Peter Larsson wants

A new chair for Peter Larsson

– I have my hands in more cookie jars than I have fingers, says Peter Larsson, who from May 1 is the new Chair of the University of Gothenburg Board.

And his engagements are truly numerous. For example, Peter Larsson is senior advisor to the Swedish Association of Graduate Engineers, Chair of Education and Research at the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences, and has recently investigated welfare technology in geriatric care.

– I AM 64 YEARS of age, and enjoy the experience that age can provide, Peter Larsson explains. The many different organisations I have been active in have given me the ability to think laterally, an ability to consider problems in unexpected ways, something that I consider a strength. However, my former colleagues could sometimes object when I arrived in the morning with a new suggestion before they had had the time to grasp the ideas I had presented the week before.

Peter Larsson is the new Chair of the Board but is not new to the University of Gothenburg. – I have been on the board for four years. But even though I studied at Chalmers, I was in contact early on with the University of Gothenburg as well. For example, during the 1970s I was involved for some time with the Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies of the Human Condition. Emin Tengström, Sweden’s first professor of human ecology, once observed that anyone who wants to adopt an interdisciplinary approach must be secure in their own profession, and that is an insight I have been very conscious of since then.

IT WAS HIS environmental awareness that made Peter Larsson study chemical engineering. – At the time, in the 1970s, many people argued that chemists contributed to quite a lot of the environmental problems. But I felt that this was the very reason why chemists must also provide solutions. The expertise in systems and processes that an engineering education provides is something I have benefited from since then, for instance during my six years at the Ministry of the Environment.

In 2006, Peter Larsson was appointed socio-political director at the Swedish Association of Graduate Engineers, when two engineering associations merged. – Through my work at the Swedish Association of Graduate Engineers I have gotten to know all the universities and colleges around the country. Conditions vary, as Stockholm has five major universities while Gothenburg has only two. On the other hand, there is an ongoing collaboration that is promising in the Västra Götaland region that would be much more difficult in Stockholm.

The University of Gothenburg has recently adopted a new vision. Peter Larsson believes that is a good thing. – We have to be scientifically and internationally relevant, but also present in the region. That involves cooperation with businesses in the region. Sweden is a small country, our companies must be open and have an international outlook, which means that cooperation with regional stakeholders often also entails cooperation with other countries. Working together of course benefits both the university and industry.

We have to be scien- tifically and interna- tionally relevant, but also present in the region.

PETER LARSSON

The University of Gothenburg is one of the most diverse in the country. – We offer everything, except technology studies. Interestingly enough, there is strong solidarity between different faculties. I, for example, am very impressed by how the management at other faculties have stood up for the humanities, which have been experiencing some financial difficulties. All multi-scientific initiatives taken by the University of Gothenburg concerning major societal challenges are also incredibly interesting. But of course, there are other challenges as well, such as housing the large Sahlgrenska Academy among the university’s smaller faculties. But it is working well. Doing the corresponding thing in Stockholm, moving the Karolinska Institute into Stockholm University, would just not work.

The University of Gothenburg is very present in public discourse, argues Peter Larsson. – Now, I haven’t done a scientific study, but my opinion is that our medical students, political scientists, IT experts and many others have made their presence felt. Of course, there is a lot of work behind that development.

Part of the challenges faced by Sweden, where the universities have an important role to play, include climate change and education, but also elderly care. – I recently conducted an investigation into elderly care on behalf of the Swedish Ministry of Health and Social Affairs and it is an area that is in dire need of new investment, something that has been particularly apparent during the ongoing pandemic. The University of Gothenburg is truly a pioneer in research into the elderly, and perhaps this important field will finally receive the attention it deserves.

IN GENERAL, Peter Larsson hopes that the current pandemic will highlight the need for resilience, meaning that society will develop in a more sustainable manner. – A socially, economically and environmentally sustainable development, which was something that Gro Harlem Brundtland put forward as early as 1987 in the so-called

Peter Larsson

Currently: New Chairperson of the Board of the University of Gothenburg. Lives in: Stockholm. Family: Partner, four adult children. Background: Civil engineering degree from Chalmers in 1987, graduation was planned in 1980, but one unfinished exam kept lingering. Planning manager at the Ministry of the Environment from 1986-1991, County Council Commissioner in Stockholm from 1997-2000, was appointed socio-political director at the Swedish Association of Graduate Engineers in 2006. He has recently conducted three investigations on behalf of the government: Regional Development on Gotland, Welfare Technology in Elderly Care, as well as Challenge-Driven Innovation in the Food Supply Chain. Chair of Education and Research at the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences (IVA) and a member of the Knowledge Foundation Board, among many other commissions. Interests: Continuously renovating his house and barn at Runmarö in the Stockholm archipelago, walking his dog, cooking. Read Peter Larsson’s article on elderly care: www.di.se/debatt/aldreomsorgen-behover-en-stark-branschkultur/.

Brundtland Commission. And in 2006, the British economist Nicholas Stern proposed that the investments that are being made now to prevent major climate change should be seen as insurance premiums, which is something we are willing to pay for other things. Something has happened now, that has never happened before in human history, namely that the leaders of the world have managed to keep 3.5 billion people at home to prevent the spread of a contagion. This shows that change is possible, even on a global level.

Peter Larsson argues that his job as Chair of the Board is to listen and support the long-term development of the entire university. – I have great confidence in everyone throughout the organisation and also trust everyone on the board. We have representatives from the region, industry, culture and the climate, as well as lecturers and students of course. It will be very interesting spending more time with the University of Gothenburg.

Text: Eva Lundgren Photo: Johan Wingborg

All public interest members of the new Board at the University of Gothenburg:

Peter Larsson, Chair

Christina Björklund,

Managing Director of the Göteborg Opera Ann Follin, Director General of the National Museums of World Culture Anders Hallberg, Professor of Medical Chemistry and former Vice-Chancellor of Uppsala University

Johan Kuylenstierna,

Deputy Chair of the Swedish Climate Policy Council Sven Landelius, former Chair of the ESS research facility and former Managing Director of the Øresundsbro Consortium Ann-Sofi Lodin, Chief Executive of the Västra Götaland Region Sara Wallin, CEO of Almi Väst.