Forest 4.0 CoE at the SILVA Network Annual Conference 2026
The Forest 4.0 Centre of Excellence and Vytautas Magnus University (VMU) joined the SILVA Network Annual Conference in Zollikofen, Switzerland, hosted by HAFL – Bern University of Applied Sciences on 18–20 May 2026. This year's theme — "Co-operation in higher forest education – from open educational materials to joint curricula and degrees" — brought together more than 50 European universities to address the rapid transformation of forestry higher education.
Representing Forest 4.0 CoE and VMU, Nerijus Kupstaitis and Prof. Vitas Marozas introduced the Centre of Excellence and shared concrete examples of how it is shaping the next generation of forestry professionals. Their contribution highlighted innovative digital technologies applied in forest science and education, together with ongoing collaboration models that bridge research, teaching and the forest sector.
A dedicated part of the presentation introduced the new Digital Forestry Master's programme currently being developed at Vytautas Magnus University — a programme designed to equip future forest professionals with the digital, analytical and interdisciplinary skills demanded by climate-smart forestry, biodiversity conservation, the bioeconomy and digital innovation.
Forest 4.0 CoE's participation reaffirms our commitment to deeper European cooperation in forest education and to building joint capacity for digital transformation across the sector. We thank the SILVA Network and HAFL for the warm hospitality and look forward to continuing the dialogue with our European partners as we co-create the curricula and competences that tomorrow's forests will require.
Forest 4.0 Centre of Excellence — on the European forestry clustering map
On 6–8 May, Zaragoza 🇪🇸 hosted the "FOCAL European Clustering Event: EU Clustering on Advanced Technologies and Digitalisation for Climate Action in Agro-Forestry and the Blue Economy" — bringing together dozens of projects across the sectors.
On the opening day, the Forest 4.0 Centre of Excellence was represented by CEO, Dr. Nerijus Kupstaitis. In the session "European Living Labs & Forest Pilots — Success Cases", keynote presentation "Forest 4.0 — Creation of the Centre of Excellence in Smart Forestry", alongside initiatives such as LIFE TERRA and COOPTREE.
Three days of direct dialogue with Fraunhofer IGD, the Open Geospatial Consortium, Barcelona Supercomputing Center, ITA, CIRCE Technology Centre, and a wide range of sister projects (FOCAL, AgriDataValue, IT4EST, EFHERA, TerraTwin, BIOCLIMA, and others) — an opportunity to see where Lithuania's forestry digitalisation agenda meets Europe's clustering movement.
From Zaragoza we take back insights into the future of digital twins, climate data services, and agri-forestry operations — and, more importantly, new connections that strengthen the Forest 4.0 Centre of Excellence as an autonomous voice within the European landscape.
April 15 marks the expansion of international cooperation for the Centre of Excellence
During the Lithuanian–Estonian business forum in Vilnius, Forest 4.0 (Lithuania) and Kappazeta OÜ (Estonia) signed a 2-year Memorandum of Understanding to collaborate on advancing digital forestry solutions and remote sensing–based forest monitoring.
The partnership will start with joint pilot projects in Lithuania’s Tauragė region, implementing Kappazeta’s automated satellite-based clear-cut detection system and testing new methods for estimating forest height and timber volume.
The parties will assess user needs in Lithuania by engaging key stakeholders such as the State Forest Service, Environmental Protection Department, State Forest Enterprise, and the Armed Forces, to explore potential long-term forest monitoring service models.
The collaboration aims to drive joint research and development, improve remote sensing algorithms, and cross-validate results against Lithuanian ground data.
The partnership lays the foundation for a reliable and scalable forest monitoring system to support transparent, evidence-based decision-making in Lithuania’s forestry sector by combining Forest 4.0’s scientific expertise with Kappazeta’s proven technology.
The Forest 4.0 community held its second reporting conference for scientific groups
On March 3, the Forest 4.0 community held its second reporting conference for scientific groups.
The work carried out over the past year was summarized, and ongoing and planned projects as well as the latest research progress and results were presented.
New initiatives, joint activities, and advanced cooperation models that strengthen the interaction between science and practice were discussed.
We would like to thank all participants for their involvement and community spirit!
Webinar: Forestry wrapped in digital services
30 January | Online | 13:00 - 15:00 | Language: English with Lithuanian translation (subtitles)
On January 30, 2026, the Forest 4.0 team will hold a webinar with Prof. Carsten Sørensen, Professor of Digital Transformation at Copenhagen Business School and Visiting Professor at Linnaeus University.
It’s an amazing chance to listen, ask questions, and discuss key topics with an industry expert.
Prof. Sørensen has extensive experience in digital technologies, regulation, and business transformation. He draws on decades of research and work with industry, policymakers, and research projects. He will share research-based perspectives on how organisations can navigate digital disruption and regulatory demands, while developing sustainable and innovative business models.
The webinar will explore how digital technologies are reshaping value creation and accountability across sectors, and how enterprises can respond to these changes through innovation and strategic adaptation.
This webinar aims to show how enterprises can innovate to create sustainable business models.
Webinar will cover issues:
- The digital challenge to existing business models;
- Digital-first value creation;
- Role of digital platforms and infrastructures;
- Digital Product Passport innovation challenge;
- Tokenization as a means to forge flexible collaboration in digital ecosystems.
