As part of the Austrian Leadership Programs (ALPS), organized by the Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs (BMIEA), Werner Balika, representing Innovation Salzburg and Bioeconomy Austria, accompanied an international delegation (27 participants) to our network partner AustroCel Hallein GmbH on 26 November 2025.
In his presentation of the company, Wolfram Kalt (CEO AustroCel) outlined the historical development from a traditional paper mill to a modern biorefinery. A key success factor in this transformation was—and continues to be—the recognition and consistent implementation of bioeconomy and circular economy principles as an opportunity to diversify the company’s activities at the Hallein site. Competitiveness is achieved in combination with sustainability through the cascading use of material and energy streams.
The new product portfolio was illustrated through numerous innovations. A current highlight is a biogenic hydrogel that features excellent water retention and controlled release properties, and has recently become commercially available under the brand name Retentis®. Numerous questions from the ALPS delegation underscored the strong interest in AustroCel Hallein’s business model.
At the conclusion of the visit, Werner Balika outlined Innovation Salzburg’s strategy for implementing the Tech4Green priority area of the Salzburg Science and Innovation Strategy 2030 (WISS 2030). He emphasized the central role of Bioeconomy Austria as a national network and concluded with product examples presented by Salzburg-based companies at the Bioeconomy Austria Summit on 12 November 2025 in Vienna.
