Yara International : and SINTEF enter into partnership and establish innovation hub

The long term agreement with the research institute SINTEF will involve the establishment of a joint innovation hub in Trondheim. The goal is to develop next generation fertilizer production and new technology solutions to reduce the climate impact from food production.

'Yara's vision is to responsibly feed the world and protect the planet. As a major industrial player, we welcome new thinking and disruption. SINTEF's research community has competence in a range of relevant disciplines, and by establishing this partnership, we aim to reinvent fertilizer production and add more solutions that contribute to the sustainable intensification of agriculture,' says Svein Tore Holsether, President and CEO of Yara.

Researchers from various disciplines, such as process chemistry, energy and materials technology, will work together in the innovation hub in Trondheim which will be opened some time this autumn, and at SINTEF's lab for micro- og nanoelectronics in Oslo.

SINTEF's presence in Grenland is about to be strengthened through the merger with the Tel-Tek research foundation. This gives increased proximity to Yara's industrial operations in Herøya, and will help strengthen the cooperation.

'With this agreement, SINTEF enters into a close strategic and operational cooperation with one of the largest and most important industrial companies in Norway. We have been collaborating well for several years, and this agreement gives us a real boost. It provides the basis for jointly creating innovative solutions and new technology for land-based industry and food production, 'says Alexandra Bech Gjørv, CEO of SINTEF.

The companies have defined new projects and development tracks that address global challenges, including climate-friendly fertilizer production, sensor technology for agriculture and new environmental solutions.

'Yara needs to find new ways to meet the future requirements for fertilizer production, meaning that we need to produce cheaper, greener and more flexible technology. This partneship is a classic example of open innovation, where we use a wider network of competences to deliver innovation through collaboration and ambition.,' says Pierre Herben EVP, Corporate Innovation at Yara.

The agreement between the parties was signed for three years, with an automatic renewal of three new years. The opening of the innovation hub is planned in October.