Issuu

Project Report

2020

ib:accel

Biorefinery Innovation Platform: Accelerating to Commercialisation

For a Bio-Based Future

Table of Contents: 04 IB:ACCEL in numbers 05 Editorial: Everything is recycled in the circular economy 07 Pilot hall builds value from residual streams 08 Parallel screening of microorganisms multiplies capacity 10 Theme: Strengthening commercialisation 10 National collaboration strengthens innovative power in bioeconomy 11 Accelerator gives insect start-up a chance to ramp up 12 Waste becomes fertiliser in just a few days 13 Textiles get eternal life in the paper factory 14 Open your eyes and save years 15 Residues become valuable chemicals 16 Theme: Internationalisation 16 Nordic networks provide access to innovation 17 Dutch biorefinery cluster: It’s all about carbon 18 The High Coast Innovation Park — A common name to spotlight the Domsjö area 19 Three innovative EU projects 20 Theme: Gender equality and diversity 20 Companies look to recruit from the entire population 21 Gender equality helps us reach our full potential Exciting projects, biomass and forests attract 22 international excellence

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Editorial

IB:ACCEL in numbers One way to describe the IB:ACCEL innovation platform is to look at the numbers. Taken together, the number of companies, projects, collaborations, products and resources give a quick overview of what the platform has achieved.

189

The IB:ACCEL innovation platform connects companies with us and creates the necessary networks for driven entrepreneurs to find a home for their technological solutions and ideas. It’s a coming together of industry and entrepreneurs. We can then support entrepreneurs’ companies on this journey with everything needed, from research services, business development, financing and networking to techno-economic analyses.

in collaboration with the innova tion platform and other parts of the innovation system

Million

Swedish kronor in funding for the region

Biorefinery projects since the start of IB:ACCEL

Biorefinery – Everything from toothpaste to fuel With biomass as raw material, we can now produce everything from paint and toothpaste to electricity and fuel for fossil-free aviation. A biorefinery makes use of the parts of biomass that were not fully utilised in the past, like those, for example, in the forestry and food industries.

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In 2020, the Swedish government commissioned RISE to create a national innovation hub for scaling up the bioeconomy. The new test and demonstration environment in Örnsköldsvik is part of that node. It allows us to broaden our focus, from residual streams originating in forests to areas such as agriculture and the food industry.

Companies created

Companies participating in IB:ACCEL

New products and prototypes

Everything is recycled in the circular economy

The goal is to use bio-based resources as efficiently as possible while developing new green products to replace what was previously fossil-based.

“Biorefinery

development is about the circular economy, and making use of each carbon atom over and over again.”

Say a company has an innovative solution for composting and creating valuable products, such as soil, from various forest industry residues and waste streams. These are resources that would otherwise be partially or totally wasted. The company has developed its idea for a type of residual stream and reached a maturity point in technology. They have built a small facility that can handle perhaps a few hundred kilos each week. Now they want to reach a larger market and realise that they need to test other types of raw materials from other waste streams. Through the innovation platform, we can create an operation that does just that. We connect new innovative companies with the industry that has the residue stream itself and potential buyers of the technology or soil coming out of the composting plant. In this way, we help build a value chain of actors, where everyone at each stage benefits from the development and where we, as the platform’s operators, create opportunities for collaboration and broker contacts.

The new pilot hall will become a reality after the 2020 autumn government budget bill allocated SEK 350 million to complete test beds for biorefineries and the circular economy. The pilot hall will be a vital component of the region’s innovation platform. It has great potential to accelerate the commercialisation of new bioeconomy solutions and contribute to IB:ACCEL’s objectives. A biorefinery or bioeconomy is in practice about resource efficiency, creating value from organic residues generated in both industry and society. Each carbon atom should be captured and used again and again. This can be in the form of fish feed, bioplastics, fuel, proteins and much more. The possibilities are simply enormous. With the new pilot hall, the possibilities for development are even more significant. Take, for example, household food waste that is currently used to make biogas. In this case, 70–80% of the material remains as sludge. We can now work on this. Or, imagine leftovers at a food processing company. We could convert the leftovers into protein that would be used in totally new or better products. In this way, we create value from items we might otherwise burn or landfill. The new pilot hall dramatically changes this environment of innovation and creates the opportunities to contribute to a circular economy.

