New Head of EFIMED and EFIGEN appointed
Michele Bozzano has been appointed as Head of the Mediterranean Facility (EFIMED) and the new Genetic Resources Facility (EFIGEN) at the European Forest Institute. Dr Bozzano will start on 1 February 2022.
Michele has a PhD in forest landscape restoration and a Master’s degree in Forestry. He has been coordinating the European Forest Genetic Resources Programme (EUFORGEN) since 2015. Michele has coordinated the development of technical and scientific publications, strategies and reports, related to forests, forest resources and forestry at European and global levels and has been responsible for science-policy dialogue. Recently he was also the Project Coordinator of the Horizon 2020 project, GenRes Bridge.
EFI’s Mediterranean Facility promotes and conducts research, policy advice and networking on Mediterranean forests, forestry and forest products, The Facility is a cornerstone in Mediterranean forest-related networks, and offers a dynamic platform to exchange knowledge, identify and advocate for common priorities, and to generate new research and innovation partnerships. It gathers all relevant actors and initiatives active in landscape and community-based approaches to wildfire risk mitigation and the provision of ecosystem services. The Facility is also an intellectual leader in Mediterranean forest bioeconomy, including the socio-economic and policy underpinnings of innovative value chains based in wood, non-wood forest products and ecosystem services.
EFI’s newly established Genetic Resources Facility (EFIGEN) will provide a European hub for forest genetic resources, promoting research, policy advice and networking. In addition to the EUFORGEN Programme (an implementation mechanism of the Forest Europe process) that Michele will continue to coordinate, and the European Information System on Forest Genetic Resources (EUFGIS), the Facility will be responsible for communication and science-policy interface for EC-funded projects and networks.
