Three out of four projects selected under the ForestValue2 Call 2023 will involve Polish research teams. The scientists, who will receive more than 2.7 million zlotys in funding, will work on research problems concerning the use of forest resources for balanced social, economic, environmental and climate benefits.
ForestValue2 (HORIZON EUROPE Coordination and Support Action) is an initiative designed to support research related to the forest-based bioeconomy. Specifically, the ForestValue2 Call 2023 was open to international research consortia working on interdisciplinary projects in a transnational collaborative systems-approach aimed at producing knowledge to support the best possible use of forests and forest resources.
The call was organised by agencies from eleven countries; funding for successful Polish researchers will be provided by the National Science Centre. An expert panel appointed for this purpose carried out a merit-based review of 21 proposals, eight of which included Polish teams. In the end, funding was awarded to four international projects with a total budget of c. 6.8 million euro; three of these involve Polish scientists.
Dr Lidia Stępińska-Ustasiak from the Łukasiewicz Research Network – ITECH Institute of Innovation and Technology, in cooperation with researchers from the Łukasiewicz Research Network – Poznań Institute of Technology, as well as Finland, Ireland, Italy, Norway and Slovenia, will work on CRESTIMB, a project focused on innovative timber construction systems with a prolonged service life. Specifically, the scientists will aim to develop an innovative timber system suitable for multi-storey buildings with open spaces, which would have a longer service life than existing solutions and provide for the potential reuse of its elements. The budget of the Polish part of the project is more than 1.1 million zlotys. The project represents an important step towards more sustainable, resource-efficient, cost-effective and environmentally-friendly construction.
A team led by Dr inż Jan Pełczyński from the Warsaw University of Technology will use its ForestValue2 Call 2023 grant to work on TiREX, a project aimed at a more effective reuse of existing buildings and their components. In cooperation with scientists from Finland, Norway, Latvia, Slovenia and Spain, the Polish team will develop a comprehensive condition assessment methodology for reclaimed timber, using non-destructive tests and automated data processing to evaluate whether the reuse of the material will be safe and effective. The project is meant as a step toward a European reclaimed timber certification system, which would boost its use, thus reducing the waste of valuable resources and cutting the emissions of noxious substances. The Polish team will receive nearly 1.3 million zlotys in funding.
The third and last project with Polish researchers funded under ForestValue2 Call 2023 is led by Dr Anna Wierzbicka from the Poznań University of Life Sciences in cooperation with scientists from Estonia, Finland and Slovenia. Entitled IFORPLAN, it aims to develop effective forest planning procedures, using spatial planning methods to best balance economic and environmental functions. The procedures developed in the project will be verified through a case study of hundreds of hectares of forest area in all the countries involved in the project. The project aims to enhance our understanding of multifunctional forest management and contribute to the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals. The budget of the Polish team is almost 374 thousand zlotys.