The aim of the project is to create business models and build a consortium that can process new export products from biomass; catalysts and chemicalsThe business point of the project is the interface between the inorganic chemical industry and the bioeconomyThe project is based on the following facts: In Central Ostrobothnia, forests grow more than they are harvested and thinning can also be increased. In the areas of Kalajoki Valley, Lestijoki Valley, Perhon Valley, Kokkola and Pietarsaari there are sawmills, construction and carpentry industries that produce almost 500.000 m³/yr of chips and chewing. Kokkola is the largest inorganic chemistry concentration in the Nordic countries, Kokkola Industrial Park KIP (www.KIP.fi). Companies in the Kokkola Industrial Park (KIP) region, a total of 70, have invested EUR 413 million in 5 years. The large-scale industrial area employs 2 200 people. The job increase since 2010 has been 10 %, i.e. 200 new jobs. In 2014, the turnover of enterprises in the region was nearly EUR 1.2 billion. The annual value of exports rose to EUR 1.1 billion, which was 5.3 per cent of the Finnish chemical and metal industry’s exports. The data are shown in a study commissioned by Kokkolanseudun Kehitys Oy, commissioned by KOSEK, which examined the effectiveness of the large industrial area.The large industrial area of Kokkola is already a functioning industrial symbiosis, which provides a good interface to integrate bioprocessing business into the chemical cluster. Our long-term goal is: •Increase synergies between the regional wood and local industries by integrating biorefining into a chemical cluster, thereby increasing sustainable chemical production and reducing dependence on non-renewable fuels •Developing and producing new bio-based chemicals and chemical products •Improving material efficiency by using CO2 as a raw material for carbon activationBioeconomy business tips and ecosystems funding is intended to build value chains and assemble companies to build clusters. The most advanced study on the subject was carried out in 2014-2015 by the Kokkola University Centre Chydenius’s applied chemistry research group (Universities of Oulu and Jyväskylä) and VTT, funded by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. According to the study, heavy fuel oil used in the large industrial area of Kokkola can be replaced by energy produced through gasification and thus reduces dependence on fossil fuel. For example, wood can be used as a raw material, the annual growth rate of which in Central Ostrobothnia exceeds 300 000 kg of wood. In addition, the waste heat of the factory site is suitable for drying biomass if necessary. Inorganic chemicals (including cobalt and zinc compounds) and by-products produced on the site can be used as a sorbent for gas purification and catalyst regeneration and for the manufacture of new products (Figure 1). Among the new products are FT-synthesis finished products such as olefins and FT-diesel and cobalt and iron precursors suitable for their manufacture. The residual carbon from fumigation can also be transformed into new products, the easiest way to activate activated charcoal suitable for water and gas purification. Activated charcoal has a large and well-known market in Finland and is not produced in Finland. The carbon residue can also be modified for higher added value applications such as anode carbon for lithium-ion batteries and catalytic support. Integration of the biorefinery into the chemical cluster (source: Prechem — project exploratory report).The main actors of the ecosystemEcosystem developer is the Kokkola Greater Industrial Zone Association (KIP ry), founded in 2006. It is a member of 18 industrial companies. The aim of the association is to promote cooperation between companies operating in the region and to create synergies and thus efficiency. It also contributes to the start-up of enterprises located in the region. Kip ry is actively involved in development and regional marketing cooperation and is a member of the European Chemical Site Promotion Platform (ECSPP). (www.ecspp.org). The Kokkola Deep Harbour, located next to the Greater Industrial Area and located along the main track, is the third largest port in Finland in terms of tonnage and the largest port dealing with raw materials in Finland. The large-scale industrial area is located in the middle of a very strong natural resource sector and primary production area. Central Ostrobothnia has an exceptionally good opportunity to implement smart natural resources on a profitable scale. The other actors in the ecosystem are the Kokkola University Centre Chydenius with its background universities (Universities of Jyväskylä, Oulu and Vaasa), the Geology Research Centre, the Natural Resources Institute, the Centria University of Applied Sciences, the LUOVA network, and the business companies operating in the area.