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

Infrastructure Urban

05 Nov 2025

TBO Tek Q2 Profit Climbs 12%, Revenue Surges 26% YoY

TBO Tek Limited one of the world’s largest travel distribution platforms, reported a solid performance for Q2 FY26 with a 26 per cent year-on-year increase in revenue to Rs 5.68 billion, reflecting broad-based growth and improving profitability.The company recorded a Gross Transaction Value (GTV) of Rs 8,901 crore, up 12 per cent YoY, driven by strong performance across Europe, MEA, and APAC regions. Adjusted EBITDA before acquisition-related costs stood at Rs 1.04 billion, up 16 per cent YoY, translating into an 18.32 per cent margin compared to 16.56 per cent in Q1 FY26. Profit after tax r..

Infrastructure Energy

05 Nov 2025

Northern Graphite, Rain Carbon Secure R&D Grant for Greener Battery Materials

Northern Graphite Corporation and Rain Carbon Canada Inc, a subsidiary of Rain Carbon Inc, have jointly received up to C$860,000 (€530,000) in funding under the Canada–Germany Collaborative Industrial Research and Development Programme to develop sustainable battery anode materials.The two-year, C$2.2 million project aims to transform natural graphite processing by-products into high-performance, battery-grade anode material (BAM). Supported by the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Programme (NRC IRAP) and Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs a..

Infrastructure Urban

05 Nov 2025

Antony Waste Q2 Revenue Jumps 16%; Subsidiary Wins Rs 3,200 Cr WtE Projects

Antony Waste Handling Cell Limited (AWHCL), a leading player in India’s municipal solid waste management sector, announced a 16 per cent year-on-year increase in total operating revenue to Rs 2.33 billion for Q2 FY26. The growth was driven by higher waste volumes, escalated contracts, and strong operational execution.EBITDA rose 18 per cent to Rs 570 million, with margins steady at 21.6 per cent, while profit after tax stood at Rs 173 million, up 13 per cent YoY. Revenue from Municipal Solid Waste Collection and Transportation (MSW C&T) reached Rs 1.605 billion, and MSW Processing re..