The WoodPoP 7th Expert Group Meeting
2025-09-23 10:00 - 12:00 (Europe/Helsinki)
On the 23rd of September 2025, 10:00-12:00 (CEST), WoodPoP’s Expert Group will reconvene for the seventh time to discuss the Platform’s ongoing initiatives, such as increasing the outreach of the Wood Policy Paper, the WoodPoP Award, and other activities that will define the future of the Platform.
Programme Overview

Co-Chairs: Georg Rappold (AT)
Language: English
Meeting modality: Online (meeting details have been sent out via email)
0. Opening of the Meeting
1. Update on the Wood Policy Paper

Dissemination and translation of the Policy Paper
Key Messages

2. Updates and WoodPoP Status Quo

Updates from the Technical Working Groups’ Co-Leads
Update from the Secretariat
Discussion

3. Presentation of the WoodPoP Dara Award

Updates by the Award Steering Committee

4. Presentation of the Extended Policy Brief ‘Public Procurement of Wooden Buildings’

Presentation by Petri Heino and the WoodPoP Secretariat
Discussion

5. Presentation of the WoodPoP Fund

Presentation by the Chair and the WoodPoP Secretariat

6. Preparation of the next WoodPoP High Level Meeting, 15 October, Izola, Slovenia

Updates from the organising team
Discussion on the Draft Outcome Statement

7. Future of WoodPoP

Identification of Co-Chairs
Evaluation and Sunset clause
Possible organisations of a Policy Lab or Stakeholder Dialogue
International collaboration

8. Principles for Responsible Timber Construction

Debriefing on the Expert Workshop from 10 September 2025 by Petri Heino
Discussion

9. Updates on international developments and processes, Discussion

Country & Organisation-Led Initiative (COLI) ‘Sustainable forest-based bioeconomy approaches’

10. AOB
11. Wrap-up and closure of the meeting

Meeting Documents

WoodPoP 7th Expert Group Meeting Draft Agenda

The WoodPoP 4th High Level Meeting
2025-10-15 09:00 - 12:00 UTC | InnoRenew CoE, Livade 6a, Izola, 6310, Slovenia
WoodPoP Fourth High Level Meeting
Date and Time: Wednesday, 15 October 2025, 09:00 CEST
Venue: InnoRenew CoE, Livade 6a, 6310 Izola, Slovenia & Online (Hybrid)
Meeting Language: English
The European Wood Policy Platform (WoodPoP) will host its 4th High Level Meeting, bringing together delegations from Pan-European ministries, led by senior government officials such as Ministers, Secretaries of State, Director Generals, and Directors. The meeting will also welcome regional and stakeholder organisations, along with various observers.
This significant event will feature an exchange of views that will discuss how transdisciplinary measures can help to strengthen the wood-based sector and its contributions to a competitive, just and green Europe.
A particular focus will be laid on how training (within the sector) and re-training (within the sector to enhance the existing workers’ skills, educating and training sector-specific skills to attract workers from other sectors) can provide urgently needed new skills for the revitalisation of the sector.
Programme Overview
Moderator: Boštjan Romih
09:00 – 09:30 Welcome coffee and registration*
09:30 Opening of the Meeting

Matjaž Han, Minister of the Economy, Tourism, and Sport of the Republic of Slovenia (video-message)
Willibald Ehrenhöfer, Minister for Economy, Labour, Finance, Science and Research, Government of Styria, Austria

Welcoming Words

Dr. Aleš Musar, in the name of the President of the Republic of Slovenia Dr. Nataša Pirc Musar

Key Note Speeches

Keynote 1 – Lifelong learning and development of microcredentials in Slovenia, Urban Kodrič, State Secretary, Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation of the Republic of Slovenia
Keynote 2 – Strengthening exchange between relevant actors in policymaking and science, Prof. Dr. Daniela Kleinschmit, IUFRO President and Chair of Forest and Environmental Policy, University of Freiburg, Germany

Presentation of the Policy Brief

‘A skilled workforce in the wood-based sector to propel Europe towards a sustainable future’, Prof. Dr. Andreja Kutnar, InnoRenew CoE & University of Primorska (Slovenia)

10:30 – 11:00 Coffee Break* , **
11:00 Presentation of the Draft Outcome Statement “The role of wood in Europe’s clean, just and competitive transformation”
Exchange of Views on the Draft Outcome Statement

Moderator: Georg Rappold, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Climate and Environmental Protection, Regions and Water Management of Austria
Co-Moderator: Darko Sajko, Ministry of Economy, Tourism, and Sport, Slovenia

The WoodPoP Dara Award, Celebrating Sustainable Timber Construction

Presentation by Tomáš Krejzar, Ministry of Agriculture, Czech Republic & David Gil-Moreno, Department of Agriculture, Food, and the Marine, Ireland

Updates from the WoodPoP Secretariat (WoodPoP Fund, upcoming meetings)

Alexander Buck, Executive Director, IUFRO
Veronika Steinhofer-Juch, WoodPoP Secretariat

Reports of Technical Working Groups’ Co-Leads

Closing Remarks

Georg Rappold, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Climate and Environmental Protection, Regions and Water Management of Austria
Darko Sajko, Ministry of the Economy, Tourism, and Sport of Slovenia

Handing over of the IUFRO Distinguished Service Award to Lidija Zadnik-Stirn, University of Ljubljana (Slovenia)
13:15 – 15:00 Networking Lunch
Optional
15:00 – 16:00 Meeting of the TWG Education & Vocational Training
18:00 Informal Dinner at InnoRenew CoE
*Bilateral meeting of ministers
**Statements for the press
Thursday, 16 October 2025 (CEST)
10:00 – 12:00 Meeting of the Informal Steering Group
Afternoon Excursion to Public Wood Buildings and Construction Sites in Koper and Izola
Tuesday, 14 October 2025 (13:15 – 18:30 CEST)
13:15 Departure of the Excursion bus in InnoRenew CoE
Meeting Point Address: InnoRenew CoE, Livade 6a, 6310 Izola, Slovenia
13:15 – 15:45 Site visits in Koper

Port of Koper ‘Wood Terminal’
Cultural Heritage Building ‘Servitski Monastery’
Transfer to InnoRenew CoE

16:00 – 18:15 Site Visit in Izola

Tour of InnoRenew CoE – the biggest wooden building in
Slovenia – & its laboratories

18:30 Transfer to the dinner venue by bus
Meeting Point Address: InnoRenew CoE, Livade 6a, 6310 Izola, Slovenia
18:30 – 22:00 Dinner

Around 22:15 Return to InnoRenew CoE by bus

Registration
As registration has closed, kindly e-mail us at contact(a)woodpop.eu, if you would like to join the meeting.

Meeting Documents

WoodPoP 4th High Level Draft Agenda
WoodPoP 4th High Level Meeting Practical Information

Photo credit: Miran Kambic

Prologue V: Health & Well-being at the 29th International Wood Construction Forum
2025-12-03 08:00 - 17:30 UTC | Innsbruck, Austria, Rennweg 3, Innsbruck, 6020, Austria
PROLOGUE V: Health and Well-being in Timber Buildings
Wednesday, 3rd December 2025, 13:45 – 18:05 CET
29th International Wood Construction Conference, Innsbruck, Austria
Organised by the Technical Working Group ‘Building’, European Wood Policy Platform (WoodPoP)
Integrating multisensory experience and health effects of wood from living labs into building design
Moderation: Veronika Steinhofer-Juch (IUFRO) & Martin Behrens (FNR)
Wood and wood products are vital components for healthy, liveable and sustainable living and working spaces. What are the effects on physiological and psychological well-being? How can emerging research on multisensory experiences and health effects inspire future applications of wood – design to planning?
REGISTRATION
If you are interested in joining, kindly email your interest at contact@woodpop.eu.

EVENT LANGUAGE
This event will be in English.
PROGRAMME OVERVIEW

13:45 – 13:55 Welcome, introduction on the importance on sustainable wood-based value chains
Georg Rappold, Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Climate and Environmental Protection, Regions and Water Management, AT
13:55 – 14:35 Keynote: Health and wellbeing indoors with wood: How does it work?
Mike Burnard, InnoRenew Coe, SI
Renate Weisböck-Erdheim, Paracelsus Medical University, AT
Christine Meissnitzer, SIGES Massivholzbau, AT
14:35 – 15:45 Interactive Wood Sensation Lab – exploring the effects of wood
Testing stations and round tables on physiological, psychological, sensational, and anthropological effects
15:45 – 16:15 Coffee break (sponsored by Stora Enso Wood Products)
16:15 – 16:50 Scientific exploration on the effects of wood
Tuula Jyske, University of Helsinki, FI
Špela Vrtovec, InnoRenew CoE, SI
Boris Forsthuber, Holzforschung Austria, AT
Petra Seebacher, proHolz Styria, AT
16:50 – 17:20 What is next for research, development and innovation?

