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Affordable CFD simulation software for SMEs in the transportation industry

Objective

CFD simulation tools are key in the automotive industry, as they lead to faster development times, lower costs, higher added value and higher overall innovation capabilities. However, their complexity (requiring highly specialized engineers for preparation and data interpretation) and high license/hardware costs hinder their implementation by a larger number of companies, as SMEs cannot afford such investments.
In response to this need identified by our customers in the automotive industry (Audi, Magna, AVL) for affordable and user-friendly CFD software, at ESS Steyr we are developing SENSE: an innovative modular CFD solver which uses Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) running on GPUs. The use of SPH together with our intuitive GUI simplifies the process, compared to the Finite Element Method and Finite Volume Method used in most current CFD tools, eliminating time consuming pre- and post-processing and reducing simulation run times to 1/10th. As the first modular CFD solution in the market, SENSE provides SENSE users easy-to-use modules targeted at the one application they require, optimized to their needs and with pre-set boundary conditions, instead of having to buy complex, predefined toolboxes with features they will never use. Moreover, as it runs on GPUs instead of CPUs, hardware requirements are much lower, reducing costs from € 400,000 to € 40,000.
In this way, we aim to disrupt the automotive market by facilitating the SMEs in the industry (over 2,500 only in Europe) with the access to the much-needed simulation software in their day-to-day operations: with SENSE, SMEs will operate more cost- and time efficient, become more competitive and be at the forefront of innovation, thereby boosting the efficiency and competitiveness of the European Automotive Industry.
In addition, SENSE will also boost the growth of our company, enabling revenues of €85.87 million, a Return of Investment of 8.4 and triplicating our current staff by 2023.

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

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Programme(s)

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Topic(s)

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Funding Scheme

Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.

SME-2 - SME instrument phase 2

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Call for proposal

Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.

(opens in new window) H2020-SMEInst-2016-2017

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Coordinator

ESS ENGINEERING SOFTWARE STEYR GMBH
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 990 255,00
Address
BERGGASSE 35
4400 Steyr
Austria

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SME

The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.

Yes
Region
Westösterreich Oberösterreich Steyr-Kirchdorf
Activity type
Private for-profit entities (excluding Higher or Secondary Education Establishments)
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Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

€ 1 414 650,00
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