What InnoRenew CoE does

InnoRenew CoE is a private non-profit research institute (zavod) headquartered in Izola, Slovenia, focused on renewable materials and sustainable building solutions. Founded in 2017, it operates at the intersection of forest-products research, sustainable construction, and built-environment sustainability. The institute was established through a multi-country consortium including the University of Primorska (Slovenia), Fraunhofer WKI (Germany), ZAG (Slovenia), and ZVKDS (Slovenia), embedding it directly in Central European applied-research and heritage-conservation networks. Its core research areas cover wood modification, the Restorative Environmental and Ergonomic Design (REED) framework, forest property management, and sustainable building materials, and it maintains active research programs extending into 2029 (e.g., the €450K "Symmetries in Graphs" project).

Its core products and platforms include the Living Lab InnoRenew demonstration facility, the IRIC international research conference, and Public Funding Assistance Services that help organizations access EU research grants. The Living Lab functions as a physical and methodological testbed for sustainable building practices, while the IRIC conference serves as the institute's principal convening vehicle for the global renewable-materials research community. The Public Funding Assistance Services product is a notable monetization of internal grant-writing expertise, extending the institute's commercial surface beyond research execution.

The business model is anchored in competitive public funding rather than commercial product sales. Cumulative disclosed project value is approximately €54M, comprising roughly €15M from Horizon 2020, approximately €30M from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), and supplementary national and EU grants. Revenue mechanics flow through research-grant drawdowns, public funding advisory fees, and research collaboration agreements with public-sector and industry partners in the wood-products, forestry, and construction sectors. The institute's customer base is concentrated among EU institutional funders, Slovenian and Central-European public-sector research clients, and a small set of industry partners engaged in collaborative research projects.

Name

InnoRenew CoE

Legal name

InnoRenew CoE Center odličnosti za raziskave in inovacije na področju obnovljivih materialov in zdravega bivanjskega okolja

Website

https://innorenew.eu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

InnoRenew CoE is a Slovenian non-profit research institute advancing renewable materials and sustainable building solutions through wood modification research, the REED design framework, and EU-funded research collaborations serving public-sector and industry partners across Central Europe.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Renewable Materials and Sustainable Building Research

NAICS

Environmental Consulting Services (54162)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Residential Design-Build & Renovation-Integrated Builders (IMAFABAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Circularity & End-of-Life Technology R&D (PV Recycling Chemistry, Blade Reuse, Design-for-Recycling) (EUAMAOAK), Circular Economy & Resource Efficiency (BPADALAM)

Keywords

• Renewable materials research
• Sustainable building solutions
• Wood modification technology
• Open innovation Living Lab
• Restorative environmental design

Headquarters

HQ city

Izola

HQ country

Slovenia

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. EU Research Funding (Horizon 2020): Major funding from Horizon 2020 Widespread-2-Teaming programme (Project #739574) and European Regional Development Fund for establishing and operating the Centre of Excellence
2. National Government Co-financing: Co-financing from Slovenian Ministry of Education, Science and Sport through European Structural Funds
3. Public Funding and Project Services: Services include partnering for public calls, assisting SMEs in public funding applications, and other research services
4. Research Collaboration and Industry Projects: Collaborative research projects with industry partners, including funded projects from ARIS, rural development programs, and bilateral research initiatives

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

InnoRenew CoE is a research institute that conducts interdisciplinary research on renewable materials (particularly wood) and sustainable building solutions, with primary expertise in wood modification and Restorative Environmental and Ergonomic Design (REED). It delivers this through funded research projects, the user-centred Living Lab InnoRenew open innovation platform, SME public-funding assistance, training/workshops, and the annual International Research and Innovation Conference (IRIC).

Product overview

InnoRenew CoE is a research institute focused on science and innovation to accelerate renewable materials research and sustainable building for healthy environments. Its portfolio comprises the Living Lab InnoRenew — a user-centred service fostering open innovation through collaborative research, international networking, and hands-on trainings — alongside its International Research and Innovation Conference (IRIC), and public funding assistance services that support SMEs and partners in securing research grants.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Living Lab InnoRenew CoE: A user-centred organisation that fosters a culture of open innovation, ideal for developing new value chains and business models that meet user-identified needs.
• IRIC (InnoRenew CoE International Conference)

Products and services

• Living Lab InnoRenew

Quantifiable outcome

• Total project value of €54 million+ for Centre establishment and operation
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major, supporting and project.

