MycoCluster
ABOUT US
Cluster strategy
OUR AIM
MycoCluster was established as a pan-European initiative in response to the growing need for a coordinated, cross-border effort to develop the fungi and mycelium sector—an emerging domain with enormous potential for sustainable innovation across multiple industries.
Given the highly specialized and still-nascent nature of this field, no single country or region currently holds the critical mass of stakeholders required to sustain a vibrant, standalone cluster. Therefore, a European-scale approach was essential to bring together a diverse and complementary set of actors from the quadruple helix: academia, industry, government, and civil society.
Importantly, fungi and mycelium are still frequently misclassified as “plant-based” in both public discourse and business ecosystems. In reality, fungi represent a distinct biological kingdom—neither plant nor animal—with unique regenerative, biochemical, and structural properties. Despite their extraordinary potential, fungi and mycelium remain significantly underrepresented in mainstream innovation events, funding instruments, and policy frameworks. One of MycoCluster’s central missions is to elevate the visibility and strategic importance of this sector across Europe and beyond.
The cluster is a flagship outcome of the European Commission–funded I3-Strand-2B project “STARRISE”, which supports interregional innovation investments in emerging and strategic sectors. The foundation of MycoCluster was laid through the Entrepreneurial Discovery Process (EDP)—a participatory methodology at the heart of Smart Specialisation Strategies (S3).
Through this process, seven regions—Latvia, Portugal, Martinique, the Canary Islands, Germany, Romania, and Greece—collaborated to assess their regional strengths and identify fungi and mycelium as promising innovation domains with strong cross-sectoral relevance.
The EDP involved stakeholder workshops, expert consultations, and opportunity mapping, during which a broad range of potential cluster beneficiaries were identified. These included R&D institutions, biotech startups, food producers, sustainability-driven SMEs, creative industries, and public bodies. The findings revealed not only significant market potential, but also opportunities for scalable, cross-regional value chains across sectors such as food, construction, textiles, packaging, cosmetics, and advanced bio-based materials.
In response, MycoCluster was created to bridge regions, connect innovators, and catalyze fungi- and mycelium-based growth at the European level. It now serves as a collaborative platform to coordinate joint research and innovation, stimulate entrepreneurship, support access to funding, and foster new value chains within the EU and in third countries.
At its core, MycoCluster aims to raise visibility, unlock collaboration, and bring fungi and mycelium into the spotlight as strategic assets of Europe’s green and circular economy transformation.
Concept
Why to Join Mycocluster?
At the heart of Mycocluster lies a commitment to:
Promoting cross-sector partnerships among academia, startups, established companies, and policymakers;
Accelerating the development and market readiness of myco-based materials and products;
Creating new business opportunities by integrating fungi innovation into traditional and emerging industries;
Supporting education and awareness on the benefits of fungi and mycelium in creating resilient, sustainable systems.
Cluster strategy
Why Join MycoCluster?
MycoCluster is the first dedicated platform uniting innovators, researchers, startups, corporates, and investors across the fungi and mycelium value chain to accelerate the development of sustainable, fungi-powered industries.
By joining MycoCluster—completely free of charge—partners unlock a wide range of strategic benefits.
They gain access to a cross-sector ecosystem spanning food, construction, packaging, cosmetics, textiles, biotechnology, and more.
Members can engage in the joint development of research and business projects, including support for building consortia and applying for national, EU, and international funding schemes.
The platform encourages the creation of new value chains across the European Economic Area and third countries, boosting international collaboration and market access.
MycoCluster offers investor matchmaking and co-creation opportunities with R&D institutions, industry clusters, and entrepreneurs.
Partners enjoy exclusive access to a closed LinkedIn-based discussion group, fostering real-time knowledge exchange, collaboration, and curated partner searches.
They also receive regular partner-only newsletters with market insights, funding alerts, innovation trends, and policy updates, keeping them informed and ahead of the curve.
Joining MycoCluster means gaining visibility and recognition as a frontrunner in fungi-based innovation, circular solutions, and the emerging bioeconomy.
