New FFG Talente Regional project: „ReThinkWood“ – Innovative production and environmental technologies based on lignocellulose in the light of the circular economy

Within the framework of the recently approved ReThinkWood research project from the FFG's Talent Regional funding program topics related to the use of lignocellulosic residues and raw materials are to be addressed: In the project, children and young people from a total of 5 schools (3 primary schools and 2 secondary schools) in the Tulln area will learn about the great potential of the wood components lignin and lignocellulose and related innovations, production technologies and products as well as their importance for resource conservation together with scientists and technicians over a period of 2 years. In this way, we want to arouse the students' enthusiasm for RTI and make abstract concepts such as "bioeconomy", "circular economy" and "sustainability" "tangible" for them from the idea to implementation.

The focus of the project is on the personal experience of applied research, technology and innovation by means of age-appropriate and gender-sensitive workshop settings in the schools, at the BOKU Institute of Wood Technology and Renewable Resources and at the company partners, where excursions to start-ups and companies allow role-models to be experienced in their working environment and concrete examples of innovative, lignocellulose-based production.

Within the project, children and young people carry out exciting hands-on and minds-on activities on innovative products and production technologies with a focus on lignocellulose themselves and develop low-threshold experiments together with educators, researchers and technicians. In this way, regional RTI topics and innovation with a focus on lignocellulose are sustainably integrated into school activities and made visible to the public (e.g. at the Lower Austria Research Festival 2024).

The project is intended to appeal equally to children and young people regardless of their gender and social, cultural or geographical background and to give them new impetus for educational and career paths in the field of technology and applied research - the support of of parents, who are specifically involved in this project, is also particularly important here.

Funding programme:

Talente regional – FFG, 2023- 2025 

Project-ID:

„ReThinkWood“

Lead Partner:

Wood K plus – Kompetenzzentrum Holz GmbH 

Project Partner:

BOKU - Universität für Bodenkultur

Pädagogische Hochschule Wien

Verein Technologykids Tulln

Waldviertler Pilzgarten

Lignovations GmbH

Agrobiogel GmbH

Vitus Vitality GmbH

Project Lead:

Dr. Cornelia Rieder-Gradinger

The project "ReThinkWood" - Innovative production and environmental technologies based on lignocellulose in the light of circular economy was funded by the Austrian Research Promotion Agency FFG. 

For more information on the FFG's Talente regional program, please visit:

https://www.ffg.at/talente-regional