Our fifth consortium meeting, coordinated by CLIC Innovation, continues the SuperBark research and innovation initiative funded by the Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE JU) under Horizon Europe.
Assessing Progress and Aligning Next Steps
The fifth consortium meeting, coordinated by CLIC Innovation (CLIC) in Eteläranta 10, continued SuperBark’s collaboration in advancing sustainable materials research under the Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE JU) and Horizon Europe. The face-to-face event allowed partners to further discussions on project progress, data sharing, and possible challenges. Each work package team presented updates on the previous six months of activities and outlined the roadmap ahead to ensure the successful delivery of the project plan.
Advancing Communication, Dissemination, and Exploitation
As the leader of WP6, CLIC guides SuperBark’s communication, dissemination, and exploitation efforts. An open innovation cluster and non-profit ecosystem operator, CLIC facilitates the co-creation of sustainable solutions across Bioeconomy, Circular Economy, and Energy Systems themes by bridging research and commercialization. In SuperBark, this expertise translates into strengthening market readiness and exploitation potential through market assessment, patent landscape reviews, and stakeholder engagement—particularly in key end-user sectors such as forestry, transport, construction, and paper-based packaging.
SuperBark consortium partaking in the Market Analysis Workshop hosted by CLIC Innovation.
SuperBark Market Analysis Workshop: A Collaborative Approach to Mapping Market Potential
A highlight of the meeting was the Market Analysis Workshop, held as part of WP6. The session focused on identifying market opportunities for the Key Exploitable Results (KERs) from SuperBark. The workshop was designed for RDI project teams to find the most promising markets, understand market dynamics, and develop strategic insights for the commercialization of their innovations.
Using collaborative online boards, participants defined and discussed the market scope of each KER—exploring potential products and applications, target markets, and customer segments. They also analyzed barriers to market entry such as regulatory or cost-related challenges, while mapping existing competitors and patent landscapes to identify areas of opportunity. The insights gathered will feed into a Market and Customer Analysis Report, guiding future exploitation pathways for SuperBark’s bio-based technologies.
Consortium members will further contribute case-specific data to strengthen these analyses. Collaboration with WP5 will ensure that sustainability performance evaluations and economic feasibility results are fully integrated into the final market assessment.
Industry Insights from Metsä Wood
The meeting also featured a presentation from Metsä Wood (Metsä), delivered by Research and Development Manager Tiina Hynynen. Metsä is one of Europe’s leading producers of engineered wood products, developing sustainable wood-based solutions for the construction and transport industries. The company’s flagship product, Kerto® LVL, is made from thin, bonded softwood veneers—demonstrating both material efficiency and long-term carbon storage potential. As part of SuperBark, Metsä provides industrial spruce bark, which is used as the starting raw material for extraction of polyphenols and production of cellulose-rich bark residues.
For more information on CLIC Innovation and Metsä Wood, please contact Laura Myers at laura.myers@clicinnovation.fi and Tiina Hynynen at tiina.hynynen@metsagroup.com.