Periodic Reporting for period 1 - UNICORN (Unveiling Innovation Potential of Circular Approaches in Automotive Electronics and Beyond)
Berichtszeitraum: 2022-09-01 bis 2024-02-29
In March 2021, the European Commission's updated Industrial Strategy emphasised accelerating the green and digital transition for post-pandemic recovery and achieving climate neutrality by 2050. The European 'Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy' aims for a 90% reduction in transport emissions by 2050, with functional electronics playing a crucial role in this twin transition.
The UNICORN project, halfway through, supports the development of functional electronics to facilitate the automotive industry's transition to a circular economy. This initiative is part of the broader effort to contribute to the sustainable transformation of the EU mobility sector, focusing on systemic changes throughout the automotive electronics value chain. UNICORN's objectives include demonstrating the capability of designing, developing, and validating innovative green and circular technologies for automotive electronics. This involves delivering lightweight materials, validating resource-efficient processes, implementing designs for material circularity, and validating these technologies in relevant environments.
The project also aims to increase European circularity-driven functional integration of electronics in automotive applications. This includes setting a science-based methodology to measure the net impact of functional electronics integration, providing guidelines for eco-design decision-making, and formulating recommendations for a supportive regulatory framework.
Finally, UNICORN seeks to transfer electronics technologies and processes to sectors beyond automotive. This involves engaging stakeholders in the Electronics, Automotive, and other sectors, and initiating cross-fertilization across sectors to increase opportunities for functional electronics-based solutions towards a green and circular economy. The project has made significant progress so far and continues to work towards its ambitious goals.
The UNICORN project, halfway through, supports the development of functional electronics to facilitate the automotive industry's transition to a circular economy. This initiative is part of the broader effort to contribute to the sustainable transformation of the EU mobility sector, focusing on systemic changes throughout the automotive electronics value chain. UNICORN's objectives include demonstrating the capability of designing, developing, and validating innovative green and circular technologies for automotive electronics. This involves delivering lightweight materials, validating resource-efficient processes, implementing designs for material circularity, and validating these technologies in relevant environments.
The project also aims to increase European circularity-driven functional integration of electronics in automotive applications. This includes setting a science-based methodology to measure the net impact of functional electronics integration, providing guidelines for eco-design decision-making, and formulating recommendations for a supportive regulatory framework.
Finally, UNICORN seeks to transfer electronics technologies and processes to sectors beyond automotive. This involves engaging stakeholders in the Electronics, Automotive, and other sectors, and initiating cross-fertilization across sectors to increase opportunities for functional electronics-based solutions towards a green and circular economy. The project has made significant progress so far and continues to work towards its ambitious goals.
The UNICORN Project has made significant strides in its first half, achieving key milestones and providing innovative solutions for the automotive electronics sector. This progress is marked by the integration of advanced functionalities from printed and flexible electronics, and a reduced environmental footprint through increased circularity considerations across four pathways: decarbonisation, material recycling, usage improvement, and lifetime optimisation.
The project's four industrial use cases (battery casing, dashboard, Seat&door, tyre) have successfully defined final industrial designs for systems that meet the dual requirements of advanced functionality and circularity.
Each use case has achieved a first-generation milestone, focusing on various aspects such as substituting materials with more eco-friendly alternatives, developing processes and systems that facilitate better dismantling and increase the potential for reuse, repair, and recycling. Additionally, efforts have been made to develop advanced electronic functionalities that promote preventive maintenance and second-life use.
On the non-technical front, UNICORN has established itself as a recognised driver for innovative solutions in sustainable electronics. It has forged connections and contributed to European and national communities in the electronic sector (EPoSS, OE-A, Printocent, AFELIM, Cluster of projects on sustainable electronics), and in the automotive world (CLEPA; ERTRAC). Moreover, the project's holistic approach which takes into account socio-economic pull factors in addition to technological advancements, lays a strong foundation for expanding the potential applications of UNICORN's results. This opens up possibilities for the project's outcomes to be applied in other sectors beyond automotive, thereby broadening its scope and impact.
The project's four industrial use cases (battery casing, dashboard, Seat&door, tyre) have successfully defined final industrial designs for systems that meet the dual requirements of advanced functionality and circularity.
Each use case has achieved a first-generation milestone, focusing on various aspects such as substituting materials with more eco-friendly alternatives, developing processes and systems that facilitate better dismantling and increase the potential for reuse, repair, and recycling. Additionally, efforts have been made to develop advanced electronic functionalities that promote preventive maintenance and second-life use.
On the non-technical front, UNICORN has established itself as a recognised driver for innovative solutions in sustainable electronics. It has forged connections and contributed to European and national communities in the electronic sector (EPoSS, OE-A, Printocent, AFELIM, Cluster of projects on sustainable electronics), and in the automotive world (CLEPA; ERTRAC). Moreover, the project's holistic approach which takes into account socio-economic pull factors in addition to technological advancements, lays a strong foundation for expanding the potential applications of UNICORN's results. This opens up possibilities for the project's outcomes to be applied in other sectors beyond automotive, thereby broadening its scope and impact.
UNICORN has defined a clear pathway to impact, which involves the engagement of several target groups in in electronics, circularity and automotive (research, education, industry as well as policy- and decision-makers).
• Gaining access to information and guidance to successfully implement circularity in electronic design, processes, components and systems;
• Gaining access to new knowledge, skills, expertise and validated technologies to actively contribute to the digital and green ‘twin’ transition;
• Benefitting from licence opportunities for the IP generated in the project and from new funding opportunities for relevant research priorities and cooperation (also in a co-creation and co-design approach);
• Benefitting from a positive image and recognition from the economic world, policy makers and society as they increase their Research and Innovation Responsibility.
• Gaining access to information and guidance to successfully implement circularity in electronic design, processes, components and systems;
• Gaining access to new knowledge, skills, expertise and validated technologies to actively contribute to the digital and green ‘twin’ transition;
• Benefitting from licence opportunities for the IP generated in the project and from new funding opportunities for relevant research priorities and cooperation (also in a co-creation and co-design approach);
• Benefitting from a positive image and recognition from the economic world, policy makers and society as they increase their Research and Innovation Responsibility.