Luke and Aarhus University formalize Nordic research alliance on food, climate, and protein

The Natural Resources Institute Finland and Aarhus University formalized a new strategic partnership aimed at accelerating research and innovation in food and agriculture across the Nordic region, with a strong focus on sustainability, climate resilience, and alternative protein development.

• Luke and Aarhus University signed a five-year Memorandum of Understanding to deepen collaboration on food, agriculture, and natural resource research.

• The partnership targeted areas including alternative proteins, circular bioeconomy, climate adaptation, and sustainable food value chains.

• Joint research proposals, shared infrastructure, and researcher mobility programs were scheduled to begin in 2026.

The collaboration was confirmed through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding, bringing together two leading Nordic research institutions to address shared challenges linked to food production, climate change, and natural resource management. By pooling expertise, infrastructure, and international networks, the partners aimed to strengthen the Nordic region’s role in shaping future food systems.

Luke and Aarhus University said the partnership built on years of informal cooperation, providing a more structured framework for long-term collaboration. The agreement was set for an initial five-year term, with the first joint research proposals and collaborative activities expected to launch in the coming months and continue throughout 2026.

The scope of the partnership covered a wide range of research and innovation areas, including alternative protein sources, sustainable food value chains, circular bioeconomy solutions, and climate-resilient agricultural systems. Both institutions said combining their complementary strengths would enable more ambitious projects than either could pursue alone.

Johanna Buchert, President & CEO of Luke, said the agreement reflected a shared ambition to deliver practical solutions. “This partnership is about more than formal collaboration, it reflected a shared commitment to solving real-world challenges,” Buchert said. “Together, we could access new funding opportunities, share specialized research infrastructure, and create innovative solutions that benefit both institutions and the broader Nordic research community.”

A central goal of the partnership was the development of joint research and innovation activities, with Luke and Aarhus University planning to submit at least two shared research proposals each year. These proposals were expected to target both European Union and Nordic funding programs, strengthening cross-border collaboration and research competitiveness.

The agreement also enabled shared access to specialized research infrastructure, allowing researchers from both institutions to use facilities, datasets, and technical platforms that supported advanced experimentation and methodological development. Coordinated approaches to research design and data generation were intended to improve comparability and scalability across projects.

Researcher and student mobility formed another key pillar of the partnership. Luke and Aarhus University said they would facilitate exchanges for researchers, PhD candidates, and early-career scientists, supporting skills development while building long-term professional networks. The institutions viewed this mobility as essential to capacity building and the transfer of expertise across disciplines and borders.

Eskild Holm Nielsen, Dean of the Faculty of Technical Sciences at Aarhus University, said the partnership aligned closely with AU’s long-standing focus on agricultural science and sustainability. “AU has long been committed to advancing agricultural science and sustainability,” Nielsen said. “This partnership with Luke opened exciting new avenues for joint research, student mobility, and knowledge exchange.”

He added that emerging areas of innovation were of particular interest. “We were particularly excited about the potential to develop cutting-edge solutions in emerging areas like agri-digitalization and novel protein production,” Nielsen said.

Beyond core research activity, the partnership placed emphasis on knowledge exchange and policy impact. Luke and Aarhus University planned to organize policy dialogue forums, joint participation in international research and innovation networks, and a series of annual workshops and innovation events designed to connect researchers, industry stakeholders, and policymakers.

Sustainability themes ran throughout the collaboration, with specific attention given to lifecycle assessments, greenhouse gas mitigation strategies, and climate adaptation measures in agriculture. The partners said these areas were increasingly critical as Nordic food systems faced pressure from climate variability, resource constraints, and shifting consumer expectations.

Luke described the agreement as a natural extension of its mandate as Finland’s leading natural resources research institute. The organization conducted research across food and agriculture, forestry, fisheries, and environmental sustainability, with a focus on supporting evidence-based policy and innovation at both national and European levels.

Aarhus University, meanwhile, highlighted the role of its Faculty of Technical Sciences in driving applied research and innovation. The faculty’s work spanned precision agriculture, biorefinery technologies, digital systems, and climate adaptation, areas that closely aligned with Luke’s research priorities.

By formalizing their collaboration, the two institutions said they aimed to move more quickly from research to impact, supporting resilient food systems that balanced productivity, environmental performance, and economic viability. With initial projects already in development, Luke and Aarhus University expected the partnership to become a cornerstone of Nordic cooperation on food and agriculture research over the coming years.