The session is open to researchers, policymakers, practitioners, and innovation actors interested in digital transformation and regulation. Forest 4.0 team is looking forward to seeing you in the Webinar.
Date: 2026.01.30
Where: Online
Language: English with Lithuanian translation (subtitles)
If you missed other Webinars - Youtube
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Forest 4.0 at AgriFood Forum 2025
Last week, the Forest 4.0 team joined the AgriFood Forum 2025 — the leading Baltic event shaping the future of sustainable agriculture, food systems, and the broader bioeconomy. Our participation highlighted an important message: the transition to a resilient and green future requires strong links between agriculture, forestry, digital innovation, and research.
What we brought to the Forum:
- Insights on how data technologies and AI can strengthen sustainable land use
- Examples of how digital innovation accelerates the transformation of various ecosystems and sectors
- Fresh ideas about development of carbon markets in Europe and Lithuania
Each year, AgriFood Forum gathers forward-thinking leaders from business, policy, academia, and innovation ecosystems. For Forest 4.0, it was a valuable space to connect with agrifood innovators, discuss shared challenges, and explore opportunities where forest and agriculture sectors can collaborate for smarter and more sustainable landscapes.
We are excited to bring new knowledge, connections, and ideas back to the Forest 4.0 community — and to continue building bridges between digital forestry and the wider bioeconomy.
Let's Network at the AgriFood Forum 2025
We’re excited to share that the team behind Forest 4.0 will be present at the upcoming AgriFood Forum in Vilnius this upcoming Wednesday.
The AgriFood Forum is a key gathering of innovators, industry players, policy-makers and researchers in the agri-food and value-chain space. With themes emphasising digitalisation, sustainability and cross-sector collaboration, it’s an ideal environment for us at the Forest 4.0 team to connect with new partners.
For our work on the wood value chain, this event presents a perfect opportunity to:
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explore how forestry and wood-industry stakeholders can link with the agrifood ecosystem
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identify synergies with new digital tools and innovation frameworks
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meet potential partners interested in collaboration, funding, and realising practical outcomes
Forest 4.0 team is focused on building a platform that connects stakeholders across the full forest-to-industry value chain: from forest management, harvesting, processing, through to manufacturing and product delivery. Our attending team members will be ready to discuss: how digitalisation and innovation can enhance efficiency, flexibility and precision in wood-based manufacturing; collaboration models for universities, municipalities, business associates and associations and specific project ideas and partnership possibilities (e.g., pilot studies, demonstration projects).
If you’re attending the Forum, we’d love to meet you. Whether you’re from a forestry company, a furniture manufacturer, a tech developer, a policy body or an innovation hub - let’s sit down, chat ideas and explore how we might work together.
Visit the event website: digitalfarm.lt or look for our team from Forest 4.0 during the conference hours and workshops and send us a message ahead of time if you’d like to schedule a short one-on-one meeting.
We’re looking forward to a dynamic day of insights, collaboration and fresh connections. If you’re interested in innovation at the intersection of forestry, wood manufacturing and digital transformation, this is a must-attend. See you in Vilnius this Wednesday!
Conference on Digitalisation in the Wood Value Chain: Insights, Innovation, and Industry Needs
Thursday marked the official launch of the Conference on Digitalisation in the Wood Value Chain, hosted by Vytautas Magnus University together with the Forest 4.0 Centre of Excellence. The event brought together representatives from academia, industry, and innovation organisations to explore how digital technologies are reshaping the forest-based value chain and what is needed to support its further development.
Opening the conference, Tomas Krilavičius, lead partner of the Forest 4.0 project, introduced the vision behind the newly established Centre of Excellence. He emphasised that the aim is not to compete with existing institutions, but to create a collaborative platform that connects stakeholders across the entire value chain.
“With Forest 4.0, we are building a Centre of Excellence to create a network of stakeholders from across the forest-based value chain. We do not want to compete with universities or associations, but rather provide a new platform for collaboration, merging digitalisation and innovation. Conferences like this help us receive direct feedback from the industry and better understand how we can support this transition,” he explained.
One of the highlights of the conference was the presentation by Ingrida Grikpėdienė from Vakarų Medienos Grupė, who shared insights into the company’s latest projects and its long-term strategy. She highlighted the key competencies required for a competitive and future-ready wood industry, underlining a strong and consistent focus on sustainability, innovation, and leadership skills. Her presentation concluded with a thought-provoking quote by Eliyahu Goldratt: “Automation is good, so long as you know exactly where to do it.”
The topic of digitalisation continued with Paulius Darvidas, Head of the IT and Digital Solutions Department at Lintera Group, who addressed some of the most common myths surrounding digital transformation in the furniture ecosystem. His talk offered a realistic view of what digitalisation truly means for manufacturers and where its real value lies.
The conference then moved into thematic workshops, where participants engaged in open discussions on current industry challenges and explored practical, applicable solutions. These group sessions provided valuable perspectives on the real needs of the sector today, bridging the gap between theory, innovation, and practice.
The event confirmed that digitalisation is no longer a distant vision for the wood value chain — it is an ongoing process that requires collaboration, shared knowledge, and a clear understanding of industry needs. Initiatives such as the Forest 4.0 Centre of Excellence play a vital role in bringing these stakeholders together and shaping a smarter, more sustainable future for the sector.
