NFRIs meeting Brussels, 12/11/2004

COST Domain on Forest and Forestry Products: overview and opportunities

Yves BirotChairman COST TC FFP

NFRIs meeting Brussels, 12/11/2004

European COoperation in the Field of Scientific and Technical Research

Objectives

• ensuring a strong position of Europe in research & technology

• co-ordination of nationally funded research through concerted projects called COST Actions (= network of coordinated research projects)

• COST’s profile : non-competitive research, pre-normative cooperation, environmental & cross-border problems, problems of public utility, sustainable development, etc.

• maximisation of European synergy through addition of value in research cooperation

• tool for integration : Eastern Central European Countries and non-COST member countries

NFRIs meeting Brussels, 12/11/2004

• 35 member countries (+EC)

• nearly 200 Actions in 14 domains

• average participation 16 countries/action

• 40,000 of participating researchers

• annual volume ~ 2 billions €

• annual cooperation budget : 14 M €

COST : the most important platformfor scientific cooperation in Europe

NFRIs meeting Brussels, 12/11/2004

17 TCs for 14 scientific domains (180 Actions) Forestry is n° 3

NFRIs meeting Brussels, 12/11/2004

• Topics covered by the FFP domainBiophysical basis of sustainable forest managementForest policies for peopleForest products and the environmentForest products: properties and performancesProcess engineering in wood based industries

• Organisational structure of the TC in 3 sector groups (forests, pulp and paper, wood technology) + cross-sectoral actions allows the possibility to address disciplinary as well as interdisciplinary issues

• the fast growth in number of Actions: 46 in 10 y, demonstrates the relevance of the concept of a common research platform in the forest sector

The COST domain FFP over its 10 years of existence

NFRIs meeting Brussels, 12/11/2004

COST FFP and European Forest Research

• COST Actions in the FFP sector may involve up to 100 scientists and 25 countries

• 30 ongoing Actions in 2204 involving 1,400 forest scientists

• Estimated average cost of research related to each Action is 3.7 M. € annually - cost of coordination averages 70,000 € (spent by COST) or 1.89%

NFRIs meeting Brussels, 12/11/2004

Positioning of COST in the ERA and in future FPs (1)

Do not kill COST by too great expectations, but keep on its basicrole: to get good scientists together under light strategic guidance,and let them work out their ideas

Preserve COST’s comparative advantages: small size, efficiency, fastness, effectiveness and flexibility

COST’s value to the FPs = possibility of acting outside the strict confines of the FPs

But COST, financed trough FPs, must find its place there; 3 options (not mutually exclusive):

1. Horizontal ERA-cooperation & coordination of national RTD (as now)2. A role in international cooperation funded by the ERC3. A position in « International Science » as an element of foreign policy

NFRIs meeting Brussels, 12/11/2004

Positioning of COST in the ERA and in future FPs (2)

Objectives for COST

> coordination of research funded by sources in the Member States; COST has anticipated the ERA-nets and should investigate parallel developments

> COST should anticipate and complement the activities of FP, both for NoEs & IPs

> increase the coherence and synergy between COST and FP (bottom-up, driven by priorities), which requires a better recognition of COST by the Commission

> COST should provide inputs regarding Community thematic research and on horizontal European research policy issues

NFRIs meeting Brussels, 12/11/2004

COST and forest & forestry products related research

Maintain the domain FFP

TC FFP could provide inputs in the development of new instruments ERA-net, Technology Platform

An opportunity to consider: the 4 years life span of an Action allows an annual flow of 5 new Actions

Look for important scientific and technical topics not yet submitted to COST such as: silviculture and forest management planning decision support tools (modelling), logging techniques, wood based energy, etc.

Investigate the potential for cross-domains (within COST) Actions on issues such as: water resources, biodiversity, climate change, social and economic questions, chemistry (green chemicals), etc.

Explore the development of synergies with ESF

Improve the dissemination

NFRIs meeting Brussels, 12/11/2004

Thank you for listening!

