Network to Innovate: Innovations and Opportunities in the Mushroom Sector
The online webinar, "Innovations and Opportunities in the Mushroom Sector” took place on 10 March 2026. It was organized by the Rural Networks of Estonia, Finland, Latvia, and Poland. This online event is a great opportunity to connect with others in the field, share knowledge, and potentially create new partnerships.
Join us for a focused exploration of the rapidly evolving mushroom sector and its expanding relevance across food production, health, materials, and sustainable industry. This Network to Innovate webinar brings together primary producers, entrepreneurs, researchers, developers, and policymakers to highlight cutting edge projects and emerging business opportunities linked to fungi and mycelium.
Through four expert presentations, we will dive into collaborative European initiatives, breakthrough processing technologies, next‑generation food ingredients, and the scaling of functional mushroom production.
The session concludes with an open Q&A and discussion, offering participants a chance to exchange insights and spark new connections across the value chain.
To facilitate communication, we used the Padlet dashboard -
More information about the event:
Tuija Kallio
Network Coordinator on AKIS and Innovation at the Rural Network of Finland
[email protected]
- Fungi and mycelium cluster – pan-European collaborative platform - Ints Vīksna, Latvian Technological Center, Latvia. Current platform was initiated to coordinate joint research and innovation, stimulate entrepreneurship, support access to funding, and foster new value chains within the EU and in third countries. The cluster is a flagship outcome of the European Commission–funded I3-Strand-2B project “STARRISE” (coordinated by Latvian Technological Center), which supports interregional innovation investments in emerging and strategic sectors.
- “The technology for processing of full-spectrum extracts from Hericium erinaceus and Ganoderma lucidum” by professors Marta Ligaj and Alfred Błaszczyk, Poznań University of Economics and Business and Michał Senger, Mykoherbals Sp. z o. o., Poland. In the project, a technology for the production of dried mushrooms from a selected variety of Hericium erinaceus grown under optimized conditions was developed. Subsequent work included developing fractional extraction procedures that ensure the preservation of the broad profile of bioactive compounds found in the mushrooms, known as full-spectrum extracts.
- “Mycoprotein as a next-generation food ingredient” by Sirli Rosenvald, TFTAK, Estonia. The presentation introduces mycoprotein as a sustainable and functional protein source that offers new opportunities for the food industry. It explores how fermentation technology enables the efficient production of high-quality protein with a lower environmental impact and aligns with the principles of the circular economy. In addition, it addresses current challenges from both technological development and commercialization perspectives.
- What does it take to become Europe’s largest and leading functional mushroom provider? - Alistair Hatch, KÄÄPÄ Biotech, Finland
Join us for a focused exploration of the rapidly evolving mushroom sector and its expanding relevance across food production, health, materials, and sustainable industry. This Network to Innovate webinar brings together primary producers, entrepreneurs, researchers, developers, and policymakers to highlight cutting edge projects and emerging business opportunities linked to fungi and mycelium.
Through four expert presentations, we will dive into collaborative European initiatives, breakthrough processing technologies, next‑generation food ingredients, and the scaling of functional mushroom production.
The session concludes with an open Q&A and discussion, offering participants a chance to exchange insights and spark new connections across the value chain.
To facilitate communication, we used the Padlet dashboard -
More information about the event:
Tuija Kallio
Network Coordinator on AKIS and Innovation at the Rural Network of Finland
[email protected]
- Fungi and mycelium cluster – pan-European collaborative platform - Ints Vīksna, Latvian Technological Center, Latvia. Current platform was initiated to coordinate joint research and innovation, stimulate entrepreneurship, support access to funding, and foster new value chains within the EU and in third countries. The cluster is a flagship outcome of the European Commission–funded I3-Strand-2B project “STARRISE” (coordinated by Latvian Technological Center), which supports interregional innovation investments in emerging and strategic sectors.
- “The technology for processing of full-spectrum extracts from Hericium erinaceus and Ganoderma lucidum” by professors Marta Ligaj and Alfred Błaszczyk, Poznań University of Economics and Business and Michał Senger, Mykoherbals Sp. z o. o., Poland. In the project, a technology for the production of dried mushrooms from a selected variety of Hericium erinaceus grown under optimized conditions was developed. Subsequent work included developing fractional extraction procedures that ensure the preservation of the broad profile of bioactive compounds found in the mushrooms, known as full-spectrum extracts.
- “Mycoprotein as a next-generation food ingredient” by Sirli Rosenvald, TFTAK, Estonia. The presentation introduces mycoprotein as a sustainable and functional protein source that offers new opportunities for the food industry. It explores how fermentation technology enables the efficient production of high-quality protein with a lower environmental impact and aligns with the principles of the circular economy. In addition, it addresses current challenges from both technological development and commercialization perspectives.
- What does it take to become Europe’s largest and leading functional mushroom provider? - Alistair Hatch, KÄÄPÄ Biotech, Finland
