First research phase of NRP 66 is drawing to a close
The third year of research and the first research phase are drawing to a close.The first final results of the projects will be presented at the next programme meeting in Thun in April 2015. In November 2014, the Research Council awarded further funding to 20 projects that will be continued in the second research phase.
The National Research Programme NRP 66 "Resource Wood" is looking forward to an exciting year: by the end of December 2015, 12 of its 30 projects will have completed their work. The researchers will present the results of their projects at the third internal programme meeting in Thun in April 2015. Shortly before project completion, the Steering Committee will pay the researchers a visit. These site visits facilitate informal discussions about the results as well as their communication and implementation. A further topic of discussion is how the results might feed into the dialogue platforms and the programme synthesis.
As the first phase draws to a close, knowledge and technology transfer begin to play a more important role. Work will focus on intensifying the activities on the dialogue platforms (in collaboration with stakeholders from industry, politics and public authorities) and pushing ahead with preparations for communicating selected results in the media. The Steering Committee will focus on conceptual work for the programme synthesis.
Start of second phase
According to the decision of the National Research Council, two thirds of the 30 NRP 66 research teams will receive further funding worth CHF 3.3 million. These grants will provide them with the means to expand their research, according to the plans outlined in the follow-up application, for a period of up to two years. In many projects, the focus will be on the practical implementation of results and on setting up cooperation projects with industry participation financed by the Commission for Technology and Innovation (CTI). More detailed information on projects, their results and completed implementation activities can be found on the research database P3 of the Swiss National Science Foundation.