MIRKA OY

Their core work

Mirka is a Finnish manufacturer of abrasive products and surface finishing systems, globally known for precision sanding tools and coated abrasives used in automotive, marine, and industrial applications. In H2020 research, they appear as an industrial end-user and technology integrator, bringing their expertise in friction materials, surface coatings, and abrasive manufacturing to validate and scale new bio-based materials. Their project engagement focuses on applying nanocellulose and lignin-derived chemistries to improve or replace conventional materials in their product lines. This positions them as a bridge between forest-biorefinery research and industrial surface-finishing applications.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In their first H2020 project (2017–2020), Mirka's focus was on nanocellulose — specifically CNF and CNC derived coatings applied via cast, foam, and screen printing techniques to create functional surfaces with antifouling, durability, and absorption properties. By 2021, the focus shifted decisively toward lignin chemistry: bio-based resins, wood biorefinery feedstocks, and drop-in replacements for phenol-formaldehyde in structural wood products. The through-line is sustainable bio-based materials, but the technology axis moved from nanocellulose surface engineering to lignin-based polymer chemistry — a broader industrial scope with stronger ties to the wood processing and construction sectors.

Mirka is moving from nano-enabled performance surfaces toward upstream bio-based chemistry, suggesting strategic interest in sustainable raw material substitution across their manufacturing inputs — a likely driver for future collaboration on wood biorefinery, green adhesives, or circular material flows.

How they like to work

Mirka has participated in both projects as a consortium partner, never as coordinator, which is typical for large industrial companies that join research consortia to access new materials and validate them at pilot scale rather than to lead scientific programs. With 22 unique partners across just 2 projects, their consortia are broad and diverse — averaging 11 different partners per project — suggesting they enter well-networked, multi-actor Innovation Actions where their role is to provide industrial testbed conditions and manufacturing know-how.

Mirka has collaborated with 22 unique partners spread across 10 countries through two projects, indicating genuine European reach rather than a locally clustered network. No partner overlap data is available, but the breadth across two thematically different projects suggests they bring in fresh consortia rather than recycling the same partners.

What sets them apart

Mirka is one of the few global abrasives manufacturers actively engaged in H2020 research on sustainable bio-based materials — most companies of their size and sector do not participate in EU research programmes at all. Their dual footing in advanced surface engineering (nanocellulose) and wood-derived chemistry (lignin resins) means they can credibly validate new bio-based materials against real industrial performance requirements, which makes them a valuable end-user partner for any consortium developing forest-biorefinery outputs. Researchers seeking industrial validation of functional bio-materials in manufacturing applications would find Mirka a rare combination of scale, technical depth, and market access.

Highlights from their portfolio

• NanoTextSurf
  The largest of Mirka's two funded projects (EUR 427,875), it directly connected nanocellulose science to Mirka's core business in abrasives and friction materials — a rare case of a global industrial manufacturer piloting nano-enabled coatings on its own product lines.
• VIOBOND
  A long-horizon Innovation Action running to 2027 targeting full upscaling of lignin-based resins as fossil-free binders — Mirka's involvement signals strategic commitment to replacing petrochemical inputs in their adhesive and coating supply chain.