Johan Börjesson Group Manager, System Innovation

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Pilot hall builds value from residual streams – We have long pointed out that it is essential for Sweden to commercialise ideas that can deliver climate benefits to move towards a more sustainable society. With the pilot hall for biorefinery development, we have the opportunity to play a part in this, which strongly contributes to the goals of the innovation platform, IB:ACCEL,” says Karin Johnson, CEO of RISE Processum. In the government’s budget bill from autumn 2020, RISE was allocated SEK 350 million to complete test beds for biorefineries and the circular economy. The money will be invested in a world-class centre for scaling up the bioeconomy, including: • A pilot hall for biorefinery development • Infrastructure at RISE throughout the country • An innovation hub, a space with activities for innovators, researchers and entrepreneurs. – By far, the largest investment is in biotechnology. Here, RISE is investing in upscaling all the way from lab-scale, where it’s about 10 millilitres in a pipette to reactors of 10 cubic metres,” Johnson says.

Considerable value in side streams The forest industry has a significant amount of residual streams containing, among Karin Johnson, other substances, sugar CEO of RISE Processum and lignin. They can be transformed and create tremendous value, for example, as fuel in the form of ethanol or lactic acid that becomes bioplastics. Various chemicals and bacterial nanocellulose are other products produced from residual streams. There is also the possibility of using microorganisms that consume sugar and produce protein, which can become a

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substitute for soybean meal in fish feed. It’s a quick process. Start with a few kilograms, and within 24 hours, you have several tonnes. “We are building value from residual streams, and extensive research is needed to find processes that make this possible,” Johnson says. “In the pilot lab, we can test and scale up these processes. We don’t make end products for consumers, but we produce the protein, lactic acid or bioplastics, which can become anything from fish feed to the plastic in your 3D printer. At RISE, we research and develop processes and products that can become the raw materials of the future for manufacturing industries.”

Microorganisms The High Throughput Center is part of this effort. The centre will develop strains of microorganisms that can withstand the harsh conditions found in the side streams from the forest industry. Microorganisms can convert sugars from the residual streams into lactic acid, which in turn can be polymerised into PLA, a bioplastic. “There are a lot of sugars in wood, but the microorganisms that do the work have to be able to withstand the conditions that the sugar in the residual streams lives with,” Johnson explains. The most significant investment is in biotechnology, but chemistry and

electrochemistry are also important areas, with investments in reactors that handle more demanding conditions for converting biomass into chemicals, fuels and materials.

A platform for meetings The major residual streams are found in the larger industry, which, through biorefineries, seeks to maximise the circulation of carbon so that we have a circular system. “IB:ACCEL is, therefore, a key platform where we connect potential clients, thought leaders and enablers,” Johnson says. “Here, entrepreneurs, researchers and innovators connect with the industry that has these valuable residual streams. It is a tremendous opportunity for those who want to improve their industrial processes.”

“By far, the most significant investment is focused on biotechnology. Here, RISE is investing in upscaling all the way from 10 millilitres in a pipette to reactors of 10 cubic metres” – Karin Johnson, CEO of RISE Processum

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Parallel screening of microorganisms multiplies capacity “The High Throughput Center test bed strengthens the innovation platform by developing microorganisms that can consume residual streams from forestry and transform them into something valuable. This will be done at a capacity that’s unprecedented today,” says Payam Ghiaci, senior researcher at RISE Processum. The biotech industry constantly needs novel strains

“If we could screen the cells in parallel, in thousands, we would remove most of that bottleneck,” Ghiaci explains. “The High Throughput Center will allow us to screen microorganisms with an unprecedented capacity.”

of microorganisms with new or better properties than today’s strains. Developing new strains for industry is very labour- and cost-intensive.

Screening thousands in parallel Payam Ghiaci, senior researcher at RISE Processum

On average, it takes twenty years to develop a strain of microorganisms at the cost of half a billion to a billion Swedish kronor, and there are several bottlenecks along the way. One of them is that you have to screen the cells one by one, which takes a lot of time and resources.

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The screening will find and develop the best-performing microorganisms. This can be either to produce something, such as a chemical, or to consume something, such as residues from the forest industry to create new products.

Developing business ideas Örnsköldsvik has a long tradition in the forest industry and in research, something which benefits the Innovation Platform and creates opportunities for synergies. “We are happy to see research collaborations with universities and businesses,” Ghiaci says. “We are surrounded here by people who benefit from our research, and we can work directly on their issues and solve their problems.”

Global collaborations At the same time, this is much bigger than that. RISE Processum is currently in contact with one of the market leaders for stem development.

all over the world. We will put not only Örnsköldsvik and Västernorrland on the map but the entire coast of Norrland and Sweden.”

