Lukas Weindl

INTERVIEW

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Please introduce yourself and your role in the project.

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My name is Lukas Weindl, and I work as a project manager at Steinbeis Europa Zentrum. My primary responsibility is in the field of exploitation, where I support international consortium partners in EU-funded projects in bringing their innovations to market. In the ēQATOR project, I serve as the internal project lead, with a particular focus on Intellectual Property (IP) management. ​

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What is your organisation's role in the project, and what expertise do you bring to the table?

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SEZ leads several tasks in Work Package 7 related to communication and IP management in ēQATOR. In terms of communication, my colleagues are responsible for designing and implementing a communication and engagement strategy to maximize the project’s visibility and effectively convey its objectives and solutions. 

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In the area of IP management, we support project partners in identifying exploitable results and determining their potential applications—whether commercial, scientific, or otherwise. Additionally, we assist with key aspects of IP management, including ownership, access rights, and knowledge protection. 

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As Steinbeis Europa Zentrum, we bring over 35 years of experience in innovation consulting, providing the necessary expertise in international project communication and IP management to support the success of ēQATOR. 

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How is your organisation collaborating with other partners in the project?

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SEZ’s role in the project is primarily horizontal, meaning we work closely with all project partners throughout its duration. We maintain ongoing communication with all partners to gather input for our communication channels, such as the project website and LinkedIn, ensuring that updates and achievements are effectively shared. 

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Additionally, we collaborate regularly with consortium partners to clarify project results, manage and maintain access rights, and support the protection of intellectual property. This, in turn, facilitates clear exploitation pathways for the project’s innovations.  

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How do your project activities contribute to the goal of the project to achieve a cost-competitive renewable methanol production with near zero CO2 emissions?

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Clear IP agreements in ēQATOR enable partners to share and integrate their innovations without disputes, fostering advancements in electrically heated catalytic reactors. This, in turn, supports the efficient utilization of CO₂ from renewable feedstocks for methanol production, as well as the development of electrically heated reactors powered by renewable energy. 

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Furthermore, our IP management activities play a key role in the commercialization of project results, ensuring that innovative solutions are effectively deployed rather than remaining underutilized. By helping partners protect their intellectual property, we also support the scaling-up of catalytic reactor technologies for industrial applications, facilitating market adoption and, ultimately, cost reductions. 

Regarding your tasks, what do you expect are or will be the greatest challenges during the project?

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So far, we are progressing well with our tasks. As the developed technologies reach their intended TRL levels and the project nears completion, partners' IP strategies will need to be further solidified. One remaining challenge is the final commercialization of project results after the project concludes. However, with the support of other project partners working on business models and commercialization pathways, we are confident that these challenges will be effectively addressed. 

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If you had one wish regarding the project, what would it be?

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My wish for the project is that its final outcomes reach as many people as possible and that its results are successfully scaled up for real market adoption. I hope the innovative technologies developed in ēQATOR will drive a transformation in the industry, making cost-competitive renewable methanol production a reality and ultimately delivering a meaningful positive impact on society and the climate.