ZLV Online First

Abstrakt

The article assesses the alignment between national forestry research priorities in Slovakia and Czechia and the Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA) developed to support the FOREST Partnership. The study applies a policy alignment approach comparing European research priorities with national Research and Innovation Smart Specialisation Strategies (RIS3) and the thematic focus of funded forestry research. The methodology combines comparative analysis of strategic documents with an examination of research project databases. In the first phase, a content analysis of the strategies of Slovakia and Czechia was conducted, and the identified priorities were linked to the SRIA thematic areas. In the second phase, recent research projects were analysed using thematic mapping and descriptive statistics. The analysis includes projects funded through national and European grant schemes in 2021–2025. In total, 235 forestry research projects were identified (137 in Slovakia and 98 in Czechia), with total funding of €32.8 million in Slovakia and €57.6 million in Czechia. While projects in both countries focus on diversified forest management and climate adaptation, theme of bioeconomy is more presented in Slovakia than in Czechia. The findings indicate strong thematic alignment with SRIA while highlighting differences in funding structures and research focus between the two countries.