“ We are surrounded here by people who benefit from our research, and we can work directly on their issues and solve their problems”

– Payam Ghiaci, senior researcher at RISE Processum.

“This is a really exciting area,” Ghiaci explains. “In five years, we will be able to collaborate with these giant companies

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Theme: Strengthening commercialisation

Theme: Strengthening commercialisation No matter how good an idea you have, the fundamental shift towards a circular economy only happens when companies turn ideas into business. That’s why collaboration between entrepreneurs and industry is essential to ensure that all available biomass is of maximum benefit to society. Often it is a new process that uses a side stream from the process industry. It is natural for the main stream to be the focus in

industry, with its large volume and big numbers. Having an entrepreneur who puts their heart and soul into creating a business out of the side stream makes commercialisation go that much faster. Entrepreneurs, research and industry: Together, they add value to our biomass.

National collaboration strengthens innovative power in the bioeconomy RISE Processum and Sting Bioeconomy have launched a formal collaboration. Born out of the long tradition of forest industry along the coast of Norrland and in Värmland, the power of two strong bioeconomy and biorefinery innovation environments is now combined. “We want to take advantage of our respective strengths and together help even more companies and entrepreneurs with green ideas to bring them to market,” says Gunnar Westin, business developer at RISE Processum.

Business development and upscaling

fundraising and internationalisation. Over the years, RISE Processum has developed a unique test and demo environment for upscaling and verification. “We are very impressed by the competence and unique test environment RISE Processum has built. Through the collaboration, we add further expertise to the unique network that we offer our bioeconomy start-ups,” says Victor Isaksen, CEO of Sting Bioeconomy.

Gunnar Westin, business developer at RISE Processum

Sting Bioeconomy is a cutting-edge incubator that supports bioeconomy companies with ambitions to thrive in an international market. Selected companies can receive support with business development,

Accelerator gives insect start-up a chance to ramp up The Forest Business Accelerator gives start-ups from all over Sweden the opportunity to ramp up their green innovations. It is supported by BizMaker, SCA, IBM and RISE Processum. Five companies have been admitted to this year’s round. “Residues from the forest industry can be used to produce insects as protein sources and develop the food supply of the future. This is an exciting track in this year’s programme,” says Pelle Berglund, business advisor at BizMaker and the Forest Business Accelerator.

Forests and entrepreneurship The Forest Business Accelerator cross-pollinates forest-related development with digitalisation and entrepreneurship. The goal is to create entirely new solutions for better business and a greener world. In 2020, the Forest Business Accelerator was implemented for the fourth time. Pelle Berglund, Fifteen applications were evaluated, business advisor at BizMaker and five were accepted. In addition to tailored business coaching from BizMaker for rapid internationalisation, participants also receive access to SCA, IBM and RISE Processum’s industry specialists, advanced technology platforms and valuable networks.

The innovations that have been accepted to the Forest Business Accelerator 2020 include: Axel Häger, Östersund – Biomaterials replace finite raw materials such as plastic or metal in consumer products. Barktork, Örnsköldsvik – Innovative drying process for the forest industry doubles the energy value of the residual product bark. ForestXchange, Lidköping – Cloud service for forest owners providing ecosystem services and traceable timber from forests. Hugo Wikström, Härnösand – Sustainable fish farming provides nutrients to the paper industry’s biofilters and creates a cleaner marine environment. Tebrito, Orsa – Large-scale automated production of insects for food and feed, grown on residual streams from the forest industry.

“The accelerator is a way for us to find pathways to new technologies that make our industry more sustainable,” says Magnus Viström, innovation manager at SCA.

“ For me as a new entrepreneur, BizMaker’s support in developing the company is invaluable” – Axel Häger, CEO at Jord Innovation, who works on replacing finite raw materials such as plastic or metal with biomaterials.

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Theme: Strengthening commercialisation

Theme:Strengthening commercialisation

Textiles get eternal life in the paper factory Waste becomes fertiliser in just a few days Organic waste becomes nutrient-rich fertiliser within days, rather than taking up to nine months, with lower carbon emissions. The new technology from the start-up Biocompost is now being installed at Ragn-Sells’ facility in Umeå. With a composting drum, organic waste is transformed into nutrient-rich fertiliser in powder form in three to five days. The process is free of contaminants and free of both weeds and odours. Biocompost’s new technology offers major benefits, and the company has now received its first significant order. In the spring of 2021, at its Umeå facility, the recycling company Ragn-Sells installed a compost drum, which transforms 30 cubic metres of sludge from the processing industry into nutrient-rich soil every 24 hours. Thomas Storsjö, CEO at Biocompost

The aim is to reduce the incineration of biological waste and return it to the soil in a beneficial way.

