The FOREST Partnership is officially launching in October 2026 in Helsinki, marking a new chapter in more than two decades of European cooperation in forestry and wood technology. With a ten-year perspective, FOREST aims to strengthen European research and innovation for resilient forests and sustainable forest-based futures, while supporting the transition towards a more sustainable, circular and competitive forest-based sector.
The partnership responds to the growing challenges facing Europe’s forests and forest-based industries. Climate change, biodiversity loss, changing forest conditions and the need for a more circular and sustainable economy require coordinated action and stronger links between research, innovation, policy and practice. FOREST provides a framework for European countries and stakeholders to work together, align investments and support transnational research and innovation.
The first FOREST Joint Call is already opening this new chapter, mobilising more than €40 million for research and innovation projects addressing resilient forests and sustainable forest-based futures. The call demonstrates the partnership’s ambition to turn long-term cooperation into concrete opportunities for research and innovation across Europe.
The Helsinki launch is therefore more than the start of a new partnership. It is a moment to recognise 20 years of pioneering European cooperation and to look ahead to the next decade of joint investment, collaboration and impact.
From WoodWisdom-Net and ForestValue to FOREST, the journey continues — building on experience, strengthening cooperation and working together for resilient forests and a sustainable forest-based future.
Read more about the FOREST Partnership Launch Event and the programme in Helsinki HERE.
