Kompetenzzentrum Holz

What Kompetenzzentrum Holz does

Kompetenzzentrum Holz GmbH (Wood K plus), founded in 2001 and headquartered in Linz, Austria, is a leading European COMET K1 research institution conducting applied research on wood and renewable raw materials. The organisation operates four sites across Austria — Linz (HQ), Lenzing, St. Veit/Glan, and Tulln — and employs more than 120 researchers organised around four research areas: Biorefinery Processes & Composite Materials; Solid Wood & Wood Composite Materials; Smart Composites & Surfaces; and Sustainable Innovation & Impact Assessment. Outputs include research on bio-based adhesives, recyclable thermoset composites, bio-based coatings, carbon storage in wood-based construction elements, and organic-semiconductor moisture sensors. Technical infrastructure spans laboratory and pilot-plant equipment across all four sites, including a High-Tech-Press-System (HTPS) with integrated sensor technology funded in 2025 through a €700,000 EFRE Invest/FFG grant. Co-funders and scientific partners include BOKU Vienna, JKU Linz, ETH Zürich, TU Wien, and TU Graz, alongside corporate partners such as Stora Enso, Lenzing AG, Engel Austria, OMV, Fundermax, Hasslacher, Fritz Egger, Mondi, Valmet, BASF, and Cargill. Ownership sits with Upper Austrian Research GmbH (48%), BABEG (26%), BOKU Vienna (13%), and JKU Linz (13%). The company is privately held with no external private equity or venture capital ownership.

The business model is dominated by public grant funding rather than commercial product sales. Core revenue is the multi-year COMET K1 programme grant, administered by FFG and co-financed by the Austrian federal ministries (BMIMI, BMWET) and the provinces of Upper Austria, Lower Austria, and Carinthia, with approval running through 2030. Supplementary revenue comes from competitive EU grants (Horizon Europe, Horizon 2020, Interreg, CBE JU, M-Era.Net, EFRE/IWB, COST, EFI), Austrian national programmes (FFG Bridge, COIN, Collective Research, Klima- und Energiefonds, THINK.WOOD, Waldfonds), and a smaller stream of fee-based service contracts for industry testing, feasibility studies, expert opinions, and consulting. Major ongoing project budgets disclosed include SUSBOARD (€9.06M), champI4.0ns (€8.6M), OptiForValue (€5.0M), ATRIUM (€4.8M), RAW (€4.0M), and InnoCoat4Plasma (€1.35M). Customer acquisition is essentially sales-led and event-driven: the centre identifies industry innovation needs, structures them into research questions, and executes them through funded collaborative projects with industry and academic partners.

The customer base segments into three groups: industrial corporates in wood processing, composites, pulp and paper, chemicals, and construction who co-fund applied research; scientific and academic partners (universities and research institutes) who collaborate on fundamental and applied questions; and public funding bodies (Austrian ministries, provinces, EU institutions) who provide the majority of capital. Distribution of research outputs occurs through collaborative project deliverables, peer-reviewed publications, technology transfer to industry partners, and educational outreach via WooDigiLab and the RoboWOOD/ReThinkWood programmes. The centre's overall strategic positioning is that of a publicly funded applied-research intermediary that monetises its infrastructure, talent, and consortium-building capability rather than selling licensed technology products at scale.

Name

Kompetenzzentrum Holz

Legal name

Kompetenzzentrum Holz GmbH

Website

https://wood-kplus.at

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Kompetenzzentrum Holz (Wood K plus) is an Austrian COMET K1 research institution conducting applied research on wood and renewable raw materials, serving industrial partners across wood products, composites, construction, and chemicals through publicly funded collaborative projects and service contracts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Applied Biomaterials Research Services

NAICS

Engineered Wood Member Manufacturing (321215), Wood Preservation (321114), Wood Product Manufacturing (321)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Millwood, Veneer, Plywood, & Structural Wood Members (2430)

akta.pro primary industry

Wood Treatment & Preservation for Engineered Wood Products (IMAMACAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Wood Treatment & Specialty Preservatives (IMAEABAO), Wood Remanufacturing (Mouldings, Millwork Blanks, Cut Stock) (IMAMABAI)

