NATHALIE project follows AMADEUS FET OPEN project which innovates in next generation materials and devices for latent heat thermal energy storage at ultra-high temperatures of up to 2000℃. NATHALIE will analyse possible new application sectors, their constraints and demands and potential market size and positioning. These findings will have a direct impact on designing next prototypes, eventually manufactured in subsequent R&D projects. Thus, NATHALIE findings will have valuable impact on the progressing velocity towards higher TRL. NATHALIE focuses on two possible markets for the AMADEUS technology: Commercial and institutional buildings and industrial process heat and power. It aslo plans to assess technology strengths and weaknesses and position into future and emerging energy value chains. The micro and macro external environmental analysis, consisting on PESTEL analysis, Porter 5 forces analysis and SWOT analysis will allow to better position developing technology towards future stakeholder expectations and will therefore allow defining technology specifications parameters to be adapted on each market segment. NATHALIE consortium involves UPM, former AMADEUS project coordinator and Ayming, specialist in market analysis.

The Exilva flagship project will consist in the upscaling of the Borregaard’s MFC process from the existing pilot plant (50-70 tons/year) to the full scale flagship plant (1000 tons/year) and demonstrate an industrial symbiosis between the biomass/forest industry (Norwegian Spruce) and application industries in a wide range of market segments by developing and commercialising added value (performances vs cost) products in a sustainable way. The ambition of the Exilva project is to make MFC commercially available on large quantities for the first time as well as develop the MFC market further in selected segments. The grand challenges of the Exilva flagship project are twofold: • Technology and process: related to the start-up of the flagship plant the main tasks and challenges will be testing of the new equipment, technology transfer from the pilot plant to the flagship plant, gaining operational experience, establishing the plant organization and quality control, establishing the appropriate process parameters for a stable full scale production of MFC and gaining experience with regards to logistics and handling of the MFC material. • Market: successful market penetration of MFC based products, product performance and cost, standards and regulation. The decision to invest in a first of a kind commercial plant is driven by business opportunities to use MFC in a wide range of market segments and applications and demonstrate that the investment in the flagship will be profitable. Borregaard has started to establish business pipelines towards different end user companies that will develop full products based on MFC formulations.