NRP 66 intensifies dialogue with practitioners
About a year before the research phase of NRP 66 comes to an end, knowledge transfer activities are becoming increasingly important. In the next few months, the four dialogue platforms will offer a range of opportunities for exchanges between scientists, businesses, politicians and federal and cantonal offices.
Even though 13 of the currently ongoing 28 research projects of NRP 66 will end in June 2016 at the latest, the research teams are by no means rushing to finish their research work. Quite on the contrary, for many researchers this is the time to present their research results to target groups, including industry representatives and politicians. For this reason, the research programme has scheduled a series of informative and stimulating events between December 2015 and April 2016. The dialogue platform timber construction will focus next on discussing the potential and limits of hardwood use (28 January 2016), while another event on industrial production is at the planning stage. The wood-based materials domain ran a successful workshop on innovative panel materials in September and has scheduled an event on nanocellulose for 13 January 2016. The opportunities for developing wood-based bio-refineries in Switzerland are to be discussed at two meetings - one will focus on energy aspects, the other will look at the topic from a chemical perspective (10 December 2015 and 5 February 2016). At the 60th LCA Discussion Forum at ETH Zurich (4 December 2015), an audience of experts will learn how these different ways of using wood fare in an environmental performance analysis, and which types of cascaded use can be recommended from an ecological viewpoint. In conclusion, the value of wood supply that is proportionate to the demand for wood, forming the basis for all kinds of use, will be contrasted with alternative forest functions: the purpose of the workshop to be held at Geneva's Haute école de gestion HEG-GE (29 January 2016) is to assess the ecosystem services provided by forests. This phase of intensive dialogue between researchers involved in NRP 66 will end in spring 2016 with a two-day programme conference (14/15 April 2016 in Olten). The event sets a different agenda and addresses a different target group compared to the previous progress report meetings; it will also serve as a kick-off meeting for the imminent task of preparing the synthesis. Details of the events and the participation requirements (if applicable) can be found below as well as under the Events on the programme website www.nfp.66 .