“Composting is nature’s own way of harnessing biological waste streams,” says Thomas Storsjö, CEO at Biocompost. “We want to contribute to this and at the same time reduce carbon emissions, as open composting creates quite a lot of carbon emissions.”

There are several potential companies to collaborate with, not least in Norrland. “We see many diverse types of biological wastes that can be composted,” Storsjö explains, “and the pulp industry is an important party with a whole cluster of actors around RISE Processum with residual streams of biomaterials, which go hand in hand with our business. This provides many excellent avenues for the future.”

The Forest Business Accelerator Biocompost has benefited from the Forest Business Accelerator programme, a collaboration between SCA, IBM, RISE Processum and BizMaker with a focus on sustainable forest-based business concepts.

Too many clothes end their lives as filler. Renewcell’s technology dissolves used cotton and other cellulose fibres. They then become new biodegradable material in clothing. The circle closes. Now they are scaling up production to 60,000 tonnes at the former Ortviken paper mill in Sundsvall.

into virgin pulp for textile production. At the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, the patented process was developed by two researchers who started the company together with an entrepreneur.

“We have taken over the premises and infrastructure from some of the former paper production,” Eslander says. “Large parts of our process are similar to that for pulp so that we can reuse both the building and the machinery.”

Equivalent to 300 million T-shirts

Logistics park and expertise

“The process was scaled up to an industrial level in the first factory in Kristinehamn, actually a demo factory,” explains Nora Eslander, Head of Communications at Renewcell. “Now we are scaling up with a larger factory in Sundsvall where we can produce 60,000 tonnes per year. That’s equivalent to about 300 million t-shirts.”

By 2030, Renewcell expects to scale up production six-fold to 360,000 tonnes of pulp per year. Important for an export company, they will benefit from both subcontractors and the logistics park set up in Sundsvall in 2022–2023 in connection with Ortviken.

Renewcell recycles cellulose from clothing and textiles

Usually, this type of pulp, which is used for viscose fibre, is made from paper pulp. Now it is made from recycled cotton in a circular process.

Nora Eslander, Head of Communications at Renewcell

“We are part of the development of green industries that is taking place largely in northern Sweden,” Eslander adds, “where green energy, excellent logistics and the forest industry’s expertise have been decisive in locating our production in Sweden.”

Recycling machines and infrastructure In 2020, when SCA decided to close down its printing paper production at the Ortviken paper mill, tremendous opportunities opened up for Renewcell.

“Early on in the Forest Business Accelerator, we saw a clear link between Biocompost and Ragn-Sells and how they could work together to strengthen each other in processing the forest industry’s residual streams,” says Gunnar Westin, business developer at RISE Processum.

Sludge from paper and pulp mills Together with the companies Husum and Evonella Garden, Biocompost will also evaluate how sludge from paper and pulp mills can be composted into soil amendment material.

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Theme: Strengthening commercialisation

Open your eyes and save years Innovation starts with sales. Spotting it early can save years in the process of scaling up an idea from research to business. “I help bring business to the forefront,” explains

Markusson works with techno-economic analysis, which involves translating research into business potential.

Jonas Markusson, senior researcher at RISE Processum. “Sometimes you’re so stuck in your basic idea that you find it difficult to accept changes, even if there are numbers in black and white that say you have to change something for your idea to be turned into a business.”

Jonas Markusson, Senior Researcher at RISE Processum

“SMEs often need help transitioning from research to commercialisation,” Markusson explains. “Does the market want special qualities? Do they demand a certain durability? How does your solution fit into the bigger picture? Or in short: Is there someone who can make or save money on what you offer?”

“ Small and medium-sized enterprises often need help to move from research to commercialisation”

Zoom out As a researcher or expert, it’s common to focus too much on the research you’ve been working on from the beginning. “You need to take your eyes off the reactor, catalyst or microorganisms and consider what happens earlier or later in the process, for example, with the raw materials,” Markusson explains. “And what happens when you scale up to a full-sized plant — now we’re talking about several tonnes instead of kilos, as it might have been in the pilot trials. It’s not enough to optimise a single part; you have to look at the big picture.” “A company I had been in contact with had worked with a reactor for a long time but not looked at the system perspective. If they had done so before, they would have saved several years on their way from research to a marketable product,” Jonas Markusson concludes.

