The 2017 Schweighofer Scholarships have been awarded

• The contest for the scholarships was held simultaneously in all four partner faculties at Universities in Suceava, Brasov and Cluj-Napoca
• More than 100 students competed for the 24 scholarships
• 192,000 lei (more than 41,000 eur) total funds allocated for the academic year 2017-2018

For the third year in a row, Holzindustrie Schweighofer, the largest greenfield investor in the wood processing industry in Romania, supports university students with remarkable achievements in the fields of forestry and wood engineering. The company is a partner of the Romanian educational institutions and in the academic year 2017-2018 will grant 24 monthly scholarships to students from faculties with established tradition in three universities. Each scholarship has a total value of 8,000 lei for the entire academic year (800 lei / month).

Increased competition for the 2017 edition of the Schweighofer Scholarships - over 4.5 candidates for each scholarship

The winners of the scholarships were nominated by the representatives of the partner faculties following a competition that included a theoretical exam and a practical test. For all 112 candidates, the contest took place simultaneously on October 28 in all four locations, and rigorously tested both their scientific knowledge and the ability to solve problems hands-on. “It was a great opportunity to motivate students to study harder, with more responsibility. The disciplines on which they have been tested are the foundation of the professional knowledge of any forester and we hope that in the future our graduates, whether Holzindustrie Schweighofer scholars or not, will show more professionalism, which can only be acquired through practice”, said associate professor Marian Drăgoi, PhD, Faculty of Forestry at the University of Suceava.

For the academic year 2017-2018, the Schweighofer Scholarships have been awarded to:

• Transilvania University of Brasov, Faculty of Forestry and Forest Exploitation: Florin Beleaua and Adrian Florea (3^rd year), Maria Iorga and Madalin-Andrei Nicolae (4^th year), Mihai Bratu and Gabriel-Nicolae Dogaru (MSc)
• Transilvania University of Brasov, Faculty of Wood Engineering: Dragoş Muntean and Dan-Alin Cristea (3^rd year), Andreea Zarachescu, Ruxandra Nedelcu and Alex Pavel (4^th year) and Dan Baraboi (MSc).
• University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Cluj-Napoca, Faculty of Horticulture, Forestry Department: Liviu-Gabriel Ciceu and Paul-Andrei Moldovan (3^rd year), Vlad Todorescu and Dragoş-Călin Zaharia (4^th year), Anamaria Iuga and Steluţa-Maria Sîngeorzan (MSc).
• “Ştefan cel Mare” University of Suceava, Faculty of Forestry: Eduard-Titi Andronache and Cosmin-Marian Barbă (3^rd year), Ilarie Leşan and Marian-Ionuţ Ştirbu (4^th year) and Mihai-Alexandru Corjin and Alin-Andrei Dănilă (MSc).

“So far, the biggest opportunity I've ever encountered was winning a scholarship from Holzindustrie Schweighofer. This is basically the first money I made using my knowledge. I am sure that this opportunity will leave a strong mark on my future, motivating me to be more ambitious and eager to acquire a consistent amount of knowledge and to become one of the best in the field,” said Alin-Andrei Dănilă, MSc student in the Faculty of Forestry at “Ştefan cel Mare” University in Suceava.

Holzindustrie Schweighofer supports Romanian research and innovation

On the occasion of the new academic year, the laboratory of the Faculty of Forestry and Forest Exploitation at Transilvania University received a new donation consisting of last generation equipment and instruments, totaling about 70,000 lei. With the equipment received, the students and faculty will be able to monitor fuel consumption in real time, have multifunctional tools for slope gradient analysis (tilt, distance and height), study the growth dynamics of trees, and simulate harvesting on performance simulators.

“The Faculty of Forestry and Forestry Exploitation in Brasov puts great emphasis on collaboration with partners from the business environment. An important partner of the faculty is Holzindustrie Schweighofer, who has been involved and continues to be involved in awarding scholarships to faculty students, offering the best students the opportunity to assert their professionalism in the field and to develop their degree projects and dissertations to the highest levels. In addition to the scholarships, thanks to the company, the faculty's laboratory is also equipped with state of the art instruments,” said Professor Alexandru Stelian Borz, PhD, vice-dean of the Faculty.

“To really make progress, the industry needs valuable specialists. Our company is socially responsible and continues to invest in one of the most valuable ‘nurseries’ of forest engineers - the Romanian forestry school. A school that, through its world-renowned professors, manages to make students responsible for the sustainable management of forest resources year after year,” said Dan Bănacu, General Manager of Holzindustrie Schweighofer Romania.

In addition to the scholarship program for university students, Holzindustrie Schweighofer’s involvement in the field of education includes the student workshops at the Schweighofer Prize, the vocational education program at the “Gr. Cobalcescu” Technical High-School in Moinesti, the endowment of university laboratories as well as the renovation and modernization of schools, kindergartens and other educational institutions in the areas where the company operates production units.