06.01.2021
COMET K2 InTribology
Within the framework of this 8-year umbrella project, individual application-oriented research projects in the field of tribology are being carried out in collaboration with approximately 70 national and international corporate and academic partners. The optimization of friction, wear, and lubricant application are the central focus of this research.
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AC2T research GmbH
AC2T research GmbH, located at the Technology and Research Center Wiener Neustadt, has been providing research services for industry for approximately 20 years. A significant portion of this research is conducted within multi-year umbrella projects. From 2002 to 2009, this was the "Kplus Center for Tribology" umbrella project, and from 2010 to 2020, the "COMET K2 Center of Excellence for Tribology" umbrella project. Over the years, the number of employees has increased from zero to around 150. The majority of staff are researchers with academic degrees in one of the core disciplines of tribology, namely mechanical engineering, materials science, chemistry, physics, and electrical engineering/mechatronics. More recently, these resources have been continuously supplemented by employees specializing in information technology and data science.
AC²T research GmbH (AC²T) aims to conduct fundamental, application-oriented research at the highest international level with this project. In collaboration with its project partners, AC²T focuses its research and development efforts on areas crucial to the competitiveness of both the project partners and AC²T itself. To ensure high scientific quality, university and non-university research institutions are continuously involved in the research projects.
AC²T's project aims to conduct fundamental, application-oriented research at the highest international level. The following strategic goals underlie the project:
- Development of fundamental scientific knowledge
- Alignment of the research program with the strategic interests of the partners to enable them to sustainably develop new, innovative products and processes
- Cooperation with renowned researchers, scientific organizations, and innovative companies in joint strategic research projects
- Networking and pooling of national and international expertise in the relevant fields to achieve optimal synergy effects
- Knowledge transfer to a wide range of economic and social sectors
- Strengthening Austria's competitiveness as a research location
- Regular allocation of topics and provision of work opportunities for the completion of academic papers, such as dissertations
The first of two four-year funding periods for the current InTribology project began in April 2020.
A particular focus of the research activities is the integration of knowledge in tribology with knowledge in data science. Tribological data are analyzed using modern data analysis methods to generate new insights. The research is financed by the partners, the public sector (approximately 50%), and AC2T research GmbH as project coordinator. The state of Lower Austria provides approximately one-third of the public funding. The remaining two-thirds are provided from the respective federal budgets by the Federal Ministry for Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology and the Federal Ministry for Digitalization and Business Location, each through the Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG).