Goodyear and LIST announce €41M R&D initiative on smart and sustainable mobility in Luxembourg

Colmar-Berg, November 17, 2016 – Today, Goodyear and the Luxembourg Institute of Science & Technology (LIST) announce significant research and development (R&D) investment focusing on sustainable mobility and next generation materials.

Goodyear has been at the forefront of tire innovation for more than a century and is honored to collaborate with LIST on this crucial R&D initiative to address ongoing societal challenges and further drive innovation in the field of future mobility. 

Together with LIST, Goodyear engineers will focus on making tires more environmentally friendly—in terms of materials, performance and the manufacturing process. This joint R&D initiative offers opportunities to create a better future by:

• advancing data science that  allows Goodyear to improve its processes to deliver tires of the highest quality and shorten product development cycles to better anticipate the evolving needs of OEM partners and end-consumers 
• developing innovative lightweight materials to lower the rolling resistance of tires with a positive impact on the environment and the consumer through lower emissions and greater fuel efficiency.  

In the presence of Deputy Prime Minister Etienne Schneider and Delegate Minister of Higher Education and Research Marc Hansen, LIST and Goodyear signed a framework agreement to cement their partnership. Etienne Schneider commented:  “The LIST Goodyear R&D partnership scope is well aligned with the Government’s Research and Innovation policy.  I congratulate both parties on this agreement which is an extraordinary example of doing R&D jointly between public research and industry.” Marc Hansen also emphasised: “The signature of the agreement represents a milestone achievement not only for LIST, but for public research in general.  The collaboration agreement is an example of best practice for the government endeavor to foster the interactions between the public research and industry. This collaboration agreement is an excellent opportunity for researchers, industrialists and students to interact and to benefit from the knowledge spillovers.”

Carlos Cipollitti, Vice President Product Development EMEA and General Director of the Goodyear Innovation Center Luxembourg (GIC*L) added: “at Goodyear, innovation isn't just what we do, it's who we are.  Establishing a more formal R&D collaboration with LIST was a natural decision for the company to further accelerate mobility solutions we currently have in development and to deliver smart products and services that anticipate future consumer needs.”

Funded by Goodyear with support from applicable Luxembourg Government R&D State Aid, the five-year partnership will secure vital R&D talent for the future both in Luxembourg and the automotive industry more widely.  It will create 38 full-time research posts and a significant number of PhD/post-doctoral positions in an important and growing area. Researchers will be based both at LIST and GIC*L. 

Fernand Reinig, Chief Executive Officer ad interim of LIST, highlighted that: “We cannot develop within six months the skills that our industrial partners need in 2020 or beyond. We need to start doing it today! In this sense, we are very pleased to have with Goodyear an industrial partner who looks ahead and engages in an R&D collaboration laying the foundations to meet the market challenges within the next 10 years.”

 “Goodyear has a strong association with Luxembourg lasting more than 70 years.  Although we have worked with LIST on several projects previously, this new initiative marks a unique opportunity for the company to push ahead in several areas of future tire development.  Goodyear looks forward to collaborating with LIST and the Luxembourg Government on this key project” concluded Jean-Pierre Jeusette, Vice-President, Global Quality, Technology & Innovation of Goodyear at the event held at the Goodyear Innovation Center in Colmar-Berg today.   

Photo credit: Goodyear