DOROTHY Urban Logistic Cluster: Transforming Research into Business

1. DOROTHY - Urban Logistic Cluster Transfer of knowledge from research to business environment into the clusters Gabriel Vladut IPA CIFATT Craiova

2. Dorothy Cluster is targeted to develop the potential of innovation and research in four European Regions: • Tuscany - Italy, • Valencia - Spain, • Lisbon and Tagus - Portugal , • Oltenia – Romania . • in the field of Urban Logistics. Partner Regions

3. Why the Cluster on Urban Logistics? The importance of urban logistics can be seen from different points of view. • Urban logistics is directly related to City life. The economics of European towns is strictly connected to the commercial network. The efficiency of the logistics chain is a pre-requisite for the survival of the economic activities in the city centre. • To ensure goods feeding to towns means to improve and to preserve cities life itself, even if this process is costly and complicate. • Given that the freight distribution is largely concentrated in the city centres, the traffic generated by the distribution of goods is significant and impacting. • To limit this impact, generally the time window to access the central areas of the cities is restricted to some hours, preferably in the first hours of the morning.

4. Cluster – what it isUrban Logistic Cluster Craiova A Group of entities that have the aim to solve a problem; services and products on the Urban Mobility Area. Partners in the Dorothy Projects: • Municipality of Craiova, Regional Development Agency, University of Craiova, IPA, ARoTT, Dumagas.

6. Green Urban Logistics Innovative Clusters Cluster research and development for urban logistics by means of smart specialisation strategies and creation of competitive niches - Joint Action Plan development and implementation. Greening transportation and resource-efficient innovative solutions using information and communication technologies (ICT) and intelligent transport systems (ITS). Launching cooperation and mentoring activities as contribute to the internationalisation of clusters’ companies or research institutes and to enhanced institutional visibility and search for governance models.

7. Better Quality of Life in European Cities Dorothy’s clusters - existing and new ones - promote the development of solutions and policies to improve the citizens life quality. Clustering around innovation Clusters and therefore the Dorothy’s clusters represent the means to gather innovations and solutions in order to implement smart specialisation on a regional scale.

8. Benefits • The first benefit is related to its economic dimension. In fact a reduction of the time needed for the distribution can produce very high savings in the overall cost of the urban goods distribution. • The limitation of the costs of the urban goods distribution will have a beneficial effect on the general cost of life, as it will have a lower incidence on the final cost of goods, so that a social benefit could come from these improvements. • The rationalization of the freight distribution process will have a good impact on the liveability of the cities. • Rationalization of urban logistics could reduce significantly the energy consumption; improuving the quality of life, reducing the environmental impact. • The improvement and the rationalization of the urban logistics need not only organizational actions, but technological innovation too, new products and processes, for some cities new concepts.

9. Results so farStudies in the four regions • Research projects on technologies, services and products on more than 15 areas of activity • Possible co-operation at international level on the existing innovation lines – including proposal projects associated with supporting fundings • Possible partners in the forth regions • A guide for the funding sources

10. Projects for the Craiova Clusters • Electric vehicles to freight distribution • Application of other non-conventional vehicles • Modernization of the trams • On-board devices for freight vehicles • Storage systems for transport • Software tools for freight distribution optimization • Freight distribution management software systems • Access control and Parking management / charging systems • Automatic labeling machines • Automatic weight/dimension measurement equipments Aiming to attract European funds, we need Expertise and Partnerships. Dorothy is the solution.

11. Our contribution DOROTHY Urban Logistic Cluster Development OfRegiOnal clusTersforresearcH and implementation of environmental friendlY urban logistics Oltenia Automotive Cluster Ford, IAC, Nextrom, IPA, WATT, Aktrion Systems, University of Craiova, RDA Oltenia, etc ITC Cluster We realise a programme to corelate the curricula from Universities and vocational schools with the neccesities from industry and a maintenance tool.

12. EU Study on implementation of Innovation Union commitment on knowledge transfer (1) • Governments are paying more attention to developing knowledge transfer policies; cluster need innovation; enterprises increasingly seek to benefit from networking with research in “open innovation” efforts. • In addition to the classical modes of transfer & dissemination of knowledge, such as research publications, exchanges of researchers, Research Organisations performing research need to “find again” the results on the market, to contribute at growth of the competitiveness trough research results through academia-economy/industry collaborations, licensing and spin-offs. • If the economy/industry will increase the trust into research as one driver of the market, they will invest more in the research area trough partnership.

13. Employee’s inventions – Manual of best practices (2) • An inventor will disclose the new invention only if he is rewarded. In consideration of the grant of exclusivity for a limited period, the inventor discloses the details of the new invention. • Company and regional cultural attitudes can determine whether employees regard monetary or non-monetary awards, for example a commemorative plaque or celebratory dinner, more highly. • The Patent Department must know and understand the inventor community, must understand how they see patenting and their views on the subject as this enables activities to be initiated or amended in order to reach the desired end result of obtaining inventions. 

14. Development of the capacity of transfer and commercilization of the research rezults (3) • Best Practices Methodology, to bridge the gap between research, innovation and business • Methodology for knowledge transfer • Services in benefit of SMEs • Drivers and barriers to cooperationbetween research sector and business environment; methodes to improuve the cooperation • Licensing policy and start-ups / spin-offs creation • New models for University-Industry partnership • Models for Commercializations Centres • Model for the eco-innovation systhem

15. Thank you for your kind attention Gabriel Vladut office@ipacv.ro