Keywords

• Wood research services
• Bioeconomy research
• Composite materials development
• Renewable raw materials
• Biorefinery processes

Headquarters

HQ city

Linz

HQ country

Austria

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. COMET K1 Core Funding: The centre receives ongoing public funding as a COMET K1 Competence Centre, funded by BMIMI (Federal Ministry for Innovation, Mobility and Infrastructure), BMWET (Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs, Energy and Tourism), and the co-financing provinces of Carinthia, Lower Austria and Upper Austria. The COMET programme is managed by FFG.
2. Project & Services Revenue: Revenue generated through service contracts with industry partners including testing, feasibility studies, expert opinions, and consulting. Also includes project-based research collaborations funded through various national and EU programmes.
3. EU and National Research Project Funding: Funding from Horizon Europe, Interreg, EFRE/IWB, COST, European Forest Institute, M-Era.Net, Bio-based Industries Consortium, Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking, Klima- und Energiefonds, and other national programmes such as FFG Bridge, COIN, Collective Research, and TAKE OFF.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Kompetenzzentrum Holz (Wood K plus) is an applied research institution that conducts material research and process technology along the entire wood and renewable raw materials value chain, organised around four research areas: biorefinery processes and bio-composite materials, solid wood and wood composites, smart composites and surfaces, and sustainable innovation and impact assessment. It sells collaborative R&D projects, contract testing, feasibility studies, expert opinions and consulting to industrial and scientific partners across Europe.

Product overview

Kompetenzzentrum Holz GmbH (Wood K plus) is a leading European research institution for wood and renewable raw materials, operating as a COMET-K1 Center. The organization offers a portfolio of four interconnected research areas: Biorefinery Processes & Composite Materials, Solid Wood & Wood Composite Materials, Smart Composites & Surfaces, and Sustainable Innovation & Impact Assessment. With over 120 researchers across four locations (Lenzing, Linz, St. Veit/Glan, and Tulln), the center provides applied research services, testing, feasibility studies, and consulting to industry partners, complementing its core research programs with project management and innovation support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Biorefinery Processes & Bio-Composite Materials Research

Quantifiable outcome

• Supports resource-efficient management enabling climate-friendly use of natural resources in the circular bioeconomy
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

