[Open Mic: 4 questions to the InnovaWood community] Episode IV : If you had unlimited funding, what would you study?

Wood research, innovation and education is at the core of what the InnovaWood community does. This year’s General Assembly was co-hosted at WoodKplus and BOKU, an enriching experience that gave participants a closer look at their labs and topics of study, ranging from plug-and-play wooden building design to the use of wood in space. 

In this 4th and final episode, with Florence Kuijl in front of the camera and Eva Ceh behind it, we explored what InnovaWood members would study if they had unlimited funding. Should be easy, right? Not always. It is not always self-evident what should be studied next,

Asking researchers what they would study without constraints is not a hypothetical question. It is a useful lens into where a field is heading, what questions are considered important, and where the gaps between current research and future needs are widest. Wood sits at the intersection of some of the most pressing challenges of our time: sustainable construction, circular economy, climate, bio-based materials, etc. Yet, research priorities are often shaped by funding cycles and short-term demand rather than the longer-term questions the field genuinely needs to answer. 

For this reason, we gather and connect our community to learn from each other, follow trends in Europe and beyond, and understand where wood research stands in relation to the latest developments in the sector and wider societal challenges. In this way, we are able to define new questions that should be asked in future research projects. As Jan Lüdtke from the Thünen Institute put it in last year’s General Aassembly video, finding new research questions is precisely what brings him back to the network and to InnovaWood’s in-person gatherings. 

And you, with the funding settled, what would you study? Let us know here.

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