New UCMR Directors focus on BSL-3 labs and clinical ties

Fredrik Almqvist and Marta Bally have been appointed as the new Directors of UCMR, the hub for microbial infection research at Umeå University. Their forward agenda includes enhancing collaboration with clinical research and establishing Biosafety Level 3 (BSL-3) labs for both in vitro and in vivo experiments.
“To stay at the forefront and recruit the best researchers, it’s crucial to have modern BSL-3 labs,” says Fredrik Almqvist.

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Researchers and industry meet in Umeå to jointly drive life science innovations

Umeå Biotech Incubator (UBI) is inviting academic researchers and life science companies to meet and collaborate at its new ‘Open up for Innovation’ event on the 27th of February.
“We have world-class research being conducted at Umeå University and internationally successful companies based in town. Now we’re gathering 100 bright minds under one roof to stimulate innovation”, says Andreas Lindberg and Lisandro Bernardo, business coaches at UBI and initiators of the event. 

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SweTree Technologies expands to complete unique plant pilot project

SweTree Technologies is expanding. The company is currently seeking two new employees to complete a world-unique pilot for the industrial production of spruce seedlings using Somatic Embryogenesis (SE) technology.
”By 2025, the plan is to start building a factory capable of producing 20 million seedlings per year, and we’re now strengthening our team to prepare for this next phase”, says CEO Christofer Réhn.

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Interview: 10 million SEK for research

Pernilla Wikström, Professor at the Department of Medical Biosciences at Umeå universitet, and one of the founders and owners of UBI-supported Phenotype Diagnostics, has received 10 million Swedish kronor from the Cancer Research Foundation in Northern Sweden (Cancerforskningsfonden i Norrland) for her research on prostate cancer.

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Eco-innovation from Umeå breaking new ground for the mining industry

Restoring natural ecosystems in mining disturbed landscapes is a crucial yet complex process. A groundbreaking Swedish initiative, which employs moss to accelerate this restoration, is now being heralded as a potential game changer for the global mining industry.
“If it turns out as well as expected, it could set a new standard for the mining industry”, says VAST’s CEO, Matt Baida, about the Vinnova and mining industry financed project, initiated by Daniel Pacurar, Founder and Executive Chairman of Boreal Orchards AB, and featuring four major mining companies, VAST AB and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU).

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FOI in Umeå launches recruitment drive in response to global security concerns

The Swedish Defence Research Agency (FOI) is set to significantly expand its operations in Umeå this spring after announcing plans to hire around 20 new employees to the CBRN Defence and Security department.
“We’ve got growing pains! There is an increased need to strengthen the defence research due to the changing global security situation and politics regarding national defence policies”, says Susanne W Lindström, Head of the Chemical Threat and Effect Assessments Unit in Umeå.

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SpinChem plays crucial role in SEK 19 million PFAS-project

The “Beat-PFAS” project aims to develop an effective solution for removing and destroying PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) from contaminated soil and water. The Umeå based company SpinChem AB is set to play a crucial role in this initiative, funded by Formas, a Swedish government research council dedicated to sustainable development, with a grant of SEK 19.9 million.

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Quality Assurance in Life science Umeå gets a boost from new network

Umeå’s life science sector took an important step forward this spring when Umeå Biotech Incubator (UBI) established a new Quality Assurance (QA) network. The network, which brings together representatives from some 15 companies, focuses on sharing experiences and strategies to deal with the increasingly complex quality requirements facing the industry.

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Medicvent strenghtens market position with new prestigious assignment

Umeå-based Medicvent has been awarded a new prestigious assignment to deliver central systems for waste gas/diathermy and its unique double mask system used in anesthesia to Högsbo Regional Hospital, which will be inaugurated in Gothenburg in 2024.
“It is a modern, innovative hospital that wants to be at the very forefront of healthcare. It’s fantastic that we’ve got the opportunity to work with a client like this”, says Erik Lindström, CEO of Medicvent.

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Life science consulting company seeks manager for new offices in Umeå

Umeå’s life science industry continues its rapid expansion with news that technology consulting company Prevas is looking to hire a Business Unit Manager for its new offices in the city.
“There is a growing market for life science in Umeå that we want to be a part of”, says Majid Meshkintorreh, Prevas’ Norrland Regional Manager.

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The AstraZeneca non-profit mentorship program giving expert advice to UBI startups

The AstraZeneca Exchange Nordic mentorship program provides expert advice to Nordic life science startups and entrepreneurs. For Umeå Biotech Incubator (UBI) the program has proven to be an invaluable tool for the startups it coaches – offering a range of advice from market and needs analysis to more specific technical questions.
“It’s fantastic that we have the opportunity to tap into all the expertise available within AstraZeneca”, says Tobias Tovedal, a Business Coach at UBI.

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