La unc hing a p ub lic -p rivate tec hnology tra nsfer c entre in the field of renewa b le energies (Sola r)

Transcription

1 Pilot Action Plan Implementing region: CLUJ Executive Summary March 2008 Main objective Main activities Expected results and outcomes Direct and indirect beneficiaries Implementing organisation Partner(s) Duration Estimated budget La unc hing a p ub lic -p rivate tec hnology tra nsfer c entre in the field of renewa b le energies (Sola r) Prototyp ing Developing of new tec hnologies Ma rket a na lysis Ad va nc ed testing Tec hnic a l sup p ort, q ua lity evalua tion Developing a new, hi-tec h, c omp etitive sola r-therma l p rod uc t CONTHERM, UTCN-CCSTI CONTHERM UTCN Tec hnic a l University of Cluj Na p oc a 24 months 120,000 EUR 1

2 1. Problem identification 1.1. Introduction Innovation is a n importa nt fa c tor in relea sing the potentia l of the Lisbon a gend a. The knowled ge c a ptured in new tec hnologies a nd proc esses c a n d rive growth a nd c ompetitiveness a nd c rea te new jobs. But knowled ge must be trea ted a s part of a wid er fra mework in whic h business grow a nd opera te. Developing knowled ge-based ec onomy requires a dequa te levels of investment in R&D, ed uc a tion, a nd ICT a s well a s c rea ting a favoura ble environment for innova tion Innovation And Knowledge Performance The development of the productive sector through support to SMEs aims to inc rea se the number of SMEs, espec ia lly those a c tive in manufa c turing a nd high va luea d d ed servic es, a nd diversify their ra nge of a c tivities. The support for SMEs a lso a d d resses the need for job c rea tion, growth a nd diversific ation of the SMEs sec tor. In partic ula r, the number of entrepreneurs is still low a nd the number of sta rt-ups is signific a ntly lower tha n in other transition ec onomies. Insuffic ient a c c ess to fina nc e is a problem for the SME sec tor in genera l, but is partic ula rly worrying for mic ro-enterprises (< 10 employees) a nd the innovative green-field initiatives. On top of tha t, most SMEs a re still severely und erc a pita lized a nd would fa c e diffic ulties in meeting the new environment sta nd a rds without affec ting their c ompetitiveness. The insuffic ient a nd poorly diversified entrepreneuria l base poses serious problems for the ec onomic d evelopment of the c ountry, espec ia lly in c ertain regions and a rea s tha t a re la gging behind in terms of ec onomic d evelopment. The morta lity of business sta rt-ups is very high in the first yea r of their life, ma inly bec a use of a shorta ge of fina nc e, la c k of b usiness support servic es, limited entrepreneuria l skills a nd experienc e a nd insuffic ient knowled ge of how to enter ma rkets. 2

3 The Cluj County is c ha ra c terised b y a n im p orta nt university p ole, Cluj- Na poc a. The university provides a n importa nt number of highly qua lified S&E gra d uates. Cluj-Napoc a is the sec ond la rgest university c entres a fter Buc ha rest, in terms of stud ents. There a re importa nt links between University a nd foreign c ompanies (e.g. Alc a tel a nd Tec hnic a l University in Timisoa ra or Tec hnic a l University Cluj-Na poc a a nd Volkswa gen). In 2004, the Resea rc h a c tivities of Tec hnic a l University of Cluj a mounted to 2 MEUR form c ontra c ts with foreign c ompanies. However, the regional R&D public expenditure is lower tha n in Buc ha rest, even though the potentia l for innova tion is rela tively simila r. One of the major diffic ulties is the la c k of visibility of Na tiona l R&D progra mmes a t the regiona l level and burea uc ra c y in terms of funding a pplic ations. Exhibit 1: Summary of weaknesses and key needs Region Cluj Key factors explaining the weaknesses La c k of innovation infra struc tures; Lower public expend iture on R&D La c k of c oop eration b etween la rge c ompanies a nd SME Key needs in terms of innovation and the knowledge economy Inc entives for strengthening the c oop eration b etween b usinesses and between b usiness sec tor and resea rc h institutions Imp roving the knowled ge for attra c ting more p ub lic R&D fund ing Inc entives for c reating c lusters Exhibit 2: Key opportunities and constraints Policy objectives Opportunities Constraints Innovation friendly environment Knowledge transfer and technology Develop ment of more ma rket driven fund ing mec ha nisms suc h a s venture c a p ital, gua ra ntees or loa ns. Imp rove the a wa reness for using the Cred it Gua ra ntee fund Inc rea se the effic ienc y a nd qua lity of p ub lic servic es b y inc rea sed usa ge of ICT Build entrep reneurship friend ly attitudes in sc hools and universities Enha nc e tec hnology transfer infra struc ture a nd c reate mec ha nisms to c ommerc ia lise R&D Regulatory environment still c onsid ered insuffic ient. Introd uc tion of ICT requires a n a d justment reengineering of p ublic servic es Low a wa reness a nd interest of the b a nking system in c o-fina nc ing RDI p rojec ts La c k of c oherent a nd p rofessiona l strategy rega rd ing tec hnology transfer mec ha nisms. 3

