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.
