Duration: 01.01.2025 - 31.12.2027

Total funding volume: Total expenditure [€]: 5,082,091 ; Total funding [€]: 3,902,933

Funding volume of the university: Expenditure [€]: 568,614 ; Funding [€]: 540,183

Sponsored by: it's OWL; Project Management Organisation J¨¹lich ; Ministry of Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate Protection and Energy of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia

Regulations are becoming stricter, resources scarcer and society's demand for sustainability is growing. The circular economy offers companies solutions to these challenges: it extends product lifecycles, closes material cycles and reduces dependencies on scarce raw materials. However, the transformation to circular business models is challenging for companies. This is where the it's OWL project 'GoProZero' comes in, by enabling companies to develop circular and resource-efficient products.

In six pilot projects, the research results are being implemented in close cooperation with companies such as CLAAS, Denios, GEA, HARTING, WAGO and Weidm¨¹ller. The aim is to enable companies to transform to a circular economy, to which digital solutions make a significant contribution. The focus is on developing practical approaches and IT tools that support the development and implementation of resource-efficient and recyclable products. Key technologies such as artificial intelligence and digital twins are used. The synergetic interaction of digitization and sustainability creates scalable solutions that can be used by other companies in the long term, thus accelerating the transition to a circular economy.

Project partners: Fraunhofer IEM, Fraunhofer IOSB-INA, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences, TH OWL, InnoZent, Claas, Denios, GEA, HARTING AT, Wago, Weidm¨¹ller, associated partners without lighthouse project: S&N Invent, AI Marketplace