• University of Primorska (UP)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 February 2017University of Primorska (UP) is the coordinator of the InnoRenew project and one of the four founding partners. UP is Slovenia's third largest public university, established in 2003 as a centre of knowledge for implementing European educational strategies. The university provides academic expertise and houses UP IAM (Institute Andrej Marušič) which is co-located with InnoRenew CoE.
• Fraunhofer WKIcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 February 2017Fraunhofer WKI (Wilhelm-Klauditz-Institut) is the advanced foreign partner providing technological excellence to the consortium. The German research institute focuses on developing new procedures, technologies, and materials from renewable sources such as wood and other natural (ligno-)cellulosic materials. This partnership is essential for the centre's expertise in wood modification.
• ZAG (Zavod za gradbeništvo Slovenije)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 February 2017ZAG is an independent, unbiased, and non-profit public research organisation in the field of construction engineering. ZAG provides expertise in building physics, structural engineering, and construction materials testing.
• ZVKDS (Zavod za varstvo kulturne dediščine Slovenije)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 February 2017The Public Institute of the Republic of Slovenia for the Protection of Cultural Heritage carries out diverse administrative, professional, and research tasks in the field of immovable and movable cultural heritage protection and associated living heritage.
• University of Maribor (UM)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity of Maribor is part of the cohesion consortium, a comprehensive educational and research organisation pursuing academic excellence and knowledge dissemination through fundamental and applied research.
• Institute for Pulp and Paper (ICP)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Institute for Pulp and Paper is an independent research and development organisation established by the Slovenian paper processing industry, providing expertise in cellulose and paper materials.
• Zavod e-OblaksupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerZavod e-Oblak is a non-profit organisation in Slovenia providing expertise in business and research activities, particularly in digital transformation.
• NIJZ (National Institute of Public Health)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerNIJZ is the central national institution for health awareness, research, and education, dealing with public health statistics, health system research, and health promotion programs.
• RRA LUR (Regional Development Agency of Ljubljana Urban Region)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerRRA LUR is a public institute established by the City of Ljubljana, supporting economic, social, and cultural activities in the municipalities of central Slovenia.
• Stritih, svetovanje za trajnostni razvoj, d.o.o.projectStrategic or Co-development PartnerProject leader for forest management project, providing sustainable development consulting services.
• Various Forest Farms and Educational InstitutionsprojectStrategic or Co-development PartnerProject partners including Kmetija Volk, Višja strokovna šola Postojna, and other forest owners and educational organisations participating in rural development projects.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• RISE Research Institutes of Sweden: Sweden's state-owned research institute covering materials, building, and bioeconomy divisions. Competes with InnoRenew for EU sustainable-construction mandates and offers comparable testing, certification, and applied research services at greater scale.
• SINTEF: Norway's largest independent research organisation, active across materials, building, and sustainable production. Comparable as a European publicly funded applied-research institute that competes for similar Horizon Europe mandates.
• Empa (Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology): Swiss federal research institute for materials science and technology, running major programmes on sustainable construction, wood modification, and building energy. Competes with InnoRenew for EU and bilateral applied-research grants in overlapping domains.
• VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland: Finland's national applied research organisation with strong programmes in bio-based materials, sustainable construction, and built environment. Directly comparable as a publicly funded European research institute serving similar SME and policy clients.

Direct peers

• European Forest Institute (EFI): Pan-European intergovernmental research organisation focused on forest-related policy and sustainability research. Overlaps with InnoRenew on forest-wood value chain research and EU policy-facing sustainability programmes.
• Wood K plus: Austrian Competence Centre for Wood Composites and Wood Chemistry, conducting industry-driven research on wood-based materials, sustainable construction, and biorefinery. Closely aligned with InnoRenew on the wood-modification and sustainable-building axis and comparable in size and funding profile.
• Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics (IBP): Fraunhofer sister institute focused on building physics, indoor environment, and healthy buildings. Highly comparable to InnoRenew's REED and healthy-building agenda and a potential consortium partner or competitor.
• Fraunhofer Institute for Wood Research (Wilhelm-Klauditz-Institut, WKI): Germany's leading applied research institute for wood and natural fibre materials, with overlapping focus on wood modification, sustainable building materials, and renewable resource valorisation. Directly comparable as both a peer and a founding partner of InnoRenew.

Emerging players

• nova-Institut für politische und ökologische Innovation: German independent research and consulting institute focused on bio-based and circular economy topics including renewable materials and sustainable construction. Comparable in scope, smaller than Fraunhofer-tier peers, and an emerging thought leader in adjacent bioeconomy topics.

Regional players

• Thünen Institute: German federal research institute under the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture, with institutes covering forestry, wood technology, and rural areas. Comparable on the forest-wood value chain research axis though not active as a direct competitor for Slovenian contracts.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/InnoRenewCoE
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@innorenewcoe
• Facebookfacebook.com/InnoRenew
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/innorenew-coe

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 InnoRenew CoE