Pre-announcement for first Call for Proposals of Forest Partnership

The European Partnership Forests, forestry, and the forest-based sector: REsearch and innovation for a Sustainable Transition – FOREST announces the first call for Joint European research and innovation projects. Projects are due to commence in the first half of 2028.

The first Joint Call of the European partnership FOREST brings together 38 Research Funding Organisations (RFOs) from 28 countries. The total indicative call budget including EU co-contribution is over EUR 40 million.

This first Joint Call is intentionally broad in terms of the range of issues addressed. This allows the partnership the flexibility to accommodate different research and innovation needs while fostering synergies between these areas and aligning with goals outlined in the SRIA. The following topics are included:

TOPIC 1 – Climate-Resilient Forest Systems
TOPIC 2 – Adaptive and Multifunctional Forest Management Systems
TOPIC 3 – Timber and Innovative Wood-Based Products
TOPIC 4 – Forest Value Chains, Markets and Governance

The scope and topics of the Joint Call derive from the official Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA) underpinning the partnership and were selected by the Research Funding Organisations (RFOs) participating in the Joint Call.

Call schedule:

15 Sept: Opening Call
17 Sept: Information webinar
30 Sept: In-person partnering workshop (During EUFORE Conference in Brussels)
06 Oct:   Networking webinar
H1 2028: Start projects