New directions for Finland’s forest bioeconomy at CLIC Bioeconomy thematic group event

On 15 September 2026, members of the CLIC Bioeconomy thematic group gathered at Eteläranta for an interactive workshop focused on the future of Finland’s forest-based bioeconomy. The event brought together experts from industry, research and innovation organisations to discuss emerging opportunities, challenges and research priorities for the sector.

At the CLIC Bioeconomy thematic group event Dr Johanna Kohl, Programme Director at the Natural Resources Institute Finland (LUKE) gave a keynote presentation on Shaping Finland’s Forest bioeconomy through leadership and collaboration – how Finland can strengthen the competitiveness and resilience of its forest bioeconomy in a rapidly changing operating environment shaped by climate change, geopolitical uncertainty, resource security and technological development.

From bioeconomy to a resilient biosociety

A central theme of the keynote was the need to view the bioeconomy as part of a broader biosociety, where renewable natural resources support not only new products and technologies, but also societal resilience, competitiveness and sustainable growth. This requires a whole-value-chain perspective. Bioeconomy strategies should connect raw materials from forests, agriculture and side streams with processing technologies, products, services and end users, rather than focusing on individual technologies in isolation. The presentation highlighted the importance of linking biomass production, processing, product development and commercialisation to create greater value from Finland’s renewable resources. Further, effective leadership and collaboration will be instrumental in pushing the boundaries of ambition and achieving more transformative impact.

More value from biomass and side streams

Dr Kohl also focused on the significant potential of biomass main streams, side streams and residues. Forest, agricultural and aquatic biomass contain valuable compounds including extractives, proteins, cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin and suberin. These can support applications ranging from food and cosmetics to textiles, packaging, coatings, pharmaceuticals and construction materials. Further, underutilised raw materials can be transformed into higher-value applications. For example, spruce bark, needles, berry press cakes and other plant-based resources can be used in biodyes, biowaxes, antibacterial and antiviral textile treatments, water-resistant treatments and coatings.

Raw material quality is critical

Seasonality, fluctuations in supply and the geographically dispersed nature of biomass can all affect commercial viability. Required feedstock volumes should therefore be assessed early, including through techno-economic analysis. Finland’s high traceability and sustainability standards provide an important competitive strength in this area. Logistics, storage and pre-treatment are equally important. Poor storage conditions can reduce the concentration of valuable compounds before processing, while different end uses require different feedstock quality standards. Efficient supply chains are therefore essential for preserving value and supporting the scale-up of bio-based solutions.

More value from biomass and side streams

Dr Kohl also focused on the significant potential of biomass main streams, side streams and residues. Forest, agricultural and aquatic biomass contain valuable compounds including extractives, proteins, cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin and suberin. These can support applications ranging from food and cosmetics to textiles, packaging, coatings, pharmaceuticals and construction materials. Further, underutilised raw materials can be transformed into higher-value applications. For example, spruce bark, needles, berry press cakes and other plant-based resources can be used in biodyes, biowaxes, antibacterial and antiviral textile treatments, water-resistant treatments and coatings.

New technologies creating new opportunities

The keynote also looked ahead to emerging technologies that could reshape the bioeconomy. One example was Q-GEN, an initiative exploring the use of quantum computing in genomics and biomaterials. Potential applications include genomic interpretation, genetic optimisation and biomaterial design. More broadly, digitalisation, artificial intelligence, big data and remote sensing are expected to play a growing role in sustainable resource management and industrial development. LUKE highlighted opportunities ranging from predictive modelling and AI-supported decision-making to digital forestry and hybrid computing applications.

From research to industrial scale

A major challenge remains turning promising research into commercially viable solutions. According to Dr Kohl, scale-up risks can be reduced through stronger pilot and demonstration funding, cross-sector innovation ecosystems, improved regulatory and certification readiness, and more secure and sustainable biomass supply chains. She also emphasised the need to support the full journey from biomass production and processing to high-quality, value-added products. Industrial demonstrations and stronger collaboration between research, industry and finance will be essential for bringing new bioeconomy solutions to market.

Competitiveness and sustainability together

The future competitiveness of the bioeconomy is closely linked to responsible natural-resource use. LUKE’s recommendations included strengthening regional innovation ecosystems and circular value chains, while supporting digitalisation, regenerative practices and data-driven decision-making. The presentation stated the importance of recognising values such as biodiversity, clean water and carbon storage, alongside improving climate resilience and adapting forest management to regional conditions. These themes point towards a future bioeconomy where competitiveness, resilience and sustainability must develop in parallel.

Shaping the next CLIC Bioeconomy SRIA

The objective of the thematic group meeting was to gather stakeholder input for the renewal of the CLIC Bioeconomy Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA) to reflect the changing operating environment. Participants engaged in discussions focusing on four key topics: 1) Feedstock availability, cross-sectoral themes and circularity; 2) Advanced materials and new applications; 3) Digitalisation/AI, commercialisation, exploitation and environmental performance.

The discussions highlighted the importance of continued cooperation between industry, research organisations, policymakers and other stakeholders to ensure that Finland remains at the forefront of sustainable bioeconomy innovation. Input collected during the workshop will contribute to identifying future focus areas for research, development and investment activities that support both economic competitiveness and sustainability goals.

CLIC would like to warmly thank Dr Johanna Kohl and all other presenters for their inspiring talks, as well as all thematic group members for their active participation and valuable contributions to the SRIA update process.

Interested in shaping the future of the bioeconomy?

CLIC Bioeconomy provides a collaborative ecosystem where companies, research organisations and other stakeholders can jointly identify future research and innovation needs, develop project ideas and build impactful national and international initiatives. Through our thematic groups, strategic foresight activities, SRIA development work and project preparation services, we help organisations turn emerging opportunities into concrete collaboration and innovation actions.

If your organisation is interested in contributing to the future of the Finnish forest-based bioeconomy, participating in thematic group activities or exploring new research and innovation collaborations, we invite you to get in touch with the CLIC Bioeconomy team. Together, we can accelerate the transition towards a competitive, sustainable and resilient bioeconomy.

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