Cluster da Madeira e do Deseño de Galicia (CMD)

The Galician Wood and Design Cluster (CMD) is a non-profit business association established in 2001 through the joint initiative of companies in the wood sector, the Wood Technology Center (CIS Madeira) and the University of Vigo. Based in Santiago de Compostela, CMD brings together more than 50 companies and stakeholder entities operating across the entire timber value chain and the design sector in Galicia (north-west Spain), establishing as a leading reference in the wood-based bioeconomy of Southern Europe. Its membership includes primary and secondary processing industries, furniture and contract-sector SMEs, pulp and paper manufacturers, forestry-related institutions, research and technology centres, consultancies, engineering services and prescribers; and, in 2023, CMD member companies with production facilities in Galicia achieved a combined turnover exceeding € 2 billion, representing 90 per cent of the total sector output in a region that generates more than half of timber production in Spain and that is recognised as the ninth largest forestry region in Europe.

CMD acts as a strategic enabling organisation, playing a key role in regional governance and serving as a pivotal interface between public administration and industry. The cluster contributes to the development and implementation of regional strategies linked to innovation, skills, sustainability and industrial competitiveness. Furthermore, it fosters value creation across the timber ecosystem through dissemination activities, sectoral events, thematic working groups, collaborative ecosystem building and specialised training programmes.

Aligned with European priorities on sustainability, circular economy and innovation, CMD accelerates the digital and green transition of the sector. Its work includes promoting timber-frame and industrialised construction, supporting the adoption of CLT/GLT structural systems and facilitating the uptake of advanced digital solutions. Recent initiatives include:

-ENERWOOD – A nationally funded project coordinated by CMD aimed at analysing and optimising energy models in the wood industry to improve energy efficiency.

-Timber for All (LIFE) – A European project with the goal of transforming the building sector through decarbonisation, promoting innovative hybrid concrete–timber structural systems.

-EDIH DATAlife – A European Digital Innovation Hub project supporting the digital transformation of organisations operating within Galicia’s strategic sectors.

-Training programmes – More than 100 professionals trained across seven editions of courses on industrialised and efficient construction in CLT, addressing diverse profiles including students, unemployed people, companies, freelancers and prescribers.

Across more than 20 years of activity, CMD has built a solid and internationally recognised track record, including:

-Participation in over 80 innovation projects, addressing digitalisation, sustainability and industrial competitiveness.

-Engagement in nearly 60 international actions, including 14 European projects funded under LIFE and Interreg. CMD has also strengthened its international positioning as an official partner of the New European Bauhaus since 2023.

-Training of more than 800 people through nearly 50 specialised courses.

-Creation of 48 strategic alliances, 405 dissemination actions and 1,840 communication impacts, enhancing sector visibility and knowledge transfer.

-Execution of more than 12,500 actions, contributing to the attainment of the Gold Label for Cluster Excellence in 2014, making CMD the first wood-industry cluster in Europe to receive this recognition.

CMD combines industrial representativeness, technical expertise and strong ecosystem mobilisation capacity, offering high added value to European consortia seeking impactful, scalable and industry-driven results across the wood-based bioeconomy.