Four Years Working Toward a More Sustainable and Innovative Walloon Wood Industry
Launched in October 2023 under the coordination of the University of Liège, the Valbowal Strategic Innovation Initiative is now completing its first cycle with results that far exceed its initial ambitions. At a Steering Committee meeting held on June 26, 2026, the sector was able to assess the progress made: an unprecedented momentum has been injected into the entire wood value chain in Wallonia, from the forest to the construction site.
A Foundational Project for the Entire Sector
From the moment it was launched in July 2022, Valbowal had a clear ambition: to bring together all links in the wood sector to rebuild a resilient Walloon forest, develop a circular economy, and decarbonize the Walloon economy. This vision took shape around three research areas—resilient forests, wood processing, and sustainable construction—supplemented by a cross-cutting focus on training and digitalization. In total, 20 actions and 57 sub-actions structured the partners’ work, with time horizons ranging from short- to long-term.
The governance structure put in place has proven effective: 8 Steering Committee meetings since February 2023, 19 axis coordination meetings (Comaxe) since March 2024, and three active thematic working groups—forests and soil management, industrialized construction, and life cycle analysis. The University of Liège, as the lead partner, provided overall coordination with support from the Belgian Timber Confederation for the forestry track, Filière Bois Wallonie for processing, Buildwise for construction, and Forem for training.
A Rapidly Growing Network
The Valbowal partnership network has grown significantly: starting with 57 members when the proposal was submitted, it now has 74 partners—a 30% increase—covering the entire spectrum: academic research, industry, civil society, and public authorities. Among the new members are the ECAM research center, Parqueterie du Hainaut, Fescobel, and the Walloon Housing Society.
Internationally, the IIS has gradually integrated itself into strategic European networks: Innovawood, the COST 10R Wood Cycles initiative, the Biobased Industries Consortium, IUFRO, and the Forlivs Task Force on forest living labs. A mission to Vorarlberg, organized in collaboration with Ligne Bois as part of the Interreg Grande Région W.A.VE. project, brought together 49 participants—including 35 from companies—for twenty on-site visits, ten of which were to companies. It provided a concrete demonstration of how the transformation of the wood sector can become a driver of resilient and circular economic development.
An Impressive Portfolio of Projects
On the operational front, the results speak for themselves. At the regional level, 77 projects were submitted by IIS partners, of which 57 have been funded, 14 are under evaluation, and 6 are in the planning stages. The sources of funding mobilized cover a broad spectrum: Greenwin, Win2Wal, Win4Collective, FEDER, FNRS, Fria calls for proposals, and ULiège doctoral funding, among others.
Internationally, the partners have secured funding through CBE, Erasmus Mundus, four Cornet projects, and no fewer than ten Interreg projects across various programs—the Greater Region, France-Wallonia-Flanders, North Sea, Europe, and Meuse-Rhine. Several projects are still in the planning stages, including two CBE JU proposals, a New European Bauhaus project with Laval University, and a Horizon Europe project.
Events that brought the sector together
Valbowal has also served as a sectoral facilitator by organizing key events: a seminar titled “Innovating Together for Sustainable Wood” in October 2024 (60 participants), information sessions on European projects in 2024 and 2025, and the Gembloux Forest Day in March 2026, which brought together more than 100 participants to discuss issues related to forestry, construction, and green chemistry.
A “Before” and “After” Valbowal
The results of these four years can be summarized in a few key observations. The Walloon wood sector has gained visibility, cohesion, and innovative capacity. Awareness has grown regarding the role of wood in low-carbon construction, green chemistry, and the bio-based economy. The relaunch of FBW’s Innovation Groups and membership in the Innovawood network have anchored Wallonia within European initiatives. Finally, in collaboration with Forem Wallonie Bois, several training programs are under development, including a university certificate program led by ULiège, which will better align the sector’s needs with available skills.
Toward a New Ecosystem
The end of the IIS cycle does not mean the end of the journey. A transition phase is planned from July to December 2026, with support from Greenwin, to identify the strengths to be preserved and prepare responses to future calls for ecosystem proposals under the new Walloon Smart Specialization Strategy 2028–2035. The Walloon Government’s Innovation Clusters will serve as the next framework within which Valbowal and its partners intend to operate to continue this wonderful collective adventure—innovating together for a sustainable wood-based future.
