Press release

Åbo Akademi University awarded more than EUR 3 million for research into sustainable materials of the future

Åbo Akademi University has been awarded just over EUR 3 million in funding from Business Finland to take part in an international research collaboration on new, sustainable materials.

The initiative forms part of the international research network Global Center for Sustainable Bioproducts (GCSB), directed by Professor Arthur Ragauskas at the University of Tennessee in the United States.

The network brings together research and innovation across borders, in close collaboration with industry. Its aim is to accelerate the development of a sustainable bioeconomy – that is, an economy based on renewable biological raw materials rather than fossil-based materials.

Researchers from several countries are involved in the collaboration, including Canada, Japan, South Korea and the United Kingdom. In Finland, Åbo Akademi University contributes expertise, among other things, in the conversion of residues from the forest and bio-based industries into new, sustainable materials.

Åbo Akademi University’s share of the project has a total budget of approximately EUR 3.8 million, most of which is funded by Business Finland. The total budget of the consortium is slightly above EUR 12 million.

The project also involves the University of Turku and Aalto University, as well as 13 Finnish industry partners: Mirka, Andritz, Raisio, Stora Enso, CH‑Bioforce, MetGen, Boreal Bioproducts, Kiilto, Nokian Renkaat, 3DTech Oy, Dimea, Oksasen Puutarha and Brinter.

Åbo Akademi University has also previously been involved as collaborator in the GCSB international consortium, and the new funding further strengthens this cooperation and involvement.

“The Finnish consortium represents exactly the kind of multidisciplinary and international collaboration needed to accelerate the development of sustainable bioproducts and circular material solutions. Åbo Akademi University has been an important and highly valued partner in GCSB, and we are very pleased to deepen this collaboration further,” says Arthur Ragauskas.

The work at Åbo Akademi University is led by Professor of Polymer Chemistry Carl‑Eric Wilén, Head of Research and Docent in Biomaterials Engineering Xiaoju Wang, and Professor in Fibre and Biopolymer Chemistry Chunlin Xu.

“Åbo Akademi University has a strong research environment in biomass chemistry and bio-based materials. Through this project, we can contribute knowledge on how renewable raw materials, especially bio-based side streams can be refined into new materials with properties suited to practical applications. This creates opportunities for new innovations and new expertise that will benefit both industry and society,” says Chunlin Xu.

“The combination of biomaterials engineering and additive manufacturing creates exciting opportunities for sustainable product innovation. This project allows us to develop renewable materials that can be tailored for advanced manufacturing technologies and future industrial applications,” says Xiaoju Wang.

“Finland has strong competence and industrial infrastructure in forest-based materials and polymer chemistry. International collaborations such as GCSB enable us to combine fundamental research with industrial needs and accelerate the transition from laboratory-scale discoveries to practical sustainable solutions,” says Carl-Eric Wilén.

The Finnish consortium, known as CirBReS – Circular Bio-based Residues to Sustainable Bioproducts, will run until the end of 2029.

Contact:

Chunlin Xu, Finnish consortium lead
Tel.: +358 44 036 2088
Email: chunlin.xu@abo.fi