CLIC Innovation Oy
CLIC Innovation Oy is a Helsinki-based open innovation cluster that coordinates large-scale EU-funded RDI projects across bioeconomy, circular economy, and energy systems for Finnish and Baltic Sea region industry, academia, and government partners.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersHelsinki, Finland
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What CLIC Innovation Oy does
CLIC Innovation Oy is a Helsinki-based open innovation cluster operating across Finland and the broader Baltic Sea region, with a stated mission of facilitating breakthrough solutions in bioeconomy, circular economy, and future energy systems. Founded around 2015, the organization functions as a neutral intermediary that convenes industry, academia, government, civil society, and finance under a "penta-helix" model to coordinate large-scale research, development, and innovation (RDI) projects. Its service portfolio spans end-to-end RDI project coordination, EU funding advisory, ecosystem orchestration, and capability-building trainings, anchored by two flagship open ecosystems: 4R (circular plastics and packaging, 450+ organisations) and GreenE2 (green electrification).
The company derives revenue primarily through professional services and grants tied to its coordination of EU-funded projects including BalticSeaH2 (€33M), REMHub (€16M), and PROTEUS (€9.6M), reporting €101.3M in total partner funding enabled and proposal success rates of 71% by count and 78% by euro value. Its underlying facilitation methodology is codified in the Open Innovation Ecosystem Playbook, co-developed with VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, which underpins management of multi-stakeholder RDI consortia. Its stakeholder base spans Finnish industrial majors (Borealis, Fortum, Neste, Stora Enso, UPM, Kiilto, Metso, Valmet, Gasgrid Finland), research institutions (VTT, SYKE, multiple universities), and public bodies (Business Finland, Ministry of the Environment), with active policy engagement on the Finnish National Circular Economy Act and EU PPWR. Under CEO Jatta Jussila, the company is positioned as a coordinator and convener rather than a product vendor, and its growth is governed by public RDI funding cycles and consortium win rates.
CLIC Innovation Oy firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- CLIC Innovation Oy
- Legal name
- CLIC Innovation Oy
- Website
- https://clicinnovation.fi
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- CLIC Innovation Oy is a Helsinki-based open innovation cluster that coordinates large-scale EU-funded RDI projects across bioeconomy, circular economy, and energy systems for Finnish and Baltic Sea region industry, academia, and government partners.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
CLIC Innovation Oy industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Innovation Cluster & RDI Coordination Services
- NAICS
- Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (541), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)
- SIC
- International Affairs (9721), Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Circular Economy & Resource Efficiency (BPADALAM)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Disaster Risk Reduction & Climate Risk Management (BPADALAK), Climate Resilience & Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) (BPAGABAK)
Keywords
Where CLIC Innovation Oy is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Helsinki
- HQ country
- Finland
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
CLIC Innovation Oy business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- RDI Project Services: CLIC Innovation provides end-to-end support for research and innovation projects, including proposal preparation, project coordination, communication, exploitation and impact management. Revenue is generated through service fees for coordinating and facilitating collaborative RDI projects, largely funded by national and EU research programmes.
- Ecosystem Orchestration Services: Ongoing ecosystem management and facilitation services, including cluster services, ecosystem services, and advisory & trainings. Funded partly through Business Finland and EU partnership instruments. The 4R ecosystem is entering a new phase focused on scaling up and achieving self-sustainability.
- EU Programme Services: RDI programme and EU services helping partners access Horizon Europe, CBE JU, Clean Hydrogen Partnership, and other European funding instruments. CLIC coordinates flagship projects such as BalticSeaH2 (EUR 33 million, EUR 25 million EU funding) and REMHub (EUR 16 million).
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels9 records
CLIC Innovation Oy product offering
Product offeringCore offering
CLIC Innovation operates an open innovation cluster that coordinates research, development, and innovation (RDI) projects across sustainability themes (bioeconomy, circular economy, future energy systems). It delivers four service lines: RDI project services (proposal preparation, project coordination, communication, exploitation and impact management); RDI programme & EU services (access to Horizon Europe, CBE JU, Clean Hydrogen Partnership funding); ecosystem services (orchestration of the 4R circular plastics and GreenE2 green electrification ecosystems); and advisory & trainings. Revenue is generated through service fees and public grant funding.
