Adjacent Research Environments
Pro2BE cooperates with adjacent research groups and research environments at Karlstad University.
Packaging for Sustainable Development
At Service Research Center, associate professor Fredrik Wikström and senior lecturer Helén Williams are developing knowledge
At the Service Research Center, CTF, associate professor Fredrik Wikström and senior lecturer Helén Williams work on building knowledge about how packaging features interact with different kinds of human needs. The research is interdisciplinary and combines service theory with life cycle analysis. The vision is to contribute to a sustainable future where less food is wasted and packaging is designed, purchased and used with the intention of minimizing environmental impact throughout entire life cycle of the product. A clear link to Forest-based Bioeconomy research is that the Pro2BE researchers can contribute knowledge and data on biobased packaging materials, their properties and manufacturing processes.
Fundamental Separation Science
The group conducts theoretically advance fundamental research in the field of separation science and cooperates with industry regarding purification of drug molecules and high-value chemicals. The group is currently working on Liquid Chromatography (HPLC/UHPLC), Supercritical Fluid Chromatography (SFC) and biosensor (SPR/QCM) projects. There are excellent possibilities to cooperate with researchers within Pro2BE. For example, the process optimization methods developed by the group may be applied to processes studied by researchers in Forest-based bioeconomy. At the same time, chemical substances from forest raw materials can be interesting starting materials for drug production. Lead scientist of the group is professor Torgny Fornstedt and senior researchers are Jörgen Samuelsson och Patrik Forssén.
Centre for Regional Studies
The Centre for Regional Studies, CRS, is a cross-disciplinary center that studies societal change processes in a regional perspective. The research is interdisciplinary and is about understanding and comparing change processes in time and space, and how these can be controlled in a time characterized by regionalization and globalization. An important area is to analyze the prerequisites for a green change with the forest as a resource. The forest is enjoyed by many and has lots of values for the forestry industry, the visiting industry, hunting, mushroom and berry picking, recreation and outdoor life, cultural heritage, health and more. However, there are conflicts between different stakeholders as well as between the use and conservation of the forest as a resource. The green change that is required due to climate change, for example, sharpened the challenge of transition to a fossil-free society. The research in this field is led by Professor Margareta Dahlström, who is also the director of CRS.