One visit, two cluster members: Cleantech Lithuania visited Klaipėda

On October 15, we continued the tradition started this year of Cleantech Lithuania visiting our cluster members. This time, a trip to Klaipėda allowed us to get a closer look at the activities of two of our members: the Marine Research Institute of Klaipėda University and the university spin-off company Inobiostar.

Member visits provide an opportunity to better understand the expertise, technologies, and infrastructure accumulated within the cluster community. Meetings in the members' work environments not only help us better understand their operations but also practically assess where joint projects, partnerships, or new collaboration ideas could emerge.

We began our visit at the Klaipėda University Marine Research Institute. Dr. Viktorija Vaitkevičienė presented the institute's activities, ongoing projects, available infrastructure, and collaboration opportunities within the Baltic region. The presentation provided a broader look at the institute's competencies and potential touchpoints with the cleantech business sector. The visit participants also joined the discussion, with cluster members briefly introducing their own activities, sharing experiences, and discussing potential directions for cooperation. The visit was attended by representatives from Saulėtekis Tech Park, Biovala, Fivrec, Toksika, Pack'n GREEN, Airplus1, and Vilnius University.

One of the main topics of the visit was the InnoAerogel® technology developed by Inobiostar. Dr. Tatjana Paulauskienė presented the company's journey from research initiated at the university to product manufacturing and preparation for commercial expansion. She also shared her experience regarding acceleration programs, projects, and other initiatives that helped improve the technology, grow the team, and move closer to commercialization at different stages of the company's development.

After the presentations, the cluster members visited the Marine Research Institute's laboratories, where they were able to get a closer look at the available equipment, ongoing research, and the institute's infrastructure capabilities.

Later, we visited the Inobiostar production facility, where members were able to see the new InnoAerogel® production line, which was officially opened a few weeks ago. Its launch marks an important stage in the company's development – the transition from laboratory-scale technology development to larger-scale production and commercialization.

Along with the expansion of production, Inobiostar has signed an agreement with the Klaipėda State Seaport Authority to test InnoAerogel® in real-world port conditions. This will provide an opportunity to test the technology in the environment for which it is being created and to collect data for further product development. Inobiostar has also recently received ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certifications, confirming that the company's quality and environmental management systems comply with international standards.

The visit to Klaipėda demonstrated how many different competencies are contained within the Cleantech Lithuania community, ranging from scientific research and laboratory infrastructure to technology commercialization and manufacturing. The opportunity to meet in the members' work environments and see their activities up close helps us better understand each other's capabilities and discover touchpoints from which new partnerships and joint projects can be born.

We thank the teams at the Klaipėda University Marine Research Institute and Inobiostar for hosting us, openly sharing their experiences, and providing the opportunity to get a closer look at the solutions being developed in Klaipėda.