This November, RTDS Group welcomed partners, collaborators, and friends to its newly opened offices for a festive end-of-year Christmas gathering. The evening combined expert presentations, forward-looking discussions, and informal networking. It constituted a reflection of our commitment to driving collaborative research and sustainable innovation across the Austrian innovation research ecosystem.
The event kicked off with welcome drinks, followed by opening remarks from Dr. Stephen Webb, Chairman and Founder of RTDS Group, who welcomed everyone and highlighted the importance of collaboration across research, industry and policy to turn innovation into real-world impact.
The programme featured a series of inspiring presentations showcasing the diversity of RTDS Groups’ project portfolio. Dr. Wilfried Sailer-Kronlachner from Wood K plus presented the evolution from the SUSBIND project to SUSBOARD, highlighting advances in 100% formaldehyde-free adhesives for industrial wood board production.
Dr. Jo-Ann Innerlohinger from Lenzing introduced the CELLFIL project, which aims to develop sustainable, bio-based Lyocell filaments made from circular raw materials. Ivan Mayorov of CANCOM Austria followed with insights on aluminium circularity and highlighted the advancements of the RecAL project, which plans to set up a data hub supporting digital sovereignty and circularity in aluminium production.
Michael Sinnl from AKKODIS Austria highlighted the role of intelligence and technology as key drivers of innovation.
The agenda also included a forward-looking contribution from Michael Parik, Grant Affairs Coordinator at AIT, and Tamara Mitiska, FFG National Contact Point for Law and Finance in Horizon Europe, who shared perspectives on the future of EU funding programmes. Lastly, we had an inspiring keynote by Professor Jörg Schmiedmayer of TU Wien on the topic of: “Will Quantum save the world?”
The evening then transitioned into a celebratory Christmas party, bringing together all our guests from leading institutions to connect, discuss and toast to a year of achievements and innovation.
At RTDS, we enjoy and value connecting people and ideas across sectors, supporting impactful research & innovation. As the year wraps up, we look forward to keep collaborating with our global partners to drive ambitious EU projects and make real innovation happen.
© All photos: 2025 RTDS Group