Recently, a group led by Mikael Lindström, the Executive Vice President of Sweden's Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), visited South China University of Technology (SCUT). The two institutions signed a cooperation agreement to jointly establish the Bamboo Pulp and Paper Joint Innovation Center. During the visit, Lindström delivered a keynote lecture on sustainable development to the faculty and students. Li Weiqing, Deputy Secretary of the University Communist Party and Vice President of SCUT, attended the lecture, while Lin Yiwen, Vice President of SCUT, participated in the signing ceremony.
The signing ceremony at SCUT.
At the ceremony, Lin congratulated on the establishment of the center between the two institutions. He highlighted that KTH served as both a long-lasting partner and a core strategic collaborator of SCUT for the international cooperation. The launch of this joint innovation center symbolized a significant advancement of the collaboration. He urged both universities to fully leverage their complementary disciplinary strengths, utilizing this platform to deepen the cooperation in key areas such as research into bamboo pulp paper technologies, incubation of research outcomes, and joint cultivation of young talents and experts, aiming to establish a shared research platform between China and Sweden. Additionally, he expressed the anticipation for expanding cooperation in sustainable development and innovative talent development mechanisms.Lindström emphasized that KTH valued the collaboration with SCUT, noting the two institutions' strong foundation and complementary strengths across different disciplines. He expected that the next phase of the collaboration would focus on the joint innovation center, advancing cooperation plans step by step, developing actionable roadmaps together, and ensuring the successful implementation of inter-institutional projects. As he mentioned, KTH would also fully support the advancement in research innovation and talent development in the bamboo pulp paper sector between the two universities.
The two universities signed a cooperation agreement on establishing the joint innovation center.
This joint innovation center, established through collaboration between the School of Light Industry and Engineering at SCUT, the National Engineering Research Center of Papermaking and Pollution Control at SCUT, and the Department of Fibre and Polymer Technology at KTH, will integrate the research strengths and resource advantages of both institutions. Addressing China's “dual carbon” strategy and the critical need for self-sufficient raw materials, the center will focus on the valorized utilization of bamboo resources, promoting joint research on bamboo fiber microstructure analysis, green materials based on bamboo pulp, key technologies for paper-based plastic substitution, and carbon neutrality assessment and sustainability evaluations of bamboo-based paper. Through the breakthroughs in fundamental theory and technological innovation, the center aims to promote the efficient utilization of bamboo fiber resources and enhance the security of supply chains, thereby supporting reduced greenhouse gas emission and plastic product demands, and promoting a green, carbon-neutral material system.
Meanwhile, the center will actively explore an innovative system for deeply integrating “research-education-talent” mechanisms, use research to drive educational innovation and platforms to nurture international talents, and aim to build an international hub integrating scientific innovation, talent development and educational reform, thus forming a new, coordinated “resources-technology-education-talent” system.
Li Weiqing, Deputy Secretary and Vice President of SCUT, presented the letter of appointment to Mikael Lindström.
During the lecture, Lindström was appointed as an honorary professor at SCUT, with Li presenting the appointment letter. Lindström elaborated on KTH's outstanding achievements in sustainable development and innovation, as well as the initiatives to support innovation and advance global sustainable development goals.