SPRINT - Suppliers Portal to Research and INnovation in Transport
Overview
Background & policy context:
The enhancement of R&D activities of the suppliers of the automotive sector in Romania can be achieved with the creation of an innovative, modern and functional network. This will eventually contribute to the added value of their products, to a better positioning on the international markets, to a better participation within European Research Projects and, finally, to Romania's integration into the European Research Area.
Objectives:
The objective of the project was to enhance research activities amongst the Romanian suppliers for the automotive industry, stimulate their international research cooperation and facilitate their participation to FP6 projects, by means of the following activities:
- the creation of a high quality innovative network of suppliers for the automotive industry;
- the creation of several research nuclei, which would approach current hot research issues in the automotive field, as defined within the 6th thematic priority;
- a series of regional workshops aimed at raising awareness about already achieved research results on European level and of the FP6 Programme in general;
- the organisation of South East European Conferences for Research and Innovation in Transport aimed at enhancing international research cooperation of the suppliers.
Methodology:
The target group of the project consisted of SMEs representing the automotive supplying sector in Romania.
Research activities were not developed autarchically, but by observing the already achieved results at the European level, by integrating and applying them, by finding complementarities and by strongly supporting international collaboration in research.
A special focus was put on the collaboration between suppliers in the Associate countries. The project helped to build a platform for further cooperation, exchange of experience, and common research projects between these countries, which led to the raise of their competitiveness in the automotive supplying sector, with regard to EU accession.
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