Urban planning, the built environment and infrastructure are critical for the growth of towns, regions and countries, for the competitiveness of the economy and for the economic, cultural and social life of the inhabitants. The created assets have very long lives and constitute a considerable proportion of our common environment. Extensive change is now taking place in many countries, often by utilising the new opportunities and driving forces of internationalisation.
Free movement across frontiers for products, services and knowledge broadens choice and reduces the prices charged to customers. This process is strengthened by international harmonisation of national standards and regulations. In most actor groups in the construction sector there is a clear development towards the formation of international companies, a larger proportion of purchasing on the international market, and an internationalisation of the market of national actors.
This development is most evident in the materials and component industry, but can also be seen among designers, clients/property owners and contractors.
In research and innovation, there is increasing interest in internationalisation, not least owing to the realisation that the challenges of society and the demands of customers are similar in all countries, and also that cooperation offers greater opportunities for more effective use of knowledge, creativity and resources.
The reasons for the foundation of BIC - Construction Sector Innovation Centre, and also the strong international focus which characterises the cooperation between Formas and BIC, are examples of this.
European cooperation
The European Commission has clearly noted the necessity for the political system to cooperate with actors in the sector in order to achieve the policy objectives. Various industrial sectors have been called on to establish European technology platforms for research and innovation.
The challenge was heeded and the European Construction Technology Platform – ECTP – was formed. The platform soon acquired a broad sectorial focus, and clients, designers and the materials industry, as well as the research community, joined the network. The work of ECTP soon focused on formulating a vision and a strategy for research and innovation for the European construction sector.
The strategy identifies a number of prioritised areas for research and innovation, with the following as the principal objectives:
- Satisfy users' and customers' requirements
- Be sustainable
- Change the way the sector works
Swedish – and Nordic – grouping
The work of ECTP places great emphasis on the establishment of national construction platforms. BIC took the initiative for the formation of a Swedish platform (NCTP-Sweden), and through this the influence of the Swedish actors was channelled to the vision, strategy and other activities of ECTP.
European and, to an even greater extent, global cooperation soon becomes complex and resource-demanding, and small countries, in particular, find it difficult to make themselves heard. Regionalisation may be a useful tool in this respect. On a Nordic basis, structured cooperation has been created in a grouping, called NRCTP, led by BIC. Participants from Sweden also include Formas and Technical Research Institute of Sweden SP, and the work is supported by NICe – Nordic Innovation Centre. The network analyses and acts in issues of common interest both in the Nordic countries and in other international groups.
European networks
Investments through the EU system make up only a small proportion (<10%) of the total public funds invested in research and innovation. In order that the EU objective for unified and strong research activity (ERA – European Research Area) may be realised, cooperation with the national programmes is required. Development is driven by ERA-net projects, and in the construction industry the project ERABUILD, through the participation of Formas and BIC, has recently been completed. Work will be continued in the project ERAcobuild which is starting this year, with the Energy Agency as another Swedish participant. In ERA-net projects, decisions concerning involvement, focus and fund allocations remain the responsibility of each national programme owner.
Energy efficient buildings in the EU
In areas of particularly high priority, the Commission, together with the relevant sectorial actors and national programme owners, can set up large focused programmes. So far, six such JTI (Joint Technology Initiatives) have been established in different sectors, and there is a strong chance that the seventh will be in the construction sector. ECTP has developed a proposal called E2B which is short for Energy Efficient Buildings.
The Commission appears to be very much in favour, and the programme is now being established as a legal entity and a final application is to be drawn up. The programme has a total volume of ca 2 billion Euros over a 10-year period. BIC is a member, and in discussions with national programme owners both Formas and the Energy Agency are represented.
Market oriented initiatives
One further important input from the European Commission is the establishment of special initiatives to develop market conditions in areas that have been identified as of great EU interest. The initiative is called Lead Market Initiative. Innovation is a central theme, and some of the issues being studied are regulations, standards, intellectual property rights, procurement and provision of risk capital. The Commission has identified six areas for LMI inputs, one of which is Sustainable Buildings. In this initiative also there are joint discussions between BIC and Formas.
Product development
Eureka is an international collaboration initiative for innovation projects which are market oriented and are therefore promoted by players in the sector. ECTP has taken the initiative in establishing an umbrella organisation, Eureka-Build, for projects in the construction sector. BIC and Vinnova are the Swedish partners in this umbrella organisation. In Eureka projects, companies themselves are responsible for a considerable proportion of finance, and the results are granted intellectual property rights. Leading Swedish construction sector companies and research groups are highly involved in several EurekaBuild projects that have been established so far.
Great opportunity!
The different initiatives that are now launched internationally, chiefly in the European Commission, are based on an increasing realisation of the importance of the construction sector for many of the greatest current policy challenges, and also on the realisation of the potential for solving these issues through international collaboration. Leading players in the sector are increasingly aware of the opportunities which engagement in research and innovation offers for strengthening their competitiveness. It is vital that the readiness for international engagement and cooperation shown by Formas and other Swedish national agencies, which provide finance for research and innovation, should be strengthened and developed.
European co-operations in the construction sector
BIC – Construction Sector Innovation Centre. Association of leading actors in the sector with the objective to develop the construction sector through research and innovation. www.bic.nu
ETP – European Technology Platforms. European industry-led networks established at the initiative of the European Commission.
ECTP – European Construction Technology Platform. European sectorial platform.
NTCP-Sweden. Swedish national construction sector platform associated with ECTP.
NRCTP – Nordic Region Construction Technology Platform. Nordic construction sector network for collaboration in Nordic and international issues.
ERA – European Research Area. The Commission's instrument to strengthen pan-European work by establishig collaboration among the programmes of member countries.
JTI E2B – Joint Technology Initiative Energy Efficient Buildings. Large European programme under development.
LMI – Lead Market Initiative. European initiative to change market conditions.
Eureka – International programme for work on market oriented innovations.