ForestPathways – Building Knowledge and Solutions for Resilient Forests and Sustainable Forest-Based Futures

ForestPathways is the FOREST Partnership Joint Call for transnational research and innovation on resilient forests and sustainable forest-based futures with an indicative funding envelope of €40,000,000 and expected project duration of 36 months. The call uses a two-stage submission and evaluation process via the FOREST Electronic Submission and Evaluation System (ESES) with pre-proposal and full proposal cut-offs on 2 December 2026 and 2 June 2027 (11:00 Brussels time). Eligible applicants must form transnational consortia, typically including at least three partners from three different countries with at least two EU Member States or Associated Countries, and comply with national and regional Funder Regulations that determine final eligibility and funding conditions. The call covers four thematic areas: climate-resilient forest systems; adaptive and multifunctional forest management; timber and innovative wood-based products; and forest value chains, markets and governance.

High-level summary

Essential facts

A transnational joint call (FOREST Joint Call 2026) funding research and innovation across forests, forestry and the forest-based sector. Projects may span fundamental to applied research and, where appropriate, demonstration activities and must select one primary topic for evaluation. Submission follows a two-stage process (pre-proposal then full proposal) via the FOREST Electronic Submission and Evaluation System (ESES). Successful projects are expected to start in 2028.

Funding and duration:Indicative total public funding up to €40,000,000. Expected project duration 36 months and funding depends on national/regional rules and participating funders ¹.

1. 1Topic 1: Climate-Resilient Forest Systems – resilience, carbon dynamics, disturbances, genetic adaptive capacity
2. 2Topic 2: Adaptive and Multifunctional Forest Management Systems – silviculture, sustainable harvesting, monitoring and digital tools
3. 3Topic 3: Timber and Innovative Wood-Based Products – engineered timber, wood-based materials, circularity and market uptake
4. 4Topic 4: Forest Value Chains, Markets and Governance – value chains, business models, policy, skills and supply resilience

Who can apply:transnational consortia including research organisations, universities, SMEs, industry, public authorities, practitioners, civil society and other stakeholders where eligible under participating national/regional funder regulations. Eligibility and exact funding conditions for each partner are set by the relevant Research Funding Organisations.

Next steps and support:consult the Joint Call website for the Call Announcement, funder regulations, application documents, webinars, partnering tools and FAQs; contact the Call Office or ESES support for queries ¹.

Footnotes

1. 1Full call information, documents and submission access: Forest Partnership Joint Call 2026 – ForestPathways Joint Call website. General enquiries: calloffice-jc2026@forest-partnership.eu. ESES technical support: ptj-forest-calls@ptj.de.

Opportunity title:ForestPathways – Building Knowledge and Solutions for Resilient Forests and Sustainable Forest-Based Futures. Call organised by the European Partnership for Forests, forestry, and the forest-based sector: Research and innovation for a Sustainable Transition (FOREST). Call identifier: HORIZON-CL6. Grant agreement / Project acronym: FOREST, grant agreement number 101272463. Total indicative public funding available: up to €40,000,000 (including EU co-contribution). Expected project duration: 36 months. Opening date: 15 September 2026. Deadlines (multiple cut-off): 02 December 2026 11:00 Brussels time and 02 June 2027 11:00 Brussels time. Projects funded under this Joint Call are expected to start in the first half of 2028.

Scope, objectives and topics

Purpose:The FOREST Joint Call 2026 ForestPathways supports transnational research and innovation activities across the spectrum from fundamental research to applied research and, where appropriate, demonstration activities. Projects are expected to generate new knowledge, develop practical solutions, and contribute to implementation in policy, management or industry contexts, while considering the diversity of forests and the forest-based sector. Proposals must be submitted under a single primary topic (but may address multiple topics); evaluation and ranking are performed under the declared primary topic.

Topic 1:Climate-Resilient Forest Systems: research and innovation addressing resilience, adaptive capacity and long-term sustainability of forest ecosystems under changing environmental conditions, including climate change and increasing disturbance pressures. Suggested focus areas include measurement, monitoring and assessment of carbon stocks and sinks; carbon dynamics; adaptation pathways and strategies; ecosystem processes and dynamics; disturbance regimes including wildfires and other abiotic and biotic disturbances, pests and diseases; landscape-level interactions and spatial dynamics; and genetic diversity and adaptive capacity, including assisted migration.

