Research and innovation are

crucial for developing the forestbased bioeconomy still further, said Mr Katainen. Advanced woodbased materials and chemicals are expected to play a major role, providing opportunities to maintain and create jobs and income. He

stressed the potential of the European Fund for Strategic Investments( EFSI), for creating new, innovative projects from wood.

Panellists discussed how new technologies could bring‘ added value’. Wood for biofuel can be a transition technology but there are much better technologies around the corner. The future is forests which provide ecosystem services, value-added materials( eg engineered wood), and innovative consumables like bioplastics. John Bell, Director of Bioeconomy, DG Research and Innovation highlighted the importance of“ knowing what we know and developing what we don’ t know”. New technologies and innovation could create“ bioeconomic diversity”, giving more options and building more sustainable value and jobs close to the ground.

A major issue was how to raise the awareness of this added value

that forests are offering, to be able to bring the bioeconomy to life.“ We need to tell a fact-based narrative which is appropriate for an urban-based population”, said Lauri Hetemäki, EFI’ s Assistant Director. We shouldn’ t just talk about wood, added Fredrick Federley, MEP. We need to open out and broaden our viewpoint. We should talk about fibre, its uses for fabric, the new innovative materials being made from cellulose.

Lively discussions emphasised that it was important to have an understanding of the different contexts in different countries, and a common understanding of the sustainability of a forest-based bioeconomy. Here, EFI’ s new From Science to Policy study provides insights into the potential use of forest-based indicators for bioeconomy monitoring and assessment.