4 Policy objectives Opportunities Constraints diffusion to enterprises Innovation poles and clusters Support to creation and growth of innovative enterprises Boosting applied research and product development results Inc rea se fund ing a nd sta ffing in tec hnology tra nsfer institutions a nd imp rove qua lity of p rovid ed servic es. Promote innovation in p roc esses, servic es and prod uc ts through ICT. Develop c ritic al ma ss in sec tors a c tive in the p oles (e.g. ICT) Sup p ort the a lignment of SMEs in supplier networks of b ig c orp ora tions (inc lud ing multinationa l c omp anies). Fa c ilitate a c c ess of newly esta blished firms to business servic es. Sup p ort orga nisational a nd b usiness innovations. Inc rea sing a p p lic ation of ICT in enterp rises. Sub sta ntia l inc rease of R&D fund ing; Inc rea se p ublic resea rc h a nd b usiness c olla b oration Inc rea se international c ollaborations. Exploitation of op p ortunities offered b y 7 th FP Low R&D d ema nd by firms Low ma na gement c a pabilities in SMEs La c k of q ualified personnel Low visib ility of the existing tec hnology tra nsfer orga nisations Low R&D d ema nd by enterp rises La c k of c a p a b ility of ma na gement struc tures La c k of international p erspec tive in SMEs and wea k mana gement c a p a b ilities. Due to the tra nsversal nature of most mea sures they d o not suffic iently p romote the establishment of new b usiness a c tivities in high value a dded sec tors. State a id rules a re a barrier in providing fisc a l inc entives to innovative c omp anies Low R&D d ema nd by firms Low visib ility of c urrent fund ing op p ortunities in the regions a nd in p a rtic ula r among SMEs Cluj a lso ha s a high potentia l of bec oming innovative a nd knowled gebased region d ue to the prestigious university c entre. The c o-opera tion between tec hnic a l universities a nd business sec tor func tions well, in partic ula r with la rge foreign c ompanies, but there is still a need for p ublic support of suc h linkages. The region has a n ICT c luster a nd a n inc ipient c luster in sola r energy. The regiona l ec onomy ha s a good potentia l for c luster forma tion, but the proc ess needs to be a c c elera ted by support from the Struc tura l Fund s. Moreover, there is a regional nec essity to foster the c rea tion of business infrastruc tures suc h a s business inc ubators Sc ienc e and Tec hnology Pa rks a nd inc rea sing the number of tec hnology tra nsfer c entres. Moreover, it is suggested tha t a support for a c quiring new equipments and tec hnologies in ord er not to a lter the regiona l potentia l. 4

