Saaremaa small craft competence center

Saaremaa small craft competence center

At the initiative of the unit of Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech) on Saaremaa, a competence network was established in 2009, bringing together organisations frompublic, non-profit and business sectors. The network identifiedsmall craft building as the mainfield of smart specialisation onthe island. Shipbuilding has been a historic tradition on the island but was interrupted during the Soviet period. At the beginning of 1990s, a number of leisure and workboat building companies were established on-island and they acknowledged fostering innovation as critically important for a successful modern industry.

During the following year, the idea of the Small Craft Competence Centre (SCC) was developed and necessary analysis were carried out. It was decided to establish SCC in the TalTech Saaremaa unit. SCC has been developed in cooperation with TalTech, Association of Estonian Marine Industries and local authorities(knowledge and skills, finances, political commitment). Businesses and the public sector retain their active involvement at the strategic planning level of the centre. In 2010, Small Craft Building applied higher education curriculum was launched in the TalTech Saaremaa unit.

The key focus areas of SCC are education, R&D activity and rendering development services to businesses. SCC creates and accumulates competence and transfers it to industries in model testing (experimental tests in the 60m long towing tank, simulated digital tests), design and engineering, materials testing. The scope of beneficiariesis wide and not exclusive to the marine technology industry. Since 2016, SCC has been conducting its own research activities in hydrodynamics.

Source: Saaremaa small Craft Center, scc.ee

Example of strategy 3C:

Facilitate the Establishment of Living Labs and Competence Centers

Islands are excellent places to establish living labs. Living labs can mean an environment for experimentation and testing; a methodology/approach, and a system for innovation for generating and testing innovative products, concepts, and services in a real-life environment. Living labs enable people, users/ consumers of services and product, to take active roles as contributors and co-creators in the research, development, and innovation process. The starting point for any living lab is to, in close cooperation with involved stakeholders, develop product and services from the basis of what users really want and need. The main role of the living lab is to engage and empower users to participate in the creation of valuable and viable assets.

Living labs on islands can be central meeting places, often with only simple technical facilities, serving as idea generators and project builders for innovation. The island setting -certain isolation- can serve as an additional factor for experimenting in a contained, real-life environment. Local and regional governments can help initiatives in this area, for instance, in connection with the many arts, crafts, (pop-)music, cultural-, tech-, etc. festivals and events that are commonly organized on islands. Since these festivals attract a lot of young talented people from both on-island and the mainland, an outstanding opportunity emerges to turn festival projects into longer-term programs for living labs on islands.

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