The Built4People Projects Clustering Event took place on 16 October 2025 in Brussels, Belgium. Organised by The European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA), the European Commission, and ECTP in the context of the Built4People project STAR*track, this annual event brings together representatives from all projects funded under the Built4People calls. The aim of the event is to provide a valuable networking opportunity, foster knowledge exchange, and share lessons learned, challenges faced, and good practices developed across the Built4People (B4P) community. 

Attendees at the B4P Clustering Event 2025.

The event opened with welcoming remarks by Alain Zarli (Secretary General of ECTP), Mathieu Daloze (Policy Officer at DG ENER), and Annarita Ferreri (Head of Sector at CINEA).  

Following the opening, Mathieu Daloze offered an overview of the latest European policies related to the construction sector, highlighting the recent updates to the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD), including National Building Renovation Plans, and initiatives under the Affordable Energy Action Plan such as the forthcoming Heating and Cooling Strategy, the Electrification Action Plan, and the Citizen Energy Package.  

Mathieu Daloze also shared insights on the Blueprint towards a decarbonised building stock by 2050, the current state of Cluster 5 (Climate, Energy and Mobility) and Work Programme 2025–2027, as well as early perspectives on the next Framework Programme 10 (FP10), which will continue to support partnerships in sustainable construction and energy efficiency under Pillar II.  

Mathieu Daloze (DG ENER) presenting an overview of the latest policy developments in the construction sector.

Annarita Ferreri presented the Built4People call statistics from 2021 to 2024, including projects funded under the 2024 call — FRAIMwork, SPHEERE, RADIANCE, ShieldBot, DTERBIM, INTEGRATES, CRedIBlE, Le Colaz, BLUEPRINT, and RenoVisor — some of which were supported through additional budget from the reserve list.  

Annarita Ferreri also introduced the upcoming call HORIZON-CL5-2026-02-D4, with a deadline of 17 February 2026, with three projects expected per topic. The presentation showed that EU contributions are fairly balanced between private-for-profit entities (33%) and research organisations (34%), with 40 ongoing projects, 639 participating organisations, and 27% of EU funding going to SMEs. As she noted, the high number of applications has led to a lower overall success rate in 2025. 

The next session, led by Alain Zarli, focused on the Built4People Partnership, providing an overview of its mission, general and specific objectives, as well as its KPIs and partner-specific impact pathways.  

Following this, Anastasiya Yurchyshyna, ECTP, presented the state of play and next steps of the B4PIC Network, which now includes participants from 21 countries across the EU27 and beyond, bringing together 34 Built4People Innovation Clusters (B4PICs)— 24 Emerging and 10 Prospective. 

 This growth reflects the outcomes of the B4P Charter Signature Ceremony, held on 15 October 2025 as part of the Built4People Stakeholders Forum, during which six new B4PICs signed their B4PIC Charters, officially becoming Emerging B4PICs and beginning their journey to implement their roadmaps and advance through the network’s maturity process. 

By signing the B4PIC Charter, clusters commit to progressing towards the required level of maturity over a specified timeline, developing their cluster status from ‘Emerging’ to ‘Prospective’ and then finally ‘Established’.  

Once the signed clusters have reached the highest level of defined maturity (by meeting at least two mandatory and one optional ‘success factors’), they will be regarded as an officially ‘Established’ cluster.  

The event continued with presentations from four mature projects funded under the 2021 and 2022 calls: FORTESIE, presented by Paraskevi Plagaki (European Dynamics); Herit4ages, by Carlos Ernesto Ochoa (IERC); RE-SKIN, by Fabrizio Leonforte (Politecnico di Milano); and WeForming, by Ângelo Casaleiro (R&D Nester), showcasing their achievements, challenges, and innovative solutions in the built environment sector. This was followed by presentations from four newly granted projects starting in 2025: CRedIBlE, introduced by Paris A. Fokaides (Euphyia Tech); INBLANC, by Andre van Delft (DEMO Consultants); Le’ Colaz, by Eleni Goni (E2ARC); and RADIANCE, by Gabriel Fontenla (Universidad de Vigo), highlighting the next wave of innovation and upcoming contributions to the Built4People Partnership. 

