Horizon 2020 is the biggest EU Research and Innovation programme ever, with nearly €80 billion of funding available over 7 years (2014 to 2020), a financial instrument implementing the Innovation Union: this flagship initiative aims at securing Europe’s global competitiveness. It promises more breakthroughs, discoveries and world-firsts by taking great ideas from the lab to the market.
For these reasons, the Programme targeted highly innovative SMEs showing strong key features: ambition to develop, grow and internationalise.
To secure the quality and market-readiness of the research projects, the criteria of admission were very strict. Few proposals passed the first selection and fewer received funding: ultimately, only 15% of the application were admitted into the programme.
Electronic Systems project “REW-TYRES” is an innovative and compact process for recycling rubber to improve the environmental footprint of the tyre industry over its life-cycle.
Our proposal over performed each assessment threshold: capacity, impact, quality and efficiency of implementation. We received the Seal of Excellence and the Grant Agreement was officially signed in 2016.
Project REW-TYRES consists in the combination of two systems, REWORK and RECYCLE to implement a full circular model in the tire industry where the scraps and the ELT are up-cycled for producing new products.
The platform of the project bases on those systems, which are indeed distinct: with their own clear individual value propositions and impacts.
– REWORK is the only system in the market that allows reworking the scraps without stopping production, without pre-heating and without adding virgin materials. The equipment is much more compact and energy-efficient than any other thanks to the exclusive design of the machines.
– RECYCLE is the only solution in the market that produces clean sheets of rubber compounds reclaimed from ELT of a quality suitable to re-use in demanding industries such as the production of tires, rubber mounts and vibration isolators.
Electronic Systems had successfully managed the research project and two functioning prototypes had been realized in our HQ.
The project has been monitored thoroughly by the EU and our action received full approval by the EU Project Officer in November 2019.
In April 2020, the European Commission selected our project as one of the “today’s cutting-edge research” and highlighted it on the CORDIS (Community Research and Development Information Service) website.