Vinnova (Sweden’s innovation agency) has decided to prolong its investment in the growth initiative The Biorefinery of the Future and SP Processum for another three years with a total of SEK 14 million. The County Administrative Board of Västernorrland, the region Västerbotten, as well as the municipalities of Örnsköldsvik, Umeå, and Sundsvall together with the SP Processum member companies will invest another SEK 22 million. The main focus during these three years is on continuing as a regional growth engine and contributing to new innovations by working with and catalyzing biorefinery development in the region as well as in Sweden.

In 2008, The Biorefinery of the Future with SP Processum as host was appointed a so called regional VINNVÄXT (i.e. growth) initiative. From the start, The Biorefinery of the Future established the region as a center for biorefinery development based on forest raw material. It has built national and international networks and has started more than 260 biorefinery projects, many of them ground-breaking. It also has built a comprehensive assembly of pilot equipment to be able to do and upscale biorefinery research projects. Examples of successful projects are single cell protein for fish feed and green liquor sludge for covering mine waste, both soon to be introduced on the market.

"The fact that regional industry and public sector, together with Vinnova, choose to continue with the investment in our growth project, The Biorefinery of the Future, is a sign of our good work and that we have succeeded with the establishment of the region as a national leader in upscaling and commercializing biorefinery innovations," said Magnus Hallberg (photo), MD SP Processum. "The cooperation we have with industry, institutes, incubators, universities, municipalities, regions, county administrative boards, etc., is unique and something we aim to build on.

"A change-over to a bioeconomy will happen and the forest, as well as biorefinery based on forest raw material, will be a driving force in this change, so the work we do is the right thing. In our region, we are well equipped to take pole position and the prolongation of our growth project will give us a head start," Hallberg said.

For more information email Magnus Hallberg. 

  

SP Processum started in 2003 and has developed from a technology park in Örnsköldsvik to a leading biorefinery initiative, both nationally and internationally. The major parts of the activities concern support and initiatives regarding research and development in the areas of biotechnology, energy technology, inorganic chemistry, organic chemistry, and raw materials, with a focus on sustainability. Together with other biorefinery initiatives along the coast of the northern part of Sweden, and together with the universities, the SP Processum initiative forms an important hub for development of new products, energy solutions, and fuels based on wood raw material. SP Processum hosts the growth initiative The Biorefinery of the Future. SP Processum AB is owned 60% by RISE Research Institutes of Sweden and 40% by the 21 member companies forming the Processum Interest Group. 

Vinnova is Sweden’s innovation agency. Its mission is to promote sustainable growth by improving the conditions for innovation, as well as funding needs-driven research. Vinnova is a Swedish government agency working under the Ministry of Enterprise and Innovation and acts as the national contact agency for the EU Framework Programme for R&D. It also is the Swedish government’s expert agency within the field of innovation policy. Vinnova was founded in January 2001. It has some 200 employees and offices in Stockholm and Brussels