International work
Since 2017, internationalization has been a strategically important part of LIGHTer’s strategy. We participate and contribute actively in several international contexts relevant to lightweight innovation, with the overall aim of meeting the global climate goals.
Here you can read more about our international work.
ELCA - for a strengthened European lightweight cooperation
It is important for LIGHTer to be part of an international community that works to promote sustainability and competitiveness through lightweight. Therefore, we are active members of The European Lightweight Cluster Alliance - ELCA, where Cecilia Ramberg, program manager at LIGHTer, also sits on the board. By being members of ELCA, we can strengthen the cooperation on lightweight innovation with other leading companies and research institutions across Europe.
ELCA is a pan-European network that aims to coordinate all EU efforts made in lightweight research and innovation.
ELCA currently consists of 12 nodes, which can be either industry cluster associations or research technical organizations (RTO). They come from 9 different EU countries (Germany, Spain, Poland, Sweden, Portugal, France, Hungary, Italy and Slovenia). Together they form a common network of 875 small and medium-sized enterprises, 258 large companies and 190 RTO. The alliance is structured in six different working groups: i) material supply and development, ii) characterization and modeling, iii) design and smart features, iv) manufacturing, v) assembly and joining and vi) circular economy. The scope is multi-material (fiber-reinforced polymers, lightweight metal alloys and ceramic matrix composites) and multi-sectoral (mobility, energy, construction, packaging and industry).
ELN - for a common European lightweight agenda
LIGHTer has intensified its work as a national partner within the European Lightweighting Network (ELN) during 2023 with the aim of influencing the EU to invest in lightweight. In June, Sweden, through LIGHTer and RISE, organized the 3rd Euorpean Lightweighting Conference in Stockholm.
Industrial delegations, fairs and conferences
LIGHTer organizes industrial trips where Swedish companies get the opportunity to visit European research institutes and companies working with lightweight solutions. The exchange also goes the other way, when European companies visit us in Sweden. These exchanges provide increased dissemination of developments in lightweight technology and its applications, as well as contributing to valuable networking and international funding opportunities.
A selection of our international activities:
- Delegation trip to France to look at Test and Demo
- Reception of industrial delegation from Germany, which among other things has resulted in a guest researcher from Fraunhofer IWU to RISE (within robot-based 3D printing)
- Participation in international fairs and conferences, e.g.:
- Speaker at Euromat (Europe’s premier international congress for the latest advances in materials science and technology)
- Speaker at G7 Workshop 2022
- Speaker at Lightweighting Summit at Hannover Fair and participation in round table discussions
- Participation in several bilateral calls with, among others, Austria, Switzerland and France
LIGHTer International Conference
LIGHTer International Conference is a bi-annual, interactive conference that aims to create opportunities for valuable international networking among world-leading lightweight actors from industry, academia / institutes and relevant networks.
The conference takes place over two days, from lunch to lunch, and includes a conference dinner. We discuss and present the latest innovations in lightweight technology in several sessions with different themes, such as lightweight in fossil-free transport and circular lightweight.
The planning for LIGHTer International Conference 2024 has now begun!
