innovative beverages – operations that as from the beginning of the year have been run and financed by a new main owner from the business sector with SLU Holding and HKR Holding as partners.
With a focus on innovations in the green industries and exciting transdisciplinary collaborations, VentureLab@SLU creates prerequisites for students wishing to start their own companies or develop their own businesses and ideas whilst still studying.
We are now broadening expertise on our board of directors with two new members, Annika Bergman and Hans Berggren. With extensive experience from business and trade organisations in green industries, Annika and Hans make for an exciting addition to the board.
The driving force for Leafymade AB is the development of sustainable materials that can replace plastics and paper in disposable products. With its investment, SLU Holding is providing the company both with important capital and opportunities for new knowledge through collaboration with researchers at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU).
In the work of Björn Vinnerås and his research team in Uppsala on future hygiene technology and sorting at source, how he grew up of the little farm near Nora is a constant factor. Read more about Björn and how we at SLU Holding helped him bring his research closer to the market.
Resorbable Devices AB is behind successful research in resorbable polymers. Under the leadership of founder Odd Höglund, the company has developed LigaTie®, a self-locking implant in resorbable material for safe and more effective surgery.
