Exploring the Future of Automotive Testing: Industry-Academia Collaboration at Automotive Testing Expo

The Automotive Testing Expo Europe took place on June 4-6 in Stuttgart, featuring a new Industry-Academia Collaboration Area. This zone was designed to foster connections between the automotive industry and academic institutions, aiming to boost market competitiveness and highlight emerging talent. The goal was to encourage collaborations that drive innovation and progress.

This interaction provided automotive companies with access to the latest research, expertise, and facilities. In return, academic institutions gained insights into industry challenges, allowing them to focus their research on practical applications. Utilising advancements in high-performance computing, simulation, visualisation, modelling, data analytics, and AI, these partnerships aimed to offer a competitive edge and push the industry forward.

Participants in the Industry-Academia Collaboration Area included Alma Automotive, Cineca Interuniversity Consortium, EXCELLERAT P2, High-Performance Computing Center Stuttgart (HLRS), Hochschule Mannheim, Rudolfovo Science and Technology Centre Novo mesto, AIA (Chair of Fluid Mechanics and Institute of Aerodynamics) RWTH Aachen University, University of Ljubljana, and its Laboratory for Engineering Design, and the Supercomputing-Akademie.

EXCELLERAT’s participation in this event alongside academic partners was a success, as the special zone attracted many visitors and lots of conversations led to discussions in which the companies showed a strong interest in collaboration between the automotive industry and universities or public research centers. Key topics included the development of advanced technologies such as simulation and virtual visualisation for testing, as well as data processing after testing. These advancements aim to improve new model designs by reducing development time and streamlining the test and validation process.

The success of the Industry-Academia Collaboration Area at this year’s Automotive Testing Expo Europe highlights the importance of such initiatives in shaping the future of the automotive industry. We look forward to the innovations and progress that will result from these collaborations.