New international advisory board for Food and health initiative
Jens Bleiel, Jan Sikkema, Anders Kaspersson, Robert Brummer. Front row: Lavinia Gunnarsson, research coordinator Food and health, Berit Heitmann and Kati Katina.
Five experts from five countries with extensive experience of ensuring that research benefits society. That is Örebro University’s new international advisory board linked to the focus area Food and health.
“They are impressed by the initiative. Örebro University has in many ways greater flexibility than the older universities and Örebro has managed that flexibility well,” says Anders Kaspersson. He is chair of the advisory board and has followed the university’s initiative from the start.
Anders Kaspersson har worked almost 40 years in the food industry, and has held positions such as vice president for research and development at Nestlé. The members of the advisory board have experience from higher education, industry and public sector collaboration. Several have worked at the crossroad of industry and academia.
“We’ve gathered research and education on food and health, in order to actually meet challenges in society. Now we’ll have access to strategic expertise from persons with extensive experience from research and innovation within this broad focus area,” says Robert Brummer, pro-vice-chancellor and head of the initiative.
The advisory board appointed by Vice-Chancellor Johan Schnürer consists of:
• Anders Kaspersson (chair), former VP of R&D, Nestlé corporation, Switzerland
• Jens Bleiel, 2009–2018 CEO, Food for Health, Ireland
• Kati Katina, Docent, Department of Food and Nutrition Food Sciences, University of Helsinki, Finland
• Jan Sikkema, Business Development Director, University Medical Center Groningen, Netherlands
• Berit Heitmann, Professor, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, and Research Director, Parker Institute, Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg Hospital, Denmark
The advisory board’s task is, from an international perspective, to give strategic input to the focus area of Food and health and its future activities. The group will provide recommendations and advice on networks and funding opportunities of interest to the scheme.
Text and photo: Linda Harradine
Translation: Jerry Gray