At present SLU is looking for eight candidates to an equal number of posts for post-graduate students. Those elected will spend the next five years in research of a technical subject chosen by the wood processing enterprises involved.
Professor Tomas Nordfjell, the head of the teaching institute of SLU, says that the Institute wants to employ an equal number of men and women, both Masters of Science in Engineering and in Forestry. He is very happy that technical research on a broad and solid basis will come to a new life.
Professor Nordfjell further says that research in forest technology has been slumbering for the last decades. Focus has been on environmental aspects and on questions concerning forest protection. Furthermore, wood processing enterprises have been satisfied with the existing wood harvesting techniques, but they now realize that new efforts must be made to improve technology.
The situation in Finland is similar. A teaching institute of equal size for researchers will be established. Parts of teaching and research will be undertaken in common. Each post-graduate student will have mentors from both countries and there are plans to make several joint study tours abroad.
In the beginning of year 2009 an extensive joint Finnish-Swedish programme in forest technology (FIRST) will be launched in the form of a teaching institute for researchers. It will be managed by the Umea faculty of forestry of the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) and supported by the Forestry Research Institute of Sweden.