INTERACT PROJECT SHORT DESCRIPTION

(www.interact.utcluj.ro)

In today’s economy, more than ever, the need to implement the sustainability principle in designing new products has become of utmost importance. Sustainability represents nowadays innovation’s new frontier. Becoming environmentally friendly through the development of sustainable products, the industrial actors end up by reducing inputs they use and, thus, lower the costs. Moreover, with better “greener” products, additional revenues are generated. As the automotive industry is one of the most technologically interesting domains to face the societal challenges, the automotive manufacturers are accelerating the development of new sustainable technologies for products to comply with the most stringent standards of efficiency, reliability, safety and sustainability. The trend for more electrified automotive applications (MEAAs) asks for a new generation of automotive electrical actuation systems, allowing for a more efficient and environmentally friendly mobility and enhancing the driving experience, making it safer, more comfortable and sustainable.

INTERACT’s overall objective is to answer the further enhancement of the next generation of high-performance sustainable automotive electric actuators (SAEAs) by combining high-level scientific research and training activities in a joint academia-industry doctoral programme, focused on solving critical issues (see Section 1.1.2) of the automotive electrical actuation Research & Development (R&D) cycle.

The project is a natural continuation of a fruitful collaboration between the beneficiaries: two universities (UTCN and ULB) and three industrial actors. What started as staff exchange collaboration for technological know-how and transfer of knowledge in the field of electrical machines (EMs) and drives (EMDs) for automotive applications[1],[2] [2] has now developed, through INTERACT, into a joint doctoral programme, based on common interests and goals, in the field of R&D of the next generation of SAEAs. More specifically, INTERACT takes advantage of the well-established intersectoral collaboration achievements and of the solid research and training competences and facilities at the beneficiaries for: (i) giving new career perspectives and increasing the employability of six young researchers, by enhancing their creative and innovative potential; (ii) pushing forward and/or extend the industrial partners’ portfolio with new technological developments to be integrated into the R&D process such that they remain and/or enter as an important player in the automotive industry ; (iii) strengthening innovation capacity of UTCN and ULB with commercial exploitation of the research.

It is clear that energy-efficient, reliable, robust, low-cost and low-noise electrical machines, along with highly-integrated, energy-efficient power electronics and control modules, are required in order to reduce the impact of automotive electrical actuated powertrain and/or auxiliaries on the overall performance and cost of vehicles, no matter if they are fuel- (fossil or alternative), hybrid- or electric-powered. INTERACT aims at the development of R&D and engineering specialists and services to deal with the design and development of advanced electrical actuation technologies for sustainable automotive applications.

EVENT SHORT DESCRIPTION

A final event will be organized as a one-day boot camp for young students and researchers in 27^th of May 2022 at Mariselu UTCN Campus. The target of the event is two-fold: presentation and discussion of the research achievements and established collaboration made by INTERACT fellows and providing information on different types of electrical machines used in automotive applications and renewable energy. The event is open to the bachelor, master and PhD students of UTCN, but also to young researchers from outside the consortium.

For registration please send a message to anca.nicu@ethm.utcluj.ro with your contact data (name and surname, title, affiliation, position, email address) by 6^th of May 2022.

AGENDA OF THE EVENT

27^th of May 2022 – Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, Mariselu Camp

In our days training the researchers to identify and plan the key steps for shaping their career plays an important role in career development. The activities will provide them with practical guidance regarding the professional experience required when applying for positions in academic/non-academic institutions. Participants will be offered opportunities to meet and discuss about their work with a panel of academics and other professionals.  Guest speakers will work with participants to address their concerns and the specificities of the individual situations. The second part of the event is developed for entrepreneurial knowledge, competences, and skills. In an ever-changing world with merging economies, the marketplace has become truly global. Savvy entrepreneurs see new opportunities and are preparing to capitalize on changing demands. The workshop will prepare PhD students to be active in the marketplace at the right time. They will evaluate entrepreneurship for their research topics and investigate business feasibility and concept development. Their entrepreneurial style will be revealed by practical exercises.

INTERACT Horizon 2022 5th event presentation and agenda

*If any changes occur, the final agenda will be published prior de event

The training event will be organized online, using TEAMS platform. For registration please send a message to anca.nicu@ethm.utcluj.ro with your contact data (name and surname, title, affiliation, position, email address) until 5th of February 2022.

Instrumentation and test systems play an important role in providing new tools, new procedures and new methodologies, which are necessary for the development of advanced sustainable automotive applications. The fourth network-wide school event aims to provide knowledge and competences on how to develop flexible high-standard testing facilities based on advanced instrumentation and cutting-edge testing procedures and technologies. In parallel with the school event a School on Sustainable mobility will be organized for maximum 30 PhD students and young researchers coming from all over the world.

INTERACT Horizon 2020 4th event presentation and agenda

The training event will be organized online, using TEAMS platform. For registration please send a message to anca.nicu@ethm.utcluj.ro with your contact data (name and surname, title, affiliation, position, email address).

Between 2nd and 4th of October INTERACT will organize the third training event in the frame of ELECTRIC VEHICLES INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE & SHOW 2019, hosted by the ICPE Solar Park, Bucharest, Romania (https://www.evshow.ro/).

The agenda of the event is presented below. The two workshops are opened to the EV 2019 attendees.

The aim of the workshop on Scientific and research writing and presentation is to provide support and guidance to fellows and other attendees for scientific and research writing and presentation.

The workshop on Special issues in advanced technologies sustainable automotive electrical actuation will include two module: (1) one on new technologies, materials and emerging topologies for more-efficient EMs as well as new trends in semiconductors and special topologies for power converters will be presented and discussed and (2) introduction to requirements engineering and functional safety issues in automotive applications.

Third school event

2-4 October 2019

ICPE Bucharest, Romania (in the frame of EV 2019)