On October 14-15, 2025, the Interreg Europe Lightweight EU consortium held an important partner meeting dedicated to discussing the results of national workshops, coordinating interregional cooperation, and planning future study visits.
The meeting brought together representatives from the Institute of Materials and Mechanical Engineering of the Slovak Academy of Sciences (SAS), Business Upper Austria (BUA), the Ministry of Education, Research, Development, and Youth of the Slovak Republic, the Catalan Agency for Business Competitiveness (ACCIÓ), RKW Saxony Productivity and Innovation Centre (RKW), the Ukrainian Cluster Alliance (UCA), Bax, and NTNU.
Key findings and discussions:
Austria: A presentation from the Ministry of Climate, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation, and Technology emphasized the dominance of Austria, Germany, and Sweden in Lightweight projects. A project concept was presented that allows for the assessment of the size and economic weight of the lightweight sectors. The issue of integrating lightweight technologies into broader frameworks of advanced materials and circular economy was discussed, which could increase funding but risks diluting the sector’s focus.
Slovakia: The results of the Bratislava workshop were presented, indicating an early stage of ecosystem development with a strong academic base but weak industry participation. Priority sectors (transport, energy, construction) and main challenges were identified: limited networking, lack of clusters, weak business analytics, and limited funding. The need to create clusters from scratch, combining academic and industrial interests, was emphasized.
Germany (Saxony): Representatives from RKW Sachsen noted the shrinking mobility market and competition between clusters for funding. A focus on sustainability and the search for business opportunities outside traditional European markets, particularly in Asia, was highlighted. A study visit to Dresden is planned for December 2025, which will include a visit to the National Lightweight Technology Validation Centre.
Catalonia: The discussion focused on challenges to market competitiveness and the high regulatory and certification burden for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). It was noted that the public sector is often perceived as punitive rather than supportive, and high compliance costs limit access to funding for high technology readiness levels (TRLs).
Ukraine: Representatives of the Ukrainian Cluster Alliance reported significant infrastructure damage due to the war, limited attention to lightweight technologies, but significant interest in relevant materials. Research is mainly conducted by the National Academy of Sciences with extremely limited funding. Challenges include the high cost of materials, low awareness, limited personnel, and restrictions on international cooperation due to security risks and cyberattacks.
Next steps and future visits:
The partners also discussed filming a communication video, in which each participant will present their organization and contribution to the project.
Two study visits were planned: to Germany (December 2025) and Austria (March 2026). These visits will focus on stakeholder engagement, knowledge transfer, and the exchange of policy experience.
This Interreg Europe Lightweight EU partner meeting served as an important platform for exchanging ideas, discussing challenges, and coordinating efforts to promote lightweight technologies and foster interregional cooperation in Europe.