The Forest Science and Research Institute (IPEF –Instituto de Pesquisas e Estudos Florestais), created in 1968, is a non-profit association aimed at planning, implementation and coordination of actions and management of resources, intended to studies, analyses and researches in the natural resource area, focused on forest science.

In 2010 the Strategic Plan for the decade 2010-2020 was released in which the Vision, Mission and Values sustained by IPEF are highlighted:

Vision: Being a research, development and innovation-leading Institute in the Brazilian forest basic sector and internationally acknowledged.
Mission: Contributing towards technical-scientific, social and economic developmentof the forest basic sector, rendering feasible the accomplishment of cooperative researches between companies through integration to Universities, Research Centersand the Society.
Values: Science, Credibility, Cooperation and Integration.

In order to comply with its mission, IPEF has as its corporate goals:

• Promoting integration between universities, research centers, corporate sector, governmental and non-governmental institutions;
• Planning, coordinating actions and managing resources intended to development of studies, analyses and researches deriving from covenants entered into with universities, research centers, corporate sector, governmental and non-governmental institutions;
• Keeping and managing a documentation structure specialized in forest sciences, intended to prospecting, organization and disclosure of bibliographic information;
• Prospecting, organizing and disclosing information intended to technical and scientific guidelines of the general public, by means of publications (books, magazines, newspapers, information documents, etc.) and electronic media (internet, CD-ROM, etc.);
• Contributing towards education, qualification and training of human resources;
• Promoting and supporting organization of technical-scientific events within the national and international context;
• Keeping and managing a research structure in forest sciences, involving collection, processing, storage and availability of forest seeds and other generic materials of vegetal origin, with high quality standard.

Historically, IPEF has been responsible for creation of the most sophisticated techniques for quality and productivity improvement of the forests, aiming the role they play in the economic, social and environmental context.

University-Company Integration

Since 1968 IPEF is known due to its major role in the scientific and technological development of the Brazilian forest sector. Evolving every year, by means of an important partnership with the academic area in Brazil and abroad, for four decades it has been offering conditions for research and technological development, aiming improvement of productivity, quality and use of planted forests, contributing towards development of the forest sector, in an economically feasible, as well as environmentally suitable and socially fair form.

Interaction between Companies

Upon enhancement of the operation model of the Cooperative Programs, IPEF involves the companies’ professionals in all stages, as of design, going through planning, implementation and conduction, up to obtainment of the results and conclusions.

With that, an essential synergy is created between the academy participants and the involved companies, which leads to optimization of the interaction between the associates themselves and other guest companies due to relevant contributions they may bring to the ongoing works.