The ILG, which aims to act as the interface between the Institute’s research and the safety manufacturers, invited members and other representatives to hear about the Institute’s current projects and discuss a programme of activities.
 
The ILG’s members include the major companies involved in manufacturing safety equipment such as Helmet manufacturer Arai, motor racing equipment company Momo and harness manufacturer Sabelt.
 
The plenary session was followed by a series of workshops, each offering a closer examination of individual projects. The first looked at the Head And Neck Support (HANS) device and Formula One helmets; the second at the development of a young driver’s crash helmet; and the third at the introduction of a new FIA seat performance specification. Further workshops are planned for 2007.

The ILG, formed in September 2006, is the most recent addition to the FIA Institute’s structure. It provides a forum for a detailed dialogue between the motor sport safety industry and the FIA Institute’s research team. And it offers the manufacturers the chance to become partners in the Institute’s various projects.
 
This is necessary to enable the Institute’s working groups to maintain a dialogue with the manufacturers and deliver standards that are appropriate to the market. For instance, there is little point in inventing a new safety measure if it uses exotic materials and is very expensive to produce. The findings of the research must be cost-effective and of the right standard for the manufacturers and vendors that produce and sell the items. The ILG will help to guide those standards.