OPTIMAL STRUCTURAL SOLUTIONS LDA

Their core work

Optimal Structural Solutions is a Portuguese SME specializing in structural engineering for aerospace, with a focus on composite materials inspection, damage assessment, and condition-based maintenance of aircraft and rotorcraft. They provide technical expertise in structural health monitoring, prognostics, and adaptive maintenance planning — helping the aviation industry move from scheduled to predictive maintenance. Their work spans from composite damage quantification to real-time sensor-based monitoring systems using edge computing and data analytics.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Early participation (2014–2016) centered on fundamental aerospace structural work — composite materials inspection via CompInnova and airframe contributions through the Clean Sky 2 GAM AIR programme. From 2018 onward, their focus shifted decisively toward digital and predictive maintenance: real-time monitoring, sensor integration, edge computing, and data analytics for adaptive maintenance planning (ReMAP). The most recent project (GAM-2020-AIR) also introduced eco-design and energy efficiency as explicit concerns alongside traditional structural performance.

They are moving from traditional structural analysis toward data-driven predictive maintenance, combining their deep structural expertise with sensor technology and edge computing — positioning themselves at the intersection of aerospace structures and Industry 4.0.

How they like to work

Optimal operates as a specialist contributor rather than a project leader — they have never coordinated an H2020 project, participating instead as a partner or third party. With 109 unique consortium partners across 17 countries, they are well-connected and experienced at integrating into large aerospace consortia. Their recurring involvement in the Clean Sky 2 Airframe ITD (GAM AIR 2018 and GAM-2020-AIR) suggests they are a trusted, returning contributor within established programmes.

Despite being a small company, they have collaborated with 109 distinct partners across 17 countries, largely through the large Clean Sky 2 consortium structure. Their network is strongly European with broad geographic coverage across the EU aerospace research ecosystem.

What sets them apart

As a Portuguese SME with deep expertise in both traditional structural engineering and emerging digital maintenance technologies, they occupy a niche that few small companies fill — bridging physical structural analysis with predictive data analytics for aviation. Their sustained involvement in Clean Sky 2 over six years (2014–2024) demonstrates a level of trust and domain credibility unusual for a company of their size. For consortium builders, they offer specialized aerospace structural and CBM knowledge without the overhead and complexity of engaging a large aerospace OEM.

Highlights from their portfolio

• ReMAP
  Their largest funded project (EUR 298,875), focused on real-time condition-based maintenance — represents their strategic pivot toward predictive, data-driven aerospace maintenance.
• CompInnova
  An FET/Research Excellence project on advanced composite damage inspection, demonstrating their capacity for fundamental research alongside applied engineering.
• GAM-2020-AIR
  Continuation of their Clean Sky 2 Airframe ITD involvement, now including eco-design and rotorcraft — showing long-term programme loyalty and expanding scope.