Cooperations are not only a bridge connecting industry and university, but also a platform for technology transfer. Sika has been playing an important role in the Joint Committee on Adhesive Technology, GAK (Gemeinschaftsausschuss Klebtechnik, GAK) in cooperation with some well-known universities for more than twenty-five years. Since 2019 Sika has been actively involved in various research projects carried out by the Laboratory for Material and Joining Technology (LWF), University of Paderborn. They are related to fundamental research, automotive industry, battery case for E-mobility, and off-road machinery. Various sealants and adhesives of Sika have been tested, studied, and evaluated.
The Joint Committee on Adhesive Bonding (GAK) was founded in 2005. The objective of GAK is to evaluate ideas for research projects in the field of adhesives and bonding across different industries and disciplines.
The main objective of GAK is to initiate projects of industrial collective research in the field of adhesives, promoted by the German Ministry of Economy and Energy via AiF, to support the research bodies and to transfer research results from adhesion technology into the industrial practice of SMEs. Transfer of knowledge and research results takes place e. g. by the annual Colloquium „Gemeinsame Forschung in der Klebtechnik“.
Moreover, the research associations may organize events and publications in this context. Such an event is, e. g., the cooperation forum „Bonding of Wood and Wood-based Materials”.