AEC ecosystem

Construction industry professionals and particularly SMEs face unprecedented hurdles as a result of worldwide lockdown mandates and other COVID-19 mitigation measures. The last nearly 2 years revealed weaknesses and failures of the AEC industries (architecture, engineering, and construction) and this project aims at contributing to their resilient, digital, and low-carbon economic recovery. A mapping of the ecosystem will disclose potential causes for the disruptions, show involved actors along the value chains and interlinkages between them. Building on elaborated business continuity plans that prepare for future challenges, cluster-to-cluster learning will be initiated by which cluster managers enhance their skills on problem identification and risk-minimized product creation processes. Moreover, companies can also benefit directly from upskilling activities by teaming up with certificated open innovation trainers and learning how to deliver solutions in particular related to digital and transition. For implementing market-demanded innovation projects with substantial transformation character, SMEs can receive voucher-based funding. The same applies to SMEs that uptake technologies from other sectors or adopt processes not fully exploited so far. Both activities have the same objective of helping to overcome vulnerabilities by improving digital performance or green entrepreneurship. Addressing the increased need for rebuilt international supply and collaboration, SMEs can cross borders within the project in order to establish business with non-European partners. Altogether, AEC EUROCLUSTER is designed to drive forward cross-cluster cooperation and promote eco-innovative and smart products for SMEs in construction and related industries. During a project duration of 2.5 years, a total of 66 companies and business support organizations will benefit from the joined forces of 5 clusters located in the middle of Europe