Energy, Curiosity, and Collaboration at The Bridge Conference 2025
On March 10, The Bridge Conference brought together nearly 90 participants from Linnaeus University, IKEA, and Södra for a day filled with engaging discussions and creative exchanges of ideas. This annual conference serves as a key platform where academia and business come together to identify challenges, exchange knowledge, and collaboratively shape the sustainable solutions of the future—spanning the entire forest value chain
Engaging Dialogues in a Dynamic Workshop
One of the highlights of the day was the workshop, where participants had the opportunity to build new connections and explore collaborations across disciplines and organizations.
- The fact that we attracted 50 percent more participants this year compared to last year clearly shows that engagement and collaboration within The Bridge have grown. More people from Linnaeus University, IKEA, and Södra are now involved, creating even greater opportunities to drive important initiatives forward together, said a pleased Maria Engelbrektsson, Partnership leader for The Bridge.
The workshop was designed to help researchers and company representatives identify shared interests and initiate dialogues with the hope that these discussions will lead to concrete research projects.
Launch of The Bridge Project Portfolio 2025
Another key moment was when the steering group—consisting of Peter Aronsson (Linnaeus University), Robert Carleke (IKEA), and Lotta Lyrå (Södra)—marked a historic milestone by officially launching the first research funding call within The Bridge.
- This collaboration is not only interesting and inspiring – it is also important. We need research, fresh ideas, and innovation to achieve our sustainability goals, emphasized Robert Carleke.
Now, researchers at Linnaeus University, in collaboration with IKEA and/or Södra, can apply for funding to drive innovation and sustainability focusing on forestry and wood. This new funding call represents a crucial step in deepening collaboration and enabling more groundbreaking initiatives.
Lotta Lyrå highlighted the uniqueness of the partnership:
- This partnership is unique when we look at the entire forest value chain we represent. Beyond that, we share a common foundation—our commitment to driving society toward a more sustainable future and addressing challenges such as climate change, biodiversity, and beyond.
The Bridge Conference 2025 was an inspiring day where academia and business came together to shape future solutions. With a solid foundation of ideas, new connections, and emerging opportunities, we look forward to seeing the projects that will grow out of this year’s conference.