Summary
- Profile Type
- Research & Development Request
- POD Reference
- RDRDE20260626004
- Term of Validity
- 28 June 2026 - 28 June 2027
- Company's Country
- Germany
- Type of partnership
- Research and development cooperation agreement
- Targeted Countries
- Slovakia
- Spain
- Czechia
- Italy
- Sweden
- Belgium
- France
- Denmark
- Poland
- Netherlands
- Austria
General information
- Short Summary
- A German cleantech company with focus on circularity in construction material production has developed an innovative process to convert urban excavation waste into load-bearing construction materials with up to 98% reduced CO₂ footprint compared with conventional bricks. For an upcoming EU-LIFE Application, the consortium seeks an coordinator to guide the upscaling of production and increase from TRL 6/7 to TRL 8 with goal industrial size impact and installations.
- Full Description
-
The project EX2BUILD addresses one of Europe's largest waste streams: urban excavation material. The objective is to transform this underutilised resource into circular, building-regulation-compliant construction materials, enabling large-scale market adoption of a proven environmental innovation. After successful demonstrators and low volume production, the upscaling for industrial use is now in focus.
The project will establish an industrial, scalable production system along the value chain:
• material sourcing and preparation
• industrial pressing and drying processes improvements
• quality assurance and certification
• business model development and replication
A demonstration plant in Berlin (Urban Tech Republic TXL) will serve as a real-world lab to validate the system under industrial conditions and achieve TRL 8 and even 9. Production with small scale resources already active and running.
The project is structured into 8 work packages, including:
• industrial product and process development
• engineering of tailored machinery and related components for high automation
• proof of significant upscaling of production
• certification and standardisation (DIN 18940)
• life cycle assessment and environmental impact monitoring
• replication and exploitation strategy
The consortium is looking for an experienced organisation to act as project coordinator with expertise in EU-funded programmes (e.g. LIFE, Innovation Fund, Horizon Europe).
Key responsibilities
• Overall project management and governance
• Coordination of partners and work packages
• Financial and administrative management
• Risk and quality management
• Interface with CINEA / European Commission
• Contribution to dissemination, exploitation and replication strategy
Consortium
The core consortium already includes partners covering:
• material and product development (cleantech company)
• demonstration site (Berlin TXL)
• testing and certification (independent institute)
Additional partners (engineering, construction, LCA) are being integrated. - Advantages and Innovations
-
• Up to 98% CO₂ reduction compared to conventional construction materials
• Transformation of urban excavation material into load-bearing building products
• Urban mining approach addressing one of Europe’s largest waste streams
• Development of a first-of-a-kind industrial production line for excavation-based materials
• Integration of material preparation, pressing, drying and automated quality control
• Scalable, industrial production system for circular construction materials
• Data-driven process optimisation ensuring consistent quality and efficiency
• Alignment with existing standards (DIN 18940) → no additional approval barriers
• Accelerated market adoption potential
• Real-life demonstration in an urban environment (Berlin TXL)
• Fully replicable model for European metropolitan regions
• Combination of environmental impact, industrial feasibility and commercial scalability - Technical Specification or Expertise Sought
-
The consortium is seeking an experienced organisation with expertise in at least two of the following sectors:
• construction technologies
• construction materials
• industrial process engineering
• system integration
Experience in coordinating EU-funded projects (e.g. LIFE, Horizon Europe, Innovation Fund) is strongly required.
Suitable organisations include applied research institutes, engineering centres or universities with strong industrial collaboration and demonstration experience. - Stage of Development
- Available for demonstration
- Sustainable Development Goals
- Goal 13: Climate Action
- Goal 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
- Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
- Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
- IPR status
- No IPR applied
Partner Sought
- Expected Role of a Partner
-
The selected partner will act as consortium leader and project coordinator, taking overall responsibility for the successful implementation of the project with a professional and experienced team.
Key tasks include:
Leading project management, governance and coordination across all work packages
Ensuring timely delivery of outputs, milestones and reporting obligations
Managing financial planning, resource allocation and risk management
Acting as the main interface with the European Commission / CINEA / other EU entities
Supporting the integration of technical, industrial and demonstration activities
Facilitating collaboration between industrial, research and public partners
Contributing to dissemination, exploitation and replication strategies
Ensuring compliance with EU requirements, including impact monitoring and KPI tracking
In addition, the partner is expected to provide strategic guidance in scaling the solution from pilot to industrial level (TRL 6–8+) and supporting the development of a replicable, market-ready business model.
The consortium explicitly welcomes partners who bring their own strategic interests, research perspectives or complementary innovation goals, provided these align with the overall project objectives and contribute to strengthening the project’s impact and scalability.
At the same time, the project builds on an already highly advanced technical foundation, including validated materials, pilot-scale production and a well-developed data base.
The partner will therefore engage with a mature, professional starting point, enabling a strong focus on industrial scaling, demonstration and market uptake rather than early-stage research. - Type and Size of Partner
- R&D Institution
- University
- SME 50 - 249
- SME <=10
- Big company
- SME 11-49
- Type of partnership
- Research and development cooperation agreement
Call details
- Framework program
- Climate action, environment, resource efficiency and raw materials
- Call title and identifier
-
LIFE-2026-SAP-ENV-ENVIRONMENT
- Anticipated project budget
-
4.500.000
- Coordinator required
-
Yes
- Deadline for EoI
- Deadline of the call
- Project duration in weeks
-
164
- Project title and acronym
-
EX2BUILD - Excavation Material to Building Ressources
- Climate action, environment, resource efficiency and raw materials
Dissemination
- Technology keywords
- 02003002 - Manufacturing plants networks
- Market keywords
- 09007001 - Construction companies
- 08002007 - Other industrial automation
- 09006 - Mining (non-energy related)
- 09007002 - Manufacture of construction materials, components and systems
- Targeted countries
- Slovakia
- Spain
- Czechia
- Italy
- Sweden
- Belgium
- France
- Denmark
- Poland
- Netherlands
- Austria
