Portuguese applied research institute specializing in advanced composites for aerospace, energy, and offshore applications, with growing expertise in industrial energy efficiency.
INEGI is a Portuguese applied research institute specializing in advanced composite materials, mechanical engineering, and industrial energy systems. They develop fibre-reinforced structures for aerospace, wind energy, and shipbuilding — from carbon fibre pre-impregnated materials to smart turbine blade components. In recent years, they have expanded into industrial energy efficiency tools and renewable heating/cooling systems, bridging their materials expertise with energy applications. Their work spans from lab-scale material development through to industrial demonstrators and manufacturing process automation.
Core theme across MODCOMP, ECO-COMPASS, SpaceCarbon, SMARTFAN, Carbo4Power, FIBREGY, FIBRE4YARDS, MAREWIND, LAY2FORM and others — covering carbon fibre, thermoplastics, bio-composites, and nano-enabled multi-materials.
GAM AIR 2018, GAM-2020-AIR, INSCAPE, SpaceCarbon (coordinator), and ECO-COMPASS focus on aircraft structures, rotor-craft components, and space-qualified carbon fibres.
Carbo4Power (offshore turbine blades), MAREWIND (corrosion/durability for offshore wind), and FIBREGY (fibre-based solutions for offshore technology).
Hybrid-BioVGE (coordinator, solar/biomass heating), EMB3Rs (coordinator, excess heat recovery tool), MAESTRI (resource efficiency), and progRESsHEAT (renewable heating).
FIBRE4YARDS (automated composite manufacturing for shipyards) and GENIALG (seaweed biorefinery with marine applications).
InterLynk explores human platelet lysate-based scaffolds using 3D printing and electrospinning — an unexpected crossover from their composites and manufacturing process expertise.
In 2014–2018, INEGI concentrated heavily on advanced composites — carbon nanofibres, functionalised carbon fibres, bio-composites for aviation, and aerospace-grade material modelling (MODCOMP, ECO-COMPASS, INSCAPE). From 2019 onward, their portfolio shifted significantly toward energy systems and sustainable industrial applications: solar thermal heating, excess heat recovery, community energy, and offshore wind materials (Hybrid-BioVGE, EMB3Rs, MAREWIND, COME RES). Their composites work also matured from fundamental material properties toward full lifecycle concerns — corrosion resistance, recycling, and automated manufacturing for shipyards.
INEGI is pivoting from pure materials research toward applied energy and sustainability solutions — expect them to pursue more projects combining advanced materials with renewable energy infrastructure and circular manufacturing.
INEGI operates primarily as an active technical partner (21 of 26 projects), but has demonstrated coordination capability in 4 projects — notably leading both materials-focused work (SpaceCarbon, LAY2FORM) and energy system projects (Hybrid-BioVGE, EMB3Rs). With 364 unique partners across 27 countries, they maintain a very broad and diverse network rather than relying on a small circle of repeat collaborators. This makes them easy to integrate into new consortia: they are experienced team players who can also step up to lead when the topic aligns with their core strengths.
INEGI has collaborated with 364 distinct organizations across 27 countries, making them one of the most broadly connected Portuguese research centres in H2020. Their network spans most EU member states with strong ties in aeronautics (Clean Sky), energy, and manufacturing value chains.
INEGI sits at a rare intersection: they combine deep composites and materials science expertise with growing capabilities in energy systems engineering — a combination few European research centres offer under one roof. Their participation in Clean Sky (aerospace), offshore wind, shipbuilding, and space programmes means they can transfer material solutions across sectors that rarely talk to each other. For consortium builders, INEGI brings both the lab-scale material know-how and the industrial process engineering needed to move from concept to demonstrator.