A dedicated break-out session on Challenges & Solutions on Data Collection, Integration & Interoperability, moderated by Olav Luyckx (CINEA), explored key issues and solutions across data management in Built4People projects. Participants discussed the types of data collected, ranging from building and energy consumption data, humidity, overused resources, and digital twin aspects to qualitative societal and life-cycle inventory data; and the challenges of collecting it in a useful, standardised, and confidential manner.  

Solutions included standardisation, using accessible data from other projects, and ensuring data security, with proposals for a European observatory and trustworthy servers. On data integration, challenges included difficulties with energy data, infrastructure, and using aggregated data from other EU projects. Solutions focused on secure sandboxes, minimum data standards, and potentially a joint data repository to enhance knowledge-sharing. Interoperability challenges highlighted differences in regulations, software, and platforms across countries, with open standards and protocols identified as key to overcoming these barriers.  

Challenges and solutions on data collection, integration & interoperability break out session taking place.

Finally, discussions emphasised the value of data for policy feedback, including input for the Smart Readiness Indicator testing phase in Member States and for local or regional roadmap development. Key takeaways included the need for standardisation and harmonisation, data security compliance, and the promotion of open standards and protocols to enhance interoperability. 

A second break-out session, Challenges & Solutions for Demo Buildings & Sites, moderated by Linda Novosadová (CINEA), focused on the technical, regulatory, financial, and social challenges of coordinating demo projects across different types of sites and regions.  

Participants highlighted difficulties such as the lack of clear guidelines for defining pilot projects, accessibility issues for people with disabilities, changes of ownership, permitting bottlenecks, legal barriers, certification processes, and skills gaps for innovative products.  

Solutions and good practices shared by the participants included implementing smaller demonstrators, ensuring transparency, applying risk management, involving building managers and owners, addressing privacy and insurance issues, and building trust with demo site responsible parties. Emphasis was also placed on the need for frameworks to define pilot projects, involving universal design experts, and maintaining proactive engagement with project officers.  

Key takeaways included the importance of clear guidelines, addressing accessibility, legal, and operational challenges, and adopting flexible, adaptive strategies to manage risks and ensure successful project implementation. 

The event concluded with Veronika Schröpfer (CINEA) presenting a synthesis of the break-out sessions, summarising the key challenges, solutions, and best practices discussed. Annarita Ferreri closed the event by thanking all participants for their presence and engagement, emphasising the importance of always seeing projects, maintaining ongoing dialogue between project officers and participants, and ensuring that feedback informs policy through evidence-based information. 

The first Conference of Built4People Innovation Cluster (B4PIC), e-CODOMH, was held on 11–12 November at the Demokritos Amphitheatre in Athens, Greece, marking an important milestone for Greece’s growing ecosystem in sustainable construction and industrial innovation.

Bringing industry and research together

Bringing together companies from across the construction and materials value chain, alongside universities, research centres and public bodies, the two-day event highlighted the transformation currently reshaping both the Greek and European built environment.

Conference attendees explored themes ranging from sustainable renovation and circularity to advanced manufacturing technologies and the use of digital tools in the construction sector. What set the conference apart, however, was its strong emphasis on uniting business and science in a format designed to foster real synergies—positioning e-CODOMH as an emerging hub of knowledge, research and production within Greece, and beyond.

Key messages from industry and experts

Built4People Innovation Cluster, e-CODOMH’s, presentation during the conference on 11 November at the Demokritos Amphitheatre in Athens, Greece.

Opening the event, e-CODOMH President, George Eliades, underscored the conference’s role as a space for connection and development, noting the cluster’s potential to accelerate innovation across the built environment.

