Each project will be awarded up to SEK 150,000 from the fund. The assessment group consisted of individuals appointed by the Sustainability Forum and LU Innovation, who have expertise in both the innovation process and sustainability challenges.
A new call for applications in the same area, Sustainable Idea Exploration, will open in winter 2023/2024 for applications from all researchers at Lund University.
Funded projects
Microencapsulated pheromone dispensers for pest control on row crops
Hong Lei Wang, Department of biology
he project aims to explore an improved formulation of sprayable pheromone dispensers to use for crop protection. Insect pheromones, which regulate reproductive behavior, can substitute conventional chemical insecticides, and provide a safe and environmentally friendly alternative, but comes with high costs. If successful, the project might enable pheromones to be used in pest control even for low-cost row crops.
Microbial cell factories for production of polyamides from lignin
Magnus Carlquist, Department of chemistry
The project will conduct tests on how to scale up a process that can produce polyamide precursors from lignin. The process is based on metabolic engineering of microorganisms which could enable green ways of producing chemicals from biomass. The project will also test the purity of the products to see if it is possible to further process them into polymers.
Transnational cinemas of the Baltic Sea: a sustainable regioscape in the making
Anna Mrozewics, Centre for Languages and Literature
The project intends to investigate the environmental impacts of Scandinavian runaway productions across the Baltic Sea, specifically in Lithuania. This investigation intends to develop sustainable practices and policies when Nordic films and TV series shootings are outsourced to their Baltic neighbours.
Training scheme for sustainable monies and community development.
Paola Rafaelli, Department of Business Administration
The training scheme this project aims to create is an attempt to test a solution within the area of complementary currency and develop a social innovation relevant for communities in vulnerable conditions experiencing liquidity constraints.
Quantifying fire-retardant concentrations in fire-retardant treated wood
Konrad Wilkens, Department of Building & Environmental Technology
This project focuses on one of the most basic questions regarding fire-retardant treated wood: ‘How can we measure the concentration of fire retardant in wood specimens?’. This project aims to test whether techniques used for other wood industry quality-control measures can be used to quantify the concentrations and penetration depths of fire retardants in wood-based building materials.
About the Sustainability Fund
Lund University has big goals to reduce the negative impact on the climate and environment of its operations. At the same time, there is great potential to harness new ideas and use our organisations as test beds for developing sustainable solutions for society as a whole. Starting in autumn 2022, all students and staff have the opportunity to apply for funding for the development of ideas from the university-wide fund. The fund will support ideas in all aspects of sustainability, including ecological, social and economic aspects.
The fund is run jointly by Sustainability Forum, LU Innovation, and LU Estates.
Get in touch with us at sustainabilityfund [at] innovation [dot] lu [dot] se