Product overview
CLIC Innovation Oy is an open innovation cluster that operates as a service organization rather than a single software product. The company offers a portfolio of professional services including RDI Project Services (end-to-end research and innovation project support), RDI Programme & EU Services (EU funding access), Ecosystem Services (ecosystem orchestration), Advisory & Trainings (capability building), and Project Booster (project acceleration). The company organizes its activities around three strategic themes: Bioeconomy, Circular Economy, and Future Energy Systems. Two major innovation ecosystems are operated under its orchestration: the 4R Ecosystem (focused on circular plastics through refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle strategies) and the GreenE2 Ecosystem (focused on green electrification and energy transition). Notable projects include BalticSeaH2 (hydrogen valley), REMHub (rare earth elements), and PROTEUS (seaweed biorefinery).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- 4R: Open innovation ecosystem addressing the Plastics Challenge through Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle strategies. Formerly known as 4Recycling ecosystem established in 2019.
- GreenE2
- CLIC Talks
Products and services
- RDI Project Services End-to-end professional services for research, development, and innovation projects, covering proposal preparation, project coordination, communication, exploitation, and impact management. Delivered to industrial and research partners participating in collaborative EU and nationally funded projects.
- RDI Programme & EU Services Professional services supporting partner organizations in accessing European research and innovation financing, including Horizon Europe, the Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE JU), and the Clean Hydrogen Partnership. Helps consortia prepare competitive proposals and navigate EU programme requirements.
- Ecosystem Services Ongoing ecosystem management and facilitation services that grow and orchestrate innovation ecosystems across industry, academia, government, civil society, and finance. Includes the orchestration of the 4R circular plastics ecosystem (450+ organizations) and GreenE2 green electrification ecosystem.
- Advisory & Trainings Consulting and educational services that build innovation capabilities within partner organizations and support organizational transformation in sustainability transitions. Built around the Open Innovation Ecosystem Playbook methodology.
- Project Booster A cluster service designed to accelerate RDI project development and boost successful proposal preparation, supporting partners in shaping competitive bids for EU and national funding calls.
- 4R Ecosystem An open innovation ecosystem dedicated to solving the plastics challenge through Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle strategies, focusing on circular plastic packaging, technical plastics and composites, and circular textiles. Engages 450+ organizations across the penta-helix.
- GreenE2 Ecosystem An open innovation ecosystem focused on green electrification and sustainable energy transition, supporting development of clean energy technologies and hydrogen economy across three industrial regions in Finland.
Quantifiable outcome
- EUR 101.3 million in total partner funding enabled
- +7 more outcomes
Companies that use CLIC Innovation Oy
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
CLIC Innovation Oy technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
CLIC Innovation Oy partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
35 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.
- Business FinlandcorePrimary public funder for cluster orchestration and 4R ecosystem. Business Finland funds ecosystem services, provides strategic direction on clean transition themes, and participates through its thematic growth areas including digital pioneering, security, clean transition, good life, and business competence.
- KiiltomajorIndustrial company participating in 4R ecosystem, running closed-loop packaging recycling pilot collecting own packaging from customers, granulating materials for new packaging production. Also exploring reusable packaging systems and multiple levels of circular economy strategies.
- Ministry of the Environment (Finland)majorHosts annual Plastic Forum with CLIC participation. Leading national Circular Economy Act preparation (ahead of EU's 2026 act). CLIC presents 4R ecosystem updates and contributes to Plastics Roadmap for Finland 2.0 development.
- Alginor ASAcoreCoordinator of the PROTEUS flagship project (EUR 9.6 million, CBE JU funded), developing the world's first fully integrated industrial biorefinery for brown seaweeds in Norway. Alginor ASA brings proprietary formaldehyde-free harvesting and extraction technology to the consortium.
- BorregaardmajorPROTEUS consortium partner bringing biorefinery and biopolymer expertise. One of 11 European organisations in the PROTEUS flagship project focused on sustainable macroalgae valorization.
