The SuperBark project aims to change that, transforming bark residues into high-performance bio-based adhesives and coatings. Supporting this transformative project is CLIC Innovation, a Finnish open innovation cluster and ecosystem facilitatory known for advancing systemic innovation in the bioeconomy. By leading communication, dissemination, and exploitation activities, CLIC ensures that SuperBark delivers a real-world impact.
Driving Collaborative Innovation in Bioeconomy
CLIC Innovation is a key enabler of systemic change in Europe’s bioeconomy landscape. As an open innovation cluster and non-profit ecosystem operator, CLIC facilitates the co-creation of sustainable solutions in bioeconomy, circular economy, and energy transition. Its core mission is to bridge the gap between research and commercialization—accelerating innovation from concept to market.
Within the SuperBark project, CLIC plays a pivotal role by leveraging its cross-sectoral network and deep thematic expertise in the forest-based bioeconomy to maximize the impact of the project outcomes. CLIC’s unique strength lies in its ability to bring together leading researchers, industry players, and other key stakeholders to jointly develop sustainable and commercially viable innovations. This collaborative model is essential to the SuperBark project, which focuses on transforming bark residues into high-performance adhesives and coatings—a key step toward a circular and bio-based economy.
Boosting Visibility and Engagement for Across Key Stakeholders
One of CLIC’s central contributions to the SuperBark project is leading the communication and dissemination work. To maximize the impact of research outcomes, CLIC has developed a comprehensive Communication and Dissemination Plan (CDP) that defines stakeholder engagement strategies, key messaging, content plans, and events. From launching a project website and visual identity to managing targeted campaigns on social media, CLIC ensures that the project and its innovations do not remain in the lab but find their way to markets and society at large.
Furthermore, CLIC disseminates the project results to industry, academia, policymakers, and the public through various channels, including webinars, conferences, and podcasts. These efforts help increase knowledge exchange within the research community on bio-based adhesive and coatings technologies and applications and further enrich and accelerate the innovation within this field.
Building Exploitation Pathways for Bio-Based Solutions
Beyond communication and dissemination, CLIC drives the market readiness and exploitation activities of the SuperBark project. CLIC leads the development of an exploitation plan to support the commercial scaling of project outcomes. This involves conducting market assessments, identifying barriers to entry, analyzing patent landscapes, and assessing end-user needs in sectors such as forestry, transport, construction, and packaging.
To ensure sustainable and economically viable innovations, CLIC integrates its own co-creation tools—such as the Innovation Maturity and Viability Tool, Tech Radar, and Value Proposition Tool— from the Open Innovation Playbook into its process. The Playbook is a service created by CLIC to manage open innovation ecosystems in the different phases of their lifecycle and the tools are available online for anyone under CCY-license. Playbook tools help consortium partners align realistic exploitation pathways and define clear timelines for bringing innovations to market. Additionally, close cooperation with the project’s Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) assessment team in WP5 ensures that environmental and economic considerations are embedded within SuperBark’s exploitation roadmap from the outset.
Through its strategic input, CLIC empowers the SuperBark partners to turn scientific advances into scalable, market-ready solutions, contributing to the broader European Green Deal goals.
Laura Turpeinen, WP6 Leader – Communications, Dissemination and Exploitation
Laura is a Project Expert at CLIC Innovation. Within the SuperBark project, CLIC focuses on raising awareness of bio-based adhesives and coatings solutions and maximising the impact of the project results.
To learn more about the work in WP6, contact Laura Turpeinen at laura.turpeinen@clicinnovation.fi.