Value Added Wood - fostering a dynamic competence area
The operation “VAW- Value Added Wood - Fostering a Dynamic Competence Area” joins eight European wood clusters in developing new ideas and policies to stimulate the sector. Participating clusters have specific competences and strategies but also face a range of common challenges, including low export rates and a high pressure on prices, limited innovation management skills and a low value added in production processes. Overall objective / Objectif général VAW’s overall objective is to improve the competitiveness of the wood manufacturing industry. Partners aim to strengthen the sector through the transfer of high-end technologies and knowledge, benchmarking and exchange of market information. A range of tools to upgrade regional SME-support schemes and the involvement of industry and knowledge providers such as universities and research institutes in the process will enhance the innovation potential. Expected results / Résultats attendus The operation improves the capacities of the participating regions to solve common challenges to regional growth with a particular focus on their wood production sector. It results in more efficient regional strategies for the wood manufacturing industries and provides practical examples of how interregional cooperation can boost regional competitiveness through the collaboration of actors facing similar challenges and opportunities. Activities include the elaboration of competence maps to analyse cluster competencies and product profiles as well as available R&D resources and public sector initiatives. Based on a best practice analysis, partners develop tools and elaborate a “Common Service Package.” Through joint workshops, partners have identified a number of cooperation projects (“Joint Action Lines”), such as providing specific research to companies, joining marketing efforts and exchanging market information, as well as developing common export activities (for instance to China) for high tech wood products.