Rinnova soc.cons.a.r.l.

Italy: Emilia-Romagna

Overview

Mission/Objectives of the cluster organisation

Rinnova Romagna Innovazione is an engineering innovation company founded in 2008 and located in Forlì.
Our partners:
     Fondazione Cassa dei Risparmi di Forlì
     Alma Mater Studiorum (University of Bologna)
     Chamber of Commerce of Forlì-Cesena

It’s an independent, super-partes and nonprofit company, which develops innovative solutions for both public and private clients.
Thanks to our multidisciplinary approach, we put into practice innovative ideas, from the prototype to the process and product engineering.
Rinnova can also rely on the academic expertise, thanks to scientific and technological departments.

Aims

Rinnova promotes scientific research and innovation through technology transfer and applied research. For this purpose, it designs and manufactures innovative products with high performance and at competitive prices.
We are involved in many projects and we find solutions in different fields, from Information and Communication Technology to the environment, from renewable… We have a micro-electronic lab with devices and equipments for testing and measuring, software for electronic and mechanical design and simulation.
. Our activities include the whole innovation cycle: from feasibility studies to the creation of prototypes, passing through technology scouting and assessment. In order to do this we use new technologies and solutions, from design to simulation.

Design Management

We are able to assist a client from the initial project idea up to the placing of the product on the market. We work to combine the company’s needs of planning and marketing with new forms of design, in order to create a highly competitive product , taking into account the impact of digital technologies and the green concept of the product itself. In order to develop an integrated product with high performance, some important parameters have to be respected: not only aesthetics and ergonomics, but also costs, timing, quality, productive processes, standards and environmental sustainability.

“on demand” Research and Development

We make our knowledge available to the companies in order to work in synergy with the R&D divisions, Techniques…. Yes. service.

Sectors
Technology

New Technologies-Research Centre

Czechia: South-West (Czechia)

Overview

Mission/Objectives of the cluster organisation

New Technologies – Research Centre (NTC), is an independent self-financed institute of the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen with the state of the art research facilities and experienced, reliable and dedicated  international team of more than one hundred twenty researchers. NTC focuses on basic and applied research, development and innovations mainly in following areas: measuring systems and laser technologies for material surface processing; structural, electronic, magnetic and spectroscopic properties of new technologically perspective materials; membranes, polymer composites; measurement of field temperatures and precise transfer of equipment heat; measurement and simulation of complex fluid flow including transfers of heat; new thin-layer materials (photovoltaic cells), fuel cells, energy storage; biomechanical models of humans, algorithms and software for modelling heterogeneous materials;  man-machine interactions and human cognitive enhancement.

NTC systematically supports close cooperation… Laboratory for research on the morphology and surface texture of materials 
Laboratory for photolithography  
Laboratory for measuring small-angle scattering
Laboratory for thermal analysis 
Laboratory for research on technologies based on polymer materials 
Laboratory for measuring the efficiency and reliability of hydrogen fuel cells 
Laboratory for research on polymer composite materials  
Laboratory for research on laser technologies 
Laboratory for  measurements of thermomechanical processes 
Laboratory for measuring thermomechanical properties of materials 
Laboratory for research on the optical properties of materials 
Laboratory for electron microscopy 
Laboratory for diffraction analysis 
Laboratory for chemical and physical thin film deposition 
Laboratory for research on stationary storage of electrical energy
Laboratory for computational and experimental design of advanced materials with new functionalities

www.ntc.zcu.cz/en
. For over fifteen years have our teams provided cutting edge research and interdisciplinary solutions across the entire value chain – from the idea to the prototype. Our researchers have published prestigious articles e.g. in Nature Communications, have patented their solutions and successfully applied innovative technologies and results in various industries around the world. NTC co-operates with dozens of domestic and as well as international industrial companies on solving their technical and technological problems. 

 
. Yes. service.

Sectors
Technology

Flanders Make Advanced Technologies for Industry

Belgium: Flemish Region

Overview

Mission/Objectives of the cluster organisation

Flanders Make is the strategic research centre for the manufacturing industry. Flanders Make does technological research in mechatronics, product development methods and production technologies.

We have establishments in Lommel and Leuven and work together in a structural way with research departments of the 5 Flemish universities.

Our purpose: realizing a top-level research network in Flanders that delivers full support to the innovation projects of manufacturing companies. This way, we want to contribute to new products and processes that help to realize the vehicles, machines and factories of the future.