- EssitymajorPROTEUS consortium partner, bringing personal care and hygiene product expertise to explore applications for macroalgae-derived ingredients in health and wellness products.
- REMHub Consortium (25 partners)coreCLIC Innovation coordinates the EUR 16 million REMHub project approved under Horizon Europe. Partners span 6 countries (Finland, Spain, Estonia, Italy, Slovenia, Germany, Ireland) and cover rare earth exploration, side stream recovery, permanent magnet recycling, traceability, and motor design. Partners include OSAI, Domel, University of Oulu, and Institute for Method Innovation.
- Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking (CBE JU)coreEU funding body providing EUR 9.6 million for PROTEUS project under Horizon Europe. CBE JU brings together the European Commission and industry partners to fund circular bio-based projects that advance the bioeconomy transition.
- Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE)majorGovernmental research institute under Ministry of the Environment and Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (~700 employees, ~EUR 77 million budget). SYKE provides sustainability expertise, life cycle assessments, ecological product design, and regulatory analysis for bioeconomy actors. Key partner in PROTEUS and TREASoURcE projects.
- CETPartnership (Clean Energy Transition Partnership)majorCLIC coordinates Transition Initiative 6 (Integrated Industrial Energy Systems) within CETPartnership. Leads the Impact and Exploitation work package and organizes knowledge sharing workshops on industrial flexibility and clean energy topics.
- Nordic Circular HotspotmajorNordic platform for circular economy collaboration. CLIC participated in Nordic Circular Summit 2024 in Helsinki, sharing insights on the role of clusters and ecosystems in driving circular economy through keynote presentations.
- OSAI (Italy)majorWork package leader for recycling technologies in REMHub project. Contributes expertise in rare earth recycling processes and magnet production technologies.
- Domel (Slovenia)majorWork package leader for magnet production in REMHub project. Contributes expertise in manufacturing and production of permanent magnets for electric motors.
- University of Oulu (Finland)majorWork package leader for primary production of rare earths in REMHub project. Contributes expertise in critical mineral extraction and processing technologies.
- Gasgrid FinlandcoreCo-coordinator of the BalticSeaH2 hydrogen valley project. Gasgrid Finland is preparing hydrogen infrastructure including Nordic-Baltic Hydrogen Corridor, Baltic Sea Hydrogen Collector, and Nordic Hydrogen Route. The cross-border hydrogen valley between Finland and Estonia is a key component of BalticSeaH2's integrated hydrogen economy vision.
- Clean Hydrogen PartnershipcoreEU funding body providing EUR 25 million for BalticSeaH2 hydrogen valley project through RePowerEU funding. Supports European hydrogen valley projects as part of the EU's hydrogen economy development.
- Helsinki-Uusimaa Circular HubmajorRegional circular economy initiative. Co-sponsored the Circular Economy Outlook 2024 Nordics report and acts as co-development partner for circular economy activities in the Uusimaa region.
- GreenE2 Ecosystem PartnerscoreGreen Electrification ecosystem (GreenE2) focused on the green transition and energy systems. Operates across three industrial regions and is in its third phase of development. CLIC coordinates ecosystem activities, projects, and strategic research and innovation agenda for Finnish green electrification.
- VTT Technical Research Centre of FinlandcoreLong-standing collaboration on ecosystem orchestration. VTT Research Manager Katri Valkokari co-developed the Open Innovation Ecosystem Playbook with CLIC, providing the methodological foundation for ecosystem facilitation across 4R and other CLIC ecosystems.
- 4R Ecosystem Partners (450+ organisations)coreOpen innovation ecosystem dedicated to circular economy for plastics, packaging, and bio-based alternatives. Transformed from 4Recycling to 4R in 2024, expanding scope to include Refuse, Reduce, and Reuse alongside Recycling. Partners span business, academia, government, civil society, and finance (penta-helix). Steering group includes ~20 active partners.
- University of VaasamajorResearch partner conducting consumer perspectives research on reusable packaging systems. Linked to STOPP (EU) and Reusify (Business Finland) projects. Led workshops at 4R Annual Forum on reusable packaging business models.
