Stora Enso enters into strategic partnership with Aalto University, Chalmers University of Technology and the Royal Institute of Technology

Stora Enso has signed strategic partnership agreements with three of the leading technical universities in Sweden and Finland. The aim of the agreements is to strengthen collaboration between Stora Enso and leading academic institutes through long-term competence development, joint research and innovation incubation.


Helsinki, Finland, 2016-05-19 08:00 CEST (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- STORA ENSO OYJ PRESS RELEASE 19 May 2016 at 09.00 EET

The strategic partnerships will result in concrete collaboration projects, based on needs identified in close dialogue between the management of Stora Enso and the respective university management. The priority competence areas for research collaboration are bio-based chemistry, process solutions, digitalisation, material science and design.

“The aim is to leverage the agreements in order to tie our own research resources closer to these universities," says Markus Mannström, Chief Technology Officer of Stora Enso. “This collaboration with leading engineering universities will support Stora Enso's transformation into a renewable materials company and allow us to further advance our positions in the field of innovation.”

The partnership agreements also target the improvement of competence development within Stora Enso and an increase in student recruitment to those universities.

"There are so many interesting opportunities within our industry," says Lars Häggström, EVP Human Resources of Stora Enso. “If we can make the forest industry a more attractive workplace, it will attract more students to apply to the technical education programmes of the universities. All the involved parties will benefit from that.”

The strategic partnership agreements with Aalto University, Chalmers University of Technology and the Royal Institute of Technology were signed recently and are valid until further notice.

For further information, please contact:
Ulrika Lilja, EVP, Communications, tel. +46 72 221 92 28
Markus Mannström, Chief Technology Officer, tel +358 40 706 5527

Stora Enso is a leading provider of renewable solutions in packaging, biomaterials, wooden constructions and paper on global markets. Our aim is to replace fossil based materials by innovating and developing new products and services based on wood and other renewable materials. We employ some 26 000 people in more than 35 countries, and our sales in 2015 were EUR 10.0 billion. Stora Enso shares are listed on Nasdaq Helsinki (STEAV, STERV) and Nasdaq Stockholm (STE A, STE R). In addition, the shares are traded in the USA as ADRs (SEOAY) on the International OTCQX over-the-counter market. storaenso.com

STORA ENSO OYJ