Topic 2:Adaptive and Multifunctional Forest Management Systems: research and innovation on implementation of adaptive and multifunctional forest management to enhance resilience, sustainability and provision of multiple ecosystem services. Suggested focus areas include silvicultural systems and management approaches for resilient and multifunctional forests; sustainable harvesting and wood mobilisation; monitoring, assessment and planning tools for adaptive management; integration of forest genetic resources into management strategies; operational, digital and technical innovations; risk reduction and adaptation strategies; and trade-offs and synergies between ecosystem services.

Topic 3:Timber and Innovative Wood-Based Products: research and innovation on development, performance and uptake of timber and innovative wood-based products that contribute to decarbonisation and circular bioeconomy. Suggested focus areas include engineered timber and timber construction systems; high-value wood-based products, chemicals and materials; substitution of fossil-based and carbon-intensive materials; alternatives to polluting wood treatments and processing; standardisation, testing and certification; circular and resource-efficient use of wood-based products; innovative use of underutilised softwood and hardwood species; innovative manufacturing technologies; and approaches to increase market demand and consumer acceptance.

Topic 4:Forest Value Chains, Markets and Governance: research and innovation strengthening resilience, sustainability and functioning of forest-based value chains, markets and governance systems to support transition to sustainable and circular forest-based bioeconomy. Suggested focus areas include forest-based value chains and market organisation; innovative business models, economic viability and investment readiness; policy, regulatory and governance instruments; barriers to market uptake and innovation deployment; cascading use, circularity and efficient resource use; skills, labour, education and workforce development; and European resilience in raw material supply, local processing capacities and forest-based economies.

Eligibility and applicant information

General eligibility framework:The call is a transnational joint call funded by 36 Research Funding Organisations from 27 countries operating a national/regional funding model. Each consortium participant must be funded by the funding organisation from its own country/region and will be subject to the applicable national/regional funding rules and Funder Regulations. Applicants must consult the call-specific Funder Regulations and national/regional eligibility rules for details and confirm eligibility with their national funder before submission. Submission is managed through the FOREST Electronic Submission and Evaluation System (ESES). For the most up-to-date documents and partner search tools consult the official Joint Call website FOREST Joint Call 2026 ¹.

Eligible Applicant Types

Eligible applicant types (general guidance based on call text and FAQs):research performing organisations (universities, research institutes), SMEs, start-ups, large enterprises, nonprofit organisations, public authorities and government bodies, forest owners and practitioner organisations, civil protection authorities, industry stakeholders across the forest-based sector, NGOs and citizen organisations, and other relevant stakeholders. Individual researchers may participate as part of eligible organisations; eligibility of young researchers without permanent positions depends on the organisation and national/regional rules. Specific eligibility and funding conditions for each participant are determined by the relevant national/regional Research Funding Organisation and the Funder Regulations.

Funding Type and Nature of Support

Primary funding mechanism:competitive grants provided via a national/regional co-funded joint call model. Nature of support: monetary funding to eligible beneficiaries (each partner receives funding from their national/regional funder under specific national rules). The call includes EU co-contribution as part of the €40 million indicative envelope. Financial reporting and contractual terms follow the national/regional funder regulations applicable to each beneficiary.

Consortium Requirement and Project Stage

Consortium requirement:The call requires transnational consortia. The submission follows a two-stage process (pre-proposal then full proposal); consortia structure must comply with the national/regional funders' rules. Expected project maturity: the call accepts projects across a wide maturity range from fundamental research and applied research to demonstration activities and near-market innovation; proposals should indicate the project stage and expected TRL where appropriate.

Geographic and Beneficiary Scope

Geographic eligibility:Participating funders represent 27 countries and the call is primarily targeted at eligible partners in those participating countries and regions; the call also allows involvement of partners outside Europe where relevant and permitted by national funder rules. The model is transnational and applicants must be eligible for funding from one of the participating Research Funding Organisations. The call is implemented under EU Horizon Programme framework (Programme period 2021-2027).

Funding Amount and Budgetary Details

Total indicative funding envelope:up to €40,000,000 including EU co-contribution and national/regional contributions from participating Research Funding Organisations. The call documentation includes Annex II summarising funding options per participating Research Funding Organisation. Individual project budgets and maximum funding per beneficiary depend on national/regional funder regulations and the consortium composition. Applicants must consult funder-specific Annexes and the Funder Regulations for exact funding modalities and maximum eligible amounts per entity type.

