Baltic TRAM
Baltic TRAM (Transnational Research Access in the Macroregion) was an international project which seeked to strengthen the relationship between analytical research institutions and business, and linked expertise to concrete industrial needs. The project operated in the Baltic Sea Region during 3/2016-2/2019.
Baltic TRAM was established structures to serve as interface between analytical research institutes and companies, so called Industrial Research Centers. Invited companies got consultations and access to research facilities to test their ideas.
The overall objective was to boost innovation, secured the implementation of smart specialization strategies, and encouraged entrepreneurship by supporting small and medium size enterprise – thus contributing to the regional effort of making the Baltic Sea Region innovative, sustainable and competitive.
To achieve this, Baltic TRAM also feeded into the regional research and innovation agenda. It was performed benchmarking analysis on national roadmaps for research infrastructures and smart specialization strategies, and provided recommendations to policy makers.
Baltic TRAM was led by DESY, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron, in dialogue with 14 project partners, including University of Turku, and 5 associated organisations from across the Baltic Sea Region. The project was partly funded by the European Union.
Interesting results from the project activities can be found from the Baltic TRAM Open Data Portal where a selection of industry cases are presented as detailed examples showcasing industrial development challenges, analysis methods used to solve the challenge and main results.
On 7-8 March in Zeuthen/Berlin, the international project Baltic TRAM (Transnational Research in the Macroregion) held it’s kick-off, marking the start of a wide range of activities to be implemented throughout the Baltic Sea Region over the next three years. The meeting gathered 16 project partners, associated organisations and guests from the region and beyond. Through good and constructive discussions, the partners agreed on the road ahead and the principles of future cooperation.
The project, which aims at strengthening the relationship between analytical research institutions and the private sector, will run until the beginning of 2019. It will establish a number of national research centers to serve as interface between analytical research institutes and companies, and encourage companies through open calls to make use of the research institutes for testing their products and develop new innovations. The national research centers will be established on the basis of the existing structures at partner-universities and innovation agencies, and their core activities will be formulated on the basis of the findings of a benchmarking analysis on National roadmaps for research infrastructures and smart specialisation strategies in the Baltic Sea Region.
During the kick-off, the project partners were provided with insight into other European initiatives in the field of research and innovation. The ambition is to link the upcoming project activities to ongoing processes in order to secure synergies and ensuring efficient outreach to the relevant target groups. As follow up of these discussions the Baltic TRAM project will organise a conference on 8-9 June 2016 in Hamburg. This upcoming event will address the challenges faced by analytical research infrastructures in the Baltic Sea Region and Europe, and will present the state of the art in the field.
Baltic TRAM project (project ended on 28th of February 2019) has successfully established a network of public facilities that provides and executes short term innovation services (consulting and measurement) for industrial users. This network is different from other networks, such as: Enterprise Europe or ADAPTER in Estonia, which serve as a one-stop-shop for a variety of research services from various organizations (public universities, research organizations and private providers), as BT focuses exclusively on short-term consulting and measurement services. It is - in addition to the few commercial providers of such services - a kind of scientific "fire department" for the industry.
During the project the network has proven its functionality through successful pilot activities. A first concept for a sustainable long-term operation of the BT network has hense been developed. General rules and requirements have been drafted in the "Terms of co-operation" document. Baltic TRAM project has successfully achieved all major objectives. Attached final report Baltic TRAM Industrial User Experience, Pilot Activity Impact and Open Data Pilot Impact showcases in detail what was done, achieved and reached during the lifespan of the project. Presented results tell a great deal about lessons learned and conclusions reached about the potential, value added, as well as challenges of the jointly implemented activities of the IReCNet.
The finalisation of the process of really establishing the operational Network of IReCs remains to be done after closure of the active implementation stage of the Baltic TRAM project. The (MoU) which came into force by the end of the Baltic TRAM project is laying good grounds to continue this development work. The overarching goal of the MoU is to express support and commitment towards multilateral collaboration among the signatory parties within the capabilities of each signing party which is to strengthen the macro-regional and pan-European competitiveness in a global context through improved incentives, which are tailored for science-business cooperation. The Parties do so by seeking to bolster the relationship between (analytical) research institutions and businesses by exploring opportunities and enabling structures that facilitate cooperation between companies and researchers; as well as by linking expertise to concrete industrial needs. After the closure of the Baltic TRAM project it is clear that the signatory parties of the MoU will continue to discuss the cooperation structures in more detail and it is suggested that University of Turku will be responsible of taking this development work further in a coordinated manner. The Terms of Cooperation for the IReCNet is offering a practical tool for this development.
In Media:
Materiaalitutkimuksella isoja säästöjä yrityksille – "Pärjäävät markkinoilla muita paremmin" (Yle Uutiset 22.3.2017)
How to turn Europe's large research infrastructures into engines of innovation
Articles:
Open Call for Companies to Access Free Analytical Research
Centrum Balticumin blogi: Baltic TRAM -projektissa vahvistetaan tieteen ja liike-elämän yhteistyötä Itämeren alueella
The Blog of Centrum Balticum: Closer collaboration with SMEs can harness the full potential of research infrastructures in regional development
14.11.2018 The third High Level Group meeting of the Baltic TRAM project in Stockholm at the CBSS Secretariat (programme)
19.-20.4.2018 Capacity Building Workshop in Copenhagen.
25.-26.10.2017 Analytical Research for Industry - Novel Options for Enhanced Cooperation, Stockholm
Baltic TRAM is organizing a conference on a better cooperation between industry and analytical facilities on 25-26 October 2017 in Stockholm. The event will be arranged under the Swedish Presidency of the Council of the Baltic Sea States. Read more
24.5.2017 Materiaalien sovellukset yrityksille, Turku Science Park
23.5.2017 klo 11-13 Teknologian esittelypäivä meriklusterin parissa toimiville yrityksille Raumalla
23.5.2017 klo 13-16 Teollisen kierrätyksen työpaja: jätejakeiden tuotteistamisella liiketoimintaa ja kustannussäästöjä, Prizztech Oy Porissa
7.4.2017 Baltic TRAM -hankkeen käynnissä olevan yrityshaun mahdollisuudet yrityksen tuotekehityksessä, T3K Teknologiapäivä, Kankaanpää
4.4.2017 Project partners are meeting the Baltic TRAM FI High Level Group members in Helsinki
Baltic TRAM -hankkeen käynnissä olevan yrityshaun mahdollisuuksia esiteltiin 28.3. Smart Chemistry Park:ssa Raisiossa.
The Third Baltic TRAM Partner Meeting in Lund, 15-16 th March 2017
Baltic TRAM Discussions Ahead of the Operational Phase of the Industrial Research Centres
Materiaalitutkimuspalvelujen mahdollisuuksia 8.3.2017
Baltic TRAM WP-Leader Meeting in Turku December 14-15th 2016
Baltic TRAM opening conference on 26 October 2016, Hamburg
Analytical Research for Industry - State-of-the-Art in Europe
Second partner meeting in Stockholm, Sweden, 5-6 September, 2016
First partner meeting in Zeuthen, Germany, 7-8 March, 2016
The Baltic TRAM project closed on February 28th, 2019.
