New knowledge from SLU is sought after by companies and organisations both in Sweden and internationally. Many companies have been created on the basis of ideas and research from SLU.
Some of these ideas and research projects – and the researchers behind them – are described below.
Have you, or someone you cooperate with, taken part in a research project together with SLU i Skara? If so it might be worth your while to continue reading these lines. SLU Skara and Sparbanken Skaraborg hereby announces an Innovation Award for sustainable research projects aiming to benefit the green sector or the society at large.
Lars Roepstorff’s interest in horses was aroused at an early stage, and he has done competitive riding since his childhood. And with a doctor as a father, Lars has always been attracted by the combination of medicine and animals, which meant he started on a veterinary programme after secondary school.
During the veterinary programme he gradually started research in the Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Biochemistry at SLU, which was already the world leader in biomechanics, with its projects to optimise surfaces and cambers at Swedish trotting tracks. Lars was involved in projects to measure movements, loads and forces when horses were competing, in order to establish values for the animals’ perception of the different surfaces.
Göran Nordlander and Henrik Nordenhem are behind the research idea that later became Conniflex – environmentally friendly protection against damage caused by insects, which in connection with SLU's 40th anniversary was awarded a prize as one of the three most successful innovations deriving from research at SLU in the University’s history. We interviewed Prof. Göran Nordlander about the whole process.
BioGaia is one of the three most successful innovations originating from the research carried out over SLU's 40 years of existence. Prior to the founding of BioGaia in 1990, there was intensive research into the lactic-acid bacterium Lactobacillus reuteri during the 80s, including at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) in Uppsala. Sven Lindgren, the PhD student Lars Axelsson and Walter Dobrogosz worked there, investigating how Lactobacillus reuteri could inhibit pathogenic microorganisms such as E. coli and Salmonella. The company BioGaia, which is based on their research, currently has an annual turnover in excess of SEK 500m.
Alertix Veterinary Diagnostics develops and markets a new unique assay for diagnosing cell growth for veterinary use. With a simple blood test you can get a strong indication of tumor cell growth. The assay is also very useful for monitoring and follow-up of cancer treatment and furthermore for screening companion animals over a certain age.
GO TO ALERTIX WEBPAGE TO FIND OUT MORE
Arevo offers leading-edge liquid and granular amino acid fertilizer technologies for faster and better plant establishment.
Balsgård Foodtech is an arena for development of new plant-based drinks and new technology for the food industry. Balsgård Foodtech offers equipment and services so that entrepreneurs and SMEs can develop, test and produce their new innovative beverages.
Do you want some juicy information? Find out more at Balsgård Foodtechs webbsite
BTM Nanodesign develops protein-based nanomaterials for biotechnological applications. The material portfolio includes nanomaterials that have a superior antibody binding capacity, compared with alternative products on the market. In addition, the materials are produced sustainably using only microorganisms.
Find out more at BTM NANODESIGNS website
Overweight is a growing public-health problem. Duttal has developed a new type of fat-based molecules and has shown that they effectively reduce the weight of obese rats and mice. The molecules are patent-pending, and development of a product for obesity is now continuing.
Eko Grönovation produce fresh herbs and greens under the trademark Deliplant ® for the Swedish food market. Eko Grönovation´s vertical, environmentally friendly and flexible farming system is used to create a climate for growing plants free from the contaminants normally found in soil, water and air. The plants grow in a biologically natural material, in a clean and closed facility. A environment free from peticides.
Green Rice Sweden commercializes the IPR to a rice variety developed at SLU. The Rice produces 90% less methane gas than other common rice varieties, and at the same time gives 10% higher yields.
Learn more about the rice and the researchers
Havredals develops healthy, plant-based alternatives to meat and dairy products. The idea is to make the transition to a more plant-based diet as easy as possible. The high oat content in the company's products provides enough beta-glucan fiber to lower the level of cholesterol in the blood, which in turn reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
READ MORE ABOUT HAVREDALS (ONLY IN SWEDISH)
Katam´s measurement technology makes everyday life easier for forest owners. With the the smartphone app KATAM™ Forest you can measure tree volumes, diameters, basic area etc. KATAM™ TreeMap let you take control of the thinning and harvesting operations using. Simply upload raw drone photos of an entire stand to Katam cloud service and receive detailed forest inventory, tree by tree. KATAM™ TreeMap can optionally match your drone recordings with ground based plot measurements from KATAM™ Forest smartphone app.
Read more at Katam´s website
Stress-related diseases and fatigue syndrome are increasingly common. Medical methods are not always enough to cure them. NAHC is a knowledge company started by researchers at SLU and the rehabilitation-garden team in Alnarp. They use the latest research findings and specially designed garden environments in their treatment of stress and fatigue syndrome. The treatment is showing positive results in the form of significantly fewer stress symptoms and an increased chance of patients returning to work and their studies.
Okawi AB - Leaves nothing behind. Under the brand name Leafymade Okawi sells natural, sustainable and biodegradable consumer products that leave no ecological footprint & are produced fairly.
Learn more about LeafyMade´s alternatives to non-recyclable goods
PreVet's app helps you gather and update important information about your horses in one place. Through the app, you get an overall picture of your horses' health and discover more quickly if something is wrong. The collected documentation, in turn, ensures that the veterinarian receives the correct information and reduces the risk of misunderstandings.
Resorbable Devices has developed new medical devices (under the brand LigaTie®) to enable quicker, easier and safer surgery. The self-locking and resorbable features will reduce risk of complications and shorten time needed for recovery.
The innovative surgical products of the company are unique and protected by patent(s). Devices in development are intended for urology and orthopaedics. LigaTie® is initially intended for veterinary surgery and is clinically tested.
SciIns is a Swedish company that offers healthy, viable and productive breeding animals for the sustainable development of the insect-for-food and feed industry
See it before it happens. With Sleip AI, you can film your horse in motion to see and analyze difficult-to-detect movement patterns. Horse lameness diagnostics in your smart phone.
SolEdits AB use modern technologies to introduce genetic variation in the potato variety of your choice. With a transgene-free CRISPR technology, SolEdits can introduce targeted mutations in genes to create healthier food and a sustainable agriculture or industrial process.
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT SOLEDITS CRISPR TECHNOLOGY
Transmoro has develop a new solution for small and large-scale hydroelectric power plants that allows fish to pass through and increases the plant’s energy recovery. The technical solution in line with the new European water framework directives.