Submission, Evaluation and Application Process

Application type and submission method:open competitive multi-topic call with two-stage submission and evaluation. Pre-proposals (stage 1) must be submitted electronically through the FOREST Electronic Submission and Evaluation System (ESES). Successful consortia will be invited to submit full proposals (stage 2) through ESES. Evaluation: Pre-proposals and full proposals undergo formal eligibility checks by the Call Office and national/regional eligibility checks by the relevant Research Funding Organisations, and independent scientific evaluation by an International Expert Panel. Final funding recommendations are made by the Call Steering Committee based on scientific evaluation, ranking lists and available national/regional and EU funding. Applicants must comply with all national/regional funder regulations and eligibility checks.

1. 1Stage 1: Submit pre-proposal via ESES. Formal call office eligibility checks and national/regional eligibility checks. Scientific evaluation by International Expert Panel.
2. 2Stage 2: Invitation to selected consortia to submit full proposal. Further formal and national/regional checks and scientific evaluation. Final funding recommendations by Call Steering Committee.
3. 3Post-selection: Contracting and grant agreements follow national/regional funder procedures; projects anticipated to start in H1 2028.

Number of application stages:2 (two-stage procedure: pre-proposal then full proposal).

Success Rates, Co-Funding and Financial Rules

Success rates:Not specified in call documentation. Final selection depends on scientific evaluation ranking lists, and available national/regional and EU funding; success rates will therefore vary by topic, by participating countries' available budgets and the number and quality of eligible proposals. Applicants should consult national funders for historical joint call success statistics where available.

Co-funding requirement:Co-funding obligations are determined by the specific national/regional funding organisations participating in the consortium. The national/regional funding model means some funders may require co-financing, own funding, or in-kind contributions; others may finance 100 percent of eligible costs for their beneficiaries. Applicants must consult the Funder Regulations and the Annex II funding summary for each participating Research Funding Organisation to establish specific co-funding requirements.

Practical guidance, templates and supporting resources

Application platform and supporting tools:Electronic Submission and Evaluation System (ESES) is used for submissions and includes a partnering tool to search and submit profiles to find cooperation partners. The call website provides the Call Announcement, Funder Regulations, application documents, templates, information webinar recordings, networking and partnering opportunities, FAQ, and contact details for the Call Office and ESES technical support FOREST Joint Call 2026 ¹.

Application templates and likely structure:While applicants must retrieve official templates from the call website and ESES, the expected application structure follows standard two-stage R&I call practice: 1. Pre-proposal: concise scientific summary, objectives, relevance to chosen topic, consortium description and roles, transnational dimension, planned impact, high-level work plan and milestones, estimated budget and national funder eligibility confirmations. 2. Full proposal: detailed work packages and tasks, methodology, deliverables, milestones, consortium description, management and governance, detailed budget per partner with justification according to national eligibility rules, ethics and data management plan where required, impact and exploitation pathways, risk assessment and mitigation, and letters of support or commitment from relevant stakeholders where applicable. Applicants must use ESES submission forms and any PDF/word templates provided by the Call Office and adhere to page limits and template sections defined by the call documentation.

Who should apply and topics fit

Target sectors and research topics:The call targets forestry and the forest-based sector broadly and explicitly encourages interdisciplinary, cross-sectoral and integrated approaches. Target thematic sectors include environment and climate, forestry and natural resources, land use, biodiversity, ecosystem services, forest management and operations, wood products and construction, bioeconomy and circular economy, value chains, markets and governance, policy research, socio-economics, digital and operational technologies (remote sensing, monitoring), genetic resources, and industrial manufacturing technologies related to wood-based products. The call is suitable for projects addressing TRLs from early research to demonstration and pre-commercial activities relevant to the four topics.

Examples of eligible participants and stakeholders:universities and research institutes, SMEs and industry partners in forestry and wood processing, wood-product manufacturers, service providers for monitoring and digital tools, forest owners and associations, public authorities and policy bodies, civil protection agencies, NGOs and citizen organisations, training and education providers, and investors or business support organisations when relevant and allowed by funder rules.

Explicitly mentioned countries and partnership scale

Participating Research Funding Organisations:the call text notes that 36 Research Funding Organisations from 27 countries participate. The specific list of participating countries and participating funders is provided in the call Annexes and on the official Joint Call website. The call is primarily European in scope but allows international or non-European partners where permitted by funder rules and when they contribute to the call objectives.

