ERA-NET Projects
The objective of the ERA-NET scheme of the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development (FP7) is to develop and strengthen the coordination of national and regional research programmes through two specific actions:
- 'ERA-NET actions' - providing a framework for actors implementing public research programmes to coordinate their activities e.g. by developing joint activities or by mutually supporting joint calls for trans-national proposals.
- 'ERA-NET Plus actions'- providing, in a limited number of cases with high European added value, additional EU financial support to facilitate joint calls for proposals between national and/or regional programmes.
Under the ERA-NET scheme, national and regional authorities identify research programmes they wish to coordinate or open up mutually. The participants in these actions are therefore programme 'owners' (typically ministries or regional authorities defining research programmes) or programme 'managers' (such as research councils or other research funding agencies managing research programmes).
The first ERA-NET on wood material science and engineering, WoodWisdom-Net started in 2004 with 12 partners from 5 countries. In 2006 the network expanded with 6 partners (3 new countries).
As a main result, late 2006 the first joint Transnational Research Programme (2006-11) with 17 projects of a total volume of over 20 M was launched. WoodWisdom-Net 2 with 19 partners from 12 countries aims at deepening and strengthening the transnational cooperation based on experiences and existing cooperation structures, procedures and mechanisms but also on variable geometry approach (organisations from new partner countries) for broadening the network activities and EU impact.
Based on learning and streamlining the core of joint activities is further development of the WW-Net Research Programme and evolution of the network towards a common research and funding platform for sustained cooperation.
The overall objective is to promote the transformation of the European forest-based industry from resource-intensive to value-added knowledge-intensive industry based on sustainable use of renewable raw materials.
This is to be reached by:
* creating and establishing a common research and funding platform for long-lasting cooperation by deepening and broadening cooperation, and strengthening the ongoing WW-Net Research Programme to cover the whole innovation chain from science to business by launching new calls, reinforcing industrial involvement and developing management of a transnational programme
* assisting in development of innovative, eco-efficient processes, products and services along forest-based value chains promoting competitiveness
* promoting utilization of decisive knowledge for new applications at a crossroads between different technologies and disciplines* transformation of F-BI from traditional separate value chain industry to optimized multiple value industry addressing to customer needs, reduced resource consumption, and increased value creation.
For further information, click here: WoodWisdom-Net 2
The projects in the first call (2006-2011) included the following:
Fibres - Wood Fibre Properties and Processing
BioPack - Design of biocomposites based on nanocellulose and hemicelluloses for future packaging materials
FibreSurf - New Biotechnical tools for wood fibre modification and analyses
HemiPop - Engineering structure and properties of poplar hemicelluloses
PROBARK - A sustainable process for production of green chemicals from softwood bark
ReCell - Refined cellulose derivatives for high-value biomedical products
WoodFibre3D - Structure-property relations of wood fibres: 3D characterization and modelling
Wood - Wood Materials and Engineering
GRADEWOOD - Grading of timber for engineering wood products
Improved Moisture - Improved glued wood – modelling and mitigation of moisture-induced stresses WinFur - Use of furfurylated wood for the production of high-performance windows made of European timbers
TES-Energy Facade – Timber-based element systems for improving the energy efficiency of the building envelope
Forestry - Wood Resources and Logistics
IRIS - New technologies to Optimize the wood inforamtion basis for forest industries - developing an integrated information system
WOODVALUE - Value creation in wood supply chains
WOVEN - Wood formation under varying environmental conditions