Gabriel Gruber shows two levels of how innovation can be enabled and how legitimacy can be gained later on. On the first level, he cites the factors of location, industry, and transformation, from the interplay of which innovations can emerge. In the context of the timber construction industry, he emphasizes that timber construction has evolved considerably. Whereas in 1900 there was still a risk that buildings made of wood would be easily ignited, this problem no longer exists today. The fact that timber construction has gained legitimacy is shown by the increasing number of timber buildings, including famous projects such as the HoHo Vienna timber multistory building. For Gruber, the OIC is also a very good example of the transformation towards modern and sustainable timber construction.

The second level seeks to legitimize new forms of wood production or wood materials through the interplay of the factors of man, material, and technology. In relation to the material factor, he introduces "denimSpruce," which is spruce wood infested with the blue stain fungus. The idea is to culturally reinterpret what is perceived as damaged wood into valuable wood. Gabriel Gruber sees a future increase in the value of this material through its reinterpretation: "We have not invented a new material, but we want to retell the story of the material!". In collaboration with stakeholders from the business and education sectors, work is underway to implement the project. Ultimately, innovations become legitimate when they lead to output invoices. 

Gabriel Gruber and his team are committed to strengthening the innovative power and competitiveness of companies in the furniture and wood construction sectors. In doing so, he repeatedly cooperates with representatives from the creative industry and science. This enables the project manager to change perspectives on his projects, but also to make transformation potentials perceptible and tangible in later project processes.

Prof. Thomas Gegenhuber thanks Gabriel Gruber for the lecture: "It is important for us to stay in close contact with practitioners. Gabriel Gruber's lecture underlines how important it is to view technologies in a social context. Culture and legitimacy are central factors in determining whether innovations can prevail."