On behalf of EFIMED, we invite you to join us on Thursday, 11 March 2021 from 11 AM – 12 PM (CET), as we host an online seminar on innovation and the Mediterranean forest-based bioeconomy. This is the first of four online seminars in our Mediterranean Forest Research Agenda (MFRA) Webinar Series, where we explore four proposed themes for the currently discussed MFRA 2021-2030, starting with the topic area “Social and business innovations and policy instruments to implement the Mediterranean forest-based bio-economy”.

Laura Secco, along with co-authors Elena Pisani, Elena Górriz-Mifsud, Mauro Masiero, Paola Gatto and Davide Pettenella from the University of Padova and the Forest Sciences Centre of Catalonia (CTFC), will present novel findings from their forthcoming publication, “Innovations for the Mediterranean forest-based bioeconomy: breakthroughs, knowledge gaps and recommendations.”

The presentation will address key themes surrounding the potential development pathways of innovation in a specifically Mediterranean context. Both the publication and the presentation will focus on how innovation could be harnessed to address so-called “wicked problems”, such as climate change and the risk of extreme fire events, including through its contributions to a forest-based bioeconomy.

In particular, the authors will address the following questions:

1. How is research on forest innovation targeted, and how does it progress in practice in the Mediterranean forest-related domain?
2. What are the current breakthroughs and knowledge gaps on innovations that underpin a transition towards a forest-based bioeconomy in Mediterranean countries?
3. How can practitioners, policymakers and researchers improve the effectiveness of research efforts on innovation?

This seminar, along with Secco et. al’s forthcoming publication, are part of the development of the MFRA 2021 – 2030 process. Throughout 2021, we will engage researchers, stakeholders, and other experts from across the Mediterranean in order to identify the key research challenges that will be placed in the spotlight by MFRA 2021-2030. In the open discussion of this webinar, participants will have the chance to contribute their expertise on innovation in the Mediterranean to further address the authors’ questions, and guide the MFRA 2021-2030.

AGENDA

11:00 – 11:05                     Intro to the new MFRA by Inazio Martínez de Arano

11:05 – 11:25                     Presentation by Laura Secco

11:25 – 11:30                     Q&A on presentation, moderated by Sven Wunder

11:30 – 12:00                     Open discussion, moderated by Sven Wunder

Join us to hear these exciting insights on social innovation and the forest-based bioeconomy in Europe’s Mediterranean region, and help us by having your say to highlight the most salient research challenges to be tackled in the next decade of Mediterranean forest research! To learn more about the new MFRA 2021-2030, stay tuned on MedForest and follow @efimedfacility on Twitter, where we’ll be continually posting updates throughout this year.

Register for the webinar now!