JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #146 - June/July 2022 - 16

20
16
BUSlNESS association
Lightweight technology opportunities:
a B2B event for Indian and European stakeholders
Emma arussi, innovation consultant
Dr. ricarDo DEl VallE,
innovation consultant
Dr. aitor HornEs,
innovation consultant
KatiE BasHam, communications
ELCA office
Dr. KatHarina scHöps,
EU project AMZ Sachsen
atul suri, project manager
GauraV sHarma, project manager
EBTC
l
n 2021, India's fossil CO2
emissions reached 2.4 million
tonnes. The country is currently
the world´s third biggest polluter,
but boldly aspires to reduce its
CO2
emissions to zero by 2070.
India's incentives for
collaboration with European
lightweight technology
stakeholders
Using lightweight materials
in the automotive and aircraft
industries can play a significant
role since these sectors contribute
to approximately 11% of total
CO2
emissions. Recent Indian
government regulations on the
maximum average tare weight for
passenger vehicles, as well as the
mandatory utilization of recycled
materials in the manufacturing
of new cars by the Automotive
16
Research Association of India,
have significantly raised the Indian
automotive sector's interest in
implementing new lightweight
solutions. On another note, the
Indian government is planning to
enhance regional air connectivity
across India, which will directly
lead to the updating and development
of new airports.
The expected rise of maintenance,
repair and overhaul facilities in the
Indian aviation sector, as well as
the recent changes to the drones
policy by the Directorate General
of Civil Aviation, which seeks to
enhance domestic manufacturing
capabilities in India, are also
expected to significantly enhance
the development, adoption and
implementation of lightweight
solutions in the aerospace sector.
Considering these advancements
in Indian legislation, the country
could benefit from collaborating
with ELCA, which can provide
jec composites magazine / N°
146 June - July 2022
Indian SMEs with extensive
knowledge regarding new
lightweight technologies in the
transport sector and help the Indian
transport industry to reach
its CO2
emission goals.
ELCA and the ELCA
internationalization project
Originating from a pilot event in
2013 called " The chemical industry
meets the automotive industry " ,
ELCA has been working for
over eight years to accelerate the
adoption of lightweight materials
in strategic industries such as the
automotive and aircraft sectors.
The main goal is to boost European
leadership in the lightweighting
field, and therefore contribute
to sustainability and resource
efficiency.
The ELCA network currently includes
12 hubs from nine different
EU countries, who jointly form a
pan-European network of 2,330
entities, including small-medium
enterprises large enterprises and
research technology organizations
(Figure 1).
Over the 2020-2021 period,
ELCA's activities secured more
than 15 million euros for research
and development opportunities
in the lightweighting field. Furthermore,
three R&D projects
were launched alongside different
collaborative initiatives to improve
the positioning of EU lightweighting
activities on a global scale, such
as the ELCA internationalization
project (under the COSME Clusters
Go International programme
of the European Commission).
This project's goal is to create
an internationalization strategy
between the EU and overseas
lightweight technology stakeholders.
Multiple events, both virtual
and physical, are already planned
to foster interactions with these
overseas stakeholders (Figure 2).
On March 24, the European Lightweight Cluster Alliance (ELCA), the ELCA internationalization
project (COSME funding programme) and the European Business
and Technology Centre (EBTC) hosted an online B2B event to kickstart future
intercontinental collaborations between EU and Indian transport and lightweight
technology experts.
Association
Lightweight technology opportunities:
a B2B event for Indian and European stakeholders
Lightweighting
" The Lightweighting Initiative has long ceased
to be a mere networking concept "
BUSlNESS
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #146 - June/July 2022

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