Is your project ready for the next step? Four opportunities for forest innovators
Whether you are developing a new forest ecosystem service, building with underutilised wood, or looking to unlock private investment for your bioeconomy initiative, there are currently several open calls offering funding, expert support, and market access across Europe.
Here is a roundup of four opportunities for forest innovators. If you know of others worth sharing, please let us know.
Forest & Nature Tech Pitching Competition 2026
Who is it for? Teams developing solutions that promote a sustainable forest bioeconomy, halt biodiversity loss, and strengthen nature’s resilience.
What’s in it for you? Selected applicants will have the opportunity to pitch their solution as part of a two-stage competition.
The first stage of the competition takes place at Forest Industry Days (Metsäpäivät) on 22 October 2026, where participants can meet leading experts, companies, and decision-makers in the forest sector and pitch their solutions.
In the second stage, the four top teams will advance to the final at the Slush side-event, Y-Science, on 18 November 2026, where they will connect with investors, innovators, and global networks.
The winning team receives €5,000 to accelerate development.
Apply by 11 September.
WoodStock grants up to €50,000 for zero-waste wood construction solutions
Who is it for? SMEs, start-ups, and non-profit organisations (individually or in consortia) working on circular wood construction to make better use of underutilised wood in construction and develop climate-smart wood construction solutions beyond Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 5.
What’s in it for you? Four projects will be selected and receive up to €50,000 each to test, validate, and scale up innovative zero-waste solutions in real-world contexts. By joining the WoodStock project, grant recipients will contribute to activating the European wood construction market and to demonstrating the feasibility and scalability of circular approaches across the value chain.
Apply between 15 September 2026 and 15 December 2026.
INTERCEDE offers free expert support for forest ecosystem services financing
Who is it for? Landowners, forest associations, and public-private partnerships developing market-based instruments for forest ecosystem services, including payments for ecosystem services (PES), carbon credits, and biodiversity credits.
What is in it for you? Selected initiatives receive up to 60 hours of advisory support between September and December 2026, with five of the strongest progressing to a six-month accelerator in 2027, receiving up to 100 hours of expert support.
Apply by 31 July 2026.
ForestValue2 workshop: how to pitch in front of investors
10 September 2026 | 10:00–11:30 CET | Online
ForestValue2 has been selected for support through the Horizon Results Booster programme, which will deliver a free online workshop on pitching project results to investors and funding bodies.
What’s in it for you? The session covers what investors expect from a pitch, how to structure a compelling five-minute presentation, and storytelling techniques to support commercialisation and scale-up. It will also serve as the first step towards a follow-up simulated pitch session for two selected projects.
Who is it for? While primarily intended for the four ForestValue2-funded projects, SOSFOR, TiREX, iFORPLAN, and CRESTIMB, representatives of ForestValue2 funding organisations are also warmly invited.
Registration details will be shared in the coming weeks.
Are you a forest innovator wanting to strengthen your investment pitch? Start here.
EFI Bioregions has developed a free three-part webinar series, Preparing Early-Stage Innovations for Investment Readiness, delivered by META Group, a European leader in research commercialisation and innovation finance. The series covers:
- Webinar 1: Understanding the investor landscape: who investors are and how they differ
- Webinar 2: Getting investor ready: what readiness looks like at different stages
- Webinar 3: Understanding the investment process: from term sheets to due diligence
All three sessions are available to watch on demand.
Featured image: nattanan23, Pixabay