Advanced materials & manufacturing

The future of materials is happening today in Skåne. With the establishment of two groundbreaking research facilities offering world-class visualisation instruments and techniques, as well as Lund University’s renowned research in nanotechnology, the area is fast becoming one of the most advanced materials science hotspots in the world.

Since its inauguration in 2016, MAX IV in Lund has been offering an even more detailed way of looking at materials through the strongest X-ray light currently available. But that’s not all. Still in the construction phase (also in Lund), the European Spallation Source will be the world’s most powerful neutron source when it opens its doors to researchers in 2026-27.

Both facilities are designed to enhance multidisciplinary research, which, when combined with the Skåne region’s extensive know-how in supporting industries (such as the life science sector, chemical, as well as food and packaging), make a unique location for developing new innovations and approaches in materials science. Of course, that’s nothing new for the area. In 1944, the Tetra Pak tetrahedron packaging was invented here and the company built around (and named after it), which is currently the largest food packaging company in the world by sales, is still headquartered in Skåne.

The region is also home to more than 100 small and medium-sized enterprises in materials science with the majority focusing on innovations in sustainable materials, like potential replacements for plastics and chemical-free methods for breaking down organic waste with bacteria ( “Nya material hett ämne för Skåne”, Future by Lund 2019).

Advantages of Skåne

Advantages when choosing Skåne for your next materials science project or establishment:

World-class talent and tools The Skåne region’s world-leading talent pool, facilities, and instruments make for one of the most competitive materials science research locations in the world. At the center of the region’s material science cluster is Lund University , the highest ranking university in Sweden and consistently ranked among the world’s top 100 universities.
Access to supporting industries The region offers research facilities and an extensive eco-system of innovative companies, not only in nanotechnology but also in biotech, medtech, chemical, food, and packaging, among others, giving a unique cross industry perspective beneficial when looking to form new and innovative products and services based on materials science.
Demand for sustainable innovations and the circular economy Sweden is one of the most sustainable countries in the world and is known for its waste-to-energy plants, where garbage is burnt to power homes and buses. Less than 1 percent of the country’s household waste finds its way to landfills and both the government and local authorities push an agenda with extraordinary demand and openness for new ideas for sustainability. This encourages companies and organizations to be innovative and come up with cutting-edge products and solutions, each one finding another way to be even a little bit more sustainable and being part of enforcing a circular economy.

More about Advanced Materials in Skåne

Skåne is home to more than 100 materials science small and medium-sized companies
The area has 450 top-class nanotechnology researchers and PhD students
The area is also home to Medicon Valley; 9 universities conducting research within life sciences, 42,500 life science professionals, 14,500 life science researchers, and 6,000 PhD students
Sweden ranked 5th in the world in the number of doctoral degrees per capita in 2018 (OECD 2019)

Air Liquide, Akzo Nobel, Axis, Baxter, Dow Chemicals, Heidelberg Cement Group, Tetra Pak, and Trelleborg

Acconeer, Bioextrax, Camurus, Cellevate, Colloidal Resource, Cyclicor, Gaia Biomaterials, Innocentia, Obducat, Orbital Systems, Prebona, Spago Nanomedical, and Watersprint.

Big Science Sweden

Big Science Sweden is the official Swedish ILO-organization, helping Big Science facilities across the world finding Swedish suppliers. Read more here

Cleantech Scandinavia

The trusted source for cleantech-related investment opportunities, business intelligence, and investment statistics in the Nordics, based in Lund. Read more here

MAX IV

MAX IV offers the world’s strongest X-ray available to both scientists and industry to explore, located in Lund in Skåne. Read more about MAX IV here

Materials Business Center

The vision of Materials Business Center is to enhance the establishment of the global epicenter for new products and businesses based on materials technology and innovation in Southern Sweden. Read more here

NanoLund

NanoLund, formerly known as the Nanometer Structure Consortium, founded in 1988, supports and coordinates activities within nanoscience and nanotechnology at Lund University. Their overarching goal is to use nanostructures to address important needs of society, such as solving the energy challenge and improving the quality of life. Read more about Nanolund here

Open Lab Skåne

Open Lab Skåne is a collaborative project between Malmö University, Lund University and SmiLe Incubator. Their mission is to facilitate innovation by opening up their laboratories and enabling access to equipment and expertise. Open Lab Skåne has three sites: food engineering, material science and chemistry, and life science. Read more here.

ProNano

A pilot production facility that’s part of a nanotechnology ecosystem in Lund and run by Research Institutes of Sweden (RISE) to facilitate the development of nanotechnology related products. Read more about RISE here

Science Village Scandinavia

Science Village is located in north-east Lund and forms part of the new city district of Brunnshög. The land covers 18 hectares where the plan is to build approximately 250,000 m² GFA intended for use by businesses, research and educational facilities in the field of materials research and innovation. Read more here

The European Spallation Source (ESS)

Set to open in 2026, the European Spallation Source in Lund will be the world’s most powerful neutron source. It’s expected to facilitate multi-disciplinary research, open to both industry and academia. Read more about ESS here

MAX IV – Making the invisible visible

MAX IV is the brightest (synchrotron) light source in the world. It helps researchers solve some of the grand challenges of our times – from cancer research to novel energy materials.

Get in touch with us

If you are interested in learning more about available local business opportunities, at Invest in Skåne we can guide you through the region.

Investment Promotion | Management

Micael Györei

Director of Investment Promotion

E-mail: micael.gyorei@skane.se

Phone: +46 40 675 34 86

Cell phone: +46 72 467 28 72

Investment Promotion

Justina Kunickaite

Business Development Manager | Advanced materials

E-mail: Justina.Kunickaite@skane.se

Phone: +46 40 675 30 42

Cell phone: +46 72 464 67 28

Page updated 07 Jun 2023, at 15:19

Advanced materials & manufacturing