In Finland, Aalto University and VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland have signed a collaboration agreement to develop materials from renewable resources. The Academy of Finland has granted a €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. Total funding is €24 million.
The collaboration will focus 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.
VTT forecasts that Finnish forest and field biomass could double in value by 2050 if used to manufacture high-value products.