Living Lab for the built environment: The life of buildings and the life inside them
Jaakko Jussila, University of Helsinki, FI
Mike Burnard, InnoRenew CoE, SI
Perspectives and challenges for new applications of wood
Gerhard Grüll, Holzforschung Austria, AT

17:20 – 17:45 Discussion with the audience
17:45 – 18:05 Looking ahead: Biophilia – a cognitive and emotional experience
Kirsten Haggart, Waugh Thistleton Architects, UK
18:05 – 18:15 Concluding remarks and closure of the meeting
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A short summary and the presentations are available under the following link: WoodPoP back at the 29th International Wood Construction Conference in Innsbruck - WoodPop

The WoodPoP 8th Expert Group Meeting
2026-03-24 13:00 - 15:00 (Europe/Paris)
On 24 March 2026, 13:00 – 15:00 (CET), the Expert Group of the European Wood Policy Platform (WoodPoP) will reconvene for the 8th time to discuss the Platform’s ongoing initiatives, such as the WoodPoP Dara Award, the WoodPoP Student Award, and other activities that will define the future of the Platform.
The meeting will be held online.

This webpage will be updated as additional information about the event becomes available.

Policy Lab "Evolution of WoodPoP"
2026-04-20 15:00 - 2026-04-22 15:00 (Europe/Paris) | University Research Centre (UFT), Konrad Lorenz Strasse 24, Tulln an der Donau, 3430, Austria
The Policy Lab will focus on the evaluation of WoodPoP as indicated in its Guidelines. It will discuss different views on the Platform‘s working methods, its effectiveness, as well as its practicality and will interactively create draft recommendations for the next phase of WoodPoP.

Draft Programme
Moderation: Ursula Kopp (WU Vienna)
Day 1: Monday 20 April 2026 – WoodPoP’s achievements
14:30 Arrivals
15:00 – 15:20 Opening of the WoodPoP Policy Lab
Georg Rappold (AT) – Chair
Welcome by Wood K plus representative
15:20 – 16:30 Setting the scene
Introduction to the Policy Lab
Five years of WoodPoP
Inputs from WoodPoP representatives & Technical Working Group Co-Leads
16:30 – 17:00 Coffee Break
17:00 – 18:30 Breaking the Ice
Inspiration by (tbd)
Interactive reflections on WoodPoP’s achievements and individual experiences
18:30 – 19:30 Informal reception at Wood K plus

Day 2: Tuesday 21 April 2026 – Identifying opportunities and gaps
08:30 – 08:45 Introduction to the evaluation exercise08:45 – 10:45 Breakout discussions
10:45 – 11:15 Coffee break
11:15 – 12:15 Plenary
12:15 – 13:30 Lunch Break
13:30 – 15:00 Presentation & Guided tour of Wood K plus
15:00 – 15:30 Travel to Tulln Gardens
15:30 – 16:00 Welcome Coffee
16:00 – 17:30 Guided Terrace Tour by the Association of the Austrian Wood Industries
18:00 Dinner at Tulln Gardens

Day 3: Wednesday, 22 April 2026 – Future scenarios for woodPoP
08:30 – 10:00 Interactive discussions
10:00 – 10:30 Coffee break
10:30 – 12:00 Drafting of key recommendations
12:00 – 12:30 Wrap-up and outlook
12:30 – 13:30 Lunch (optional)
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The WoodPoP 9th Expert Group Meeting
2026-09-15 10:00 - 12:00 (Europe/Helsinki)
On 15 September 2026, 10:00 – 12:00 (CEST), the Expert Group of the European Wood Policy Platform (WoodPoP) will reconvene for the 9th time to discuss the Platform’s ongoing initiatives, such as the WoodPoP Dara Award, the WoodPoP Student Award, and other activities that will define the future of the Platform.
The meeting will be held online.

This webpage will be updated as additional information about the event becomes available.

1st WoodPoP Dara Award Ceremony & 5th High Level Meeting
2026-11-26 | Prague, Czechia
The European Wood Policy Platform (WoodPoP) is pleased to announce that the inaugural Dara Award ceremony will take place on 26 November 2026 in Prague, Czechia. The inaugural Dara Award ceremony will be held alongside the 5th High Level Meeting.

30th International Wood Construction Forum
2026-12-03 | Innsbruck, Austria, Rennweg 3, Innsbruck, 6020, Austria
WoodPoP will be back again to organise the Prologue V at the 30th International Wood Construction Forum. This iteration of the Prologue will be organised by the Technical Working Group ‘Innovation & Research’ of WoodPoP.
More details about this Prologue will be shared here when available. Stay tuned.
