EXCELLERAT at the Automotive Testing & ADAS Expo: Strengthening Industry-Academia Collaboration
For the second consecutive year, researchers from the EXCELLERAT consortium took part in the Automotive Testing & ADAS Expo — a leading trade fair focused on advanced testing technologies for the automotive sector, including simulation, modelling, data management, data analytics, and AI tools supporting ADAS and autonomous vehicles.
Thanks to the support of the event organisers, a dedicated space was made available free of charge for universities and public research centres. This year, EXCELLERAT had a 50 m² booth — a space perfectly suited to accommodate ten representatives from various universities and research centres across the consortium. Although located slightly off the main traffic flow, near the conference area and cafés, the booth still benefited from strong visibility and a professional setup.
The outcome of this year’s participation was highly positive: nearly 180 contacts were made, doubling last year’s total. But beyond quantity, it is the quality of exchanges that truly improved. Several industrial companies who had already engaged with us in 2024 returned on their own initiative to continue the conversation — a strong sign that our collaborative efforts are beginning to take root.
This year, researchers received specific coaching on how to engage in dialogue with industry: listening first, identifying pain points related to simulation, modelling, data management, and AI.
This approach transformed the conversations and led to the identification of two to three concrete use cases to be developed jointly between industrial companies and universities or public research centres within the consortium.
The researchers expressed great satisfaction with the quality of the discussions. This direct contact with industrial reality proved not only enriching but also inspiring, paving the way for future collaborative R&D efforts.
A Proactive Business Development Approach
At the same time, the EXCELLERAT Business Development team proactively visited industrial booths to present the European framework for academia-industry collaboration and the support programmes funded by the European Commission.
These conversations were an opportunity to highlight a key message: European companies contribute to these funding schemes through the taxes they pay, part of which goes to the EU. These funds are then reinvested to support research by public universities and research centres across Europe.
The European Commission’s expectation is that research results will, in the medium and long term — and sometimes even in the short term — help industrial R&D departments develop new products, optimise existing solutions, and drive greater innovation.
This message was well received by many industrial stakeholders, who often lack awareness of the support mechanisms available from the European Commission. Several expressed strong interest in starting or continuing collaborations with public academic partners.
However, a common barrier was also identified: many industrial players find it difficult to get a clear overview of which universities or research centres in Europe specialise in which technologies, applications, or domains — and who the relevant researchers are.
This lack of visibility is a major obstacle, and points to the need for better mapping tools or platforms to facilitate connections between academic expertise and industrial needs.
In conclusion, this second participation at the Automotive Testing & ADAS Expo was once again a resounding success for EXCELLERAT in 2025. The format of the event — providing a dedicated and sponsored space for academia — has proven to be a highly effective model for stimulating dialogue, fostering innovation, and building sustainable partnerships between industry and research.
Such initiatives must continue. They play a crucial role in bridging the gap between scientific research and industrial innovation, and in ensuring that Europe remains at the forefront of technological development in the automotive sector and beyond.
