Lightweighting is the vision of improved performance through intelligent reduction of mass, contributing to the European Green Deal striving for a climate neutral economy by 2050 as part of the EU’s holistic approach to sustainable development worldwide. Lightweighting has also proven itself as an essential factor for competitiveness in the market. Market oriented high-technology R&D&I projects in the area of Lightweighting have contributed positively through direct, indirect and induced effects to the gross domestic product of countries supporting Lightweighting strategies.
The Eureka Lightweighting Initiative aims to promote Lightweighting worldwide as a key enabling technology throughout the value chain across the entire life cycle of products and services, while transforming the Lightweighting vision into actionable strategies across sectors to provide answers to the challenges of today and tomorrow. To develop a pan-European common position on Lightweighting, the Eureka Lightweighting Initiative is an important tool to synchronize priorities of public authorities and interests of industry & research. Members of the Eureka Lightweighting Initiative benefit from increased public awareness of the benefits of Lightweighting for commerce and climate protection, from strenghtened innovative and economic power due to cooperation at company and institutional level, and from joint calls in order to fund bi- or multilateral projects on Lightweighting.
During the last few years, the lightweighting community benefited significantly from the initiated activities and the open collaborations. For keeping up the momentum and gaining a critical mass, the Eureka Lightweighting Initiative needs additional partners willing to shape a strong partnership. Our long term goals is the co-creation of a Research Agenda: Lightweight for a Sustainable Future, which should be build on national and regional strengths.