GSS EU Science Funding Gateway

Proposals will:

• Analyse the forest-based sector in an integrated way, considering different biodiversity and bioeconomy issues, societal expectations and climate change risks that call for an intensified European and international collaboration.
• Design a suitable method for conducting foresight analysis on issues that are likely to have an impact on forests in European regions and globally.
• Consider the future availability of and demands for different forest resources, and assess their sustainability within the changing global economic, social and environmental conditions.
• Provide evidence and knowledge on how existing funding sources at EU (including Horizon Europe, rural and regional development funds), Member State, associated countries’ and regional levels are mobilised to support research and innovation initiatives in the forest-based sector.
• Address the necessity for new knowledge to support major transitions and innovations in forestry and the forest-based sector in view of the new EU forest strategy and other major policy initiatives.
• Develop a structured framework for a European network of research funding and research policy organisations across the different parts of the forest-based and related sectors to increass cross-fertilisation between different areas of knowledge generation and innovation activities.
• Develop an R&I roadmap at EU-level and prepare for a possible European partnership or other appropriate comprehensive actions under Horizon Europe.
• Provide scenarios and information on how to maximise synergies and minimise trade-offs between the different funding instruments and research needs (environmental, economic and social dimensions)
• Assess the potential of flagship projects in selected key strategic areas in the forest-based sector (e.g. integrated forest research across several dimensions of sustainable forest management; landscape-level integration of forest research at the interface with other sectors (agriculture, cities, water); increased, sustainable wood production and mobilisation; renewable building materials for healthier living; role of new wood-based products to reach climate neutrality by substitution effects; contributions of the forest-based sector in the green recovery).