5 Exhibit 4: Innovation and Knowledge SWOT Leading Knowledge Regions (West and North West Region) Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities High p otentia l of d evelop ing ICT a nd Renewa b le energy sec tors d ue to highly q ua lified HR a nd S&E gra d uates a nd very good resea rc h institutions. High p otentia l for d evelop ing c lusters and innovation poles p rovid ed that there is a support through the Struc tural Fund s Threats Still insuffic ient business infra struc ture a nd servic es support (S&T a nd Tec hnology Pa rks, Business Inc ub ators, Tec hnology Tra nsfer Centre). Ob solete R&D a nd tec hnologies in most c a ses Low p otentia l for fina nc ing Low p otentia l for elaborating the RIS in the Region 1.2 Pilot Projec t Foc us Bec a use the key issues ta ken in c onsid era tion by the SUPER-SME projec t were tec hnology tra nsfer a nd the need s of implementa tion of a n a dvanc ed tec hnologies programme, enc oura geing resea rc h a nd tec hnology tra nsfer in the respec tive a rea s a nd the inc rease of interna tiona l c ompetitiveness, enha nc e tec hnology tra nsfer infrastruc ture and c rea te mec ha nisms to c ommerc ia lise R&D results, inc rea se funding and sta ffing in tec hnology tra nsfer institutions a nd improve qua lity of provid ed servic es a nd to promote innovation in proc esses, servic es a nd prod uc ts through ICT, the id ea of c rea ting a pilot resea rc h c enter a nd tra nsfer unit wa s ta ken in c onsidera tion. SMEs a c c ount for a n overwhelming majority in the tota l firm popula tion in Roma nia %. Most of them have a wea k innovative c apacity. Ac c ord ing to the Europea n Innova tion Sc oreboa rd (2005) a nd the Roma nia n Na tiona l Institute of Sta tistic s Survey, Roma nia n SMEs c ompara tive a dva nta ge remains tod a y la rgely based on low wa ges. Up to now R&D 5

6 polic y a t na tiona l level ha s been mainly foc used on the supply sid e (strengthening R&D infra struc ture, c entres, etc.) with few links to enterprise/ innova tion or regiona l d evelopment priorities (where the main issue is upgra ding low tec hnology c a pacities of sma ll firms plus in some a rea s supporting linka ges of loc a l sub-c ontra c tors to FDI). This situa tion is likely to c ontinue d uring based on c urrent pla ns. By c rea ting a sma ll resea rc h c enter a nd tec hnology tra sfer unit in the field of sola r tec hnology, b oth the SMEs a nd the University c a n ta ke a dva nta ge. The goa l of this a ssoc ia tion is to: Ma tc h the tec hnology offer a nd the prod uc t need s. Prod uc e a tec hnology tha t has a strong value within the prod uc t. Convinc e the c ustomers to ac c ept prod uc t pric e with the added fea tures ena bled by the tec hnology. The ma in d omains of a pplic ation of tec hnologies developed would be the Sola r-therma l Ind ustry. Tec hnology Tra nsfer is a n integra l part of TUCN-CCSTTI's princ ipal mission of fund a menta l resea rc h. 2. Pilot action specification 2.1. Objec tive a nd purp ose The ma in goa l is to c rea te a func tional, susta ina b le resea rc h a nd tec hnology tra nsfer unit in the field of Sola r-therma l Tec hnology. Spec ific objec tives: Enha nc e tec hnology tra nsfer infra struc ture a nd c rea te a mec ha nism to c ommerc ia lise R&D results Inc rea se funding a nd sta ffing in this tec hnology transfer institution a nd improve qua lity of provid ed servic es Promote innova tion in proc esses, servic es a nd prod uc ts Fa c ilita te the mobility of skilled resea rc hers a nd tec hnic ia ns between sc ienc e and ind ustry The purpose of this pilot a c tion is to d evelop a n innova tive a nd c ost effec tive sola r therma l insta lla tion a d apted to the sola r irradiation of the Regions of Cluj a nd Huned oa ra Approa c h: tools a nd method s 6

