Teaming Seal of Excellence success story from Slovakia

The Slovakian project LignoSilva submitted under Horizon 2020 ‘Spreading excellence and Widening Participation ‘Teaming Phase 2 call in 2016 was one of the first a Seal of Excellence awarded for Teaming projects. The aim of the project was to set up a Centre of Excellence (CoE) for Forest-based Industry and stands for a systematic and structural change in the research landscape of the forest-based sector (FBS) in Slovakia. The award of Seal of Excellence recognised the value of the project proposal and allowed the national authorities to fund the setting up of Lignosilva CoE with the support of ERDF (OPVaL-VA Research and Innovation) and national co-financing.

Under Widening Programme of Horizon Europe, a proposal for upgrade of LingoSilva CoE was selected for funding in the Teaming for Excellence call specially designed to support Centres of Excellence in low R&I performing countries.

The current upgrade of the LignoSilva CoE involves institutional reforms that align with European science management standards. It aims to enhance excellence and expand research capabilities. Key drivers include Forestry 4.0 and Pulp & Paper 4.0 implementations.

Digital transformations will facilitate open science and efficient knowledge transfer to the forest-based sector. The primary goal of the research objectives is to promote outstanding research and practical innovations within the forest-based sector. Notably, the project fosters collaboration between the Slovak National Forest Centre, the Pulp and Paper Research Institute, and the esteemed mentor organization Fraunhofer WKI from Germany, with over 75 years of industry-related research and development experience.

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National Forest centre