Photo in the courtyard of the Institute of Catalan Studies with the President of the Catalan Cork Institute Foundation, Joan Josep Puig, and the director of the Biodiversity Foundation Félix Romero.

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The last December 3 was held at theInstitute of Catalan Studies the final day of the project FUTURECORK, under the motto A look at the future of corkThe event brought together more than fifty professionals, institutional representatives and sector agents with a shared vision: moving towards a more resilient, innovative and sustainable cork sector.

The FUTURECORK project is funded by the Biodiversity Foundation from MITECO, within the framework of PRTR – NextGenerationEU, and has been coordinated by the Catalan Cork Institute Foundation (ICSuro)Throughout the project, a solid scientific, technical and territorial base has been consolidated that reinforces the future of the cork sector on a state scale.

During the day, the director of ICSuro, Alba Balcells, he emphasized that “FUTURECORK has shown that science and territory can work together to build a strong, competitive and sustainable sector”.

A transformative project for the cork sector

Since February 2024, FUTURECORK has worked with a comprehensive view to:

• strengthen the resilience of cork forests,
• improve forest productivity and management,
• promote rural entrepreneurship,
• diversify the uses of cork and its by-products,
• and strengthen communication and sectoral knowledge.

This approach has been possible thanks to a state-wide consortium formed by CFC, CICYTEX, THING, ICIFOR-INIA-CSIC i UCA, to whom ICSuro would like to express its gratitude.

Results with real impact

The project has achieved relevant results that already have a direct impact on the territory and the sector. In total, pest control, regeneration and forest management actions have been promoted in 25,941 hectares of cork forest. In parallel, 970 people have participated in technical courses and sectoral conferences, especially highlighting the first state-approved cork peeler course, a key step for the professionalization of the sector.

A legacy to continue moving forward

FUTURECORK leaves as a legacy more knowledge, more circularity and a greater capacity to respond to future challenges. Despite the closure of the project, the path does not end here: the joint work, the alliances generated and the collective momentum achieved will be the basis for continuing to advance towards a more sustainable and competitive cork value chain.

From ICSuro, we sincerely thank all the people and entities that have made this project possible. Let's continue to build, together, the future of cork.