FinnCERES CATALYZES INNOVATION AND COLLABORATION BETWEEN THE INDUSTRY AND ACADEMIA
FinnCERES serves as a vital link between academic research and industrial application, facilitating collaboration between researchers and industry partners.
FinnCERES Materials Bioeconomy Flagship was established in 2018 in a joint effort by Aalto University and VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland as part of the flagship program funded by the Research Council of Finland. Its vision is to harness Finland’s rich forest resources and scientific expertise to develop sustainable bio-based materials that could revolutionize various industries.
“We explore the opportunities provided by the natural properties of wood for entirely
new uses of biomass”, says Monika Österberg, FinnCERES scientific director and Professor at Aalto University.
“The research in FinnCERES has a broad impact on society. We develop new innovative bio-based materials to allow the reduction of fossil raw material usage”, continues Tekla Tammelin, FinnCERES scientific director and Research Professor at VTT.
INDUSTRY COLLABORATION SERVES MARKET NEEDS
Through strategic partnerships with companies across various sectors, FinnCERES provides access to cutting-edge technologies, expertise, and resources that enable companies to develop and commercialize sustainable products and processes.
By leveraging Finland’s expertise in forestry, chemistry, and materials science, FinnCERES has made significant progress in the development of lightweight composites, bio-based polymers, advanced cellulosic materials, and utilization of industrial side streams.
“For example, the natural properties of lignin, which is produced as a side stream of pulping, provide protection against microbes and UV radiation and can be utilized in materials in entirely new ways. Lignin has been used to develop, among other things, nanoparticle-based coatings and thin films that prevent glass surfaces from fogging”, says Österberg.
“We transfer the functional properties of plants such as water responsiveness to technical materials, which is a fresh approach in materials technology”, says Tammelin.
These kinds of innovations not only address pressing societal challenges, such as climate change and resource scarcity, but also create new opportunities for the industries to enhance their competitiveness and environmental sustainability.
FinnCERES also contributes to Finland’s bioeconomy strategy, which aims to double
the value added of the bioeconomy by 2035. Both Österberg and Tammelin are members of the Finnish Forest Bioeconomy Science Panel, fostering discussions on the economic, environmental, and societal impacts of bio-based materials research.
“Improvements of the current forest products bring some additional value, but doubling the added value requires radical innovations such as the ones produced in FinnCERES”, says Österberg.
“Our mission is to renew the bio-based materials research with our extensive expertise in the field. In addition, we want to accelerate the transition from research-based innovations to business, ensuring that our actions are impactful for the society”, says Tammelin.