Expert competence for sustainable timber engineering : a master program in close cooperation between industry and academia

From a legislative point of view it has been possible to build timber buildings with arbitrary number of storeys in Sweden during almost two decades. Several buildings up to eight storeys have been completed during that time, but the competence for planning and building such structures are limited to a handful of actors. This fact has been recognized by funders of research/education and an educational program for spreading the knowledge within the industry led by Linnaeus University is financed since about two years. Particularly interesting in the programme is that the courses are developed in cooperation between the industry and the academia. The courses are to fulfil needs with respect to knowledge, but also with respect to format so that the main target group, skilled engineers within the industry, can find the motivation to follow a course or lager parts of the program.