Biotechnology as a Competitive Edge for the Finnish Forest Cluster

Hermans RaineKulvik MarttiNikinmaa Hanna (eds.)

This book analyses features of the Finnish forest biotechnology applications from three complementary perspectives:
1. What current biotechnology projects and resources are steered towards forest applications?
2. How much does the Finnish forest cluster invest in biotechnology R&D, and what are the key application areas in the value chain?
3. How well do the academic resources, company R&D investments, and research needs converge to help secure the future competitiveness of the Finnish forest industries?

The Finnish forest sector benefits from comparative advantages. The forest raw material’s abundance, high quality and some special features compensate for the low growth caused by the harsh climate. Finland has a good overall infrastructure, mostly maintained or supported by the public sector. Finally, the Finnish forest cluster has financial resources to commercialize any new technology that provides long term cost savings or other benefits.

Biotechnology holds promises of specific process enhancements as well as novel products and concepts. This is why the combination of a research-intensive biotechnology sector with the strong Finnish forest sector offers crucial future opportunities.

Publication info

Series
ETLA B 227
Date
2007
Pages
130
Price
38 €
Availability of print version
Language
English