Magnus Berggren set up, and until recently headed, the Laboratory of Organic Electronics, LOE, on Campus Norrk枚ping.
鈥滻鈥檓 very surprised, of course, but at the same time I鈥檓 honoured and happy, as this reflects the successes I鈥檝e had the pleasure of attaining together with many good colleagues over the years,鈥� says Magnus Berggren.
What is your proudest achievement at LiU?
Photo credit Thor Balkhed 鈥淏eing given the opportunity to build a research environment that has yielded many good results and spin-off companies over the years, but mainly having built a team of the best researchers in the world in my field, who have chosen Campus Norrk枚ping as their base.鈥�
Has being located in Norrk枚ping played a role in this success, or could it have happened anywhere?
鈥淣o, Norrk枚ping has played a very important role in this, as since just before the turn of the century we鈥檝e had a belief that anything is possible and a community spirit that has been important in making LiU and Campus Norrk枚ping thrive.鈥�
What are you doing right now?
Photo credit Thor Balkhed 鈥淭he research programme WISE has recently been granted funding from the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation. WISE research focuses on materials science for a sustainable world. It鈥檚 very honouring that Campus Norrk枚ping has been chosen as the location for its programme office.鈥�
鈥淢y focus is on leading and developing WISE, and my own research focuses a lot on developing electronics that can grow 鈥沷n their own鈥� in the nervous system, for instance in the brain.鈥�
What do you see as the main obstacle to continued research achievements?
鈥滻 see the fact that LOE is an international environment as important and very positive proof that we attract the best scientists from all over the world. Unfortunately, the Swedish Alien鈥檚 Act is not conducive to this, which is very sad and may come to harm our laboratory and Sweden鈥檚 competitiveness in the long run.鈥�
鈥淯nder the Alien鈥檚 Act, people from non-EU countries can remain in Sweden only if they have a permanent post. This has made it more difficult to retain talented scientists after their doctoral degree from Swedish universities, as many posts at the first stages of their career are not permanent posts,鈥� says Magnus Berggren.
Norrk枚ping Municipality鈥檚 motivation for the award
鈥淢agnus Berggren has served as professor of organic electronics at Link枚ping University since 2002. He also heads the Laboratory of Organic Electronics. Magnus Berggren is described as one of the forerunners in groundbreaking fields such as organic bioelectronics and electronics in plants.
Magnus Berggren has received many prizes and awards for his research, including the Marcus Wallenberg Prize for his achievements in paper electronics. It is in this very area that he has successfully combined advanced research with spin-offs of business ideas and in this way contributed to a growing industry in Norrk枚ping and worldwide. Magnus Berggren has thus strongly contributed to putting Campus Norrk枚ping on the international research map.鈥�
The St Olof鈥檚 medal
Each year, Norrk枚ping Municipality awards the St Olof鈥檚 medal to staff having been employed for 25 years, and to members of the municipal council having served for 20 years. They also award one or more honorary medals. This year, such a medal is also awarded to Jenny J盲gerfeld, a psychologist and writer from Sk盲rblacka.
The ceremony will take place at Louis De Geer Konsert & Kongress on 13 May.