How can we ensure that research innovation funding produces solutions that are relevant to the market and useful for end consumers and society?
How can we make sure that the current industry challenges are addressed through cutting edge research?
As an open innovation cluster with the mission of facilitating the creation of breakthrough solutions in bioeconomy, circular economy and energy systems, these are the questions which CLIC Innovation is aiming to address with our market shaping workshops. Market shaping workshops engage research and private sector stakeholders in identifying the enabling factors and addressing hostile actors to drive the market towards innovative future milestones. The aim is to break down complex evolving market scenarios to actionable research, development and policy steps to make the desired future more achievable.
Since 2020, CLIC is managing two innovation ecosystems funded by Business Finland innovation ecosystem program, namely Green E2 and 4Recycling.
4Recycling is an innovation ecosystem targeting at solving the Plastics Challenge. The ecosystem targets to build new solutions for enhanced recycling of plastics and to develop bio-based materials to replace plastics. On February 8th, 2022, CLIC Innovation organized the first market shaping workshop for the 4Recyling ecosystem.
The market shaping workshop was guided by the four RDI focus themes at 4Recycling ecosystem. The thematic groups were:
- Functional bio-based packaging in grocery trade
- Plastics recycling and replacement and composites in construction industry
- Recycling technologies for grocery trade packaging
- Recycling of bulky fibre-reinforced plastic products and related industrial side-streams.
Before the market shaping workshop, we developed the RDI roadmaps for each of the focus areas. ‘The input for the R&D topics in the focus areas were initially derived from the CLIC SRIAs (strategic research and innovation agenda) of bioeconomy and circular economy themes and supplemented by the results from previous research projects and workshops with stakeholders. These roadmaps will be published in March 2022.
The market shaping roadmaps developed during the workshop will provide directions to ensure development of leading-edge solutions and products as well as reuse and recycling of raw materials. Stay tuned to hear more from 4Recycling ecosystem and collaborate with us in developing this further during Spring 2022. You can learn more and subscribe to our newsletters about our open innovation ecosystem activities for 4Recycling and GreenE2.
The authors Merie Kannampuzha and Tiina Witikkala are working in CLIC Innovation. Kannampuzha is working as RDI Manager and has wide experience in innovation project management from various sectors. Witikkala is a project manager and has a passion for mapping a sustainable future through co-creation of novel solutions in bioeconomy.