Three benefits Techo-economic analysis within IB:ACCEL is a skilful way to evaluate opportunities within biorefinery and a chance to allow commercialisation to take place. Jonas Markusson cites three significant benefits of early techno-economic analysis: •P ushing back where there is no business •A djusting the focus and finding another alternative business •F inding where to optimise existing processes and reduce costs to do better business.

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Residues Become Valuable Chemicals

The EU project paperChain processes residual streams from the forest industry into valuable chemicals that can replace fossil components in speciality chemicals, such as the paint industry. It’s a step towards a circular economy. The chemical and forestry industries are two of Sweden’s

Short distances

most important primary industries and account for about 20% of Sweden’s exports. They can benefit greatly from each other to face future challenges. The forest industry wants to complement its existing product portfolio with new products, while the chemical industry strives to replace fossil-based materials with renewable ones.

The production processes at Domsjö Fabriker generate approximately 20,000 tonnes of fibre waste annually. The waste consists of cellulose and hemicellulose. As part of the transition to a circular economy, Domsjö Fabriker is looking for new ways to further process this type of residual stream. The new technology to produce ethyl chloride from ethanol in the fibre pulp was developed through a collaboration between the chemical and cleantech company SEKAB and RISE Processum.

Circular production IB:ACCEL and its networking services have created conditions for robust local collaboration. From it was born the initiative to develop a new bio-based value chain in the EU project paperChain. The initiative shows how fibre waste from the forest industry can be used to produce fossil-free ethyl chloride for use in the chemical industry.

“Here we have large companies operating in a global market,” Westin explains, “but at the same time benefiting from their proximity. Instead of buying fossil goods that have been transported a long way, we can do so within a small area with a distance of a few hundred metres.”

Fossil-free alternative

Fibre waste is a by-product at most pulp mills. It is usually used for internal energy production. Now it is being used for mutual benefit in a cross-industry collaboration between forestry company Domsjö Fabriker, cleantech company SEKAB and speciality chemicals company Nouryon.

Gunnar Westin, business developer at RISE Processum

In short, the process looks like the following. The pulp mill has a residual stream in the form of fibre waste. It is converted into bioethanol, which is in turn used to produce the chemical ethyl chloride by Sekab. The ethyl chloride, in turn, can be delivered to Nouryon, which develops speciality chemicals for a variety of industries worldwide and, with the new technology, will have the opportunity to replace previous fossil-based components with fossil-free alternatives. For example, ethyl chloride is currently used as a reagent in the production of a cellulose-based paint thickener.

“What’s cool about paperChain is this industrial symbiosis between the forest and chemical industries,” explains Gunnar Westin, Business Developer at RISE Processum. “The goal has been to move from fossil to circular production.”

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Theme: Internationalisation A primary focus in 2020 has been to increase our presence and profile in Europe. This is a prerequisite if we are to attract companies and expertise to Örnsköldsvik to the extent necessary to create a hub for scaling up the bioeconomy. Global visibility for RISE Processum and its clusters as go-to players in the bioeconomy is vital. IB:ACCEL has a major role to play here. Although 2020 was a challenging year

for building international contacts, with its travel bans and restrictions, during the year we were on target with several large projects and partnerships.

Nordic Networks Provide Access to Innovation “Sweden, Norway and Finland have a lot in common,” explains Yvonne Söderström Nordin, project manager at RISE Processum. “We have the same kinds of forest with the same kinds of trees. This provides great opportunities for cooperation and exchange of expertise.” Nordic collaboration includes both research and business development. One example is a project on single-cell proteins, waste from the forest industry, which becomes fish feed. The entire value chain from forest to fish is covered by a Swedish-Norwegian collaboration. In the project, sugar is taken from wood, which in turn feeds mushrooms, which are then ground into fish feed. “Instead of soy meal as a protein source in fish farms, we get protein from mushrooms like Quorn, and it’s produced with residues from the forest industry,” Söderström Nordin

explains. “The project benefits from IB:ACCEL’s Innovation Council to turn research into business. Through these types of projects, we can build international networks that we can then benefit from to promote growth in the region.”

