LOUVAIN-LA-NEUVE, Belgium, September 28, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

MSC Software, one of the ten original software companies and the worldwide leader in multidiscipline simulation, has acquired e-Xstream engineering, a spin-off of the Division of Applied Mechanics (MEMA) at the Université catholique de Louvain  (UCL), the worldwide leader in multiscale simulation.

e-Xstream's software platform Digimat™ is the reference solution for manufacturers and research scientists allowing them to design high performance composite materials more quickly and at lower cost by means of an accurate and reliable computational approach. The platform for modeling composite materials developed by e-Xstream offers cutting edge technology to materials suppliers, automotive and aerospace industries, and consumer product manufacturers as a way to innovate and reduce cost. Digimat™ multi-scale simulations make it possible to predict the physical behavior of a composite material from numerical simulations, the properties of its constituents, and the morphology of its microstructure. The advantages of using composite materials across industries are well known, which include reduction in the weight of parts, reduction in the consumption of natural and energy resources, and reduction in CO2 emissions.

Prof. Issam Doghri (UCL) co-launched the company in 2003 to bring his extensive expertise in the field of mathematical modeling and numerical simulation of nonlinear materials. Roger A. Assaker, co-founder and Ph.D. in Applied Sciences from UCL, has been the managing director from the inception of the company. Thanks to his entrepreneurial spirit, e-Xstream became the leader in advanced materials simulation. SOPARTEC, a wholly owned subsidiary of UCL and manager of Louvain Technology Funds, VIVES I and VIVES II, was one of the co-founders and an early investor in the company.

"In joining forces with e-Xstream, MSC Software will blur the boundary between material engineering and structural engineering, allowing for more pervasive use of advanced materials while helping manufacturers to dramatically reduce the cost of physical testing needed to validate a new material system," said Dominic Gallello, President  & CEO of MSC Software.

"This new partnership is again demonstrating how UCL is playing an active role in the transfer of technology. Through its Louvain Technology transfer Office (LTTO), the University is committed to facilitating the transfer of technology for the benefit of society. This is a good example of the way UCL contributes to the economic development of the region", said Bruno Delvaux, rector of UCL.

For more information, please visit http://www.mscsoftware.com or http://www.e-Xstream.com.

About e-Xstream engineering

Founded in 2003 as a spin-off of Université catholique de Louvain, e-Xstream engineering (http://www.e-Xstream.com ) is a software & engineering services company 100% focused on the multi-scale modeling of composite materials & structures. It helps its customers, material suppliers and material users across the industries (Auto, Aero) to reduce the cost and time needed to engineer innovative materials and products using Digimat, the nonlinear multi-scale material and structure modeling platform. The e-Xstream engineering corporate logo and Digimat logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of e-Xstream engineering SA.

About SOPARTEC-LTTO-VIVES

The Louvain Technology Transfer Office (LTTO ) was created as a partnership between the UCL Research Administration (ADRE) and SOPARTEC SA (http://www.sopartec.com) to connect industry with academic science and transfer UCL's discoveries from the lab to the market. The technology transfer activities contribute to develop new products and solve problems thanks to research initiated by UCL. They foster innovation in combination with high level of research and education. At UCL, the transfer of technologies dates back to the early nineties. More than 50 spinoff companies, which today generate more than 3,000 jobs, contribute to new economic activity and to the development of society. SOPARTEC is also the managing company of a €43m VIVES Louvain Technology Fund, the largest European investment fund ever initiated by a university. VIVES is a multi-sectorial technology investment fund that invests in spin-offs of Université catholique de Louvain (UCL) as well as start-ups in Belgium and neighboring countries. The objective of the fund is to invest in the development of start-ups, from technological validation through commercial maturity. Please visit : http://www.llto.com http://www.vivesfund.com

About UCL

Founded in 1425, the Université catholique de Louvain (UCL) is one of Europe´s oldest universities. It offers hundreds of educational programmes  to more than 27,000 students from some  120 countries. UCL is ranked 125th in the QS World University Rankings (2011-2012), making it the number one university in the French Community of Belgium. Education, Research and Service to Society are the three fundamental missions of  UCL. Anchored in a tradition of excellence, they have always opened up UCL to its region, Europe and the world. Research is closely  linked to learning and teaching and is the raison d´être and the driving force of the university's activity. Often applied but also implied, research at UCL is the day-to-day activity of responsible and passionate men and women. Whether in the short or long term, research constitutes one of the best investments in economic, social and cultural terms. Financing research, like financing education and health, must count among the highest priorities of a country and constitutes the pride of an advanced society. Please visit : http://www.uclouvain.be

About UCL's MEMA

I. Doghri is member of the research division MEMA (http://www.uclouvain.be/mema ) whose main objective is the theoretical prediction of the behaviour of solids and fluids, with the help of new mathematical modeling and computer simulation techniques. Applications concern new materials and their forming processes. The main research topics are: fluid mechanics, mechanics of materials, biomechanics, simulation of industrial processes, numerical methods and algorithms for scientific computations. MEMA is part of the research institute iMMC (Institute of Mechanics, Materials and Civil Engineering). iMMC activities (http://www.uclouvain.be/en-immc.html) span several of the major engineering disciplines, and are grouped into five inter-related topics: (1) energy, thermodynamics, and chemical engineering; (2) mechatronics and biomechanics; (3) processing, materials, assembly, and structures; (4) fluid mechanics, environmental engineering, and geomechanics; (5) numerical and computational methods.

SOURCE Sopartec