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Prof. Lidia Morawska from the Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, Prof. Yuguo Li from the University of Hong Kong and Prof. Tunga Salthammer from the Fraunhofer WKI in Braunschweig address this question in the journal SCIENCE.

Within the framework of his summer tour, Lower Saxony’s Minister for Science and Culture, Falko Mohrs, visited the Fraunhofer institutes for Wood Research, Wilhelm-Klauditz-Institut WKI and for Surface Engineering and Thin Films IST in Braunschweig on the 8^th of July 2024.

The Society of Wood Science and Technology (SWST) is committed to the future of wood research by, among other things, honouring the "Women Ambassadors Creating the Future of Wood Science". For 2024, Dr Juan Li, research associate at the Fraunhofer WKI, was accepted as one of the women in the "Women Ambassadors Creating the Future of Wood Science". The new ambassadors will be presented at the annual SWST International Convention in Portoroz, Slovenia, from 30 June to 5 July 2024. Dr Juan Li will be included in the travelling exhibition sponsored by SWST, which will pay tribute to the ambassadors over time.

From the 9^th to the 11^th of October 2024, the Fraunhofer WKI and the European Panel Federation (EPF) in cooperation with the International Association for Technical Issues Related to Wood (iVTH) and the company Hywax GmbH will be hosting the 13th European Wood-based Panel Symposium at the Grand Elysée Hotel in Hamburg. The presentation program has now been finalized.

How can finite resources be conserved and dependency on fossil resources reduced? Renewable raw materials are one answer. Researchers at the Fraunhofer WKI are developing new materials and components made from such materials as wood, flax and hemp fibers and fungal mycelium. Together with the Verband Dämmstoffe aus nachwachsenden Rohstoffen e.V. (association for insulation materials made from renewable raw resources, vdnr), the Fraunhofer WKI has been selected to present its expertise in the field of insulation materials at the “Woche der Umwelt” (Week of the Environment) in Berlin on the 4^th and 5^th of June 2024. The expertise ranges from raw-material extraction, through insulation production and its application in the construction industry, and on to recycling and the utilization of recycled raw materials for second-use products. Scientists will be presenting insulation materials made from plant-based raw resources for applications in the construction sector.

On the occasion of his retirement from the Board of Trustees of the Fraunhofer WKI and from the International Association for Technical Issues Related to Wood (iVTH), Dipl.-Ing. Hubertus Flötotto was honored with the Wilhelm Klauditz Medal. The Wilhelm Klauditz Medal, donated by the iVTH, is awarded to outstanding personalities who have made a special contribution to wood research.

Lightweight construction is considered a key technology of the future. It provides an important contribution towards increasing competitiveness and achieving climate and sustainability goals. Lightweight materials, components and products require less transportation energy and often also smaller amounts of raw resources. Lightweight products made from renewable raw materials can be particularly sustainable. Even renewable raw materials will, however, become scarce if they are used to create an ever-increasing number of products and the world’s population continues to grow. Researchers at the Fraunhofer WKI are developing resource-efficient lightweight-construction solutions using renewable raw materials: from the development of alternative raw materials from climate-adapted ecosystems and plant residues, through material and process development, component design and quality control, and on to cascade utilization and recycling.

In collaboration with industrial partners, researchers at the Fraunhofer WKI have developed a vehicle underbody made from natural fibers and recycled plastics for automotive construction. The component fulfills the stringent technical requirements in the underbody area and could replace conventional lightweight vehicle underbodies in the future. With this development, the climate and environmental balance is optimized throughout the entire product life cycle. The focus at the Fraunhofer WKI was directed at the development of the materials for injection molding as well as the hydrophobization of flax and hemp fibers for natural-fiber-reinforced mixed-fiber non-wovens.

Two research highlights from the Fraunhofer WKI will be on display at the Hannover Messe from the 22^nd to the 26^th of April 2024 in the “Schaufenster Bioökonomie” (Bioeconomy Showcase): thermal-insulation bricks filled with beech-wood fibers and a formaldehyde-free bio-adhesive for the production of wood-based materials. The “Bioeconomy Showcase” is a joint stand operated by Project Management Jülich (PtJ) and the Fachagentur Nachwachsende Rohstoffe e. V. (FNR). Research results from current bio-economy projects funded by the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) and the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) will be presented here.

The Fraunhofer WKI will be presenting solutions for lightweight construction using renewable raw materials at the Hannover Messe from the 22^nd to the 26^th of April 2024. A wood-fiber-based molded part demonstrates the potential of lightweight hybrid materials and was produced using an automated molding machine. The process offers possibilities for the precision-fit production of complexly shaped components, furniture or insulation materials. Furthermore, the performance capabilities of renewable raw materials will be demonstrated with a ceiling system module on the basis of wood foam. The module can be utilized for the renovation of suspended ceilings in old buildings. The mosaic-like coffered ceilings exhibit a load-bearing capacity comparable to reinforced concrete, but are significantly lighter. The innovations can be seen on the Fraunhofer stand (Hall 2, Stand B24).