Larger networks benefit the region For nearly 10 years, RISE Processum has collaborated with various companies in Finland. There, research has been the bridge to get to know each other. The Biorefinery Innovation Platform offers opportunities to build even more extensive networks in the Nordic region than possible

Annita Westenbroeck, Director of the Dutch Biorefinery Cluster

“ Through these types of projects, we can build international networks that we can then benefit from to promote growth in the region” – Yvonne Söderström Nordin, project manager at RISE Processum

through the EU’s Interreg programme for cooperation between regions and cities. “Over time, we have built trust and confidence that has given us opportunities to visit factories and network in places we would not otherwise have access to,” Söderström Nordin explains. “We can meet more companies, and through these networks, we can then provide a gateway to valuable contacts for SMEs in the region.”

“ Similar challenges in all bio-based sectors” Dutch Biorefinery Cluster is a collaboration among Dutch bio-based industries. It started in 2007 as a collaboration among the agrifood industry, the horticultural sector (flowers and fruits in greenhouses) and the paper and board industry. They realised they had the same biorefinery ambitions and similar energy and resource efficiency challenges and opportunities.

How can Dutch Biorefinery Cluster and RISE Processum benefit from one other? Yvonne Söderström Nordin, project manager at RISE Processum

One example is the Econova, which manufactures and sells soil products. They wanted to develop their business opportunities and, through RISE Processum’s R&D Council, they were able to link up with C-Green Technology, a biofuel plant in Heinola, Finland. Econova is now exploring the possibilities of using biofuel in its products.

We ask the same questions: Can we do more with fibres? Can we extract proteins? Can we make more out of the side streams? Often, we look at different solutions for similar challenges. This way, we can inspire one another. Even though we have different raw materials to start with, be it residuals from the agri-food industry or plants in the Netherlands or the forest in Sweden, it’s all about carbon.

What are the synergies in working with forest industry residual streams and agriculture and food industry streams? If you want to make the residual streams into fuel, energy carries or chemical building blocks, the technologies are the same, but we may have approached the problem differently. The challenge is often that you have complex compositions. We have made several visits to Sweden, and we were pretty impressed with the companies working on converting sludge to fertilisers. We were incredibly impressed with how they solved the challenge of contaminations through cooperation in the supply chain. We do that as well. Now we can collaborate in that area..

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Theme: Internationalisation

THEME: Internationalisation

Three innovative EU projects

IB:ACCEL creates opportunities for the region’s companies to participate in international innovation collaborations. This has led to three collaborative projects.

UNLOCK makes keratin out of feather waste

High Coast Innovation Park – A common name to spotlight the Domsjö area

The UNLOCK project turns several million tonnes of feathers into raw material for keratin in agriculture instead of becoming waste.

The Domsjö industrial area in Örnsköldsvik now has a new name, High Coast Innovation Park. “It’s a huge advantage to be part of something larger, and it’s also important to have an internationally recognised name when you operate in an international arena as we do,” says Björn Vedin, CEO of Domsjö Fabriker, one of the players in the area.

BIOMAC promotes bio-based nanomaterials

Until now, there have been at least six possible names for the area: Domsjö, Domsjö Development Area, Brux, Örnsköldsvik, Alfredshem and Hörneborg. The need for a new name has understandably been great. A familiar name opens doors for companies and start-ups by creating an innovative and open environment where the new location brand breathes future and pride. Businesses in the area benefit each other by promoting the site through a common platform and a familiar brand where the companies are part of something bigger than themselves

Symbiosis The High Coast Innovation Park companies have a long tradition of working together. One company’s chemicals, energy or waste products are processed by another company, creating marketable products. Sustainable industrial symbiosis can now be developed even further. Many companies are proud to be part of this area. They now have an even clearer sense of belonging.

Attractiveness The arguments for a new name are many, including a common added value, increased attractiveness, greater collaboration and more transparent communication with external parties. In addition, an internationally recognised name could lead to more establishments and businesses coming

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to the area, thereby further increasing international attractiveness and a stronger employer brand. “This is a modern and international name that arouses interest. As we see it, it can make us a more attractive employer,” says Robert Bylin, vice president at Eurocon Engineering.

Moving towards a circular economy, BIOMAC contributes to an open ecosystem where technologies and solutions for nanostructured bio-based materials, NBMs, are scaled up.

Björn Vedin, CEO of Domsjö Fabriker

The communication team working on the name change included representatives from Övik Energi, Sekab, RISE Processum, Aditya Birla-Domsjö Fabriker and Future Cleantech Solutions. “A lot of work has gone into this,” says Frida Niska, head of communications at RISE Processum. “It has provided a common communication platform that creates even better conditions to highlight and market all the development and expertise that exists here.”

