Global Research Gathers in Panama to Accelerate Sustainable Concrete

19 Mar 2025 CW Team

Davide Zampini, GCCRN Industrial Chair and Vice President of Global Research Development at Cemex, emphasized the necessity of collective action, stating: "To achieve net-zero concrete by 2050, collaboration beyond our industry is essential. Spring Week serves as a crucial platform for exploring and harnessing innovative solutions."

Karen Scrivener, GCCRN’s Scientific Chair, and Professor and Director of the Laboratory of Construction Materials at the EPFL in Lausanne, said: “This year's Spring Week marks a significant milestone in our journey toward net-zero research, bringing together diverse perspectives to drive meaningful progress."

The Spring Week gathering provides the key opportunity for industrial and academic partners to meet face-to-face with PhD students, Postdocs and researchers from all over the world. The global community is coming together with one focus in mind – to decarbonise the world’s essential building material, concrete. Innovandi GCCRN is a world-class industrial-academic research network that connects the cement and concrete industry with scientific institutions. Its mission is to drive and support global innovation through actionable pre-competitive research, focusing on reducing the CO? footprint of concrete. The network engages over 450 scientists and invests approximately €10 million annually in research, including funding around €1.2 million specifically for CO? reduction initiatives.

The sessions at Spring Week are designed to catalyse collaborative efforts and accelerate the development of low-carbon concrete solutions. Discussions and workshops will centre on critical topics such as: - Utilisation of alternative materials and processes - Concrete recycling innovations - Integration of renewable energy sources - Electrification of kiln operations - Advancements in carbon capture technologies

The Innovandi Global Cement and Concrete Research Network (GCCRN) is convening its Spring Week from March 17 to 21, 2025, in Panama City. This pivotal event unites hundreds of delegates from more than 40 academic institutions and more than 30 industrial members worldwide to advance research and innovation in sustainable cement and concrete technologies. The primary focus of the gathering is to foster actionable research aimed at driving decarbonisation in the cement and concrete industry to achieve net-zero concrete by 2050. Davide Zampini, GCCRN Industrial Chair and Vice President of Global Research Development at Cemex, emphasized the necessity of collective action, stating: To achieve net-zero concrete by 2050, collaboration beyond our industry is essential. Spring Week serves as a crucial platform for exploring and harnessing innovative solutions. Karen Scrivener, GCCRN’s Scientific Chair, and Professor and Director of the Laboratory of Construction Materials at the EPFL in Lausanne, said: “This year's Spring Week marks a significant milestone in our journey toward net-zero research, bringing together diverse perspectives to drive meaningful progress. The Spring Week gathering provides the key opportunity for industrial and academic partners to meet face-to-face with PhD students, Postdocs and researchers from all over the world. The global community is coming together with one focus in mind – to decarbonise the world’s essential building material, concrete. Innovandi GCCRN is a world-class industrial-academic research network that connects the cement and concrete industry with scientific institutions. Its mission is to drive and support global innovation through actionable pre-competitive research, focusing on reducing the CO? footprint of concrete. The network engages over 450 scientists and invests approximately €10 million annually in research, including funding around €1.2 million specifically for CO? reduction initiatives. The sessions at Spring Week are designed to catalyse collaborative efforts and accelerate the development of low-carbon concrete solutions. Discussions and workshops will centre on critical topics such as: - Utilisation of alternative materials and processes - Concrete recycling innovations - Integration of renewable energy sources - Electrification of kiln operations - Advancements in carbon capture technologies

Building Material

11 Dec 2025

Suraj Estate Wins Euromoney Award for India’s Best Residential Developer

"Suraj Estate Developers Limited has received the Euromoney Real Estate Award 2025 for ‘India’s Best Residential Developer’, positioning the company among globally benchmarked leaders in the sector. The recognition reflects its four-decade legacy in delivering high-quality residential and redevelopment-led projects across South Central Mumbai. The Euromoney Real Estate Awards, presented by the London-based Euromoney magazine, are widely regarded as one of the most credible global assessments of performance in real estate, banking and finance. Winners are selected through surveys of inte..

Building Material

11 Dec 2025

Lloyds Metals, Tata Steel Sign MoU to Explore Strategic Collaboration

"Lloyds Metals and Energy Limited has signed a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding with Tata Steel Limited to evaluate potential areas of strategic cooperation across mining, logistics, pelletisation and steelmaking. The MoU was signed by B Prabhakaran, Managing Director of Lloyds Metals, and Mr T V Narendran, CEO and Managing Director of Tata Steel. The partnership framework aims to leverage the natural operational synergies between both companies and assess opportunities in greenfield steel projects, iron ore mining, slurry pipeline infrastructure, pellet manufacturing in iron ore–ric..

Building Material

11 Dec 2025

IndiaAI, Gujarat Govt Host Regional Conclave Ahead of 2026 AI Summit

The IndiaAI Mission under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, along with the Government of Gujarat and IIT Gandhinagar, convened a Regional Pre-Summit Event at Mahatma Mandir, Gandhinagar. The initiative is part of the build-up to the India–AI Impact Summit 2026, scheduled for 15–20 February 2026 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi. The conclave brought together senior policymakers, technology leaders, researchers and industry practitioners to examine how AI can accelerate economic, digital and social transformation across sectors. The programme focused on the overarching th..