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Content archived on 2024-06-16

Services for Collaborative Aeronautical Technical research

Final Report Summary - SCRATCH (Services for Collaborative Aeronautical Technical research)

Aeronautical industries have provoked important developments in Europe's infrastructure. They have contributed massively to the economies of Europe and the wealth of a number of its regions; they employ a huge workforce (more than 1 million jobs) and, through exports, contribute strongly to Europe's ability to develop the quality of life of its citizens.

Aeronautical small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) having a significant involvement in the supply chain in Europe represent some 7 000 companies. In the Fifth and Sixth Framework Programmes (FP5 and FP6) their involvement in EC funded research, has been supported by accompanying measures funded projects like AEROSME (ASD) and SCRATCH.

SMEs awareness has considerably increased, expressed needs from SMEs are actual, SCRATCH partners background and acquired know-how is growing permanently to the benefit of SMEs in creating effective consortia and in preparing serviced SME STREP proposals.

Through SCRATCH partners have serviced SMEs and research and technological development proposers free of charge, within the limits of the EU contract and without preference for any EU Member State origin. The SCRATCH project lasted 12 months, from June 2006 to May 2007: this duration has made is possible to make a large audience aware of SCRATCH support, to visit companies to initiate research idea, to select research able SME and associated industrially validated research idea, to set up consortia, to develop proposal parts B and part A and to submit proposals of SMEs to the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) Transport including Aeronautics first call for proposals.

SCRATCH targeted at bringing together aeronautical SMEs from the EU Member States and from some new Member States (Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland) and Candidate Countries (Romania) to prepare SMEs technology acquisition proposals in cooperation. An important support for awareness on the project as a whole came from the http://www.aero-scratch.net website scoring at in average around 60 different visitors per open day during the project duration. The web is still active and contributes greatly to the project dissemination effort.
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