Christina Wanhainen: “We can inspire the rest of the world”

One of the main challenges facing the transformation is the supply of competence. Christina Wanhainen from Luleå University of Technology joined our Deep talks to discuss the growing need for critical metals and minerals and how academia and industry can work together to meet this need.

Woman in mining helment with studion in background.
Watch the full interview with Christina Wanhainen.

Minerals and metals are at the base of almost every value chain, therefore the mining and minerals industry will be essential if we as a society are to reach the global climate goals. This was the main theme of our first Deep talk session: Minerals for change – zero-emission future starts in the mine.

Christina Wanhainen from Luleå University of Technology joined the session to discuss how academia can be helpful in accomplishing these goals:
”I think that if we continue to collaborate like this, with building these clusters with different industries and academia, and bringing in the society to make sure that we have skilled people, it could really be successful. It could also inspire the rest of the world to see how we can succeed with this.”

We need good teachers, top researchers, to keep the education on a top level

Christina Wanhainen

It’s all connected: the university provides us with the skilled people that we need, but in order to do so, they need great teachers that the industry can help provide. So in order for the transition to be successful, we all have to work together:

”It’s like an ecosystem”, says Christina Wanhainen: ”I think what we need is more long term perspectives within academia so that we can keep these engaged researchers here”.

Watch the entire interview with Christina above.