ARCHITECTURE, ENGINEERING AND CONSTRUCTION:

EUROCLUSTER FOR FUTURE BUILT ENVIRONMENT (AEC EUROCLUSTER)

Project 101074498 — AEC EUROCLUSTER- SMP-COSME-2021-CLUSTER

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Partners:

Funding program: SMP-COSME-2021-CLUSTER — Joint Cluster Initiatives (EUROCLUSTERS) for Europe’s recovery
Duration: 30 months (01.09.2022 – 28.02.2025)
Budget: 1.399.483 EUR

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Background
Transition to a more digital, green, circular economy requires changes throughout value chains, from product design to new business and market models, from new ways of turning waste into a resource to new models of consumer behavior. European construction companies have played a leading role in development and implementation of energy efficient, eco-innovative and smart solutions which are being upgraded to circular, sustainable and regenerative solutions as noted in European Bauhaus initiative. Clusters as dynamic concentrations of interlinked companies and related actors are a significant part of the European industrial landscape and can play an essential role in economic recovery, sustainable transition an innovation.
General objectives of the AEC EUROCLUSTER project:

      • Form a EUROCLUSTER joint strategic initiative of clusters in AEC sectors across Europe and reach a critical mass of entities (firms, research and technology institutions, science and financial providers, non-profit organisations and public bodies) in order to boost collaboration, accelerate green as well as digital transformation and increase social and economic resilience in and beyond the fields of built environment.
      • Contribute to both the New Industrial Strategy for Europe and the SME Strategy by detecting deeply entrenched dependencies in AEC sectors, by fostering industrial partnerships on international level that wouldn’t be established otherwise and by focusing specifically on upskilling and support for SMEs on their pathways to twin transition and better preparedness for crisis and other reasons for supply chain disruptions.
      • Collaborate with existing business support networks as e.g. the European Cluster Collaboration Platform (all consortium partners are registered), the Enterprise Europe Network (one consortium partner is a local support office), national and European Digital Innovation Hubs (consortium partners already involved in Italian, Romanian and Austrian DIHs).

AEC EUROCLUSTER project pursues the following specific objectives:

      1. Network: From value chain to ecosystem – Once the necessary research and bottom-up consultation of relevant sector stakeholders is done, 5 preparedness/business continuity plans are developed within. These plans will show critical disruptions, gaps and interdependencies among AEC sectors and firms. The detected interlinkages and shortcomings serve as basis for the following direct specific actions where value chain connections and support services are developed to improve the resilience and promote at least 66 organisations (SMES, EU-wide clusters and business network organisations).
      2. Innovate & Adopt: From idea to business case and from prototype to product – In order to build capacity and drive innovation as well as adoption of new technologies, we will provide grants for at least 16 SMEs in a framework comprising of a maximum 12-months implementation period from proposal to market. Grants will cover both: business process innovation tied to technological adoption leading to higher sustainability and digitalisation for at least 11 SMEs and at least 5 new-to-firm innovations financed that have a direct impact on the entire constructions sector.
      3. Train: From training to sparring – To foster upskilling of clusters, its company members and entire networks, at least 20 cluster managers acquire knowledge and tools for improving their support services related to digital/green transition and resilience of SME workforce and talents in the European construction industry. On the other hand, 10 SMEs directly benefit from special training in a 20-months program to better capitalize on their innovation potential and simultaneously reduce market, business and technical risks.
      4. Go International: From local to global. The specific objective is to boost SME access to global value chains and help companies joining forces with international partners. After mapping key sectoral and cross-sectoral events, at least 20 SMEs will have the possibility for matchmaking and introducing themselves to players in third countries which will result in at least 5 collaboration agreements signed with foreign entities.

AEC EUROCLUSTER addresses the entire construction value chain with focus on the 10 subsectors:

      • BIM
      • Construction Robotics
      • Construction Project Management
      • Advanced Building Materials
      • Offsite Construction
      • Construction Worker Safety
      • Construction Monitoring
      • Green Building
      • 3D Printing
      • Connected Construction Site

The project can therefore be of high interest for all construction-related clusters and associations operating in the EU at regional or national level. Central target group for cooperation during the project and further use of results afterwards are the 64 production clusters related to construction in Europe as well as the 62 clusters related to communication, 76 in IT and analytical instruments and 54 in environmental services.
AEC EUROCLUSTER has 2 main target groups and generates direct and indirect impacts:

      • Clusters in construction and related value chains are directly supported by being involved in a pan-European network of intermediary organisations that enables international cooperation, sharing of expertise and joint actions in the fields of innovation and twin transition towards a sustainable and resilient construction ecosystem. Capacity-building of clusters is fostered by professional training so that cluster managers acquire necessary skills for assisting their members with an improved service portfolio, which influences the actors in the ecosystem indirectly.
      • SMEs obtain support by being offered voucher-funding for the development and launch of new products or services that significantly differ from currently available solutions and are of high value for green and digital transformation in construction industries. On the other hand, SMEs are facilitated in adopting technologies and processes that improve efficiency, digitalisation and circularity. Besides direct benefits for the companies both approaches also have indirect effects on international competitiveness and sustainable growth in the sector Moreover, SMEs take special courses with certificated trainers in order to make innovation their business, gain new competencies for uncovering needs and create solutions. Helping EU companies in reaching out to international partners and foreign markets is the third main pillar of SME support within AEC EUROCLUSTER which focuses in particular on providing matchmaking opportunities beyond Europe.

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