Tetra Pak and Lund University open Biotech Heights to accelerate food production and innovation.
- Biotech Heights is an innovation hub that gathers actors to jointly conduct research, innovation and commercialisation of biotechnology, focusing on new materials and food
- The innovation hub will support collaboration between organisations from industry, academia and the public sector with the aim of creating new solutions and meet some of the world's sustainability challenges
- Start-ups, researchers and companies are encouraged to join the hub to help drive opportunities in biotechnology within a world-class research environment
Lund, Sweden, 7th April 2025: Tetra Pak and Lund University have today announced the opening of Biotech Heights, an innovation hub designed to support the development, innovation and commercialisation of biotechnology. Focusing on new food and materials, the hub aims to facilitate collaboration between organisations, industries and academia to create solutions that address some of the world’s most pressing food systems challenges.
Today, our global food systems account for more than a third of annual greenhouse gas emissions*. A rapidly growing population means we need to think differently and find new solutions to how we produce and distribute food.**
“Innovation in alternative food and materials plays a crucial role in the development of future food systems. At Biotech Heights, opportunities are created for collaborations between various actors within the biotechnology spaces, where knowledge can be shared, and solutions developed and scaled,” says Marie Sandin, CEO of Tetra Pak in Sweden.
A unique platform for innovation and collaboration, Biotech Heights offers an open environment where start-ups, researchers and companies can collaborate and share their ideas to develop innovative solutions in biotechnology. The innovation hub is a direct result of the long-standing collaboration between Tetra Pak and Lund University.
Through Biotech Heights, new members gain access to Tetra Pak's market-leading expertise in packaging materials and food processing and the research environment at Lund University. Lund University is ranked in the top 100 universities in the world, and places in the top 3 for environmental and sustainability research globally. This broader collaboration strengthens the region as the centre for groundbreaking food and material innovations.
"Lund University is making significant investments in the research field of biotechnology, building on our already strong reputation in this area. By building on the strong research environment and bringing together experts, infrastructure, and the already established food industry in the region, we can lead the development and drive positive change in the industry," says Annika Olsson, Dean of LTH at Lund University.
Since its establishment in 2023, Biotech Heights has supported a large number of research and innovation projects, organised workshops and seminars, and brought together numerous national and international stakeholders who want to develop biotechnology as a tool for future food and material production.
“There is huge potential for innovation in biotechnology. At Biotech Heights, we want to develop and generate innovative solutions in food and new materials using biotechnology. Membership provides the opportunity to collaborate with international experts, access advanced research infrastructure, and a platform to test and develop new ideas,” says Ulrika Rehn, Director of Processing Development, Tetra Pak.
Biotech Heights welcomes organisations to become part of the co-ordinated drive to unleash the full potential of biotechnology.
For more information about what membership in Biotech Heights entails, visit https://www.biotechheights.com/ or contact Biotech Heights directly.
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Notes to the editor
For more information, please contact:
Eva Schiller
PR Manager, Tetra Pak North Europe
+46 7333 611 75
eva.schiller@tetrapak.com
ABOUT TETRA PAK
Tetra Pak is a world leading food processing and packaging solutions company. Working with our customers and suppliers, we provide access to safe, nutritious food for hundreds of millions of people in more than 160 countries every day. With over 24,000 employees worldwide, we commit to making food safe and available, everywhere, and we promise to protect what’s good: food, people and the planet. More information about Tetra Pak is available at www.tetrapak.com.
ABOUT BIOTECH HIEGHTS
Biotech Heights is an innovation hub for interdisciplinary research and innovation, where opportunities in biotechnology are explored to develop the food and materials of the future. Academia, business and the public sector collaborate to drive progress in fermentation technology and promote innovation in several industries. Biotech Heights has its home at the Chemistry Center in Lund University, with its unique upscaling environment of 1,400 square meters. The initiative was started as a collaboration between Lund University, Tetra Pak and Future by Lund with support from Vinnova. As one of Vinnova's eight innovation platforms within the #ettnytt recipe initiative, Biotech Heights contributes to developing food and biotechnology. Read more about Biotech Heights and how you can become a member: www.biotechheights.com
** https://www.tetrapak.com/sustainability/acting-for-sustainability/moving-food-forward/new-food
