Periodic Reporting for period 4 - InnoRenew CoE (Renewable materials and healthy environments research and innovation centre of excellence)
Berichtszeitraum: 2022-04-01 bis 2023-09-30
The InnoRenew CoE project addresses two main concerns. First, it addresses the primary aim of the funding mechanism: decreasing the disparity in Research, Development, and Innovation (RDI) performance between widening countries and higher performing countries. Second, the project supports the development of renewable materials value chains in Europe and beyond, particularly related to buildings, by conducting interdisciplinary research that combines wood and renewable materials science, building engineering, ICT, human health, and data science.
To address these concerns, the project created the “InnoRenew CoE Renewable Materials and Healthy Environments Research and Innovation Centre of Excellence”, a private not-for-profit research institute in Slovenia. The project received funding from the European Commission’s Widespread-Teaming programme and complimentary funding from the Republic of Slovenia to construct and equip a new research facility. With this combined support, the InnoRenew CoE has generated knowledge, assisted industry in overcoming their challenges, shaped policy, and created a safer, healthier, and more sustainable built environment.
This project is critically important to society for multiple reasons. First, reducing the RDI disparity between widening and high performing countries reduces economic, resource, and social disparities. Raising industrial RDI and scientific capabilities in Slovenia will help increase its performance broadly, adding jobs, increasing competitiveness, reducing environmental impact, and improving social wellbeing. Second, the research topics are important for Slovenia, as the forest sector has significant room for growth and can provide new jobs and a valuable, sustainable resource for the country and its trading partners. Beyond industry, the focus on creating healthy and sustainable buildings for all users will have substantial social, human health, and environmental impacts.
The overall objectives of the InnoRenew CoE project were to establish, develop, and operate a new research centre in Slovenia that complements and extends the capabilities of its consortium partners, contribute to raising the RDI performance of the country, and addresses the needs of society related to renewable resource utilisation and healthy, sustainable buildings.
At the project's end, the result is a self-sustaining research institute, InnoRenew CoE. The organisation employes 65 staff (48% from abroad), has won more than 13 million EUR in funding from international, national, and industrial sources, including a prestigious ERC Consolidator grant, and has contributed more than 400 scientific and professional publications to society. InnoRenew CoE has become recongnized for its interdisciplinary research in the field of renewable material use in the built environment and as an attractive destination excellent international researchers. The consortium as a whole has benefited, as partner capacities and networks have expanded and their is growing momentum carrying the group forward, together.
To address these concerns, the project created the “InnoRenew CoE Renewable Materials and Healthy Environments Research and Innovation Centre of Excellence”, a private not-for-profit research institute in Slovenia. The project received funding from the European Commission’s Widespread-Teaming programme and complimentary funding from the Republic of Slovenia to construct and equip a new research facility. With this combined support, the InnoRenew CoE has generated knowledge, assisted industry in overcoming their challenges, shaped policy, and created a safer, healthier, and more sustainable built environment.
This project is critically important to society for multiple reasons. First, reducing the RDI disparity between widening and high performing countries reduces economic, resource, and social disparities. Raising industrial RDI and scientific capabilities in Slovenia will help increase its performance broadly, adding jobs, increasing competitiveness, reducing environmental impact, and improving social wellbeing. Second, the research topics are important for Slovenia, as the forest sector has significant room for growth and can provide new jobs and a valuable, sustainable resource for the country and its trading partners. Beyond industry, the focus on creating healthy and sustainable buildings for all users will have substantial social, human health, and environmental impacts.
The overall objectives of the InnoRenew CoE project were to establish, develop, and operate a new research centre in Slovenia that complements and extends the capabilities of its consortium partners, contribute to raising the RDI performance of the country, and addresses the needs of society related to renewable resource utilisation and healthy, sustainable buildings.
At the project's end, the result is a self-sustaining research institute, InnoRenew CoE. The organisation employes 65 staff (48% from abroad), has won more than 13 million EUR in funding from international, national, and industrial sources, including a prestigious ERC Consolidator grant, and has contributed more than 400 scientific and professional publications to society. InnoRenew CoE has become recongnized for its interdisciplinary research in the field of renewable material use in the built environment and as an attractive destination excellent international researchers. The consortium as a whole has benefited, as partner capacities and networks have expanded and their is growing momentum carrying the group forward, together.
Some of the key developments:
Operation: Employs 65 people (50.42 FTE); 35 alumni ; Invested 22 million EUR into infrastructure
Science: published 1447 scientific communications; Over 13 mio EUR of new funding
Economy: Performed 23 trainings for industry; Leading the Wood sector at Chamber of Commerce from 2023; Hosted 3 long term industrial research visits at InnoRenew CoE
Internationalisation: 44 % international employees; Over 600 international collaborators in our network; Involvement in COST Actions, involved in 17 COST Actions, Grant Holder to 1.; Hosted 61 long term and 424 short term international visitors
Policy: 9 white papers; Participated in 19 high level policy groups; coordinating a woodPoP initiative working group from 2023; provided inputs to 6 strategic national and international documents; Proposed new Mission - New European Bauhaus in the Horizon Europe Nexus report we co-authored (https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/9f9acd60-8aec-11ec-8c40-01aa75ed71a1/language-en).
