| title: | The role of technological development cooperation in retaining the competitiveness of Estonian manufacturing industries example of Estonian forestry sector |
|---|---|
| reg no: | ETF6493 |
| project type: | Estonian Science Foundation research grant |
| status: | accepted |
| institution: | University of Tartu |
| head of project: | Tõnu Roolaht |
| duration: | 01.01.2005 - 31.12.2008 |
| description: | The achieving and retaining of international competitiveness is one of the major success factors on the level of companies, industries and countries. Although, the prioritised development of new high-tech sectors (biotech, genetics, IT and sciences of materials) is often seen as a way for increasing knowledge-based production, as a sources for competitiveness, the facilitation of technological development in traditional mature industries is very important as well. These traditional industries have great importance in formation GDP and exports, and their stagnation or regression would considerably paralyse the entire economy. Therefore, it is important to facilitate the tech-development and development cooperation in these industries in order to secure the sustainability of producers' competitiveness even when cost advantages fade away. Estonian forestry sector is the industry that uses and ads value to the local renewable natural resource. In the year 2002, it gave 24.9% of manufacturing industries' turnover and 28.8% of exports, being the main balancing force of Estonian negative foreign trade balance (ESO, 2003). The aim of this project is to determine the role of tech-development and development cooperation as a source of industry's competitiveness by analysing the Estonian forestry cluster in the context of EU and world markets and, based on results, to suggest ways for improving cluster's competitiveness mainly by using measures of technological development. The results of project will be published in various scientific publications. During the project period four PhD thesises are to be completed. In the same period at least two MA thesis on tech-development subject should be defended as well. The application of research results will commence in suggestions to Estonian Government, producers, and industry unions for facilitating tech-development and development cooperation in the light of need to retain the competitiveness. |
| project group | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| no | name | institution | position | |
| 1. | Helena Hannula | University of Tartu | Ph.D. student | |
| 2. | Katrin Männik | University of Tartu | PhD Studient | |
| 3. | Tõnu Roolaht | University of Tartu | Senior Researcher | |
| 4. | Kadri Ukrainski | University of Tartu | Researcher | |
| 5. | Priit Vahter | University of Tartu | PhD student | |
| 6. | Tiia Vissak | University of Tartu | Senior researcher (0.5), international economy | |