Boliden and Luleå University of Technology are today entering in to a long-term strategic collaboration agreement. The new agreement means that collaboration will be enhanced in terms of competence provision and competence development, as well as research and innovation towards leading positions within automation and resource utilization.

Boliden has long collaborated with Luleå University of Technology, with a focus on developing technology and strengthening competence in both mining and smelting operations. The university has also been an important recruitment base for Boliden. 

"Attracting and further developing skills and technologies is an important part of Boliden's strategy and requires long-term work. We are already a leader in areas such as climate performance and I look forward to future efforts to further develop the business," says Mikael Staffas, President and CEO of Boliden.

The new strategic collaboration agreement broadens the collaboration between Boliden and Luleå University of Technology and enables to deepen the work to lead the industry development of automation within mines and optimized resource utilization within smelters. Some examples of projects are Process Automation and Digital Twins, Human-Machine Interaction in Automation and Sustainability Management and Social Acceptance.

"In connection with the climate transition, we are seeing there is substantial demand for metals and minerals. At the same time, Luleå University of Technology and Boliden have a long and successful history and together we can create better conditions for a more sustainable supply of raw materials," says Pär Weihed, Professor and Pro Vice-Chancellor, Luleå University of Technology.