Magnus Norgren is awarded by Sparbanksstiftelsen Norrland

Swedbank's and Sparbanksstiftelsen Norrland's prize for researchers for sustainable use of natural resources was established in 2019 and is awarded to a researcher who has contributed new knowledge that has, or will have, great significance for the field.

"Absolutely fantastic fun! I feel very honored and very happy just to have been nominated for this award," says Magnus Norgren, Professor of Chemical Engineering at Mid Sweden University. 

"Professor Magnus Norgren is a very good example of the important research conducted at Mid Sweden University. His work in sustainable use of natural resources and the development of biopolymers from forest raw materials shows the important role that academia has in meeting the sustainability challenges of the future," says Frida Anundsson, CEO of Sparbanksstiftelsen Norrland.

The motivation reads:
Over the years, Professor Magnus Norgren has made outstanding contributions nationally and internationally in research and development for the sustainable use of biopolymers from forest raw materials. At present, it is often about different types of cellulose materials that can replace plastic in packaging, but also about more advanced materials such as statically charged particle filters, triboelectric materials for energy generation and nanocomposite materials for energy storage.

Professor Norgren's local and regional involvement is great in terms of research and education efforts. As new knowledge often leads to development opportunities and innovations that can be taken further by existing or new companies, Norgren is happy to get involved in local business networks and innovation systems (startups).

The expertise that Norgren has developed and is constantly developing constitutes a very important and fundamental key competence for sustainable use of natural resources in future work.

"In my research group, we have worked purposefully to understand the properties of cellulose all the way from molecule to finished materials for almost ten years. The aim has been to investigate how we could use the fantastic cellulose polymer, which is found in almost everything that grows, in a more efficient and sustainable way in the future. If we can also contribute to this knowledge being translated into processes and products at the region's companies, it feels great," says Magnus Norgren.       

The prize will be awarded at the Academic Ceremony, Friday 4 October 2024.

Contacts:

Magnus Norgren, Professor of Chemical Engineering at Mid Sweden University, 010-1428877, magnus.norgren@miun.se
Frida Anundsson, CEO Sparbanksstiftelsen Norrland, frida.anundsson@sparbanksstiftelsennorrland.se, 0730-30 70 11