CREATE! Drives Innovation Forward

LCM Shifts Innovation into High Gear for Industry with Its New Research Programme

The Linz Center of Mechatronics (LCM) is shifting innovation into high gear for industry: The Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG) has approved the COMET centre “CREATE! – Center for Research on Emerging and Advanced Technologies in Engineering” at LCM, with a research volume of EUR 24 million (2027–2030). During this period, the Province of Upper Austria will invest EUR 4 million in the programme, thereby strategically strengthening the faster transfer of research into industrial applications.

From Idea to Application – Much Faster

With CREATE!, innovation cycles are to be shortened and new technologies brought into practice even more quickly. The focus lies on modern digital product development and the consistent integration of mechatronics with key technologies such as artificial intelligence, digitalisation, and automation. As a specialised research and development service provider, LCM goes beyond the traditional role of a technology integrator.

For over 25 years, the centre has combined cutting-edge research with practical application, systematically developing the latest technologies into market-ready solutions. Developments are bundled, accelerated, and directly translated into industrial value creation. Building on the success of the COMET centre “Symbiotic Mechatronics”, which concludes at the end of the year, the research programme CREATE! further sharpens LCM’s role as an “Innovation Enabler” and places an even stronger focus on implementation and speed. Numerous reference projects highlight LCM’s innovative strength – ranging from a magnetic brake for use in space to the electrified eVSP ship propulsion system and a 700 kW generator for WWS Wasserkraft GmbH. Some of these developments have received multiple awards.

“CREATE! means creating: we bring technologies even faster to where they make an impact – in industrial applications. As an Innovation Enabler, we accelerate development processes and significantly increase implementation speed for our industry partners,” explain LCM Managing Directors Dipl.-Ing. Dr. Johann Hoffelner and Dipl.-Ing. Dr. Manfred Nader.

Three Focus Areas, One Goal: More Speed in Innovation

The research programme focuses on high-performance drive systems and automated development, the use of simulations and digital twins, as well as secure sensor technologies and data analysis – with a clear objective: shorter development times, faster implementation, and greater resource efficiency. Leading industrial companies – including BRP-Rotax, ENGEL, KEBA, Primetals Technologies, voestalpine, and many others – are working together with around 20 institutes and research groups at Johannes Kepler University Linz, as well as international research partners, to rapidly transfer research into industrial practice. The network is further complemented by RECENDT – Research Center for Non-Destructive Testing and the Software Competence Center Hagenberg from the UAR Innovation Network.

Targeted Investment in Greater Innovation Speed

COMET stands for “Competence Centers for Excellent Technologies”, reflecting its high standards. The research programme, with a total volume of EUR 24 million over the first four years (2027–2030), is based on a partnership-driven funding model and a strong innovation ecosystem: EUR 8 million is provided by federal funding, the Province of Upper Austria contributes EUR 4 million, and the remaining half is financed through contributions from partners in industry and academia.

Further information can be found in the press materials at this link.