Mission: to strengthen the long-term competitiveness of the Flemish manufacturing industry (including SMEs) by performing pre-competitive, industry driven and excellent research.

Flanders Make helps companies to innovate and bring new products and processes to the market.

On regional level Flanders Make is part of a.o. DSP Valley, VLOOT, Flanders Bike Valley.

On international level… Our research infrastructure consists a.o. of:

Durability and characterization testing - chassis dynamometer for EV-testing and simulation
EV Battery testing
Environment and vibration testing in climatized room with sunlight simulation and humidity control
Hydropulse battery pack tester, with climate chamber
Complete virtual to physical e-motor testing environment
Joining techniques for multi-materials lab
Mobile trailer for VR/AR and collaborative robotics
Modular drivetrain test cell
Open off-highway equipment
Small modular drivetrain
Rapid prototyping control board

 
. Flanders Make is a project organization. In our research and innovation projects there is a strong collaboration between the industry, Flanders Make and university labs. We help companies to innovate with the development of new, smart, intelligent and connected products and production systems, customized products at series production cost and human centred manufacturing

The fields of technology are:

sensing, monitoring, control and decision making in dynamic mechatronic systems
product and flexible assembly co-design and optimization
specification, architecture and validation of motion products
specification, architecture and validation of flexible assembly solutions

Flanders Make provides companies with technology related services such as prototyping, design, development and testing of their new products and production systems.

We also help companies with business related services through organizations in our network

 

 
. Yes. service.

Sectors
Technology

Lero, the Irish Software Research Centre

Ireland: Southern (Ireland)

Overview

Mission/Objectives of the cluster organisation

Lero, the Irish Software Research Centre, is a dispersed centre of excellence in software engineering and related topics. Founded in 2005, it brings together software research teams from the Irish Centre for High-End Computing (ICHEC) and 9 Irish academic institutions: Dublin City University, Dundalk Institute of Technology, Maynooth University, National University of Ireland, Galway, Tralee Institute of Technology, Trinity College Dublin, University College Cork, University College Dublin and its headquarters at University of Limerick.

Lero’s research programme focuses on evolving critical systems (ECS). These systems change over time (“evolving”), are strategically important to their users or owners (“critical”), and are often software intensive (“systems”). ECS increasingly characterises a sizeable proportion of software systems in development and use today, from business-critical systems (such as airline websites), to safety-critical systems (such as an automotive braking control system), to product… Through ICHEC, Lero has access to the Fionn supercomputer, a SGI ICE-X hybrid cluster providing part of the ICHEC national service. Fionn quadruples the computing resources previously available to scientists in Ireland, also provides access to the latest technology from Intel, Ivy Bridge and Xeon Phi coprocessors, and NVIDIA, Tesla accelerators, to researchers across Ireland.

A wide range of new research and development (R&D) will be enabled on Fionn. These potentially include an increased resolution in weather and climate forecasting, larger and longer simulations for research in areas such as medical device development, nanotechnology, genomics, drug design, etc. The machine will also be capable of running heterogeneous workflows that require large compute power and large amounts of memory either during the pre- or post-processing phases of researchers work.
. One of Lero’s strategic goals is to work with industry partners to identify and solve industry problems, generating new SW-based products & services thus ensuring that Lero’s research is firmly connected to the real world. Without the involvement of our industry partners, we wouldn’t have the same insights into the evolving challenges of the software engineering community or the opportunity to test our ideas in live business and industry environments.

We currently work with approximately 40 companies in a wide range of projects funded by Irish funding agencies (SFI, Enterprise Ireland, the Irish Research Council), by European agencies (Horizon 2020, the European Space Agency) and directly by industry partners themselves.

There are many ways in which companies work with Lero, supported by a wide range of Irish and international funding programmes. Whether we are dealing with a major research challenge being addressed by an international team of collaborators or a smaller challenge being faced by a…. Yes. service.

Sectors
Technology

CITEVE (TECHNOLOGICAL CENTRE FOR TEXTILE AND CLOTHING OF PORTUGAL)

Portugal: North (Portugal)

Overview

Mission/Objectives of the cluster organisation

CITEVE – The Technological Centre for the Textile and Clothing Industry of Portugal, is a private non-profit organization active since 1989 being a reference organization within the national and european scene, regarding research, innovation and technology transfer promotion for the Textile & Clothing Industry,

CITEVE’s mission is to support the technical and technological development of the textile & clothing industry, promoting innovation and inducing new capacities and new competences as well as helping on the definition of industrial public policies.