27 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• ETH Zürich – Institute for Building MaterialscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCOMET K1 scientific partner. Leading technical university contributing expertise in building materials and construction.
• Johannes Kepler Universität Linz – Multiple InstitutescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerScientific partner providing expertise through multiple institutes: Institute for Polymer Chemistry, Institute for Chemical Technology of Organic Substances, Institute for Polymer Injection Moulding Technology and Process Automation, and ZONA Centre for Surface and Nanoanalytics.
• Technische Universität Wien – Multiple InstitutescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCOMET K1 scientific partner contributing process engineering, environmental technology, chemical technologies, and analytics expertise.
• Lenzing AGcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCOMET K1 business partner. Leading manufacturer of cellulose fibres, contributing to bioeconomy and fibre-based materials research.
• Engel Austria GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCOMET K1 business partner. Leading injection moulding machine manufacturer contributing to processing technology research.
• OMV AktiengesellschaftcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCOMET K1 business partner. Major energy and chemicals company contributing to bioeconomy and materials research.
• Fundermax GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCOMET K1 business partner and champI4.0ns project partner. Manufacturer of wood-based panels and decorative surfaces.
• Hasslacher GruppecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCOMET K1 business partner. Wood processing group contributing to solid wood and composite materials research.
• Stora Enso Wood Products GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCOMET K1 business partner. Major wood products company contributing to wood-based materials research.
• Fritz Egger GmbH & Co. OG HolzwerkstoffecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCOMET K1 business partner. Leading wood-based panel manufacturer contributing to composite materials research.
• Fraunhofer Austria ResearchmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner in multiple projects including champI4.0ns. Leading applied research organisation in Austria.
• Joanneum Research Forschungsgesellschaft mbHmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner in champI4.0ns project. Austrian applied research institute.
• European Forest Institute (EFI)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean research organisation active in forest-related research, participating as partner and in network activities.
• Fachverband der Holzindustrie ÖsterreichsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry association for Austria's wood industry, active in network and platform collaboration.
• Holzcluster Steiermark GmbHminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStyrian wood industry cluster contributing to network and platform collaboration.
• Green Tech Valley Cluster GmbHminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAustrian cleantech and bioeconomy cluster network partner.
• Biobased Industry Consortium (BIC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean consortium for biobased industries, active in network participation.
• Mondi AGmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEISER project partner. Major international packaging and paper company collaborating on energy and resource efficiency research in the pulp and paper industry.
• Valmet ABmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEISER project partner. Leading pulp and paper industry equipment supplier contributing process technology expertise.
• Cargill Deutschland GmbHmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSUSBOARD project partner. Global food and ingredients company providing carbohydrate syrups (from renewable raw materials) for 100% bio-based adhesive development.
• BASF SEmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSUSBOARD project partner. Leading chemical company contributing to bio-based adhesive development.
• AITIIP Centro TecnológicomajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerATRIUM project coordinator. Spanish technology centre leading the €4.8M EU-funded project on bio-based materials for construction.
• Mendel University in Brno – Department of Chemistry and BiochemistrymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFURPLAST project lead partner. Czech university leading research on furcellaran-based bio-plastic film development.
• FUNDACION CIDAUTmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerESTELLA project consortium leader. Spanish foundation leading the €9.1M EU project on recyclable thermoset bio-composites.
• Johannes Kepler University Linz – Center for Surface and NanoanalyticsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSuS2C project partner and project lead. Contributing expertise in sustainable carbons and composites based on lignin and cellulose.
• Competence Center CHASE GmbHmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBIOCYCLE-UA-II project partner. Upper Austrian competence centre for chemistry and plastics technology.
• TCKT – Transfercenter für Kunststofftechnik GmbHmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBIOCYCLE-UA-II project partner. Transfer centre for plastics technology in Upper Austria.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Scion (New Zealand Forest Research Institute): New Zealand's crown research institute dedicated to forestry and wood/biomaterials science. Direct comparable as a forest-products-focused research centre with industry co-funding and a similar mix of fundamental and applied research.
• FPInnovations: Canadian non-profit forest products research organization with comparable structure (industry + public funding) and focus areas in wood composites, biorefining, and pulp/paper — a strong North American analogue.
• Fraunhofer Institute for Wood Research (Wilhelm-Klauditz-Institut, WKI): Germany's leading applied research institute for wood and related materials, operating under the Fraunhofer model with public and industry co-funding. Direct comparable as an applied research centre serving the European wood and bioeconomy industry, with overlapping topics in wood composites, surface technology, and circular materials.
• WSL – Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research: Swiss federal research institute covering forestry, wood use, and material sciences. Comparable as a publicly funded research institution serving the wood/forest value chain with similar industry-partner-driven R&D programmes.
• RISE (Research Institutes of Sweden, formerly Innventia): Swedish applied research organization with a dedicated Bioeconomy and Process Technology division focused on forest raw materials, pulp/paper, and wood composites. Closest direct peer in scale, mission, and customer base among Nordic research institutions.
• Thünen Institute (Germany): German federal research institute under the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture, with institutes covering wood research and forestry. Comparable public-funding model and DACH-region positioning.

Emerging players

• Kompetenzzentrum CHASE GmbH: Upper Austrian COMET competence centre for chemistry and plastics technology and current BIOCYCLE-UA-II project partner. Closest peer by structure (COMET competence centre model) and co-funding mechanism, though focused on polymers/plastics rather than wood.
• Joanneum Research: Austrian applied research provider with materials and life sciences divisions, currently a project partner of Wood K plus in champI4.0ns. Comparable in scale and funding model but broader mandate.

Broad incumbents

• VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland: Finnish national research centre with a major biomass and bioeconomy programme covering forest products, biorefining, and circular materials. Comparable in mission and funding model (public + industry), though broader in scope beyond wood.
• EMPA (Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology): Swiss federal research institution with a strong 'Functional Materials' and 'Building Energy' portfolio that includes wood and bio-based composites. Broader mandate than Wood K plus, but overlapping research areas in surface technology and sustainable materials.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights3 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCiTTkVVmNwOXMpvbXr3jPqQ
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kompetenzzentrum-holz-gmbh

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Kompetenzzentrum Holz