7 During the implementa tion of the suggested pilot a c tion, the following a c tivities will be und erta ken: Ana lysing the c urrent tec hnologies Conta c ting with other Resea rc h Institutes in Europe ( in partic ula r ITW Stuttgart) R&D of the prod uc t Testing for obtaining the Sola r KeyMa rk La unc hing the prod uc t Dissemination of results 2.3. Ta rget groups a nd benefic ia ries The ta rget groups of the d eliver of the pilot a c tion a re: -household s in the Regions of Cluj a nd Huned oa ra a nd will be extend ed a t the c ountry level - household insta llations ( insta llation for houses ) -Buildings in the Regions of Cluj a nd Huned oa ra a nd will be extend ed a t the c ountry level b uildings up to 10 level. -Ind ustries in the Regions of Cluj a nd Huned oa ra a nd will be extend ed a t the c ountry level fa c tories with a high need in hot wa ter a nd -public buildings ( sc hools, hospita ls etc ) in the Regions of Cluj a nd Huned oa ra a nd will be extend ed a t the c ountry level The Benefic ia ries of this pilot ac tion will be a la rge number of individ ua ls as well a s private a nd public organisa tions for both the Regions of Cluj and Huned oa ra a nd a t the Country level a s well Implementing bod y a nd partnership The implementing bod y will be CONTHERM ( Private c ompany found ed in 1992, a c tivity began in the field of therma l c ontrollers both prod uc tion a nd Resea rc h a nd d evelopment, in 2004, Contherm entered the Renewa ble Energy Ma rket (Selling a nd Insta lling Sola r Systems), severa l loc a tions in Roma nia (Resita, Cluj-Na poc a, Ba ia -Ma re, Eforie-Sud ) a nd one in Bruxelles) a s the SME involved in the a c tion a nd of c ourse TUCN. Tec hnic a l University of Cluj-Na poc a trains spec ia lists in the tec hnic a l field through long a nd short term ed uc a tion progra mmes, postgra d uate a nd PhD studies. It ha s over 12,000 stud ents. The most importa nt projec ts regarding sc ientific resea rc h a re those with CNCSIS, ANSTI, a nd PNCDI a s well a s those fina nc ed by the Europea n Union Commission: EUREKA, COPERNICUS, COST, FP5 a nd FP6. 7

8 The University's c orrela tion to Europea n stand a rd s is reflec ted by the interna tiona l c onventions it is part of a nd by its partic ipation in a wide ra nge of Europea n ed uc a tion progra ms: TEMPUS-PHARE, SOCRATES, ERASMUS, LEONARDO, CEEPUS Sinc e 2003 TUCN ha s been a member of the Europea n Assoc ia tion of Universities Polic y c ontext Polic y c ontext is struc tured below: Policy objectives Innovation friendly environmen t Knowledge transfer and technology diffusion to enterprises Opportunities Develop ment of more ma rket d riven fund ing mec ha nisms suc h a s venture c a p ita l, gua ra ntees or loa ns. Imp rove the a wa reness for using the Cred it Gua ra ntee fund Inc rea se the effic ienc y a nd q ua lity of p ub lic servic es b y inc rea sed usa ge of ICT Build entrep reneurship friend ly a ttitud es in sc hools a nd universities Enha nc e tec hnology tra nsfer infra struc ture a nd c rea te mec ha nisms to c ommerc ia lise R&D results Inc rea se fund ing a nd sta ffing in tec hnology tra nsfer institutions a nd imp rove q ua lity of p rovid ed servic es. Promote innova tion in p roc esses, servic es a nd p rod uc ts through ICT. Constraints Regula tory environment still c onsid ered insuffic ient. Introd uc tion of ICT req uires a n a d justment reengineering of p ub lic servic es Low a wa reness a nd interest of the b a nking system in c o- fina nc ing RDI p rojec ts La c k of c oherent a nd professiona l stra tegy regarding tec hnology tra nsfer mec ha nisms. Low R&D d ema nd by firms Low ma na gement c a pabilities in SMEs La c k of qua lified personnel Low visibility of the existing tec hnology tra nsfer organisations 2.6. Monitoring a nd evalua tion system The monitoring system will be implemented from projec t. the first sta ge of the The monitoring indic a tors whic h will be used in ord er to tra c k the a dva nc ement of the pilot a c tion a re presented below: 8