Contacts, webinars and partner finding

Key contacts and support:General enquiries to FOREST Call Office: calloffice-jc2026@forest-partnership.eu. Technical ESES enquiries: ptj-forest-calls@ptj.de. Information webinar: hosted 17 September 2026 (recording available). Networking webinar and partner events were scheduled to assist consortium formation. A partnering tool is available within ESES to search and publish partner profiles and support consortium building. Applicants should consult the joint call website regularly for updated documents, Annexes and national funder information FOREST Joint Call 2026 ¹.

Summary and final remarks

What this opportunity is about and how to approach it:ForestPathways is a multi-topic, transnational research and innovation call launched by the FOREST Partnership to finance collaborative projects addressing resilience, sustainable management and value chains of forests and forest-based sectors. With an indicative envelope of €40 million, the call seeks interdisciplinary consortia from participating countries to propose projects across four thematic topics ranging from climate-resilient forest systems through adaptive and multifunctional management, timber and innovative wood-based products, to value chains, markets and governance. Applicants must select one primary topic for evaluation, follow the two-stage ESES submission process, and ensure compliance with national/regional funder regulations and Funder Regulations. The call encourages involvement of a broad set of stakeholders including research organisations, SMEs, industry, public authorities, forest owners and civil society. Interested applicants must review call documents, Annexes and funder-specific rules on the official Joint Call website, use the ESES partnering tool to form consortia, attend informational webinars or review recordings, and submit pre-proposals by the stated cut-off deadlines to be considered for invitation to full proposal stage. Projects funded are expected to begin in 2028 and run for 36 months, with budgets and co-funding conditions varying by national funder.

Footnotes

1. 1Full call details, Funder Regulations, Annexes, templates, webinars, partnering tools and ESES access are available on the official Joint Call website: forest-partnership.eu

ForestPathways is the first FOREST Joint Call for transnational research and innovation on resilient forests and sustainable forest based futures. It supports fundamental research, applied research and, where appropriate, demonstration activities, and the official portal states that the call is open, uses a two stage process and has total funding of €40,000,000 over an expected 36 month participation period.[1]

Key facts

Scope and thematic focus

The call is designed to generate new knowledge, practical solutions and implementation oriented results for policy, management or industry, while reflecting the diversity of forests and the forest based sector. Applicants must choose one primary topic for evaluation and ranking, even if the proposal also addresses other topics.[1]

• Topic 1 Climate resilient forest systems focuses on how forests function and respond to climate change, including carbon dynamics, adaptation pathways, disturbance regimes, pests and diseases, landscape dynamics and genetic diversity.[1]
• Topic 2 Adaptive and multifunctional forest management systems focuses on management approaches, silviculture, harvesting and wood mobilisation, planning tools, digital and technical innovation, risk reduction and ecosystem service trade offs and synergies.[1]
• Topic 3 Timber and innovative wood based products focuses on engineered timber, high value wood based products, substitution of fossil based materials, testing and certification, circular use, manufacturing technologies and market uptake.[1]
• Topic 4 Forest value chains, markets and governance focuses on value chains, market organisation, business models, investment readiness, policy and governance, circularity, skills and workforce development and resilience in raw material supply and local processing.[1]

Who can apply

This is a transnational consortium based call, and partner communications state that consortia should include at least three partners from at least three different countries, with at least two of those countries being EU Member States or Associated Countries.[2] Applicants must also comply with the applicable national and regional requirements set out in the Funder Regulations, because final eligibility and award conditions are determined partly at national or regional level and final funding depends on available national, regional and EU funding.[1]

Application and evaluation

The Joint Call follows a two stage procedure. Pre proposals are submitted in ESES, checked for formal and national or regional eligibility and evaluated scientifically by an independent international expert panel. Selected consortia are then invited to submit full proposals, which are reviewed again before final recommendations are made by the Call Steering Committee.[1]

1. 1Confirm that the proposal fits one primary topic and that the consortium structure meets the transnational requirements.[1][2]
2. 2Check the relevant national or regional Funder Regulations early, because eligibility, budget caps, funding rates and maximum grant levels differ by country.[1][3][4][8]
3. 3Prepare the pre proposal for submission through ESES by 2 December 2026 at 11:00 Brussels time.[1]
4. 4If invited, prepare the full proposal for submission by 2 June 2027 at 11:00 Brussels time.[1]
5. 5Use the official call website regularly for updated documents, webinar details, partnering opportunities and system access.[1]

Official call resources:The official Joint Call website hosts the call announcement, Funder Regulations, application documents, information webinar, networking support and access to ESES¹.

Footnotes

1. 1Official resources: FOREST Joint Call 2026 and EU Funding and Tenders Portal opportunity.