With facilities in Vila Nova de Famalicão and in Covilhã, and commercial delegations in Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Chile, Tunisia and Pakistan, CITEVE offers technological services of the highest level in different areas: Laboratorial activities, Technological consultancy & development, R&D+Innovation, Technology Watch, Product standards and certification, Training and Fashion intelligence.

Since April 2017, CITEVE is the managing authority of the… In the field of R&D and product innovation, CITEVE pilot plants are equipped with the most advanced and innovative technologies in what concerns to dyeing, finishing/functionalization, coating, lamination, printing, embroidery, seamless and weft knitting, garment manufacturing (non-conventional seams: welding, seams sealing, laser cutting, ultra-sons, high frequency), etc.

This prototyping technological facility is managed by a specialized technical and scientific staff, with competences in the textile and clothing processes and in the new application markets namely for technical products. This pilot unit is essentially devoted to demonstration/reengineering and for product/process development.

CITEVE’s laboratories are equipped with the best available technologies controlled by a highly qualified staff and are internationally accredited for more than 446 tests according to 900 different standards. Recognised by several national and international brands this business area is responsible for performing…. Services:

Testing: CITEVE’s laboratories are equipped with the best available technologies controlled by a highly qualified staff and are internationally accredited for more than 446 tests according to 900 different standards. Recognised by several national and international brands this business area is responsible for performing around 180.000 tests per year. CITEVE’s labs are specialized in material and product testing, such as chemical and physical testing, comfort and new functionalities measurement, fire behaviour, toxicological substances, microbiological tests, geotextiles, automotive and protective clothing.

R&D and Innovation: In the field of R&D and New product development research, CITEVE gathers know-how within the most advanced and innovative technologies such as hotmelt, coating, laminating, digital printing, 3D knitting, laser welding or seamless knitting. This prototyping technological facility is managed by a specialized technical and scientific staff, with competences in the textile…. Yes. service.

Sectors
Technology

Institute of Precision Mechanics

Poland: Warsaw-Capital

Overview

Mission/Objectives of the cluster organisation

The Institute of Precision Mechanics carries out research in the area of corrosion protection, modern technologies and new materials, safety of machines exploitation, renewable energy, environmental protection, recycling and materials recovery using environmentally friendly technologies and research for the defense and security of the country. The Institute conducts research and implementation of modern and innovative technologies for surface protection through the use of various types of protective and functional metallic and non-metallic coatings, including ceramic and composite coatings, and also prepares dedicated temporary protection technologies against corrosion. Institute conducts also theoretical and practical trainings for industrial plants employees in the area of implementation and improvement of surface engineering technologies.
IMP is equipped with technological and experimental facilities for research and development of heat and thermo-chemical treatment of metallic materials. The technical equipment includes:     

- Universal vacuum furnace with high pressure (12 bar) gas quenching, with integrated deep freezing (cryogenic treatment) system
- Vacuum furnaces  (operating temperature up to max. 1250 °C, vacuum range up to 10-4 mbar);
- Cryogenic chamber (operating temperature range: -190 °C - +300 °C);
- Equipment for PA PVD-Arc technology ;
- Thermo-chemical treatment under direct current and pulsed current glow discharge conditions furnace;
- Controlled gas nitriding installation;
- Ion nitriding furnaces ;
- Endogas atmosphere generators;
- Atmospheric furnaces (silit furnace, pit furnaces, operating temperature up to max. 1200°C);
- Fluidized-bed furnaces (operating temperature up to max. 1000°C);
- Soaking furnaces (operating temperature up to max. 700°C);
- Mass finishing devices (vibratory finishing and tumble…. Institute of Precision Mechanics, dealing with issues of materials, coatings and their heat and thermo chemical treatments, environmental protection (including the material recovery), performs research projects in the scope of modern materials technologies:

 modern technologies of materials for land transportation and aviation,
 technologies of production of functional composite materials, nanocrystalline, layered and functionally graded materials,
surface treatment of steel, iron alloys and non-ferrous metals, 
 technologies of production and application of functional materials for applications in computer science, electronics and energy, including graphene, surface strengthening of light alloys (e.g. titanium and aluminum, functional coatings), 
technologies used in devices related with the production of renewable energy (photovoltaics panels and wind turbines),
metallic and conversion coatings for applications in the chemical, machine and food industry, as well as biomedical engineering,
…. Yes. service.

