“ One of the specific challenges was how to identify and create a portfolio of results suitable for joint dissemination, and eventually how to disseminate and boost exploitation potential of the many valuable research results developed in the projects. ”
Forestry, known as the science of planting and caring for forests and trees, is an essential part of the European bioeconomy. In fact, forests cover 43,5% of the EU landscape and provide 3-4 million jobs in rural areas, representing 8% of the total value of EU manufacturing.
Apart from being an important economic asset, forests also have important cultural, social and environmental value, as they remove about 9% of greenhouse gases and contribute significantly to achieving the European Commission’s ambitious target of an 80% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2050.
However, the European forestry sector faces numerous challenges, from lack of efficient use of resources to declining skills and labour force. To ensure the sustainability of Europe’s forest resources, innovative thinking and methodologies are needed, as this is a key sector that provides rural jobs and affects other industries.
ForestValue is an initiative that aims to transform the forest-based sector by improving resource efficiency, production and resilience, while promoting innovation and competitiveness. The project launches transnational calls for research, development, and innovation to make these policy changes a reality.
ForestValue is one of the projects supported by Horizon Results Booster in maximising the impact of research within the EU. By benefiting from the Portfolio Dissemination & Exploitation Strategy service, the project team explored activities to be undertaken through research in order to gain a new set of data and insights.
“One of the specific challenges was how to identify and create a portfolio of results suitable for joint dissemination, and eventually how to disseminate and boost exploitation potential of the many valuable research results developed in the projects,” said Mika Kallio, ForestValue coordinator at the Finnish Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.
The objective of the dissemination services was fully accomplished, as it helped the ForestValue team maximise the dissemination of a results portfolio while providing a wider and more comprehensive view on its potential users. “Now, any forestry agent can quickly browse the main results and get in touch with the owner of the results to see how they can benefit them,” Kallio mentioned.
Another added value of the HRB programme was the capacity building task within the Portfolio Dissemination & Exploitation Strategy, Module B. Apart from prescriptive learning, the service includes useful real-life tailored activities, which “makes it easier for projects to clearly and simply articulate what their portfolio of results consists of and what it offers to their specific target audience,” Kallio explained.
In addition, ForestValue project members were able to analyse the different alternatives and make an appropriate adaption to a given context with a real-case assignment. In this way, they put their dissemination skills into practice and received valuable feedback and recommendation on how to improve the project’s assets.
“ForestValue would never have been able to produce such a complete analysis on its own for a joint dissemination plan that was developed with the help and guidance of Horizon Results Booster. The creation of a portfolio of results and the implementation of a common dissemination strategy will certainly contribute to maximising the impact of ForestValue’s public-funded research within the EU,” said Kallio.
You can learn more about the project on www.forestvalue.org.
Additional resources developed with HRB:
Looking for free tailored consultancy and support for maximising your research project’s impact? Apply for HRB services!
“ Horizon Results Booster services were very helpful. It was useful to understand how exploitation could go beyond direct commercialisation. Through these seminars, I realised that in fact it could be applied to many fields. ”
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“ Horizon Results Booster was very helpful for the support of the project exploitation in this particular phase of consolidation. DENiM received good feedback regarding the current development level, in particular for the Key Exploitable Result characterization and the first business model produced by R2M Solution. At the same time the booster service provides us a helpful tool to investigate missing points. ”
“ HRB's support has been valuable in providing strategic guidance and facilitating initial steps in our journey. While their assistance has primarily focused on strategic input, we appreciate their contributions in shaping our early direction ”