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I3 Instrument Support Facility

Baltic MUPPETS

Cohesion Classification
More developed regions
Transition regions
Less developed regions

Abstract

BalticMUPPETS (2023–2026) strengthens interregional collaboration to create new value chains for small Baltic Sea mussels (1–3 cm), focusing on their use in pet food and on innovative technologies for farming, harvesting, and processing. The consortium unites 13 partners from 5 countries, covering the entire mussel supply chain, from production to processing, product development, marketing, and financing. Business cases in Sweden, Denmark, and Germany test and scale novel approaches, supported by research institutions and business accelerators to develop market-ready products and sustainable business models. With a budget of EUR 7.3 million (EUR 5.1 million EU contribution) the project invests in technology and product development as well as the development of business models. The project will enable a new circular economy in the Baltic Sea Region as well as provide support to mussel farmers across Europe to develop, diversify, and scale their existing businesses.

9
More Developed Regions
Berlin (DE30)
Stockholm (SE11)
Hovedstaden (DK01)
Schleswig-Holstein (DEF0)
Eastern and Midland (IE06)
Sydsverige (SE22)
Västsverige (SE23)
Småland med öarna (SE21)
Midtjylland (DK04)
1
Transition Regions
Eesti (EE00)

There are 13 partners from the regions

  • Stockholm region, sweden (mussel farmer, product developer)
  • Kalmar, sweden (municipality, mussel farmer, product developer)
  • Region of Skåne/Region of Southern Sweden (product developer)
  • Berlin region, Germany (Non-profit, coordinator)
  • Schleswig-Holstein/Kiel region, Germany (university, mussel farmer, product developer, SME accelerator)
  • Metropolitical area, Zealand, Southern Denmark, Mid-Jutland, North Jutland (SME research institution, mussel farmer, product developer)
  • Estonia (university)
  • Ireland Eastern and Midland region (TPFS SME)

12
SMEs and Large Enterprises
3
Research and Education Organisations
1
Intermediary Organisations
1
Public authorities

Our project is developing products, processes, technology and business models featuring the innovative quality of the project:

Technology: a processing plant specifically for small mussels, harvesting machine for submerged mussel farms, monitoring technology for submerged mussel farms, etc.
Products: pet food from small mussels (min 4 different types), garden fertilizer/enhancer from mussel shells.
Business models: The development of pet food and the testing of it's viability for market has not been tackled by other instruments.

The TRL at the end of the project depends on the product, but varies from 7-9. The project aligns with many EU priorities, mainly bolstering the EU’s competitiveness, making a success of the green and digital transitions and promoting an innovation- and business-friendly environment. The project addresses needs in technological development, policy and market development. International collaboration supports the SME partners in the sense that they can exchange on common problems and come up with joint solutions. Further, it saves time and resources when testing new ideas as results are shared.

Project elements along the value chain

There are 3 main investment examples in the project.

  • Technology development for submerged mussel farms.

A rope-cutter, harvesting prototype and monitoring technology has been developed in the Danish farm site, and knowledge transferred to the other pilot sites.

  • Farm up-scaling

Submerged mussel farm technology has been deployed in Sweden and the farm area scaled up.

  • Processing line for small blue mussels.

A processing facility for small blue mussel meat-shell separation and pet food production has been built up in Sweden.

A 100.000 Euro third-party funding scheme has been implemented as a part of Baltic MUPPETS. This funding scheme has helped the mussel farmers solve particular issues, and has allowed SMEs and start-ups to access funds.

Pilots/demo cases

The project has allocated a budget of €100,000 for implementation, which has been distributed to two SMEs.

Results:

  • 2 pet treats have already been released to the market. 2-3 more are expected to be market ready, together with a finished recipe for a complete pet food.
  • 2 garden products will be released in 2025.
  • A remote monitoring system has been developed using underwater robotics.
  • 1 harvesting machine has been prototyped, and will be iterated in 2025.
  • A process for handling mussels for optimised harvesting will be developed in 2025.
  • C23A marking system and product (marking of farm equipment) will be developed in 2025.
Project coordinator
Baltic MUPPETS is producing a series of key exploitable results, which can be used by external actors after the project period. These include business models for mussel farms, production manuals for submerged mussel farms, and a report on market possibilities for blue mussels in the pet-food sector and a report on the valorisation possibilities of mussel shells.