TRADA‘s international reputation is based on technical knowledge and expertise, fuelled by a comprehensive and ongoing research programme. However, for TRADA, as for other research associations, securing funding has become a tortuous business.

There is no longer a dedicated research programme for the construction industry sponsored by government. True, the DTI retains responsibility for supporting industrial research and technology but, instead of working with individual sectors, like construction, it now prefers to direct its strategy towards improving competitiveness and productivity across the board. This means that while there are still some good opportunities for research funding for timber, this now has to be won in open competition against all industrial sectors.

A further complication is that other construction and timber interests are spread across several government departments. Building Regulations and planning rest with the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, for example, while sustainability – of increasing significance for the timber industry – comes under Defra. This makes it very difficult to talk to government about a research strategy for timber in a cohesive way.

A third obstacle is that government R&D activity is focused towards ‘step change technologies’, for example, nanotechnology and smart computing. This has not been TRADA’s domain and is a far cry from the type of incremental projects that were open to us under the Partners in Innovation (PII) programme. A more serious consideration is that the current approach lacks continuity, a growing concern for all construction professionals.

Even while benefiting from PII funding, we could see a gradual shift from supporting projects which industry considered important, to setting a different agenda and inviting bids for research in areas that fitted within the government’s Business Plan. TRADA, in common with all other research associations, had to review its approach. Instead of meeting a direct need in the industry, we had to identify projects which closely matched government criteria, then spend hours writing proposals in just the right way to win funding. Even then, it could be difficult to secure additional funds from industry sponsors, whose priorities did not exactly match those of central government.

The result was a research programme that was in danger of growing more and more distant from the needs of TRADA members.

Strategy review

To protect members’ interests – and to ensure that the TRADA’s allocated research budget was spent wisely and well – the TRADA Board has undertaken a review of our research strategy.

The research programme on behalf of members is managed by TRADA Technology, which has sought to maintain a balanced programme that reflects the broad interests of TRADA membership under four main headings:

  • timber frame – housing/construction;

  • structural – engineered timber and components;

  • non-structural uses of timber in construction;

  • timber supply chain.

It is in our view essential that we maintain this balance as we move forward. It is also important to ensure that the research programme addresses the real business needs of the industry. We have to be flexible enough to address short-term ‘fixes’ as well as to develop longer-term strategic work to safeguard and grow markets for timber.

Current projects

Examples of two projects, at different ends of the spectrum, highlight the commercial relevance of TRADA’s research work to opening up and sustaining markets for timber.

TRADA is working closely with the Institution of Structural Engineers to produce a Design Manual to Eurocode 5, to be published next year as part of the IStructE design guide series. This will provide the basic essentials to help engineers get to grips with design to EC5 and will sit alongside similar manuals in steel and concrete which are widely used within the engineering design community.

Another current project is aimed at reducing problems associated with discoloration and staining of light coloured coatings caused by wood extractives, which is a particular problem over knots. The research will develop a test procedure for assessing the performance of stain blocking primers and will assess the relative performance of existing products.

We believe that the way forward is to work with industry partners, whether individual companies or like-minded organisations, with a business interest in particular research areas. While TRADA will seek to maintain its position as ‘the’ research organisation for the timber industry, we aim to work closely with other industry associations and we will collaborate with other research providers, for example the Centre for Timber Engineering in Edinburgh and other leading universities.

It has always been important to carry out projects that have a practical application in the market place and that will be central to our forward strategy. We will also seek to ensure that the results of our research can be disseminated quickly in an accessible format on completion. Our recent partnership agreement with BRE Bookshop, to disseminate relevant timber reports and publications to TRADA members and BRE subscribers underlines the importance we accord to sharing information across the industry.

Disseminating information

For the past three years we have been working hard to develop the askTRADA website as a vehicle for disseminating our technical information to specifiers and end users. It has taken time to load all of our technical information onto the website in an easily accessible format. We have reached a point, however, where we are keen to stimulate more information coming forward through research. Ongoing research is critical to maintaining a vibrant website as well as to safeguarding and growing markets for timber products.

Equally, we must develop a programme which allows us to maintain and develop the core competence of TRADA Technology staff. This is essential, in our view, if we are to maintain our reputation as a true Centre of Excellence. Continuity in research is of vital importance here.

We have already taken the step of writing to leading industry associations and professional institutions, asking them to identify research priorities that TRADA might consider as part of its research activity. Feedback from this exercise will help shape the programme for 2006.

TRADA has always had to be proactive in securing funding for research to match members’ contributions, often more than doubling the budget available. We believe that by changing our approach we will be able to develop and grow a research programme that will continue truly to reflect industry’s needs. For us and for others that must be the way forward.