Aveirodomus – House of the Future: Knowledge Transfer

This example of university industry cooperation is centred on conceptual, scientific and technological innovations related to the notion of a 'House of the Future'. This began as a unique collaboration between a university and the regional construction industry.

This initiative began in 1999 in the Aveiro Region, Portugal, with a University project that prototyped different cooperation networks between Industry and Universities. The House of the Future was the theme for one of those networks. After the end of the project (in 2000), this network subsisted on a self-funding basis and became (in 2002) a formal non-profit Association, called Aveirodomus.

Aveirodomus involves the university of Aveiro and 12 companies. Its main goal is to promote conceptual, scientific and technological innovation leading to new products, systems and processes.

The Association is a ‘co-ownership active interface’, an instrument to promote sustainable cooperation between university and industry. This interface embodies a strategy to create proficient and long lasting relationships between university and industry. Its expected multiplier effect may emerge as an important driving force of regional socio-economic development. The project has developed over several phases.

Aveirodomus involves the university and 12 companies. Its main goal is to promote conceptual, scientific and technological innovation leading to new products, systems and processes. The Association is a ‘co-ownership active interface’, an instrument to promote sustainable cooperation between university & industry. This interface embodies a strategy to create proficient and long lasting relationships between university and industry. Its expected multiplier effect may emerge as an important driving force of regional socio-economic development. The project has developed over several phases.

In its 2005-2007 phase, the project had a budget of €3.4 million, partially funded (75%) by the central government, through PRIME, a national programme aimed at the modernization of the Portuguese economy. The remaining 25% was paid by the companies and the university. Furthermore, each member of the Aveirodomus pays an annual fee (€6,000) to cover the basic costs of organizing and running the association.

This is a long-term innovative programme that aims to use and maintain the House of the Future after its construction, conceiving new and more innovative products in order to update continuously previous versions of the house and thus ensure that it will always be “of the future”. The associates of the network are prepared to provide internal funds to support it after the end of the first phase of the Programme, in Spring 2007. Furthermore, successes achieved so far and consequent visibility and credibility of the network members may facilitate access to public and private financial sources to support the network in the long run.