THE NAVIGATOR COMPANY SA

Their core work

The Navigator Company is one of Europe's leading pulp and paper producers, headquartered in Setúbal, Portugal. In H2020, they contribute industrial-scale pulp mill infrastructure and deep process knowledge to research consortia focused on valorizing wood-based byproducts — from extracting value-added fibres using green solvents, to converting black liquor (a major pulp mill waste stream) into drop-in biofuels. Their R&D participation consistently targets circular economy applications within the pulp and paper value chain, making them a key industrial validation partner for bio-based innovations.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In their early H2020 participation (2015-2018), Navigator focused on materials valorization — extracting higher-value fibres and chemicals from wood pulp using green chemistry methods like deep eutectic solvents and enzymatic processes. From 2020 onward, their focus shifted decisively toward energy, specifically converting black liquor into advanced biofuels via hydrothermal liquefaction for hard-to-decarbonize sectors like aviation and shipping. This trajectory shows a company moving from incremental waste-to-product improvements toward ambitious decarbonization plays tied to their existing industrial infrastructure.

Navigator is positioning its pulp mill infrastructure as a platform for producing drop-in biofuels for aviation and maritime transport, a high-growth sector aligned with EU decarbonization mandates.

How they like to work

Navigator participates exclusively as a consortium partner, never as coordinator — consistent with their role as a large industrial company providing real-world process infrastructure and validation environments rather than leading research design. With 60 unique partners across 14 countries in just 4 projects, they join large, diverse consortia and do not appear to repeatedly partner with the same organizations. This suggests they are valued as an industrial end-user and demonstration site that different research groups seek out for credibility and scale.

Navigator has collaborated with 60 unique partners across 14 countries through just 4 projects, indicating participation in large multi-partner consortia with broad European reach. Their network spans research institutions, biotech SMEs, and other industrial players in the bio-based economy.

What sets them apart

Navigator brings something rare to research consortia: operational pulp mills at industrial scale in Europe, providing real feedstocks (black liquor, wood fibres, process waste) and a credible path to market deployment. Unlike university labs or SME technology developers, they can validate innovations under actual production conditions. For any consortium working on bio-based materials, wood chemistry, or industrial decarbonization, Navigator offers both the infrastructure and the market pull that reviewers and funders look for.

Highlights from their portfolio

• BL2F
  Their most recent and strategically significant project — converting black liquor to aviation and shipping biofuels via hydrothermal liquefaction, directly addressing EU renewable fuel mandates.
• PAPERCHAIN
  Their largest funded project (EUR 184,300), focused on creating new circular economy market niches for pulp and paper waste streams.
• WoodZymes
  Demonstrates Navigator's willingness to explore biotechnology (extremozymes) for converting pulp mill outputs into construction materials — a cross-sector application.