The FOREST Partnership proposal was formally submitted to the European Commission on 16 September 2025, marking its integration into the Horizon Europe framework.
On 15 October 2025, the partnership was officially presented in Brussels during the SRIA launch, convening policymakers, researchers, and representatives from the forest and timber sectors to harmonize priorities and foster collaboration. Building on the legacy of ForestValue and ForestValue2, the FOREST Partnership expands the scope and ambition of previous initiatives by supporting transnational research calls, facilitating knowledge exchange, and promoting synergies between funding programmes, thereby reinforcing the European Research Area in forestry and contributing to the objectives of the European Green Deal.
The FOREST Partnership is a co-funded European program designed to accelerate the transition toward a sustainable, resilient, and circular forest bioeconomy. Spanning a 10-year horizon, the partnership—formally titled “FOrests, forestry, and the forest-based sector: REsearch and innovation for a Sustainable Transition (FOREST)”—brings together 28 EU Member States and Associated Countries, ministries, funding and policy organisations (FPOs), and other relevant stakeholders responsible for research, forests, and innovation. Additionally, the partnership promotes biodiversity conservation, soil fertility, and sustainable forest management practices across Europe.
It represents a strategic, science-driven initiative aimed at advancing sustainable forest management and the forest-based bioeconomy across Europe. Its success hinges on inclusive, cross-sectoral, and transnational collaboration, with particular emphasis on long-term sustainability, stakeholder engagement, international cooperation, and the effective exploitation of research outcomes. This initiative envisions a future in which forests are not merely conserved or utilized but actively enhanced through coordinated research, innovation, and shared responsibility.
Spanning a 10-year horizon, the partnership—formally titled “FOrests, forestry, and the forest-based sector: REsearch and innovation for a Sustainable Transition (FOREST)”—brings together 28 EU Member States and Associated Countries, represented by ministries, funding and policy organisations (FPOs), and other relevant stakeholders responsible for research, forests, and innovation.
The FOREST Partnership is underpinned by the Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA) developed through the EUFORE project. The SRIA serves as a comprehensive roadmap for research and innovation priorities in the European forest-based sector. It was co-created with input from researchers, policymakers, industry stakeholders, and civil society, identifying key challenges and opportunities across forests, forestry, and the forest-based bioeconomy. By aligning its funding calls, collaborative projects, and policy support with the SRIA, the FOREST Partnership ensures strategic continuity and maximizes societal and environmental impact, translating shared knowledge into coordinated action.
Here you can find presentations by Tony Quinn (DAFM) and Mika Kallio (MMM) presented at the SCAR Forest meeting on October 14th and at the EUFORE event on October 15th.