Sectors
Technology

Synthesis and Solid State Pharmaceutical Centre

Ireland: Southern (Ireland)

Overview

Mission/Objectives of the cluster organisation

The Synthesis and Solid State Pharmaceutical Centre (SSPC), a Global Hub of Pharmaceutical Process Innovation and Advanced Manufacturing, funded by Science Foundation Ireland and industry, is a unique collaboration between 24 industry partners, 9 research performing organisations and 12 international academic collaborators.

The SSPC transcends company and academic boundaries and is the largest research collaboration in Ireland, and one of the largest globally, within the pharmaceutical area. The role of the SSPC is to link experienced scientists and engineers in academia and the pharmaceutical industry, to address critical research challenges.

The SSPC leads the way for next generation drug manufacture and spans the entire pharmaceutical production chain from synthesis of the molecule, to the isolation of the material, and the formulation of the medicine. The aim of the SSPC is to deliver industry relevant solutions, which result in job growth and retention within the pharmaceutical industry in Ireland…
University of Limerick Physical Properties, Polymorphism, Chemical Engineering, Modelling and CFD
University College Cork Synthetic Organic Chemistry & Pharmaceutics
University College Dublin Chemical Engineering
Trinity College Dublin Pharmaceutics, Spray-Drying & Milling
National University of Ireland Galway Analytics & Chemometrics
Dublin City University, biomedical diagnostics, biofermentation process analysis, separation science and marine monitoring
Waterford Institute of Technology, drug delivery, pharmaceutical analysis, sensor technologies, biomedical science and molecular biotechnology, X-ray Microtomography, Finite Element Modeling & Microwave processing and material research
Athlone Institute of Technology, Industrial Polymer Solutions and Design, rapid prototyping fabrication, polymer processing, physical and mechanical testing, analytical chemistry, surface and elemental analysis

. Online catalogues and repository:

Online catalogue of infrastructure (Access to Third Level Analytical Services – ATTLAS, www.attlas.ie)

Online national repository showcasing the research capabilities relevant to the (Bio)Pharma sector

(www.therapeutics.ie

State of the art Crystallisation, Isolation and Drying Test-Bed which is the first of its kind globally:  It will be utilised regularly for training, moving away from traditional didactic methodologies towards the ‘learning factory model’, and additionally incorporating significant elements of problem-based learning.

The Biological Processing Testbed, BioPOINT: This research infrastructure will bridge the current technology gap between industrial scale manufacturing and academic research and development for novel biological applications. BioPOINT will engage industry with academics in collaborative research in biopharmaceutical bioprocess problem solving and innovation to drive bioprocess R&D directly enhancing Irish BioPharma activities…. Yes. service.

Sectors
Technology

Biophotonics research group

Belgium: Flemish Region

Overview

Mission/Objectives of the cluster organisation

The Biophotonics group investigates the interaction of light with biological systems to develop innovative sensors for rapid and non-destructive characterisation and monitoring of biosystems. 

We have a long tradition in working together with industry -SMEs as well as large companies- to translate our knowledge into workable solutions. Our clients come from very diverse fields, ranging from food companies over high tech sensor technology providers to large agricultural equipment manufacturers.  

The services we offer cover a large range of activities, including consultancy, complete R&D projects and access to top notch biophotonics equipment.
Our unique and broad range of high-end equipment is an crucial basis for performing successful research and development tasks.  Our main equipment categories are:

Dark Optics Room (supercontinuum laser, double integrating spheres, laser scattering
Hyperspectral imaging setups (VIS-NIR, SWIR, line scanning system, snapshot cameras) 
Active thermography (high-end cooled camera, microbolometers, pulsed and lock in system, flash excitation, halogen sources)
Spatially resolved spectroscopy (SRS probes, translation stage, large range on spectrophotometers)
Data acquisition systems (National instruments DAQ, PXI, SICK) 
Specialised data analysis software (JMP, The Unscrambler, Matlab, Python, SAS, R)
Mechanical properties measurements (Universal Testing Machine, Rheometer, Impact pendulum)
Vibration test rigs (up to 7500kg)

. The Biophotonics group provides services at several levels to industry.  Our main activities are:

Providing access to outstanding equipment
Complete bilateral R&D projects - from proof of concept studies to demonstrators
Consultancy services - providing academic expertise in biophotonics
Providing information on funding opportunities - local, national and international
Support customers to perform very reliable and efficient experiments, and help them analyzing the data
Providing in-company training on biophotonics and advanced data analysis

. Yes. service.

