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HEDoctoral network2023–2027

iCircular3 · Intelligent circular lifecycles of industrial robots, outdoor power products, and electric vehicles

Horizon Europe — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Duration
2023-01-01 → 2027-08-31
EU contribution
€2,228,501
Participants
8
Scheme
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-DN

Lines connect the coordinator with its partners. CORDIS does not always give exact coordinates for projects before 2014. These points are placed at city or country level.

Results in brief

Intelligent circular lifecycles of industrial robots, outdoor power products, and electric vehicles

The goal of iCircular3 is to train 9 researchers in the field of Circular Economy (CE) and its digital transition. In March 2020, the European Commission adopted the new CE action plan (CEAP), as one of the main building blocks of the European Green Deal, Europe’s new agenda for sustainable growth. The EU’s circular action plan paves the way for a cleaner and more competitive Europe. iCircular3 is engaged with three highly critical industrial sectors for the European economy: outdoor power products, robotics and electric vehicles (EVs). The outdoor power products industry is an innovative sector with one of the largest numbers of consumers and market share in the EU; advanced robotized manufacturing is prioritized as a solution to improve the performance of industrial processes, hence supporting European growth; and the EU is the world’s second-largest market for EVs, supporting the achievement of climate targets. The absence of intelligent models, guidelines and decision support systems that can aid next-generation designers to incorporate circularity in product design, manufacture and life cycles in practice represents a significant gap in the state-of-the-art. This Doctoral Network (DN) of 7 partners comprises 4 industry and 3 academic partners. The scientific and training objectives of the network are: 1. To develop new guidelines, frameworks, decision support systems and digital tools to incorporate and measure circularity in product and service design, (reverse) supply chain management, manufacturing technologies, product and service use, and EoL. 2. To understand and recognise cross-sectoral commonalities and differences in incorporating circular economy strategies, and standards and its digital transition. 3. To train a leading group of researchers in the multidisciplinary field of circular economy and its digital transition.

Data: CORDIS, © European Union

Project objective

Circularity has opened up new markets and business opportunities, domestically and outside the EU. However, opportunities are being missed due to low reuse and recycling rates. iCircular3 creates a cohort of future leaders in research, policy, and business through its innovative training programme focused on the Circular Economy. Three leading universities supported by four industry partners will address the incorporation of circular economy principles using digital technologies throughout the product lifecycle, for three innovative and strategic sectors for the European economy: industrial robots, outdoor power products, and electric vehicles.Each sector will explore the possibilities of a circular lifecycle through four perspectives:1. Product and service design: exploring opportunities for circularity in the design of outdoor power products, electric vehicles, and industrial robots.2. Reverse supply chains: understanding and overcoming recovery barriers in these industries.3. Users and stakeholders: ensuring stakeholder engagement in the transition towards more circularity, for instance by engaging outdoor power product consumers in the development of Reverse Logistics systems, and improving the recycling rates of electric vehicles from a consumer perspective.4. Systems: developing digital tools and decision support systems that foster circularity.iCircular3 will recruit and train 9 Researchers to conduct sector-specific projects related to circular lifecycle perspectives; combined together, the projects will contribute to the development of new guidelines and digital tools for the integration of circularity in industry, as well as the identification of cross-sector commonalities. The strong academic/industry interaction in iCircular3 will ensure the relevance of each research project. Researchers will receive high-level industry-led research training and professional development courses, with a view to open up their career perspectives.

Original text from CORDIS.

Participants

  • UNIVERSITY COLLEGE DUBLIN, NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF IRELAND, DUBLIN · DublinCoordinatorIreland
  • FUTURE MOBILITY CAMPUS IRELAND COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE · SHANNONIreland
  • HUSQVARNA AB · HUSKVARNASweden
  • IMPERIAL COLLEGE OF SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY AND MEDICINE · LondonUnited Kingdom
  • IOTA STIFTUNG · BerlinGermany
  • KUKA ROBOTICS IRELAND LTD · DUNDALKIreland
  • STIFTELSEN HOGSKOLAN I JONKOPING · JONKOPINGCity levelSweden
  • TEKNISKA HOGSKOLAN I JONKOPING AB · JONKOPINGSweden

Links

Data: CORDIS, © European Union