The company aims to become the first factory in southern Spain to manufacture structural technical wood for industrialized and sustainable construction.

Granada, June 13, 2024

IberoLam Timber&Technology has won first prize in the spin-off category in the XI University Entrepreneurship Competition 2023-UGR Emprendedora, aimed at encouraging and promoting the implementation of entrepreneurial projects and companies arising from the University of Granada.

The award, endowed with 3,000 euros, recognizes “innovation, value creation, sustainability and contribution to social and economic development” of this company promoted by the European project LIFE Wood for Future and established in 2023 by researchers and poplar and pine forest owners in the province of Granada.

The contest has the support of Santander Universities and the collaboration of the Social Council of the UGR, the consultancy Escoem and Cámara Granada. The awards ceremony -in the categories of spin-off, entrepreneurial initiatives and mentions- took place today, June 13, chaired by the rector of the University, Pedro Mercado.

The company aims to “manufacture and market new innovative structural products made from local wood – poplar and pine – based on the intelligent mix of materials with a low carbon footprint”.

It will be the first factory of this type of products in central and southern Spain and its objectives include contributing to decarbonizing the construction sector and complying with the future requirements of national and international regulations for public and private construction in terms of sustainability, as well as facilitating the sector’s transition to industrialized construction, which reduces assembly times and generates less waste, with greater energy efficiency and lower water consumption.

Among its products, developed by UGR’s I-D-i within the framework of the LIFE Wood for Future project, are laminated poplar and pine beams, with a negative carbon footprint, and prefabricated mixed wood and concrete slabs, with a zero carbon footprint.

The timber construction sector is booming worldwide, with a 300% increase in demand in recent years that is not being met by the increase in supply, which is around 100% in the same period. There are currently only three cross-laminated timber factories in Spain and there are two more in the pipeline. All of them are located in the north of the Peninsula.

Among the environmental and social commitments of IberoLam Timber & Technology are the mitigation of climate change; the conservation, renewal and growth of our forests; the fight against rural depopulation; a more ecological and sustainable construction; more dignified and equal green jobs; and generate health and welfare to our territory.

IberoLam Timber & Technology is now undertaking its first capital increase to make the leap to manufacturing. The company is currently headquartered in Gran Vía, in the University’s business incubator.

The president of IberoLam, Victoria Carreras, has expressed her gratitude to the University of Granada and UGR Emprendedora for the award, “which is an important boost for this young company”, as well as to the shareholders who have trusted in the project “as a precursor of a paradigm shift towards a new sustainable management of our forest resources and a greener construction in Andalusia”, and to all the partners and collaborators of LIFE Wood for Future.

For his part, the coordinator of LIFE Wood for Future, the UGR professor Antolino Gallego, recalled that “industrialized construction with wood is already breaking into Andalusia, which is the largest construction market in Spain. Soon we will see high-rise building projects in Andalusia. For pride, we can not allow this to be done by outside companies, as has happened on many occasions. The Alhambra and our monuments were made with Andalusian wood, and therefore should not be rehabilitated with wood from northern Spain or central Europe. We Andalusians have to be the ones who manufacture technical wood products for construction with our own natural resources”.