Invitation to Finnish Technology Companies | Business Finland–China Joint Innovation Call 2026
NUTRICLOSE – Turning agricultural waste into fertiliser products, recovered nutrients, and clean water.
A Chinese industrial partner processing more than 1,000 tonnes of organic waste per day is facing technical challenges that cannot be solved alone. Finnish companies may already possess technologies capable of addressing these challenges.
The biggest challenge in entering the Chinese market is rarely the technology itself. Instead, it is finding the right local partners, gaining access to a real operating environment, understanding customer needs, and building a trusted reference case. Establishing this foundation can take years.
NUTRICLOSE brings all these elements together. Participating companies contribute their own technology, define and own their own RDI projects, and develop solutions in a real operating environment in China. Rather than starting market development from scratch, companies gain access to an established industrial and research ecosystem.
The Opportunity
The Erhai Lake watershed in Yunnan Province is an important environmental protection area. The project’s industrial partner collects and processes more than 1,000 tonnes per day of livestock manure, crop residues, food waste, and sludge through an extensive collection and treatment network. A second industrial partner produces bio-organic fertilisers at industrial scale.
The collection infrastructure already exists. The remaining challenge is to transform these material streams into consistent and marketable fertiliser products, recover nutrients from liquid fractions, produce water suitable for reuse or safe discharge, and verify long-term performance and environmental safety. A successful solution could become a reference case for similar agricultural regions across China.
Where Could Your Technology Create Value?
The project covers the entire value chain from organic feedstocks to fertiliser products and reusable water.
| Position in the Value Chain | Technical and Commercial Need |
|---|---|
| Solid fraction upgrading | Converting manure and digestate solids into hygienised, storable, and consistent fertiliser materials |
| Nutrient recovery | Recovering nitrogen and phosphorus from liquid fractions and reject waters as usable products |
| Water treatment and reuse | Treating remaining water to the quality required for reuse or discharge |
| Monitoring and process control | Measuring and controlling product quality, water quality, and process performance |
| Product formulation | Converting recovered nutrients and organic materials into practical and marketable fertiliser or soil-improvement products |
This is not a closed process diagram. Participating companies will help shape the overall solution. If your technology creates value elsewhere in the value chain, we would be interested in hearing your proposal.
What Your Company Gains
- An industrial demonstration environment in a real Chinese operating context.
- A faster route to market through established industrial and research partnerships.
- An opportunity to build a reference case for the Chinese and broader Asian markets.
- Independent performance data generated together with Luke, Savonia University of Applied Sciences, and Chinese research partners.
- Your own RDI project, defined and owned by your company.
- Shared integration and market-learning costs, allowing you to focus on your core technology and expertise.
Who We Are Looking For
We are seeking Finnish companies active in areas such as:
- Nutrient recovery
- Manure and digestate processing
- Fertiliser and soil-improvement products
- Water and wastewater treatment
- Membrane technologies, filtration, and polishing
- Monitoring, sensing, and measurement technologies
- Process automation and digital control
- System integration
Your company does not need to cover the entire value chain. A strong solution in one specific area is enough. Both SMEs and larger industrial companies are welcome to participate.
What Participation Requires
- A competitive application assessed according to standard Business Finland evaluation criteria.
- A genuine RDI project involving innovation and technological development.
- Company co-financing according to the selected Business Finland funding instrument.
- An independent project, with the company defining its own objectives, budget, resources, and business plans.
Next Step
The next step is to assess where your technology could create value within the value chain, what development work may be required, and how the Chinese demonstration environment could support your business objectives.
Business Finland–China MOST Joint Innovation Call 2026
📅 Finnish application deadline: 30 November 2026
Further information: Business Finland China Joint Innovation Call 2026
Interested?
Kuopio Water Cluster is currently identifying Finnish companies that could benefit from this opportunity and the Chinese demonstration environment.
📧 contact@kuopiowatercluster.com
If you would like to discuss the project or assess how your technology could fit into the initiative, please get in touch.