- Ecofellows Ltd.minorProject partner in TREASoURcE EU project, contributing citizen science and consumer engagement approaches for plastic waste monitoring and sustainable packaging awareness.
- University of TurkumajorAcademic partner and consortium member visible in CLIC's partner logo network. Contributes to bioeconomy and energy transition research within CLIC-coordinated projects.
- Aalto UniversitymajorKey academic partner visible in partner logo network. Collaborates on research, development, and innovation projects within CLIC's ecosystem focusing on sustainability transitions.
- Tampere UniversitymajorAcademic consortium member contributing to CLIC-coordinated RDI projects. Active in circular economy and energy transition research activities within the ecosystem.
- Lassila & Tikanoja (L&T)minorIndustrial partner featured in Engage4BIO sustainable packaging campaign, opening their Kerava facility for packaging recycling video content as part of consumer awareness activities.
- Ministry of the EnvironmentcoreFinnish ministry leading the development of the national Plastics Roadmap for Finland 2.0 and Circular Economy Act. Works with CLIC and 4R ecosystem on policy development for circular plastics.
- Value4Pack ConsortiummajorEU I3 project (Interregional Innovation Investment) coordinated under S3Partnership for Food Packaging. CLIC participates as part of European network strengthening competitiveness and resilience of food packaging value chain stakeholders. Pitch events connect innovators with investors.
- New European Reuse AllianceminorInternational alliance promoting reusable and refillable packaging as part of PPWR. Presented at 4R Regulation Node event on packaging regulation, emphasizing collaboration among governments, businesses, and consumers for widespread adoption.
- Finnish Packaging AssociationmajorIndustry association representing packaging sector interests. CEO Antro Säilä presented at 4R Regulation Node event on challenges and opportunities from PPWR for packaging industry, highlighting regulatory compliance and investment needs.
- Steinbeis InnovationminorPROTEUS consortium partner contributing technology transfer and innovation management expertise for scaling macroalgae-based products to market.
- OLMIXminorPROTEUS consortium partner contributing marine and algae-based product expertise for personal care and animal feed applications.
- NORSUS Norwegian Institute for Sustainability ResearchminorPROTEUS consortium partner providing sustainability assessment expertise including environmental impact analysis of macroalgae value chains.
- Institute of Marine Research (Norway)minorPROTEUS consortium partner contributing marine biology and resource management expertise for sustainable seaweed harvesting and ecosystem monitoring.
- Institute for Method InnovationminorREMHub consortium partner presenting on stakeholder engagement for REE value chain development at project kickoff. Contributes expertise in innovation management and stakeholder coordination.
Scale indicators14 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights6 records
CLIC Innovation Oy competitors and assessment
Company assessmentRegional players
- Innovation Norway: Innovation Norway is the Norwegian state-owned innovation promoter offering cluster programmes, advisory, and internationalization services to Norwegian firms - structurally similar to Business Finland but covering the Norwegian market. Comparable in cluster-services business model, though primarily serving Norway rather than competing head-on in Finland.
Broad incumbents
- TNO (Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research): TNO is the Netherlands' applied research organisation, heavily active in circular economy, energy transition, and materials. Comparable in coordinating multi-partner EU projects on circularity and clean energy, with similar funding dependency on Dutch national and EU sources, but at materially larger scale and with directly employed scientific staff.
- Fraunhofer Society: Germany's Fraunhofer Society operates one of Europe's largest applied-research cluster networks, with institutes explicitly focused on bioeconomy, circular economy, and hydrogen. Directly comparable as a continental-scale orchestrator of industry-academia collaboration for sustainability transitions, though substantially larger and structurally different (institute network vs. for-profit cluster).
- RISE Research Institutes of Sweden: RISE is Sweden's national research and innovation partner, running applied research across sustainability, materials, and energy transition themes. Comparable in mission (coordinating national capability for green/circular transition RDI) and in funding mix (public + EU + commercial), though RISE owns research infrastructure and IP that CLIC does not.
- VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland: VTT is Finland's main applied research organisation and CLIC's named collaborator on the Open Innovation Ecosystem Playbook. Comparable as a large-scale, Finland-anchored research-and-innovation organisation running multi-partner European programmes, though it operates at substantially greater scale and with in-house R&D infrastructure that CLIC does not possess.
Direct peers
- Polymeris (French competitiveness cluster): Polymeris is the French competitiveness cluster dedicated to plastics, composites, and circular materials - the exact thematic overlap with CLIC's 4R ecosystem. Both serve the same industry as their primary segment, coordinate EU-funded RDI projects on circular plastics, and run similar industry-academia-government facilitation playbooks.
- ERRIN (European Regions Research and Innovation Network): ERRIN is a Brussels-based network of European regional research and innovation actors. Comparable as a cluster-to-cluster coordination entity facilitating EU project consortia and shaping regional innovation policy, with overlapping membership and direct competition for EU coordination mandates.
- EIT Climate-KIC: EIT Climate-KIC is the EU's flagship climate innovation community, coordinating pan-European consortia on climate innovation, circular economy, and clean energy. Comparable as a mission-driven innovation community orchestrating EU-funded RDI in the same thematic areas (bioeconomy, circular economy, decarbonisation) that CLIC operates in.
- Energy Valley (Norwegian energy cluster): Energy Valley is the Norwegian innovation cluster for clean energy, hydrogen, and offshore renewables. Closely mirrors CLIC's GreenE2/BalticSeaH2 coordination role in the Baltic Sea region and is a frequent co-coordinator in EU hydrogen programmes, making it a directly comparable cluster entity.
Others
- Business Finland: Business Finland is CLIC's primary public funder and a major ecosystem orchestration partner, but also performs its own cluster and innovation-promotion services. Comparable in mission to catalyse Finnish RDI in the same themes, with a substantially larger budget, more direct grant-giving authority, and potential channel-conflict as both funder-of and competitor-with CLIC.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
CLIC Innovation Oy social profiles
Digital presenceCLIC Innovation Oy financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
CLIC Innovation Oy leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles13 records
CLIC Innovation Oy funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
CLIC Innovation Oy M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about CLIC Innovation Oy
What does CLIC Innovation Oy do?
CLIC Innovation operates an open innovation cluster that coordinates research, development, and innovation (RDI) projects across sustainability themes (bioeconomy, circular economy, future energy systems). It delivers four service lines: RDI project services (proposal preparation, project coordination, communication, exploitation and impact management); RDI programme & EU services (access to Horizon Europe, CBE JU, Clean Hydrogen Partnership funding); ecosystem services (orchestration of the 4R circular plastics and GreenE2 green electrification ecosystems); and advisory & trainings. Revenue is generated through service fees and public grant funding.
Is CLIC Innovation Oy a public or private company?
CLIC Innovation Oy is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was CLIC Innovation Oy founded?
CLIC Innovation Oy was founded in 2015. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is CLIC Innovation Oy based?
CLIC Innovation Oy is headquartered in Helsinki, Finland, in the Europe region.
How does CLIC Innovation Oy make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. RDI Project Services are the primary driver. The others are ecosystem Orchestration Services and EU Programme Services.
Who are CLIC Innovation Oy's main competitors?
Innovation Norway is listed as a regional player. Broad incumbents are TNO (Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research), Fraunhofer Society, RISE Research Institutes of Sweden and VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland. Direct peers are Polymeris (French competitiveness cluster), ERRIN (European Regions Research and Innovation Network), EIT Climate-KIC and Energy Valley (Norwegian energy cluster). Business Finland is listed as an others.
Does CLIC Innovation Oy have an API?
No public API is recorded for CLIC Innovation Oy.
What industry is CLIC Innovation Oy in?
CLIC Innovation Oy's product category is Innovation Cluster & RDI Coordination Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPADALAM, Circular Economy & Resource Efficiency, with a secondary code of BPADALAK, Disaster Risk Reduction & Climate Risk Management. Its NAICS code is 541 and its SIC code is 9721.