Forestry Hub of Catalonia
Contact: Mario Beltran
Email address: mario.beltran @ ctfc.cat
Description
The Forestry Hub of Catalonia (Mediterranean Forestry Hub – Centre de Biotransformació del Mediterrani) is an initiative aiming at enhancing landscape resilience by fostering circular bioeconomy through innovation across forest value chains.
The facilities support research, development, technology transfer, facilitation, and training activities focused on wood for construction, textiles and chemistry, aromatic and medicinal plants for pharmaceutical and cosmetic uses, and truffles and other non-wood forest products (NWFP) for food applications.
The Forestry Hub’s objective is to enhance the sustainable use of forest resources through collaborative innovations, leveraging the transformation of vulnerable landscapes into environmentally and socio-economically sustainable bio-based circular models that are resilient to natural disturbances, such as wildfires.
The Forestry Hub actively supports scaling up innovation through its technical office by offering a comprehensive catalogue of services.
These include:
- The promotion of best practices across the entire value chain, from cradle (forest management) to grave (reuse, repair and recycle).
- Provision of diversified and high-quality training programmes to equip stakeholders with the skills and knowledge necessary to successfully address emerging challenges.
- Promotion of the development and implementation of new technologies, practices, and solutions to improve the sector’s competitiveness.
- Use of the facilities for testing and launching emerging projects with the potential for an impact on a large scale.
- Investment advice and promotion of relevant projects.
- Advise and comprehensive support to all stakeholders.
Organised by
The Forest Science and Technology Centre of Catalonia (CTFC) is a public research institution in Solsona, Lleida, Spain. CTFC’s mission is to make science relevant to sustainable forest management, biodiversity and the circular bioeconomy.
The centre employs over 100 professionals, including researchers, engineers, and administrative staff, and operates with an annual budget of approximately €13 million.
Research at CTFC is organised into four main research and transfer programmes:
- Multifunctional Forest Management,
- Biodiversity Management and Conservation,
- Landscape Dynamics and Planning, and
- Bioeconomy, Health and Governance.
CTFC serves as a pivotal institution in advancing sustainable forestry and environmental stewardship in Catalonia and beyond.
Objectives
- Promote forestry bioeconomy value chains from Catalonia.
- Achieve a change in perception based on science.
- Become a leading centre in Southern Europe.
Innovation support services
- Finance/funding access (e.g., pitching to investors, project proposal brokerage).
- Business development support.
- Capacity building and skills training.
- Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) assessment.
- Facilities for prototyping/piloting (e.g., FabLab).
- Market fit assessment.
- Networking and partnership brokerage.
- Technical assistance.
- Visibility and communication support.
Innovation stages
Key assets
A major focus of the Forestry Hub is innovation in laminated engineered wood products for the construction industry. It has an industrial-scale production line dedicated to manufacturing and testing new products and processes.
Additionally, the Hub houses a biorefinery pilot plant designed for the extraction and production of high-value products from diverse Mediterranean agroforest biomass, targeting food, chemical, and pharmaceutical industries. Facilities also include specialised equipment for drying and distillation of plants in the aromatic and medicinal plants and mycology laboratory, along with a showroom featuring a cooking demonstration area.
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