Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology and Goodyear launch second phase of strategic partnership

The Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST) and The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company have announced the commencement of a second phase of their strategic collaboration, which will not only leverage previous achievements, but will also delve into new technological avenues. 

Building on past successes

Since 2017, LIST and Goodyear have worked together to achieve pioneering results in materials research, structure-property relationship understanding, and data science. Their joint efforts have positioned Luxembourg as a hub for disruptive innovation in mobility, particularly in the tire and tire-related technology sectors. 

At last year’s LIST Tech Day, the two entities had sealed the agreement for a second phase of their partnership capitalizing on Goodyear’s and LIST's expertise, infrastructure, and competencies to drive innovation and technology to a new application domain.

Focus on sustainability and digitalization 

The new contract encompasses strategic programmes comprising more than 30 projects. Spanning six years, this new contract places significant emphasis on advancing efforts focused on sustainability and digitalization within the tire industry. In terms of sustainability, the focus will be on tire products developed with bio-based and recyclable materials. As for digitalization, the spotlights will be on data science and its application for accelerating sensor prototyping timeline and efficacy. The partnership will also focus on the development of sensors capable of real-time monitoring of tire wear, aimed at enhancing safety and facilitating maintenance procedures. Additionally, efforts will be dedicated to research and development in energy harvesting and storage for wireless sensors, ensuring their durability and efficiency over time. 

Supported by the Ministry of Economy and the Industrial Partnership Block Grants (IPBG) initiative of the Luxembourg National Research Fund (FNR), this second phase of the partnership is expected to kick off by the end of April.

Strategic research programmes 

Data Science for Tire Applications - At the forefront of the digital transition, this programme aims to fit within Goodyear’s “first time right” development objective. Data Program will help Goodyear engineers develop, test and validate tire models early in the development cycle, with the goal of identifying the best performing tires before building a first prototype. 

• Tire Sensor Technology - This programme will help develop materials-based sensing technology to aid Goodyear in embedding sensors for continuous tire monitoring.
• End-of-Life Tires – This programme targets the exploration and potential development of new materials and processing technology to help improve the reuse of end-of-life tires
• Sustainable Materials - Material development programmes are designed to investigate new raw materials that could be used in all kinds of tire architectures
• Structure-Process-Property Relationships - This programme will deliver new tools to better understand complex correlations of characterization results and material performance.

Additionally, LIST and Goodyear have already identified several potential fields of interest for future collaboration.

Damien Lenoble, Director of the materials department at LIST: “The ongoing and strengthened strategic collaboration with a global and multinational company such as Goodyear is a testament to the high quality of research conducted here at LIST. We are honoured and pleased that Goodyear expanded our trusted partnership. Together, we are dedicated to developing tires that are not only better performing and smarter but also more sustainable for both users and the planet. I wish to congratulate all the teams at Goodyear and LIST who have diligently nurtured and developed this research and innovation programme over the past year and beyond.”

Romain Hansen, Vice President, EMEA Product Development at Goodyear: “I am thrilled to see this second phase of the partnership come to life. Working with influential organizations like LIST is essential to Goodyear achieving its commitment to enable mobility today and tomorrow.”