CENTER FOR INTERNATIONAL FORESTRY RESEARCH

Their core work

CIFOR is one of the world's leading research organizations on tropical forests, based in Bogor, Indonesia, and part of the CGIAR global research partnership. In H2020, they contributed expertise on the social dimensions of forestry — particularly gender equity, community well-being, and political ecology in forest-dependent communities. They also brought global South perspectives to European forest ecosystem services innovation, bridging tropical and temperate forestry challenges.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

CIFOR's H2020 participation is concentrated in a narrow window (2017-2018 project starts), making temporal evolution difficult to assess. However, their trajectory shows a consistent deepening in the social sciences of forestry — moving from studying logging impacts on women (WACE) to broader frameworks connecting gender, ecology, and community governance (WEGO). Their SINCERE participation suggests an interest in translating research into practical ecosystem service innovations.

CIFOR is increasingly connecting social science research (gender, political ecology) with practical forest governance and ecosystem service innovation — a profile suited for projects needing Global South forestry expertise with a strong social dimension.

How they like to work

CIFOR has never coordinated an H2020 project, participating exclusively as a partner or third party — consistent with their status as a non-EU organization contributing specialized expertise. Despite only 3 projects, they have connected with 42 unique partners across 20 countries, indicating they join large, diverse consortia rather than small focused teams. This makes them a reliable specialist contributor who brings global tropical forestry credibility to European-led initiatives.

Despite limited H2020 participation, CIFOR has built connections with 42 partners across 20 countries, reflecting their position as a globally networked CGIAR center. Their reach spans well beyond Europe into tropical forest regions where their primary field research takes place.

What sets them apart

CIFOR is one of very few Indonesia-based organizations in H2020, offering direct access to tropical forestry research infrastructure and field sites across Southeast Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Their combination of rigorous social science (gender, political ecology) with practical forestry knowledge is rare in the European research landscape. For any consortium needing a credible Global South partner with deep forest governance expertise, CIFOR is a distinctive choice.

Highlights from their portfolio

• SINCERE
  The only project where CIFOR received direct EC funding (EUR 109,967), focused on forest ecosystem service innovations — bridging tropical and European forestry.
• WEGO
  A Marie Skłodowska-Curie training network connecting gender, ecology, and community research across multiple continents, reflecting CIFOR's role in global academic networks.