9 Ac tivities Ana lysing the c urrent tec hnologies Conta c ting with other Resea rc h Institutes in Europe ( in partic ula r ITW Stuttgart) Ind ic a tors Number of tec hnic a l a rtic les, books a nd spec ia lised ma teria ls studied a nd reviewed. Number of visits a nd c ommunic a tion with spec ia lised institutions. Number of visits of pilot insta lla tions Minutes of meetings R&D of the prod uc t Testing for obtaining the Solar KeyMa rk Testing results Resea rc h Notes ITW Sola r KeyMa rk test result La unc hing the prod uc t Test results obtained in Cluj a nd Huned oa ra a nd other loc a tions in Roma nia Dissemination of results Insta lla tions in use Number of public a tions in journa ls, newspaper. Meetings with c onstruc tions firms, individ ua ls, semina rs, a rc hitec ts, politic ians a nd public buildings a d ministrators. 3. Duration and detailed action plan 9

10 3.Duration and detailed Action Plan Table 1. Pilot action Network of intermediaries organisation Year 1 Month Activity Implementing body Ana lysing the c urrent tec hnologies TUCN Conta c ting with other Resea rc h Institutes in Europe ( in partic ula r ITW Stuttgart) TUCN and CONTHERM R&D of the prod uc t TUCN Testing for obtaining the Sola r KeyMa rk CONTHERM La unc hing the prod uc t CONTHERM Dissemination of results TUCN and CONTHERM

11 4. Management and human resources The pilot a c tion will be c oord inated by a steering c ommittee formed by one p erson from ea c h institution. Their role will be to monitor the a dva nc ement of the projec t a nd the a c hievement of results. Moreover, a d a pt the pla nning based on unforeseen situa tions whic h they ma y enc ounter. The ma na gement tea m will be c oord ina ted by Contherm. The tec hnic a l Tea m will be c oordina ted by TUCN senior resea rc her. The sta ff required for the implementa tion of the p rojec t is c omposed of one projec t direc tor a nd one projec t offic er from CONTHERM a nd 1 senior resea rc her a nd 2 junior resea rc hers from TUCN. The tea m will be based in TUCN a nd uses the tec hnic a l equipement for resea rc h.

12 5. Budget and sustainability 5.1. Bud get 1 (in EUR) Tota l 120,000 EUR Ac tivities Ac tivity 1: Ana lysing the c urrent tec hnologies Human Resource s Equipmen t & Supplies Subcontra c t Travel Other (office etc.) Ac tivity 2: Conta c ting with other Resea rc h Institutes in Europe ( in partic ula r ITW Stuttgart) Overhead Ac tivity 3: R&D of the prod uc t Ac tivity 4: Testing for obtaining the Sola r KeyMa rk Ac tivity 5: La unc hing the prod uc t Ac tivity 6: Dissemination of results SUB-TOTAL TOTAL 120,000 1 Note: The cost estimations cover only a part of expenditures related to individual activities; the rest of project expenditures will be financed from other sources (institutional resources of partners, contracts with SMEs, revenues from services etc.). 12

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14 5.2. Sourc es of funding Possible sourc es of funding: Own fund s Struc tura l Fund s Other sourc es ( loa ns, equity c a pita l) 6. Dissemination The d issemina tion of the projec t will be a c hieved through the following mea ns: A d edic a ted website will d eveloped a nd it will be a dvertised on the university s a nd Contherm s offic ia l websites. Artic les will be prod uc ed for spec ia lised journa ls, the loc a l papers a nd regiona l a nd na tiona l radio or TV sta tions Setting up of the resea rc h a c tivities will a lso be presented in tec hnic a l ma ga zines Workshop s a nd presenta tions within the TUCN 7. Sustainability and follow on The sustaina bility of the projec t is ensured by the c a pacity of both institutions to c ontinue the resea rc h in the field a nd c ommerc ia lise it. The sustaina bility is a lso strengthened by the EU objec tives in boosting the use of renewa ble tec hnologies a nd by the c ost effec tive of sola r therma l tec hnologies ( inc rea sed dema nd in the ma rket).