FOREST Partnership

What is a European Partnership?

European Partnerships are initiatives in which the European Commission and private and/or public partners commit themselves to jointly support the development and implementation of a research and innovation program. The aim is to solve big societal problems that no single country could solve on its own, through transnational research projects involving not only researchers, but also professionals, public administration, civil society, etc., so that the results of the research are disseminated and useful on as wide a scale as possible. A European Partnership is primarily funded through Member States contributions, with supplementary funding from the European Commission.

The European Partnership for forests

The European FOREST Partnership (FOrests, forestry and the forest-based Sector: REsearch and Innovation for a Sustainable Transition) promotes cutting-edge research and innovation (R&I) to accelerate the transformation of the European forest-based sector into a resilient and knowledge-intensive contributor to a sustainable circular bioeconomy and to society. In line with Horizon Europe’s Destination “Circular economy and bioeconomy sectors” and Expected Impact 29 of Cluster 6, the Partnership contributes to achieving healthy forests and soils, clean air and water, and advancing the transition towards a competitive circular economy and sustainable bioeconomy.

A core feature of the Partnership is the joint coordination of national and regional R&I programmes across 28 countries, involving around 100 partners from ministries, funding agencies and research performing organisations. It brings together national programmes and capacities to strengthen alignment, reduce fragmentation, and increase the impact of public research investments, while also actively engaging new international partners beyond the core consortium to enhance global collaboration and broaden the exchange of knowledge and expertise.

What does the partnership aim at tackling?

Open to all eligible entities, the Partnership will promote inclusive participation, with targeted efforts to engage underrepresented regions and sectors. Through Living Labs, Communities of Practice and stakeholder co-creation, it will integrate ecological, technological, economic and social dimensions, ensuring that open science, gender inclusivity and harmonised data protocols are central to implementation. The partnership also responds to the objective of the EU Forest Strategy to enhance cooperation between the Member States, reduce the fragmentation of public research efforts and improve the coordination of research priorities, while strengthening the role of research knowledge in supporting decision-making and building common solutions for the sustainable use of forests in a rapidly changing operating environment.

Over a ten-year duration (2026–2036), the Partnership will launch seven co-funded joint calls, supporting 200–250 R&I projects. It will deliver tailored solutions aligned with EU priorities including the Green Deal, Forest Strategy 2030, Biodiversity Strategy, and Circular Economy Action Plan.

Expected outcomes include a concerted European R&I system for forests and the forest-based sector, improved forest governance, enhanced resilience, biodiversity conservation, and wider uptake of research results. By doing so, the Partnership will contribute to EU climate neutrality, strategic autonomy, and global leadership in sustainable forest management.