CRESCENDO, which stands for Collaborative Robust Engineering using Simulation Capability Enabling Next Design Optimization, is a research and development project co-financed by the European Union in the Seventh Framework Program. It seeks to reduce by 10% the conceptual development process, another 10% of development costs, 50% of re-work, and 20 % the cost of physical models to achieve in the near future the ultimate goal of developing a digital platform for design and certification of aircraft. The so-called the Behavioural Digital Aircraft, BDA, will reduce by half the time to market of a new aircraft model, integrating suppliers in the design process and allowing a reduction in travel costs associated to development projects.

CIMNE provides expertise in two phases of the project; the first one is during optimization and robust design codes and methodologies development, and the second one is the development of interfaces that allow the proper use and integration of methods and developed codes with existing design tools. CIMNE has a long experience in research projects at European level, and in numerical applications development. Those capabilities have enabled CIMNE entering the select group of partners working in the best valued project presented in the FP7 call for proposal in 2009. With a budget of € 55M and a consortium of 59 partners, CRESCENDO shows strong European commitment to competitiveness and application of new technologies for the design and manufacturing in the aerospace sector.

For details visit: www.crescendo-fp7.eu.