HAMK’s SmartBio education and research centre is growing business from mushrooms in Kanta-Häme
Häme University of Applied Sciences aims to position Kanta-Häme as the leader in the future bioproduction of materials grown from mushrooms. Many recent advances have been made developing composite materials “grown” from mushrooms (fungi) for the construction and packaging industries. The recently launched project ” Business from Fungi in Kanta-Häme”, co-funded by the European Union will develop a roadmap to achieve this while establishing a unique biofoundry tailored to the needs of the region’s communities. Operating in HAMK’s SmartBio Education and Research Centre, the project will identify, develop, and connect regional stakeholders with mushrooms that can be combined with specific side streams to produce higher value materials. Composite materials containing mushrooms suitable for production in Kanta-Häme will be developed and tested. Such materials are already in use around the world as packaging and construction materials and in the textile industry, for example, as a substitute for leather.
The project is based on the need to develop sustainable and innovative materials that meet the demand of both domestic and international markets. The global market for mushroom-based materials is growing quickly, and for the first time, we are trying to connect regional stakeholders with the international market. The problem is not a lack of demand, but our ability to respond to demand fast enough. With the research that has just begun, we will create a foundation for regional materials production, grown from mushrooms, by conducting experimental work to tailor material compositions and growing conditions to our region’s needs.
This research is a concrete step forward in HAMK’s advanced engineering of biobased materials.
“We are developing a roadmap that will enable local stakeholders to learn and harness mushrooms as materials. For instance, mushrooms can be combined with waste saw dust and grown into furniture such as a coffee table. This research is a concrete step forward in HAMK’s advanced engineering of biobased materials.” says Principal Research Scientist Julie-Anne Gandier.
With this roadmap and proof of concept work, Kanta-Häme has the unique opportunity to be among the first in the scaling of new materials biomanufacturing and to attract international investments to the region. In the first phase of the project, a library of mushrooms will be established, where tested and tailored strains will be stored and maintained, as well as the know-how accumulated from them. The mushroom library also includes 1) a material guidebook, which contains the material growing recipes developed in this project, and 2) an information portal for circular economy solutions, which is a more general information package on mushroom-based applications, research data and operators in the field. The project will also draw up a mushroom roadmap for Kanta-Häme, which will support the region’s future growth strategy and help create new circular economy value chains. The research is expected to benefit companies producing bio-based side streams operating in the Kanta-Häme region in particular. Together with companies and other stakeholders, we assess the properties and application possibilities of the mushroom materials produced in the project. This helps companies evaluate new business and investment opportunities.
Business from Fungi in Kanta-Häme
- A goal is to establish a fungi biorefinery within HAMK’s SmartBio education and research centre.
- Refinery serves as a centre of expertise for the development and testing of new composite materials containing fungal mycelium.
- Target group is Industrial and rural companies in Kanta-Häme that generate bio-based side and waste streams, which can serve as growth substrates for fungi materials and industrial operators in Kanta-Häme that produce and develop materials for the construction, packaging, and textile industries.
