Description
Description (EN): Novel solutions are desperately needed to prevent the global spreading of serious infections. IHMEC-project combines offerings to tailored indoor hygiene (IH) solutions and export them to the Middle-East (ME) markets. The ME climate forces people to remain indoors and hence, large crowds meeting daily at e.g. shopping malls, airports, schools, and hospitals are at risk of catching infections. Although ME market holds lucrative business opportunities, they cannot be utilized by a single company or cluster. All actors involved in planning, designing, building, and furnishing indoor spaces are needed to reach effective IH results. However, most of the business actors in IH field are small or middle sized (SMEs) and lack the necessary knowledge and resources to export to host markets of considerable cultural and physical distance. IHMEC has the needed combination of local, indoor hygiene, and marketing capability. IHMEC creates and exports joint IH solution of Central Baltic (CB) area SMEs into Middle-East construction markets using indoor hygiene as a competitive edge. IHMEC integrates relevant clusters from Sweden, Estonia and Finland into a meta-cluster; compiles a data base on IH research, technology, and the target markets; develops, tests & tailors IH solutions; designs viable networked business models, market entry strategies & sales operations; as well as involves experts from the host markets for CB companies to enter the markets and close sales. The aim is to target customer segments with which long-term business relationships can be developed.
IHMEC novelty highlights: 1) Integrated CB region meta-cluster on indoor hygiene (IH), 2) Up-to-date knowledge data-base on IH technology and reliable test results, 3) Novel and tailored IH guidelines and IH solutions that fit the target markets, 4) Networked business models that support the export of the IH solutions, 5) Tailored market entry process to ME markets resulting in 12 export sales.
Information added on 2020-05-25, regarding the mitigation of the effects of COVID-19 (the coronavirus pandemic that started in 2019) (English language only):
IHMEC introduces novel solutions to prevent global spreading of serious infections by combining existing indoor hygiene solutions and exporting them into Middle-East. The project offers a combination of local, indoor hygiene, and marketing capabilities. IHMEC e.g. assisted a Finnish company producing chemical-free disinfection equipment to enter the Saudi-Arabian market.
Read more Achievements (EN): IHMEC accelerated sales in the Middle-East for companies developing indoor hygiene products.
IHMEC project aimed at creating business opportunities for Estonian, Finnish and Swedish companies at Saudi Arabian markets. The project supported number of companies from the Central Baltic region from several sectors to being able to achieve sales, raise investments and to prepare collaboration agreements.
upported companies came to the project from various business segments – water control and solutions, timber building, surface materials, cleaning chemicals, hospital equipment, furniture solutions etc. – where the common nominator for all of these was indoor hygiene solutions. Altogether 28 companies participated in the project activities.
Besides direct export market entry support, the project supported companies indirectly in entering process. The project tested several surface materials from the viewpoint of hygiene. Partners also created an indoor hygiene databank (indoorhygine.fi) to illustrate and distribute information about the indoor hygiene, its importance, and possibilities. Knowledge of companies’ products from the perspective of indoor hygiene can be a selling point when entering to the market.
COVID19 pandemic shook the world when the project was in halfway of the implementation. This unfortunate situation brought plenty of new opportunities for the companies in the field of indoor hygiene. The importance of the project increased, new contacts were created and media attention was received.
The project resulted in indoor hygiene solutions which can be exported in Saudi Arabian markets. By the end of the project, IHMEC actors have reached altogether two (2) sales, two (2) distributor agreements, one (1) non-disclosure agreement (NDA), and two (2) memorandums of understanding (MoU) in the field of indoor hygiene.
The project produced 3D animation “indoor hygiene model space” (IHMEC Indoor Hygiene Solutions) which can be used for marketing purposes by the involved indoor hygiene cluster projects. Future export possibilities are also supported through an indoor hygiene model in room which will be created in a hospital in Saudi Arabia.
Indoor hygiene solutions https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCdmQDSj6HM
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Website: http://centralbaltic.eu/
Expected Results (EN): R1.3. Number of cluster co-operations exporting to new markets
Expected Outputs (EN): The main results of IHMEC will be 12 new sales by the meta-cluster companies in the Middle-Eastern target markets (Iran, Saudi-Arabia). Of the 12, five will be achieved during the project duration and seven more within a year after the project ends. This result is directly linked to the programme result indicator; the number of cluster co-operations exporting to new markets, as the export sales are the results of the co-operation and joint offering of the integrated meta-cluster.
The main results will be achieved through the following sub-results:
a) Integrated indoor hygiene (IH) meta-cluster of Sweden, Estonia and Finland clusters.
b) Data base on IH research and test results & novel technology – know how on building hygienic indoor spaces to the target markets.
c) Personnel development resulting in participating companies’ export capabilities tailored to the target markets.
d) Market studies of the target markets. Discovered business opportunities.
e) Results of pilot / feasibility studies leading to f).
f) Novel, tested, and attractive IH solutions customized to the target markets, produced and marketed using showrooms and viable networked business models.
g) Market entry strategies suitable for the networked IH solution business models.
h) Execution of the market entry strategies to export sales.
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Thematic information
Specific Objective:
More exports by the Central Baltic companies to new markets
Thematic Objective:
(03) enhancing the competitiveness of SMEs by:
Investment Priority:
(03d) supporting the capacity of SMEs to grow in regional, national and international markets, and to engage in innovation processes
Partners (6)
Lead Partner:
Turun yliopisto
Department:
Turku School of Economics
Address:
Yliopistonmäki -, 20014 Turku, Finland
Legal status:
public
Website:
http://www.utu.fi
Total budget:
EUR 670 796.53
ERDF budget:
EUR 502 292.44
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KTH Kungliga Tekniska högskolan
-
Name:
KTH Kungliga Tekniska högskolan
Department:
Chemical Science and Engineering CHE
School of Biotechnology
Address:
Brinellv. 8, 10044 Stockholm, Sweden
Legal status:
public
Website:
http://www.kth.se
Total budget:
EUR 323 839.95
ERDF budget:
EUR 242 879.96
-
SATAKUNNAN AMMATTIKORKEAKOULU OY
-
Name:
SATAKUNNAN AMMATTIKORKEAKOULU OY
Department:
Faculty of Technology
Address:
Satakunnankatu 23, 28130 Pori, Finland
Legal status:
public
Website:
http://www.samk.fi
Total budget:
EUR 452 849.84
ERDF budget:
EUR 339 637.38
-
Eesti Puitmajaliit MTÜ
-
Name:
Eesti Puitmajaliit MTÜ
Address:
Toompuiestee 21, 10137 Tallinn, Estonia
Legal status:
public
Website:
http://www.woodhouse.ee/
Total budget:
EUR 237 072.00
ERDF budget:
EUR 201 511.20
-
Sihtasutus Tartu Ärinõuandla
-
Name:
Sihtasutus Tartu Ärinõuandla
Address:
Kastani 42, 50410 Tartu, Estonia
Legal status:
public
Website:
http://arinouandla.ee
Total budget:
EUR 71 708.00
ERDF budget:
EUR 60 951.80
-
Uppsala Universitet
-
Name:
Uppsala Universitet
Department:
Department of Business Studies
Address:
Box 513 -, 75120 Uppsala, Sweden
Legal status:
public
Website (not verified):
http://www.uu.su
Total budget:
EUR 420 105.90
ERDF budget:
EUR 315 079.42