Sectors
Technology

Institute of Technical Physics and Materials Science (MFA)

Hungary: Pest

Overview

Mission/Objectives of the cluster organisation

The main tasks of the Institute of Technical Physics and Materials Science (MFA) are: research on nanometer scale functional materials exploring their physical, chemical and biological properties, as well as the exploitation of these properties in the development of integrated nano/microsystems, sensors, and non-destructive characterisation techniques. Important task of the MFA is the technical support of the SMEs and the university education, the utilisation of the research infrastructure for serving the needs of graduate and postgraduate education (TDK, BSc, MSc, and PhD) in the scheme of an open access laboratory.

MFA hosts 5 scientific departments and 2 groups:

Microtechnology Department (www.mems.hu, www.biomems.hu, www.nems.hu)

The main task of the Microtechnology Department is the multidisciplinary research on sensors, the realisation of functional nano- and microsensors based upon novel sensing principles, their validation and elaboration of the adequate processing technology.

In the… The Institute of Technical Physics and Materials Science (MFA)  Microtechnology Department runs two 300 m2 + 160 m2 clean labs (Class 100-10000) comprising a complete Si-CMOS processing line and a mask shop, unique facility in Hungary. The technology allows to manufacture layers, patterned structures and devices with line resolution of 1 µm by optical and down to 20 nm by e-beam lithography on 3” and 4” Si and glass wafers. (http://www.mems.hu)

Competences (available also for our industrial and academic partners and customers):

High temperature annealing, diffusion and oxidation;
Ion implantation;
Rapid Thermal Treatment;
Low Pressure Chemical Vapor Deposition of poly-Si, SiO2 and Si3N4 layers;
Low Temperature Chemical Vapor Deposition;
Atomic Layer Deposition;
Physical Vapor Deposition – Electron beam evaporation, DC and RF Sputtering;
Reactive Ion Etching, Deep Reactive Ion Etching;
Photolithography with back-side alignment and Nanoimprinting;
E-beam lithography;
Nanopatterning…. Services provided by our laboratories:

High temperature annealing, diffusion and oxidation;
Ion implantation;
Rapid Thermal Treatment;
Low Pressure Chemical Vapor Deposition of poly-Si, SiO2 and Si3N4 layers;
Low Temperature Chemical Vapor Deposition;
Atomic Layer Deposition;
Physical Vapor Deposition – Electron beam evaporation, DC and RF Sputtering;
Reactive Ion Etching, Deep Reactive Ion Etching;
Photolithography with back-side alignment and Nanoimprinting;
E-beam lithography;
Nanopatterning, deposition and etching by Focused Ion-Beam;
Wafer-bonding;
Wet chemical treatments;
Electro-chemical porous Si formation;
Mask design, laser pattern generator;
Polymer (PDMS, SU8, Polyimide) structuring by photolithography and micro-molding techniques;
Chip dicing, packaging especially for sensor applications; 
Materials and structural analysis & characterization:, SEM, FIB, EDX, Atomic Force Microscopy, Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy, Stylus Profiler;
Electrical and…. Yes. service.

Sectors
Technology

CENTRUM INDUSTRIAL IT (CIIT)

Germany: North Rhine-Westphalia

Overview

Mission/Objectives of the cluster organisation

In the CENTRUM INDUSTRIAL IT (CIIT) the cooperation between industry and science being frequently demanded is actually put into practice. The CIIT is Germany’s first sciene-to-business-center in the field of Industrial Automation. Under one roof companies acting autonomously on the market and research institutes work and research cooperatively on the linkage between information and automation world.

The field of automation technology is the innovation driver for machine and plant engineering. Germany’s core industry, thus playing an essential part in securing Germany’s position as an important economic location. In joint research projects, within the framework of applied basic research, new technologies for the factory of the future are developed in the CIIT.

A Strong Network – Beyond the Boundaries of the Building
Main drivers and actors from industry and science are, apart from the Institute Industrial IT (inIT) of the OWL University of Applied Sciences and the Fraunhofer Application Center… Solutions for Intelligent Automation are jointly researched and developed at CIIT - either in collaborative research projects or at the integrated laboratories (e.g. Big Data Lab, Lab for Cyber Security in Production, Lab for Discrete Systems).

At SmartFactoryOWL, an initiative of the Fraunhofer Society and OWL University of Applied Sciences, technologies for Intelligent Automation are researched, tested and demonstrated.
. ·  Various working groups (e. g. Intelligent Networking, Data Analysis, Human-Machine-Interaction)

·  Industry-on-Campus-Model

·  practice-oriented studying in collaboration with the research institutes under the roof of CIIT
. Yes. service.

Sectors
Technology