“ A lot of work has gone into this, and it has provided a common communication platform that creates even better conditions”

Every year, 15 million tonnes of meat are produced in Europe, generating 3.6 million tonnes of waste feathers annually. Only 25% of these feathers are collected and processed. UNLOCK is evaluating this waste stream to design a new economically and environmentally sustainable value chain, where these feathers become raw materials for keratin that can be used in agriculture. RISE Processum’s role in the project is to extract keratin from the feathers and to showcase it on a scale that can be commercialised.

In 2020, the European Commission adopted a new Circular Economy Action Plan. The aim is to prepare the European economy for a green future with enhanced competitiveness while safeguarding the environment. Nanostructured biobased materials, NBMs, solve several of society’s challenges to achieving a circular economy. BIOMAC contributes by creating an ecosystem for scaling up technologies and solutions for NBMs. In the project, RISE Processum uses fibre waste and residual streams from the forest industry as raw materials to produce bacterial nanocellulose.

INN-PRESSME replaces fossil fuels with bio-based INN-PRESSME develops materials and solutions for industries to replace fossil-fuel resources with sustainable and cost-effective bio-based materials.

The INN-PRESSME ecosystem includes the development of recyclable and biodegradable packaging, as well as energy, vehicle and other consumer goods solutions. RISE Processum is participating by optimising the process on a laboratory scale up to 50 litres, where the properties of crystalline nanocellulose will be analysed. In addition, the pilot line is being scaled up to increase production to 10 kilograms of crystalline nanocellulose per day.

– Frida Niska, head of communications at RISE Processum

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Theme: Gender equality and diversity

Theme:Gender equality and diversity A gender balance of 50/50 in recruitment and decision-making positions is a very positive step, but gender equality is much more than that. Gender equality and diversity is the idea that everyone should have the same space and voice, regardless of gender, ethnicity, education, age and personality. This idea

must permeate the entire organisation and all project teams. It’s work that takes place every day, where both employees and managers have a role to play.

Companies look to recruit from the entire population “Our member companies want to be able to recruit from the whole population, not just half of it,” says Anna Edblad, CEO at Örnsköldsviks Industrigrupp. “They want competence where neither gender nor ethnicity matter.” Örnsköldsviks Industrigrupp works for the development and growth of the municipality’s companies. This is achieved through collaboration between the member companies and active dialogue with the municipality and the public sector. Gender equality and diversity are important parts of the work. This is in line with IB:ACCEL’s objectives where resource mobilisation of excellence in bioeconomy is an integral part and the stimulation of structures for it. “When it comes to competence, there is an untapped potential among those with a foreign background,” Edblad explains.

Feeling at home away from home RISE Processum has many employees with international backgrounds. As a company, RISE Processum offers a workplace with interesting and challenging assignments. However, for Anna Edblad, those relocating to the area, the right CEO at Örnsköldsviks conditions help to create a positive Industrigrupp social context for leisure time.

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Gender equality helps us reach our full potential RISE Processum has a healthy balance of men and women in recruitment and decision-making positions. “Without gender equality and diversity, we would never be able to reach our full innovation potential,” says Karin Johnson, CEO at RISE Processum “Gender equality is not only about gender balance but

Integrating into society

“Several companies have specialists with international backgrounds,” Edblad says. “This raised the question: How can we find a forum for them to thrive in the area?” The High Coast International Hub was born out of those thoughts, offering monthly social meetings and fun activities such as beach volleyball, padel and ice bathing. There is also a Facebook group where people can ask questions about everything, from travelling by bus around Sweden to how different things work in Swedish society. These are cultural things that might not be obvious when coming from a place where things work differently. “We’ve brought together a lot of companies to help each other out,” Edblad comments, “and with this, we can now offer networking and activities to the extent that an individual company can’t do on its own. Several companies share the same challenge. Companies can inspire each other.”

have to work with constantly. You’re never done. This is a job we do every day, in every project. Staff should know that management values equality and diversity issues and that you can always come to your manager or me and be taken seriously. It’s about much more than women and men.”

also about equal visibility and everyone having their say,” explains Karin Johnson, CEO at RISE Processum. “For each employee to contribute in the best way, they must be in an environment where they feel they are given space. We want equality.”

Karin Johnson, vd för RISE Processum

RISE Processum has been successful in recruiting foreign researchers. Often they are recruited from Swedish universities, but researchers also come directly from their home countries.