• Address:

149, Avenue Louise - P.O. BOX 12

B-1050 Brussels, Belgium• Tel.: +32-2-533 38 00• Fax: +32-2-533 38 90• e-mail: office@cost.esf.org• http://cost.cordis.lu

COFORD - Forest Research & Development in Ireland 2004 Tullamore, 20-21/09/2004

COST : principles (1)

Encourage bottom up, à la carte, flexible Actions through a loose organisation

• any researcher in any COST country can propose an Action ; any COST country can also initiate an Action

• participation is open to and voluntary for COST member states

• no domain is prohibited and no priority within domain

COST is quality driven: evaluation of Actions

ex ante, mid-term, final

COFORD - Forest Research & Development in Ireland 2004 Tullamore, 20-21/09/2004

• COST does not fund research but organises research cooperation on the basis of Actions and pays for cooperation costs for European participants such as:

• Research is home funded, coordination is shared

COST : principles (2)

• Science management meetings (MC and WG)• Scientific workshops and seminars• Short Term Scientific Missions (STSMs)• Training Schools and Research Conferences• Evaluations and Studies• Dissemination• new options

COFORD - Forest Research & Development in Ireland 2004 Tullamore, 20-21/09/2004

• Networking & Co-ordination• Pan-European

• “Non-competitive” (pre-normative; environmental and cross-border problems; public utility)

• National Financing of Researchers – national responsibility

• Bottom-up / Flexible• “A la carte” participation• Multi-disciplinary: wide range of disciplines covered• Open to wider cooperation

COST characteristics

COFORD - Forest Research & Development in Ireland 2004 Tullamore, 20-21/09/2004

List of Actions in the TC FFP

Biophysical basis of sustainable forest management

Forest tree physiology research EUROSILVA ( E6)

European Forest genomics network GENOSILVA (E28)Woody root processes (E38)Bark and wood boring insects in living trees (E16)

Long term forest ecosystem and landscape research (E25) Contribution of forests and forestry to the mitigation of greenhouse effect (E21)Chestnut multidisciplinary research (G4)

Growing valuable broadleaved tree species (E42)Harmonisation of national inventories in Europe (E43)

COFORD - Forest Research & Development in Ireland 2004 Tullamore, 20-21/09/2004

List of Actions in the TC FFP

Forest policies and people

Forestry in the context of rural development (E3)Forest reserves research network (E4)Urban forests and trees (E12)National forest programmes (E19)

Protected forest areas in Europe (E27)Economic integration of urban consumer’s demand and rural forestry production (E30)Forest for recreation and nature tourism (E33)Forests, trees and human health and well-being (E39)European Forest externalities (E45)

COFORD - Forest Research & Development in Ireland 2004 Tullamore, 20-21/09/2004

Forest Products and the EnvironmentWood durability: mechanisms and improvement with environment friendly methods (E2)

High performance in wood coating (E18)Environmental optimisation of wood protection (E22)Towards zero liquid effluent in paper making (E14)

Effective solutions to reduce the impact of waste arising from the papermaking process (E26)Life cycle analysis: from forest to end of life (E9)

Recovery wood management (E31)Sustainability through new technologies for enhanced wood durability (E37)Innovative utilisation and products of large dimensioned timber including the whole forest wood-chain (E40)

List of Actions in the TC FFP

COFORD - Forest Research & Development in Ireland 2004 Tullamore, 20-21/09/2004

Forest products: properties and performancesTimber-frame building systems (E5)Mechanical performances of wood and wood products (E8)Wood properties for industrial use (E10)Characterization methods for fibres and papers (E11)Wood fibres wall structure (E20)

Reliability analysis of timber structures (E24)Innovative timber and composite elements/components for buildings (E29)Characterization of paper surfaces for improved printing paper grades (E32)Fracture mechanics and micro-mechanics of wood an wood composites withregard to wood machining (E35)Analytical tools with applications for wood and pulping chemistry (E41)

List of Actions in the TC FFP

COFORD - Forest Research & Development in Ireland 2004 Tullamore, 20-21/09/2004

Process engineering in wood based industriesMulti-phase flows in paper-making (E7)

Advances in the drying of wood (E15)Paper recyclability (E1)Wood adhesion and glued products (E13)Microbiology in paper making (E17)

Biotechnology in the pulp and paper industry (E23)Bonding of timber (E34)Modelling and simulation in papermaking industries (E36)Wood processing strategy (E44)Improvements in the understanding and use of de-inking technology (E46)

List of Actions in the TC FFP