Extensive EU forest partnership project progresses – Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Finland has key role in coordination
The new European forest partnership project prepared under the lead of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry progresses. The final Grant Agreement related to the partnership is to be signed by the end of May 2026. The first call for applications for research funding should open in autumn 2026.
The aim of the EU forest partnership project is to bring together the key actors in the European forest sector, strengthen research and innovation, and increase the exchange of information in the EU as a whole. The partnership is part of the EU’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme.
The aim of the work that has now been started is to create a common research framework for the partnership, support coordination among the Member States and prepare the future calls for applications together with the European funding and research organisations.
Project Coordinator Mika Kallio from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry stresses the importance of the preparatory stage for the success of the whole programme.
– Our aim is to make sure that the research framework for the partnership will be built on the basis of strong expertise and shared views of the Member States. This stage will largely determine the themes to be emphasised in the calls for applications and how the cooperation will be organised. The opportunities of Finland to influence the whole package are now exceptionally good”, Kallio says.
Joint European effort of hundred organisations and hundreds of millions of euros
The EU forest partnership project is an extensive ten-year research programme, with 100 participating organisations from 28 countries in the initial stage. The aim of the partnership is to enhance coherence within the international research landscape that is now quite fragmented and to create permanent structures for international cooperation in support of the EU’s forest, climate and biodiversity strategies.
In terms of funding the programme is truly significant: with an estimated total budget of more than EUR 235 million, the plan is to provide funding for as many as 250 research projects through seven calls for applications to be opened during the coming decade.
First calls for applications to open in autumn 2026 – Finland has excellent opportunities to influence priorities
The role of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry as the coordinator of the European forest partnership strengthens Finland’s position at the core of European forest research and innovation. The coordination gives Finland a lot of power to influence the EU’s forest agenda and the opportunity to guide the research priorities towards climate-resilient forest management and development of a forest-based bioeconomy.
Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Sari Essayah sees that the partnership will give Finland new opportunities to participate in forest cooperation at the EU level.
– What this offers to Finnish research institutes, companies and actors in the forest sector is even better access to international cooperation, funding and networks. Through this 10-year partnership Finland will have a significant role in the European forest cooperation that will strengthen our competitiveness and support the long-term renewal of the forest sector,” Essayah says.
The first call for applications for funding from the partnership should open in autumn 2026 and the selected research projects are expected to get started towards the end of 2027. During the preparation process, those contributing to the funding in Finland will specify the research themes that are relevant with respect to the Finnish forest sector and that will be proposed to be included in the common European themes of the partnership.
Impact to be seen in long term
Most of the impacts of the forest partnership are expected to be seen over a longer time span of more than ten years. The partnership can significantly increase research funding and international cooperation in the forest sector, produce new solutions to the climate resilience of forests and efforts to strengthen biodiversity, and boost bioeconomy innovations. At the same time, it will strengthen the knowledge base for forest policy and decision-making and further improve the Finnish expertise and research infrastructure.
Inquiries at the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
Mika Kallio, Project Coordinator, tel. +358 295 162 212, mika.kallio(at)gov.fi
Read more: FOREST Partnership - ForestValue2
