​Jönköping University invests in research on the green sector

Jönköping University has allocated funds for a pilot study on the region’s industry and trade in the green sector, and how the university can contribute to its development.

Business in the green sector (based in soil, forest, garden and rural environment) are often held up as an important factor for the region's development, competitiveness and future attractiveness. Organisations and companies in the sector often contact Jönköping University seeking cooperation, and now a step has been taken towards further strengthening research and development with a focus on rural areas and industry and trade in the green sector.

“Jönköping University takes an active part in the development of the region. With this strategic investment, we can work together with our partners to build research on business in the green sector linked to the region's prosperity and future challenges”, says President Anita Hansbo.

Jönköping International Business School at Jönköping University has for a few years conducted research and development with a focus on innovation and entrepreneurship in business in the green sector and rural areas. The pilot study will be an opportunity to build a platform together with other schools at the university, for example the School of Engineering in product development and embedded systems, two issues that are very central in modern agriculture, and with the School of education and communication regarding the need for learning and training in the sector.

“We are very pleased that the management of Jönköping University has decided to invest in a study on the significance of industry and trade in the green sector for the Jönköping region. Many of the region’s citizens are active in rural enterprises and a dynamic entrepreneurship in the green sector is essential for a thriving countryside. Our ambition is to build a strong research environment in this area at JIBS and JU. The strategic funding enables us to take a first step to realize this ambition”, says Professor Mattias Nordqvist, who is the initiator of the project together with Professor Johan Klaesson and researchers Mart Ots and Lars Petterson.

The money allocated will be used for a pilot study which, among other things, will map the importance of the green sector is for the region's economic, social and cultural prosperity, the organisations in the region that work in or with the green industries, the biggest challenges for the future are and what training and skills are needed in the sector. The overall aim of the study is to further specify the role of Jönköping University in the cooperation with the other actors, and to develop the research area at Jönköping University.

“We look extremely positively on the university's new focus on the green sector. Using research to develop the skills that already exist in the industry provides the conditions for improved competitiveness, more profitable food production and strong regional development”, says Mikael Bäckström, President of LRF Jönköping.

Jönköping International Business School collaborates with LRF, Elmia Agriculture, the County Administrative Board of Jönköping County, Region Jönköping, Jönköping Municipality and the Agricultural Society in the project Gröna Näringars Kluster. Jönköping International Business School also collaborates with the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) in Alnarp and its Swedish Center for Agricultural Business Management in matters related to entrepreneurship in the green sector.