Shaping the Future of Wood Innovation

The eagerly awaited award ceremony at Vienna City Hall focused on strengthening the connection between science and industry. Sustainable wood processing was at the heart of both the research and the gala, hosted by the HS Timber Group. Five research teams from renowned European universities competed in the final round for a chance to secure €300,000 in research funding.

“Vienna has always been a city of dialogue and a city of ideas. It’s gratifying to see these values still thriving here and actively supported by local companies - especially when it comes to contributing to a sustainable future,” said Mayor Dr. Michael Ludwig during the gala event.

The HS Timber Group awarded the Evergreen Prize to an outstanding research project in the field of sustainable wood processing. The winner of the €300,000 prize was selected by a panel of experts along with over 850 international guests from the fields of research, industry, and politics.

Copenhagen Team Triumphs Over International Competition

Interest in the inaugural Evergreen Prize for Innovation was high from the start, with 38 submissions from 25 European research institutions across 12 countries.

From all entries, five research teams were selected by the jury and invited to Vienna for the grand finale.

In the morning, the teams presented their projects to the esteemed panel of judges and to a wider public via livestream. In the evening, the five teams once again took to the stage to pitch their ideas to the 850 guests in attendance, who were invited to assess the projects’ potential. The winning project was selected based on both the jury's evaluation and a live audience vote.

Emil Engelund Thybring and Andrea Ponzecchi from the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, impressed both the expert jury and the international audience with their innovative idea: Hyperlignification – a process in which wood is treated with lignin, its own natural component.

Professor Thybring’s research focuses on this novel method, which uses highly concentrated lignin solutions for wood impregnation. Through this process, known as hyperlignification, the durability and resistance of locally sourced, less durable wood types can be significantly improved. The project combines fundamental research with state-of-the-art analysis technology and aims at resource-efficient refinement of regional wood species.

The winning project will receive €300,000 in research funding to support further development over the next years.