Exchange on the future of product development
How can products be designed from the outset to be more resource-efficient, durable and circular? This is the question addressed by the GoProZero project, which investigates integrated product creation systems as enablers for zero emissions.
At the fifth consortium meeting on 13 July 2026 at Hochschule Bielefeld (HSBI), the project participants came together to discuss the current status of the work, reflect on interim results and further specify the next steps in the project. Following the welcome by Prof. Dr. Eva Schwenzfeier-Hellkamp, Head of the Institute for Technical Energy Systems (ITES) at HSBI, the participants first gave an overview of the ongoing work priorities and lighthouse activities.
Workshops on future scenarios, circular economy and AI
Several workshops formed the core of the meeting and provided an opportunity to take a closer look at key topics within the project. Discussions focused, among other things, on scenarios for a future study, a maturity model for the transformation of engineering towards a circular economy, and AI solutions that can support circularity in product development.
The workshops offered space to further develop the existing approaches together, integrate requirements from industrial practice and bring together the perspectives of the different partners. The exchange once again highlighted the importance of close collaboration within the consortium: research institutions, the technology network and company partners contribute different areas of expertise that are essential for developing practical solutions.
inIT contributes expertise in lifecycle data management
At inIT, GoProZero is located within Prof. Dr. Henning Trsek’s Networked Automation Systems research group. Natalia Moriz, research group leader, and Philip Sehr, research associate, took part in the consortium meeting on behalf of the institute.
inIT is particularly involved in the development of holistic lifecycle data management within the project. The aim is to bring together relevant sustainability and engineering data and make it usable for product development, for example through digital twins.
Collaboration as a foundation for sustainable product development
“The consortium meeting showed how constructive and focused the collaboration within the project is. The direct exchange between the partners is particularly valuable, as it allows us to jointly assess the results achieved so far, incorporate requirements from practice and further develop the next steps in a targeted way,” says Natalia Moriz.
GoProZero thus addresses a key challenge of the dual transformation: digitalisation and sustainability need to be considered together so that companies can develop products with greater circularity from the outset and make them more resource-efficient throughout their entire life cycle.
More about GoProZero: https://its-owl.de/projekte/entwicklung-nachhaltiger-produkte-mit-hilfe-der-kreislaufwirtschaft-goprozero/
Auther: Mona Marie Brinkmann