The Competence Development Award

The award is meant to contribute to insights about process and product opportunities that can help the industry forward.

Suggestions that aims to bridge the gap between research fields, create new knowledge, new competence or develop new networks within the sector are eligible for the award. Initiatives involving
research in new environments inside or outside of Sweden are welcome. The award is aimed at researchers who have progressed further in their research. The laureate can be a research manager,
or a researcher and must be affiliated to a university or research institute in Sweden. The award is administered by the laureate’s employer.

Examples of awarded research areas

The Competence Development Award was presented for the first time in 2007. Examples of research areas that have been rewarded include consumer-driven packaging development, the relationship between retention and formation in paper manufacturing, the functionality of cellulose fibers, lignin-based carbon fiber, optically active paper surfaces, nanocellulose, and paper surfaces with electronic functionality.

How to apply

A two-step application:

• As a first step, send in an expression of interest latest November 20, 2025. Describe how the award is intended to be used, who you are, which organization you belong to, your background and your research interest. Briefly describe the proposal and how it is expected to contribute to renewal of the use of fibers and chemicals from wood. State if you are seeking funds from several actors for your project. Use the application template. The expression of interest need not be extensive (maximum 2 pages).

• In the beginning of December 2025, the board of the foundation will select a smaller number of proposals which are invited to submit, in a second step, a final proposal. To assist preparation of this, the proposer will receive an instruction. The final proposal shall be received no later than January 31, 2026.

Further inquiries can be made to Linda Larsson, to whom you shall also send the initial expression of
interest, e-mail: linda.larsson@skogsindustrierna.se, phone: +46 (0)76-800 94 97.

The awards ceremony takes place at the event “Framtidsmötet” in the spring of 2026.