LUONNONVARAKESKUS

Their core work

Finland's Natural Resources Institute (Luke) is the country's primary research body for agriculture, forestry, food systems, and the bioeconomy. They develop practical solutions for sustainable land use, forest management, crop production, and food value chains across boreal and European ecosystems. Their work spans from breeding programs and pest management to biomass processing and rural development policy support. They bridge science and practice through multi-actor approaches, translating research into tools that farmers, foresters, and food industry operators can apply directly.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In the early H2020 period (2015–2018), Luke focused heavily on forest inventory harmonisation, food security assessments, and climate change adaptation — foundational, data-oriented work establishing baselines. From 2019 onward, the emphasis shifted markedly toward multi-actor approaches, nature-based solutions, circular bioeconomy, microbiome research, and rural development, reflecting a move from pure measurement toward participatory, applied sustainability. The growing presence of West Africa-related projects also signals an expanding geographic ambition beyond Europe.

Luke is shifting from data collection and baseline research toward participatory bioeconomy solutions with a growing international footprint, making them an increasingly strong partner for applied sustainability and circular economy projects.

How they like to work

Luke operates overwhelmingly as a consortium partner (64 of 76 projects), bringing deep domain expertise rather than leading project management. However, their 11 coordinator roles — including substantial projects like DIABOLO and ISOBOREAL — show they can and do lead when the topic is core to their mandate. With 1,187 unique partners across 71 countries, they are a well-connected hub in European natural resources research, making them easy to integrate into new consortia.

Luke has collaborated with 1,187 distinct partners across 71 countries, making them one of the most broadly connected natural resources institutes in Europe. Their network extends well beyond the Nordic region into Southern Europe, Africa, and globally through ERA-NETs and food security initiatives.

What sets them apart

Luke combines forestry, agriculture, and food research under one roof — a rare institutional scope that lets them address bioeconomy questions end-to-end, from forest biomass through food processing to rural livelihoods. Their boreal ecosystem expertise is difficult to replicate elsewhere in Europe, giving them a natural monopoly on Arctic and sub-Arctic land use research. For consortium builders, they offer both scientific depth and practical connections to Finnish industry and Nordic policy frameworks.

Highlights from their portfolio

• ISOBOREAL
  Largest single grant (EUR 1.8M) and an ERC-style project where Luke coordinates pioneering stable isotope research on boreal forest response to climate change.
• DIABOLO
  Coordinator role harmonising forest inventory data across Europe — a foundational infrastructure project that underpins EU-wide forest policy and bioeconomy planning.
• Diverfarming
  Substantial budget (EUR 914K) addressing crop diversification and low-input farming across Europe, demonstrating Luke's reach beyond forestry into agricultural systems.