Slovenian innovation among the winners of the BIOEAST Open Innovation Challenge
KNOFmowa, a modular circular solution developed by Slovenian company Knof, is among the winners of the BIOEAST Open Innovation Challenge (OIC), implemented within the European project BOOST4BIOEAST. The solution won Theme 5 – Innovative Wood Technologies, marking a proud milestone for Slovenia’s circular bioeconomy ecosystem.
The BIOEAST Open Innovation Challenge connects students, researchers and innovators with concrete, real-life challenges defined by companies and regional actors across Central and Eastern Europe. In the latest edition, 36 solutions from 11 BIOEAST countries were submitted.
Slovenia played an active role throughout the challenge. Circular Change is a project partner in BOOST4BIOEAST, contributing to ecosystem building, stakeholder engagement and international visibility of innovations. Importantly, two Slovenian companies acted as challenge owners:
ANTEJA ECG, focusing on process and methodological approaches for anticipating market trends and technologies in the hardwood value chain;
Avenia M (Non Tox Uni Kum), seeking solutions for the safe reuse of wood, including criteria and methods for assessing toxicity and structural safety.
Applications from Slovenia played an important role in the challenge, highlighting the strength and relevance of the national innovation ecosystem. The selection of KNOFmowa as the winner of Theme 5 – Innovative Wood Technologies clearly demonstrates the quality and impact of Slovenian solutions at European level.
What’s next?
In 2026, KNOF and the other winners will be invited to BIOEAST pitching events, where they will present their solutions to investors, bioeconomy actors and potential development partners, and receive targeted, theme-specific support from BIOEAST HUBs and Thematic Working Groups.