Funding for Organisations Collaborating on International Research and Development Projects in Field of Lightweighting

Scope

• This project call is for R&D projects within lightweighting technologies.
• Lightweighting technology is a key enabling technology to reduce weight, save materials, and improve functionality while maintaining or enhancing performance. Smart lightweight design, advanced materials, and optimised manufacturing processes are crucial parameters. Digital solutions for calculation models, production processes, and performance evaluation are essential tools for driving innovation in lightweighting. Lightweighting technology provides environmentally friendly solutions while simultaneously adding commercial value across multiple industries.

Effects Targeted by Lightweighting Technologies 

• Effects targeted by lightweighting technologies include:
  • Optimisation of resource and energy efficiency
    • Smart lightweight design helps to reduce material and energy consumption during the manufacturing and use phase of new materials and products. Increasing the duration of use and lifespan of lightweight materials and products by wear reduction, slowing down the aging process, and improving material fatigue contributes to resource and energy efficiency. Structural health monitoring of existing and new components indicates when repair or replacement is necessary, further contributing to resource efficiency. The use of simulations, virtual models (digital twin), intelligent process control (machine learning), and automation allows predictive manufacturing, reductions in time-to-market, processing times, and material waste from substandard products, significantly reducing environmental impact and CO2 emissions.
  • Maximising efficiency and performance
    • Lightweighting enables not only weight reduction, but also optimised material use and structural principles for maximum efficiency and performance. The challenge is to develop and implement advanced lightweighting technologies that enable load-optimised material usage while maintaining or improving functionality. This requires integrating digital solutions such as simulations, virtual models (digital twins), and intelligent process control to enhance flexibility and adaptability in lightweight design. Modern manufacturing methods, including additive manufacturing, open new possibilities for application-specific production. To fully unlock the potential of lightweighting, innovative approaches in material selection, shaping, and production must be explored to create economic value.
  • Bolstering lightweight advancements in mobility and integration in more areas
    • The mobility sector remains a core focus for lightweighting advancements due to its high potential for efficiency gains and environmental impact reduction. Further improvements in lightweight materials, structures, and manufacturing techniques are essential for achieving enhanced fuel efficiency and sustainability in automotive, aerospace, railway, and maritime applications. At the same time, expanding lightweight solutions beyond mobility to other sectors can unlock additional benefits. 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 technologies across industries.

Funding Information

• Austria (FFG)
  • Grant of up to 80% for small companies, up to 70% for medium sized companies, up to 55% for large companies and up to 85% for research institutions.
• Belgium/Wallonia (SPW Research)
  • Funding is granted in the form of a grant with a funding rate ranging from 40% to 80% of the budget of each Walloon company. The funding rate depends on the size of the Walloon company, the consortium composition at regional and international level and whether the project activities fall into the category of industrial research or experimental development. Subcontracting to research organisations is allowed for up to 20% of the total company budget.
• Belgium/Flanders (VLAIO)
  • Companies based in Flanders can apply for grant funding via a development project and receive up to 60% of the eligible project costs, to a maximum of €500,000 per project. Staff and other costs can be funded with a 25% to 60% subsidy of the project budget, with a minimum budget equivalent to support of €25,000.
• Chile (CORFO)
  • Funding is available for Chilean companies on an open budget basis through a matching grant of a maximum of approximately €214,000 (CLP$220 million) per project, which varies according to company size: 40% for large companies, 60% for medium companies, and 80% for small companies. An extra 10% funding is available for female-led companies. Companies must be at least 24 months old. Universities and research centres are not eligible to receive funding directly from CORFO, but they can participate as project collaborators.
• France (Bpifrance)
  • Funding in the form of loan or reimbursable advance from €50,000 and up to €3 million:
    • up to 80% of eligible costs for SMEs
    • up to 40% for companies with up to 2,000 full-time employees
• Germany
  • German partners can choose from existing national programmes to finance their share of the project.
• Lithuania (Research Council of Lithuania)
  • The Research Council of Lithuania funds projects led by research institutions with at least one Lithuanian industrial partner (SME). The call for projects budget is up to €1 million. The budget per project is up to €300,000.
  • Funding rates can reach up to 100% for research institutions and up to 80% for industrial partners (depending on their size).
• Poland
  • Please note that NCBR’s maximum total project grant to Polish applicants is no larger than PLN 2 million, with no more than PLN 1 million per partner.
• Portugal (ANI)
  • ANI covers up to a maximum of 80% of project costs for SMEs and small mid-cap companies and 85% of project costs for research institutions and other non- entrepreneurial entities from the research and innovation system (ENESII).
  • For investments located at NUT II Lisboa, the maximum co-funding rate is 40% of eligible costs.
• Slovakia
  • Slovak participants can obtain co-funding up to 80% of eligible costs for small companies/up to 75% for medium-sized companies/up to 65% for large companies/universities a research organisations up to 100%. There is a maximum co-funding up to €150,000 for 36 months.
• South Korea (KIAT)
  • Organisations can receive a grant of up to 500 million South Korean won (approximately €370,000) per year, and the project period should be up to 3 years.
• Spain (CDTI)
  • Main features of the funding for Spanish companies are: Soft loan up to 85% of eligible costs (Euribor 1 year interest fee) Minimum budget €175,000 (no maximum budget). Long recovery period (10 or 15 years) where 22.5% of the eligible costs do not have to be repaid.
• Türkiye (TÜBITAK)
  • For projects applying to this call, the total project budget for Turkish project partners cannot exceed €500,000. The budget for institutions other than capital companies can be at most 50% of the total project budget and cannot exceed €250,000 in total. Additionally, institutions other than capital companies are not eligible to apply alone.
• Ukraine
  • Ukrainian research institutions and higher education institutions are eligible to receive grants of up to 199,000 UAH (according to the exchange rate applicable at that time, now approximately €4,400) per year for a project duration of up to 3 years. It is recommended to include a Ukrainian SME as part of the consortium.

Eligibility Criteria

• Eureka has limited eligibility criteria for organisations participating in a Network projects consortium:
  • Your project idea must represent international cooperation in the form of a specific project.
  • The project must be directed at researching or developing an innovative product, process, or service with the goal of commercialisation.
  • The project must have a civilian purpose.
  • Your consortium should include at least two independent legal entities from a minimum of two Eureka countries supporting the call.
  • No single organisation or country can be responsible for more than 70% of the project budget.
• This call for projects has additional criteria for organisations 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 should include, amongst others, the ownership and use of know-how and IPR settlements

For more information, visit Eureka Network.