Funter

Sustainably produced functional bio-based materials in health products

Project information

Project	Sustainably produced functional bio-based materials in health products — Funter
Duration	1 October 2025 — 31 December 2027
Partners	Häme University Of Applied Sciences (coordinator), Laurea University of Applied Sciences, University of Helsinki
Funders	European Union, Helsinki-Uusimaa Regional Council and Regional Council of Häme.
Budget	692 915 € (HAMK’s share 334 975 €)

Our goal is to produce knowledge on the sustainability, environmental impacts, and multifunctionality of new bio-based raw materials. These raw materials are used in pharmaceuticals and cosmetics, and they can also replace, for example, compounds that are harmful to the environment.

The environmental load of pharmaceuticals and drug accumulation in wastewater is a growing problem. For example, excessive use of antibiotics causes antibiotic resistance, which creates the basis for new pandemics. Functional health products can reduce the use of actual pharmaceuticals, thereby reducing drug resistance and environmental burden.

New materials used in pharmaceuticals and cosmetics can include, for example, algae, fungal mycelium, plants, and industrial side streams. They can also replace environmentally harmful compounds, such as microplastics and titanium dioxide. We enhance the use of raw materials by utilizing side streams as well. The outcomes of the project will particularly benefit companies in the target sectors and consumers.

At HAMK, we study suitable extraction and purification methods for the raw materials to separate the desired functional compounds from the rest of the biomass. We perform compositional analyses on the raw materials and their extracts, and we develop related analytical methods.

The objectives of the project are:

To produce sustainable raw materials for designing new functional health products
To determine the bioactive and health properties of selected raw materials
To ensure the sustainability of functional raw materials and health products with LCA
To promote well-being in a fair, economic and environmentally friendly manner
To put together a multidisciplinary innovation ecosystem

The starting point for the Funter project has emerged from research conducted in the FarKos project, which focused on domestic bio-based raw materials.

Project page of the FarKos project

Target group

Companies producing or processing functional raw materials and excipients, and companies that manufacture pharmacosmetics or pharmaceutical products. Domestic consumers.