Aalto University and VTT launch a major innovation ecosystem aimed at doubling the value of forest industry
The aim is to develop materials from renewable resources in order to safeguard a sustainable future. The Academy of Finland has granted a EUR 9.5 million flagship funding for the first four years of the project. An extension funding for the next four-year period will be based on an interim evaluation. The total funding of the project is EUR 24 million.
The CERES innovation ecosystem will create a unique foundation for new bioeconomy innovations in Finland. Plant-based biomaterial is the future plastics and, according to researchers, much beyond. The purpose of this ecosystem is to develop new materials, in particular based on lignocellulose and forest biomass, for industrial-scale production of packaging, textiles and separation systems, as well as semiconductors, composites and solutions for energy storage.
According to VTT's scenario calculations, if used to manufacture high added-value products, Finnish forest and field biomass could double in value by 2050. It is possible to do all this and, at the same time, reach the climate targets set for the country. This scenario work is the first analysis of Finland's potential in the bioeconomy and its transition to a low-carbon economy, which takes account of all industrial and emission sectors.
The objective of Finland's national bioeconomy strategy is to create 100,000 new jobs in the country and increase the bioeconomy output by EUR 40 billion by 2025. The research and development work to be performed under CERES will support the delivery of this objective and help companies to make new openings in the international market.
On 23 August 2018, VTT President and CEO Antti Vasara and Aalto University President Ilkka Niemelä signed a collaboration agreement to establish the CERES ecosystem. In this agreement, both parties emphasise their willingness to create a joint ecosystem in the field of biomaterial research, as well as create ground rules for successful cooperation. The agreement also aims to support the commercial exploitation of project results.
CERES will function as a virtual knowledge centre. It will develop new methods for biomass processing as well as material solutions based on these, and provide the industry long-term, globally cutting-edge R&D work.
Further information:
Aalto University
Professor Orlando Rojas
tel. +358 50 512 4227, [email protected]
VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd
Research Professor Kristiina Kruus
tel. +358 50 520 2471, [email protected]
Read more news
Love and poetry - the artists were inspired by the passion conveyed by the university's research
Engineering Materials, an art collection for K1, K2, and K3 buildings, was published
Prof. Patrick Rinke: making sustainable materials with AI
Professor Patrick Rinke’s pioneering expertise in finding sustainable and climate-friendly materials with machine learning methodology has arguably never been more in demand
Strengthening the collaboration in the bioproduct sector between Finland and the United States
At the end of May, a large American delegation visited Finland to familiarize themselves with our forest and wood sector expertise. FinnCERES, the materials bioeconomy Flagship led by Aalto University and VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, is involved in developing new business opportunities through bio-based material innovations.