Call for lightweighting projects

Call for projects announcement: 17 April 2024

Call for projects opens: 29 May 2024

Deadline for Eureka application: 25 September 2024 at 17:00 CEST

National evaluation: From October 2024

Consensus meeting (between ministries and funding agencies): December 2024

Eureka label is given and funding decisions are made: From December 2024

Projects start: From December 2024

This project call is for R&D projects within lightweighting technologies.

Lightweighting technology is the key enabling technology to reduce weight, save materials and increase recycling while the functionality remains or is improved. Smart lightweight design, bio-based raw materials, reuse, remanufacturing and recycled material streams are crucial parameters. Digital solutions for calculation models, production processes and the like are key tools for driving the success of lightweight innovation. Lightweighting technology provides environmental-friendly solutions, while at the same time adding commercial value across all industries.

Effects targeted by lightweighting technologies:

Optimisation of resource and energy efficiency

Smart lightweight design helps to reduce the resource consumption of material and energy during the manufacturing and use phase of new materials and products. Increasing the duration of use and the life span of lightweight materials and products by wear reduction, deceleration of the aging process and improvements of material fatigue contribute to the goal of resource and energy efficiency. Structural health monitoring of existing and new components indicates whether the point in time for repair or replacement is reached or not, thus contributing to the resource efficiency by expanding the lifetime of components. The use of simulations, virtual models (digital twin), intelligent process control (machine learning) and automation allow predictive manufacturing, reductions of the time-to-market, processing times and material waste by substandard products, hereby significantly reducing the environmental impact and CO2-emissions.

B. Creation of sustainable value circles

Smart lightweight design considers the recycling phase already in the design process of materials and products. Concepts for tracking the chemical composition of components and their separability after the use phase support sustainable value circles and allow unmixed recycling. The use of recycled materials for the production of new materials and products adds to the resource efficiency, thereby reducing the environmental impact and CO2-emissions. Moreover, recycling and circularity of critical raw materials with strategic value assists to reduce the dependence on scare primary products. The development of cascading application fields for difficult to separate composites considers the down cycling and keeps the materials in the value chain as long as possible.

C. Bolster lightweight integration in more areas

Much of the lightweight development so far has taken place in the mobility sector. To enhance the positive effects of smart lightweight design on the environment further, an expansion of the application field of smart lightweight design beyond the mobility sector is crucial. Standardisation of new lightweight materials, technologies, measuring and testing methods, the development of digital twins, interconnected production processes and accessible databases on lightweight materials encourage the transfer and development of new lightweight construction techniques in industry sectors other than mobility.

Relevant industry sectors include (but are not limited to):

Regardless of the focus of national priorities in the call participation, all sectors with a need for lightweighting technologies are welcome, e.g., automotive, railway, aerospace, space, maritime, mechanical engineering, energy, construction, infrastructure, health, farming, forestry, etc.

Call relevant lightweighting technologies to be researched and developed include (but are not limited to):

1. Optimisation of lightweight design approaches

• Topology optimisation considering load paths and light weight design
• Advanced simulation approaches
• Hybrid lightweight construction considering design for recycling
• Functional integration
• Smart / intelligent components
• Condition monitoring

2. Novel lightweight materials including optimised manufacturing

• Bio-based and biodegradable materials and plastics
• Sustainable materials and processing technologies
• Development of resources for efficient manufacturing processes
• Hard coatings and technologies enabling a lifetime expansion
• Process automation
• Simulations, virtual models (digital twin)
• Intelligent process control (machine learning)
• Standardisation of new lightweight materials, technologies,
• Standardisation of measuring and testing methods
• Development of accessible databases on lightweight materials

3. Recycling of lightweight material

• Increase the use of secondary materials
• Technologies for disjoining
• Technologies for traceability of chemical compositions
• Development of cascading application fields for difficult to separate composites

4. Joining technology

• Smart adhesives
• Design for recycling by taking into account disjoining processes
• Pre-treatment of surfaces
• New joining technologies
• Development of new welding consumables and solders for special metal mixing combinations
• Development of joining processes for high-strength and low-ductile lightweight materials or mixed connections made of metal-plastic fibre composites

5. Additive manufacturing

• Multi-material under consideration of design for recycling
• Development of in-situ quality measurement methods
• Optimisation of building job planning for high productivity
• Manufacturing of thin structures
• Reducing required support structures for overhangs
• Manufacturing of structural parts
• Optimise processes for manufacturing of large components
• Increasing the reuse of powder in additive manufacturing
• Development of standardised processing language for different additive manufacturing machines
• Quality assurance through sensoring, data acquisition, processing and machine learning

6. Digitalisation

• Simulations, virtual models for lightweight products/technologies (digital twin)
• Intelligent process control (machine learning)
• Development of standardised processing language for different manufacturing machines
• Development of standardised processing language for different additive manufacturing machines
• Coordination with European activities regarding Industry 4.0 (Gaia-X, Catena-X…)
• Structural health monitoring of existing and new components
• Development of methods for long term tracking of material compositions in order to ensure recycling

7. Life cycle assessment / circular economy

• Approaches for remanufacturing, redistribution and reuse of lightweight products
• Circular economy of multi-material design / disassembling
• Sustainable production of lightweight materials
• Recycling of continuous fibre reinforced thermoplastics hybrids incl. Life cycle assessment
• Life cycle assessment and recycling optimised components
• Integration of CO2 footprint/ CO2 pricing in material selection / databases
• Life cycle assessment analysis from different manufacturing processes/materials/functions
• Life cycle assessment monitoring with sensors on the component

Basic project requirements

Your project should:

• offer relevant contributions to the above-mentioned scope of the call,
• address at least one of the fields mentioned in the call description and
• focus on experimental development (technology readiness levels 4-6) thus demonstrating the potential to research or develop a product, process or service for commercialisation.

For further requirements, see the eligibility section.