Pioneering nature-inspired engineering design for sustainable manufacturing
These products will be made of fully recyclable fibre-reinforced biobased composites using Large Area Additive Manufacturing (LAAM). Additive manufacturing is a process of creating objects by adding material layer by layer, often using 3D printing technology.
ORGANIC is a research and innovation action (RIA) project that is currently under negotiation with the EU Commission and expected to start in June 2025. This Horizon Europe project builds upon an earlier project titled “Multi-disciplinary Digital Design and Manufacturing (D2M)”, which was funded by an Academy Research Fellow grant awarded by the Research Council of Finland’s Scientific Council for Natural Sciences and Engineering in 2023.
According to Dr. Iñigo Flores Ituarte, grantee and Principal Investigator for both projects at Tampere University, the ORGANIC project will serve as a testbed for converting the findings of the earlier D2M project into societal benefits and practical industrial applications.
Real-world solutions for European industry
The ORGANIC project aims to connect academic research with real-world industrial applications. It will involve major European industries in manufacturing, the renewable energy sector and wind energy technology, including the Finnish technology provider AddComposites.
The project will focus on integrating nature-inspired engineering design, advanced manufacturing technologies, monitoring technologies, the industrial Internet-of-Things (IIoT) and artificial intelligence (AI).
“Our goal is to bring digital design, materials science and manufacturing together to form cognitive systems that can predict and optimise zero-waste and zero-defect strategies in manufacturing. This research aligns with global initiatives to reduce environmental impact and improve the way products are designed and made. Ultimately, this will help to achieve the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals,” says Flores Ituarte.
The combined funding of approximately €1.6 million until late 2029 is a major milestone in advanced manufacturing research. It supports the SIX Smart Manufacturing vision while strengthening Tampere University’s leadership in circular economy-based manufacturing.
Iñigo Flores Ituarte
Dr. Iñigo Flores Ituarte was appointed as Associate Professor in Digital Manufacturing at Tampere University in January 2024. He has held various academic positions, including roles at the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD), Aalborg University in Denmark, and the Technical University of Denmark (DTU). He is also the co-founder and Strategy Advisor of SelectAM, a Finland-based software start-up.
At Tampere University, he leads the Digital Design and Manufacturing (D2M) research group within the Unit of Automation and Mechanical Engineering.