Leading industrial players, including platinum sponsor Elval Colour and gold sponsors ALUMINCO and Ilicon, shared insights into their ongoing efforts to develop low-carbon materials and environmentally responsible products. Their contributions reflected a shared commitment to drive sustainable growth via collaboration and to support the market’s transition to cleaner, smarter building solutions.

Technology providers also played a central role at the conference, with companies such as Core Innovation Groups showcasing digital solutions powered by artificial intelligence. Their presence underscored how Industry 4.0 technologies are increasingly shaping manufacturing and construction processes in Greece.

The sustainability agenda was further strengthened by contributions from various national organisations and experts. Speakers from the Greek Sustainable Buildings Council and Knauf Insulation highlighted the need for continuous collaboration, emphasising the crucial role of advanced materials and design practices in decarbonising the built environment.

Understanding e-CODOMH

Beyond its technical discussions, the conference offered the broader market an opportunity to better understand e-CODOMH’s mission and evolution. Founded in 2021 to bridge businesses, academia and research, the B4PIC continues to support innovation and respond to the complex challenges of modern construction.

Hosting the event at Demokritos Amphitheatre symbolically reinforced this commitment, bringing together technology, science and industry under one roof.

Looking towards a sustainable future

As the event concluded, a clear message emerged: the technologies and solutions presented are not aspirations for the distant future—they are already shaping today’s market. Greece is not simply keeping pace with European developments; in many areas, it is taking a leading role.

With strong engagement and a shared vision across sectors, the success of the first e-CODOMH Conference sets the stage for continued collaboration and further advances in sustainable construction. The next steps are awaited with great interest across the industry.

Learn more about the B4PIC Network.

On 6 November 2025, STAR*track partner, the European Construction Technology Platform (ECTP), presented the project at the Smart City Expo World Congress held in Barcelona, Spain, in a collaborative session with fellow project partner, METABUILDING Labs. 

From left to right: Germain Adell (Metabuilding Association), Nerea Gómez Morán, (ECTP) and Emre Yontem (EcoWise Ltd) on stage at the Smart City Expo Congress, Barcelona, Spain on 6 November 2025.

Nerea Gómez Morán, ECTP, took part in the “Unlocking Construction Innovation in Europe: The Metabuilding Ecosystem” session, alongside Germain Adell, General Director of the Metabuilding Association, and Emre Yontem, EcoWise Ltd (also a STAR*track project partner). 

During the session, Nerea discussed how ECTP, via STAR*track and the Built4People (B4P) Partnership, aim to foster innovation on a European scale. She also underlined how Built4People Innovation Clusters (B4PICs) aim to drive the transformation of innovation strategies into concrete actions and results. 

The session also featured the presentation of the B4PIC Network, a key component of the Built4People and STAR*track ecosystem. This network brings together innovation clusters from across Europe, and beyond, that share the common goal of accelerating the green and digital transition of the built environment. 

B4PICs are seen as essential players in this transformation, acting as true agents of change within their respective territories. For this reason, B4P and STAR*track are committed to supporting B4PICs throughout the entire cluster maturation journey, by providing tools that facilitate their work and enhance their effectiveness. 

One of these tools is the Metabuilding Platform, which looks to streamline cluster management, helping B4PICs to easily organise member relationships and leverage data-driven insights to deliver targeted content and events. The platform offers multiple benefits for B4PICs: it strengthens collaboration and communication, supports membership growth, and connects clusters to national and European networks for greater impact. 

Europe is falling behind in the green transition. Via STAR*track, B4P, and the Metabuilding Platform, B4PICs hope to change this by transforming ambition into action and leading the shift towards a more resilient and sustainable future across Europe, and beyond. 

Metabuilding stand at Smart City Expo Congress, November 2025, with Nerea Gomex Moran (ECTP), Germain Adell (Metabuilding), Tommaso Francese (R2M Solution), Thoma Messervey (R2M Group), Alejandro Adell (Metabuilding), Emre Yontem (EcoWise).

Learn more about STAR*track 

Learn more about the B4PIC Network