Ukrainian Cluster Alliance (UCA) joined the project Lightweight EU as a research partner, expanding its geography beyond the European Union. UCA’s participation is aimed at supporting the recovery of Ukraine’s economy through the development of potential in the field of lightweighting – a direction that already demonstrates high prospects in the Ukrainian regions. The involvement of the Ukrainian side will promote the exchange of experience, the introduction of innovative approaches and the adaptation of European practices to the national context, as well as Ukraine’s integration into the European innovation space.
Project partners:
- Institute of Materials and Mechanics of Machinery, Slovak Academy of Sciences (Slovak Academy of Sciences)
- Business Upper Austria – Oö Wirtschaftsagentur GmbH
- Ministry of Education, Science, Development and Youth of the Slovak Republic (Ministry of Education, Research, Development and Youth of the Slovak Republic)
- Catalan Agency for Business Competitiveness (Acció)
- RKW Saxony Performance and Innovation Center (RKW Saxony Productivity and Innovation Center)
Discovery Partner:
Ukrainian Cluster Alliance
advisory partner:
Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)
A few numbers on the Lightweight EU project:
Budget: 1,387,600 €
The term: 01 May 2025-31 July 2029
7 partners
Lightweighting is a key technology that promotes the implementation of the Green Agreement, reducing energy consumption and CO2 emissions. Recognized as economically significant, design relief has become a priority for several EU countries. Despite the existence of individual policies, there is an urgent need for greater coherence at the level of the EU: leading countries, such as Germany, Austria and Sweden, have already implemented policies that support innovation and competitiveness in the field of design facilitation. At the same time, the countries of Western and Southern Europe, although they are actively involved in Lightweighting processes, lack specialized policies. In Eastern Europe, this topic remains largely unrecognized.
This project will focus on exchanging best practices in order to strengthen national and regional policy initiatives in the EU, which in turn will help improve the environment, modernize industry, create jobs and economic growth by strengthening competitiveness. Initiative Lightweight EU It will allow to improve approaches to Lightweighting in the EU, starting from the regional level through improved national policies, ensuring the effective implementation of design relief technologies.
Partnership Lightweight EU It brings together leading and newly established organizations involved in the development of lightweighting policies throughout Europe: government agencies, innovation agencies, business support organizations and research institutes, which provides a comprehensive approach to improving high-level policies and promotes innovative approaches both within the EU and abroad. A research partner from Ukraine, which expands the geography of the project outside the EU and promotes the recovery of Ukraine’s economy through the already recognized potential in the field of design relief, also joins the partnership.
Lightweight EU Promotes integrated policy in the field of Lightweighting throughout the EU, increasing the competitiveness of industry and environmental sustainability in accordance with the goals of ‘Smarter Europe’. Through strategic policy coordination and knowledge sharing, this project paves the way for a more integrated, innovative and sustainable European design industry.
Description of the project on the platform Interreg Europe
The event is organized by the Frsntsevich Ukrainian Materials Research Society (UMRS) and Frantsevich Institute for Problems of Materials Science NAS of Ukraine in partnership with the Ukrainian Cluster Alliance, MC Bauchemie and Kyiv Academic University, with the sponsorship of LEM Ukraine.
This material was prepared as part of the Lightweight-EU project (Interreg Europe programme), co-funded by the European Union. The views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the Interreg Europe programme authorities.