Whether you’re seeking to innovate, collaborate, scale, or lead—MycoCluster is your gateway to growth, sustainability, and global impact.
DIversity
Industries Supported
Construction:
MycoCluster promotes the use of mycelium-based and fungal materials to create sustainable, renewable, and biodegradable building components. These include insulation panels, lightweight bricks, acoustic dampers, and composite materials that reduce environmental impact and carbon emissions in the construction sector. Such innovations help transform the industry toward circular economy principles by using waste biomass and offering alternatives to traditional, resource-intensive materials
Food & Nutrition
The cluster advances the development of fungal-based food products and ingredients that provide sustainable nutrition. This includes plant-based meat alternatives, high-protein fungal extracts, fermented foods, and novel supplements that support healthier diets while lowering the environmental footprint associated with conventional agriculture and animal farming.
Cosmetics & Personal Care
MycoCluster supports the discovery and commercialization of fungi-derived bioactive compounds with properties beneficial for skincare, haircare, and overall personal care. These natural ingredients emphasize sustainability, ethical sourcing, and efficacy, responding to growing consumer demand for eco-friendly, non-toxic, and effective beauty products.
Textiles & Fashion
The initiative explores fungal materials as alternatives to traditional textile fibers, offering biodegradable, durable, and versatile solutions for fashion and industrial applications. This contributes to reducing reliance on resource-heavy fibers like cotton and synthetic polymers, helping to create circular supply chains and lessen environmental pollution from textile waste.
Packaging
Mycelium-based packaging solutions promoted by MycoCluster provide fully biodegradable and compostable alternatives to plastic packaging. These innovations protect goods while supporting zero-waste objectives and combating the global plastic pollution problem, with applications ranging from protective casings to food packaging.
Biotechnology & Life Sciences
The cluster fosters research in fungal biotechnology for pharmaceuticals, medical therapies, biofertilizers, biopesticides, and environmental remediation. It also supports the development of advanced bio-based materials with medical and life science applications, accelerating innovation through collaboration between research institutions, startups, and industry.
Substrate Provider
MycoCluster recognizes the importance of sustainable substrate supply for fungal cultivation and production. This includes the use of agricultural waste, forestry by-products, and other organic residues as growth media, helping to close resource loops and optimize biomass valorization in the fungal value chain.
Furniture & Design Elements
The cluster encourages the use of fungi-based materials in the creation of innovative, sustainable furniture and interior design elements. These products combine aesthetics, functionality, and eco-friendly attributes, offering alternatives to wood, plastic, and synthetic materials in home and office environments.
Agriculture
MycoCluster supports the application of fungi and mycelium in agriculture to improve soil health, increase crop yields, and develop sustainable farming practices. This includes biofertilizers, biopesticides, and soil conditioners that reduce chemical inputs and promote regenerative agriculture models.
Rules
Membership Rules
Team
Meet the Creators
Latvian Technological Center
The Latvian Technological Center (LTC) is a leading innovation hub in Latvia, dedicated to fostering business growth, supporting cutting-edge research, and connecting entrepreneurs with global opportunities. LTC brings expertise in project coordination, networking, and strategic development to drive impactful collaborations.
STARRISE Journey
The STARRISE project is an EU-funded initiative under the I3-Strand-2B program aimed at fostering innovation and regional development through enhanced collaboration across multiple regions. One of its flagship outcomes is MycoCluster, a pan-European cluster dedicated to developing the fungi and mycelium sector for sustainable innovation in industries like food, construction, textiles, packaging, cosmetics, and advanced bio-based materials.
Interregional Innovation Investments Strand - I3
The I3-Strand-2B initiative focuses on creating interconnected regional innovation ecosystems by promoting joint research, entrepreneurship, funding access, and new value chains. It involves collaboration between seven European regions — Latvia, Portugal, Martinique, Canary Islands, Germany, Romania, and Greece — with the goal of boosting the visibility and strategic importance of fungi and mycelium technologies in Europe’s green and circular economy transition.