Dissemination outreach: 62 videos shown on national TV; Social media – 2806 followers on LinkedIn, 2006 on Facebook and 1447 on Twitter; Organized 181 international events with over 2000 participants; 1338 journal articles in national media about P10/InnoRenew CoE and 111 in international media
Awards: EFQM 4 Star certificate for business excellence< Prometheus of Science Award for Excellence in Science Communication
Education: 32 employees lecturing at 6 universities and 7 programs; 8 PhD students graduated; Currently employees 16 PhD students; 30 student workers working on research and administration (13 international, 17 national)
Operation: Employs 65 people (50.42 FTE); 35 alumni ; Invested 22 million EUR into infrastructure
Science: published 1447 scientific communications; Over 13 mio EUR of new funding
Economy: Performed 23 trainings for industry; Leading the Wood sector at Chamber of Commerce from 2023; Hosted 3 long term industrial research visits at InnoRenew CoE
Internationalisation: 44 % international employees; Over 600 international collaborators in our network; Involvement in COST Actions, involved in 17 COST Actions, Grant Holder to 1.; Hosted 61 long term and 424 short term international visitors
Policy: 9 white papers; Participated in 19 high level policy groups; coordinating a woodPoP initiative working group from 2023; provided inputs to 6 strategic national and international documents; Proposed new Mission - New European Bauhaus in the Horizon Europe Nexus report we co-authored (https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/9f9acd60-8aec-11ec-8c40-01aa75ed71a1/language-en).
Dissemination outreach: 62 videos shown on national TV; Social media – 2806 followers on LinkedIn, 2006 on Facebook and 1447 on Twitter; Organized 181 international events with over 2000 participants; 1338 journal articles in national media about P10/InnoRenew CoE and 111 in international media
Awards: EFQM 4 Star certificate for business excellence< Prometheus of Science Award for Excellence in Science Communication
Education: 32 employees lecturing at 6 universities and 7 programs; 8 PhD students graduated; Currently employees 16 PhD students; 30 student workers working on research and administration (13 international, 17 national)
The ongoing research activities of the institute and many other accomplishments demonstrate the success of the project so far. In Slovenia’s national scientific tracking system the InnoRenew CoE’s H-index ranks first in biotechnology (Forestry, Wood, and Paper) and third in Natural Sciences and Mathematics (Computer intensive methods and methods). InnoRenew CoE and partner's successful competitive funding applications further indicate the increased scientific capabilities not only of InnoRenew CoE, but all InnoRenew partners. The establishment of a new PhD study program at the University of Primorska, Renewable Materials for Healthy Built Environments, ensures the long-term viability of the institute and the field by recruiting and training talented researchers.
As of September 30, 2023 InnoRenew CoE has submitted over 290 national and international proposals. In these proposals InnoRenew CoE collaborated with national and international R&D institutions and industrial partners from 40 countries. The successful proposals brought to P10/InnoRenew CoE approx. 11,7 million EUR (1,3 million in the 4th reporting period) of new funding from grants and over 1,5 million EUR (700.000,00 EUR in the 4th reporting period) of direct industrial funding. The success rate of submitted proposals was 28 %, while several proposals are pending.
The InnoRenew CoE’s conference series, the annual "InnoRenew CoE International Conference" and the organisation's participation in events like the Charm of Wood exhibition, workshops for elementary school students – “Let’s explore wood”, and communication to general public will continue to increase the use of renewable materials.
InnoRenew CoE provided white papers to Slovenian policy makers to increase the use of wood in publicly financed buildings, which resulted in the new public procurement regulation (adopted in July 2021) that publicly financed building should have at least 30% of wood or other renewable-based materials built in (volume-wise). Additionally, InnoRenew CoE has become an active partner of the New European Bauhaus and is including citizen science aspects into their research. National and international policy is influenced through representation of InnoRenew CoE employees in national and international policy bodies, and through participation in policy related actions and the Horizon Europe Nexus report, which was coauthored by InnoREnew CoE's director.
Research outputs are archived on the project’s Zenodo community, which can be browsed on the InnoRenew website: https://innorenew.eu/results/ or on Zenodo: https://zenodo.org/communities/innorenew/.
As of September 30, 2023 InnoRenew CoE has submitted over 290 national and international proposals. In these proposals InnoRenew CoE collaborated with national and international R&D institutions and industrial partners from 40 countries. The successful proposals brought to P10/InnoRenew CoE approx. 11,7 million EUR (1,3 million in the 4th reporting period) of new funding from grants and over 1,5 million EUR (700.000,00 EUR in the 4th reporting period) of direct industrial funding. The success rate of submitted proposals was 28 %, while several proposals are pending.
The InnoRenew CoE’s conference series, the annual "InnoRenew CoE International Conference" and the organisation's participation in events like the Charm of Wood exhibition, workshops for elementary school students – “Let’s explore wood”, and communication to general public will continue to increase the use of renewable materials.
InnoRenew CoE provided white papers to Slovenian policy makers to increase the use of wood in publicly financed buildings, which resulted in the new public procurement regulation (adopted in July 2021) that publicly financed building should have at least 30% of wood or other renewable-based materials built in (volume-wise). Additionally, InnoRenew CoE has become an active partner of the New European Bauhaus and is including citizen science aspects into their research. National and international policy is influenced through representation of InnoRenew CoE employees in national and international policy bodies, and through participation in policy related actions and the Horizon Europe Nexus report, which was coauthored by InnoREnew CoE's director.
Research outputs are archived on the project’s Zenodo community, which can be browsed on the InnoRenew website: https://innorenew.eu/results/ or on Zenodo: https://zenodo.org/communities/innorenew/.