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Eureka Lightweighting Call 2026

6 May – 8 Oct 2026

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Institute of Structural Mechanics and Lightweight Design, RWTH Aachen University

About

The Institute of Structural Mechanics and Lightweight Design (SLA) at RWTH Aachen University is a research institute in the field of lightweight design, with nearly 70 years of experience in structural mechanics, aerospace structures, and advanced material systems.

A central focus of our work is transforming conventional structures into intelligent systems that can sense their current state, interpret structural anomalies, and communicate actionable insights to operators and manufacturers.

These intelligent structures increase structural reliability, enable data-driven services like predictive maintenance and remaining life estimation, and close the feedback loop by delivering in-service data back into design and manufacturing. In service data can then be used to enhance future product generations.

Our expertise spans from sensor system design to the implementation and evaluation of digital twins, as well as system qualification under real-world conditions.

Topic(s) of interest for R&D on Lightweighting

Development and testing of lightweighting design and manufacturing conceptsDevelopment and use of novel or alternative advanced lightweight materials including optimized manufacturing processesSubstitution of conventional (raw-)materials with sustainable and lightweighting alternatives with a lower ecological footprintUse of digital technologies to optimize lightweighting design for circularity, lifecycle assessment and material tracking in the field of lightweighting

Representatives

Research Associate

Institute of Structural Mechanics and Lightweight Design, RWTH Aachen University