This is a significant issue for all leadership. The level of education among the RISE Processum employees is high, and all of them manage their own work, and to do their job, they must also manage others. This applies to everyone who runs a process or project — and everyone at RISE Processum does.

“It is important that we include everyone in the workplace and that we give them the opportunity to enter society,” Johnson says. There are many different ways to do this. The municipality runs the High Coast International Hub initiative that RISE Processum has chosen to support. There is also a workplace Swedish language course. Language is one of the keys to success. Everyone must reach a level at which they can exchange ideas and knowledge in the Swedish language.

Everyone is a leader “It requires leadership to rein in those who are running like steam locomotives and to slow down and listen to what each individual has to contribute on various issues,” Johnson explains. “And that means that everyone must be involved in the idea of gender equality.”

“It’s important to talk to your foreign employees,” Johnson explains, “and make sure they find other activities to do outside of work. For example, show what the municipality offers in terms of culture and sport. Describe the culture and how organisations work in Sweden.”

Managers have an invaluable role in this work, and it is their responsibility to keep the issue alive in everyday life and workplace dialogue. “We have gender equality if you look at the numbers,” Johnson continues. “But there are always situations that we

IB:ACCELL Project Report

Theme: Gender equality and diversity

“I was a bit worried about being bored in a small town,” Ghiaci explains. “I asked myself: What do people do after work? I worried unnecessarily. You can do a lot here, including a wide range of sports and you’re close to nature. I’m five minutes from skiing, five minutes from tennis, and there are plenty of opportunities to get to know people from Örnsköldsvik if you dare make contact, so I’m also very happy outside work.”

Exciting projects, biomass and forests attract international talent Biomass, exciting projects and a focus on sustainability and proximity to nature are some of the things that attracted Payam Ghiaci from Iran and Rabia Ayub from Pakistan to RISE Processum. “At the job interview,”Ghiaci explains, “RISE Processum told me that there was a good chance that RISE would get the investments needed to build the High Throughput Center, allowing me a lot of freedom to build something from scratch. This kind of investment with this degree of freedom shows up very rarely. I didn’t want to miss it, so I said: ‘Let’s go.’”

This was followed by a second postdoc in Germany at the IMBL Institute in Heidelberg before receiving the offer from RISE Processum. “As there were already many colleagues from different parts of the world when I came here, it has been easy to settle in,” Ghiaci adds

From Iran by way of Gothenburg

One dozen nationalities

Payam Ghiaci immediately felt that there was room here for his own initiatives and ideas. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Iran and a master’s degree at the Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, where he also did his doctorate and postdoc.

In Payam Ghiaci’s group, there are six nationalities represented. At RISE Processum, together with MoRe Research, both part of RISE, there are 12 nationalities with colleagues from Iran, Algeria, Switzerland, Germany, Greece, Italy, India and Pakistan, to name a few.

IB:ACCELL Project Report

In search of forests and biomass Rabia Ayub joined RISE Processum’s chemistry group in August 2020. She is originally from Lahore, Pakistan. Ayub completed her PhD in organic chemistry at Uppsala University in 2017. She then did her postdoc at Stockholm University, focusing on lignin. And that’s what attracted her to RISE Processum. “There are a lot of forests around and lots of biomass and thus lots of lignin,” Ayub says. “RISE Processum fits very well with my area of research, and I feel strongly about our work for sustainability.” Rabia Ayub is particularly interested in how small molecules, often produced from petroleum products, can instead be created from biomass, replacing fossil fuels with bio-based ones. “At RISE Processum, we have a wide and varied field of assignments with ever new challenges and collaborations with universities and industries. This is important to me as I like challenges,” Ayub adds.

Coolness and small scale It’s not just the challenges Ayub appreciates. “I come from Lahore, Pakistan’s second-largest and second-warmest city,” Ayub explains. “It has over six million inhabitants, and the temperature can reach well over 40 degrees. I prefer the cold in Sweden. In the cold, you can put on warm clothes, but to escape the heat, you have nowhere to go.”

“ As there were already many colleagues from different parts of the world when I came here, it has been easy to settle in” – Payam Ghiaci, senior researcher at RISE Processum.

She also likes the small-scale of Örnsköldsvik, a small city close to nature. “It’s such a beautiful city,” Ayub adds. “I grew up in a large industrial city with large buildings and small parks. Now I have the forest and nature around the corner.”

IB:ACCELL Project Report

Address: Box 70, 891 22 Örnsköldsvik Phone: +46 10-516 67 50 Email: info@processum.se www.ri.se/en/processum

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