International R&D Lightweighting Technology via Eureka framework
Open Date:
29/05/2024Deadline for Submission:
25/09/2024Time zone:
IsraelSummary:
Eureka is the world’s biggest public network for international cooperation in R&D and innovation, present in over 45 countries. It is a decentralized intergovernmental organization aiming to boost the productivity and competitiveness of industries by funding and supporting international collaborative market-driven R&D projects.
This call for projects is launched based on mutual consent between Eureka’s participating national and regional funding bodies.
Lightweighting Technology is the key to 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, including automotive, railway, aerospace, space, maritime, mechanical engineering, energy, construction, infrastructure, health, farming, forestry, etc.
This program is open for the participation and collaboration for the following countries: Austria, Belgium, Canada, Chile, Estonia, France, Germany, Israel, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Portugal, South Korea, Spain, and Türkiye
Program Description
This Call for Proposal is aimed at relevant Lightweighting Technologies that will be researched and developed for the following uses:
- 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. - 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. - 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.
Criteria
Preconditions:
- R&D funding in TRL 2-5 projects to eligible Israeli companies and Academia.
- Academic Institutions can take part in the call, only if they conduct research in cooperation with a company obligated to fund 10% of their budget. The institutions can participate as a partners in the project- not only as sub-contractors.
- In Israel, the Israeli partner must submit National Application Forms through an online system in accordance with the Israel Innovation Authority regulations. Israeli evaluations and funding decisions are expected to be made in Q4 of 2024.
Criteria:
This call for projects has additional criteria for organizations to be eligible to receive funding:
- The project must benefit all involved partners.
- The project should have an obvious benefit and added value resulting from the technological cooperation between the participants from the different countries (e.g. increased knowledge base, commercial leads, access to R&D infrastructure etc.).
- The product or process must be innovative and with the potential to create impact.
- The maximum duration of a project may not exceed 36 months.
- A signed consortium agreement is required upon approval, before the actual start of the project. It ought to include, amongst others, the ownership and use of know-how and IPR settlements
Application Process
This call for proposals invites Israeli Companies to submit joint applications for R&D projects no later than September 25, 2024 at 12:00 noon.
Applicants are required to follow the local requirements and use the provided application format and instructions. Applications that are not in the approved format will not be accepted.
For the Eureka Quantum Call for R&D&I Projects: https://eureka.smartsimple.ie/s_Login.jsp