Tag Archive for: Events

STAR*track general meeting advances collaboration and innovation in Bolzano

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This week, STAR*track project partners gathered in Bolzano, Italy, for the project’s three-day bi-annual General Meeting.

Hosted by project partner, Eurac Research, at NOI Techpark, the meeting offered a chance for partners to collaborate, knowledge-share and progress plans to strengthen the Built4People Innovation Cluster (B4PIC) Network, with the collective aim of advancing sustainable and circular innovation across the European built environment.

As well as progress updates and key happenings from across the project, agenda highlights included:

Local Italian innovation

Chiara Dipasquale (Würth Italia) presenting their innovation startegy.

Partners enjoyed a comprehensive overview of the local Italian innovation ecosystem, with a spotlight on relevant case studies that highlight how collaboration between public/private stakeholders, alongside grants, technology transfer, and interdisciplinary platforms, can help drive sustainable advancements in the construction sector.

B4PIC best practices

Project partners discussing B4PIC best practices in Bolzano Italy.

A roundtable session was held to discuss and identify Built4People Innovation Cluster (B4PIC) best practices and lessons learnt so far from STAR*track’s dedicated cluster maturation process.

These practices will be added to a special project booklet (watch this space for its release announcement!).

Site visit: Eurac Research’s laboratories

Eurac’s Façade System Interactions lab, in NOI Techpark, Bolzano, Italy.

Partners had the opportunity to visit Eurac Research’s laboratories, including the Façade System Interactions lab, where innovative building systems are tested to better understand how façade configurations influence energy performance, indoor environmental quality, and occupant comfort. Through real-scale testing and comparative analysis, the laboratory supports the optimisation of sustainable building solutions and demonstrates how research and innovation can help improve the performance and resilience of the built environment.

Workshop on replication

Partners discussed how the B4PIC Network could inspire the creation of other sustainable networks across the European Union (EU) and beyond, and goals for the B4PIC Network’s own sustainability.

Learn more about the Built4People Partnership and STAR*track project.

STAR*track convenes in Bolzano to further project’s sustainability goals

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Today, STAR*track project partners are gathered in Bolzano, Italy, to mark the beginning of the project’s three-day bi-annual General Meeting, hosted by project partner, Eurac Research at NOI Techpark.

The first day of the project’s General Meeting was focused on a comprehensive overview of the local Italian innovation ecosystem.

Various workshops and discussions throughout the day aimed to shine a spotlight on relevant case studies that highlight how collaboration between public and private stakeholders, alongside grants, technology transfer, international networks, and interdisciplinary platforms, can drive sustainable advancements in the construction sector.

Key highlights from day one included:

  • Exploring South Tyrol’s innovation ecosystem and NOI Techpark’s role in supporting innovation, funding, and technology transfer.
  • Insights from IDM Südtirol on engaging companies and strengthening the construction sector.
  • Real experiences from regional & EU innovation ecosystems, including Habitech and the B4PIC Network.
  • Corporate perspectives from Würth Italia on innovation strategies and working with research & public funding.
  • Spotlight on STAR*track and the growing European B4PIC community.
  • Discovering the MetaBuilding digital ecosystem and cross-border Metacluster collaboration with project partners, ZAG and EURAC.
  • Inspiring case studies from various locally and EU-funded (Horizon Europe) companies, sharing lessons learned and replication potential.
  • A full day of knowledge exchange, collaboration, and forward-thinking ideas—showcasing how EU support and strong partnerships are shaping the future of construction

A week in Bolzano

Stay tuned for more updates from Bolzano this week, as project partners continue to discuss and plan how STAR*track can further help to deliver a future for Europe that is sustainable, beautiful, and inclusive, in alignment with the New European Bauhaus’ (NEB) values.

Learn more about STAR*track.

When the EDIH and B4PIC networks meet : Services that empower, networks that connect, actions that are co-created

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Participants at the “When the EDIH and B4PIC Networks meet” 12 February, in Belgium.

Earlier this month, GreenWin and ECTP organised an event to bring together representatives from  European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIHs), the Built4People Innovation Cluster (B4PIC) Network, European Union (EU) institutions and innovation stakeholders from across Europe.

The event provided a unique opportunity to exchange insights, explore collaboration mechanisms and co-create future joint actions to accelerate digital and sustainable transformation in the construction ecosystem.

Morning session: Networks, services and practical impact

The event opened with a welcome note from Gilles Colson, COO of GreenWin, and Anastasiya Yurchyshyna, Secretary General of ECTP, setting the scene for closer cooperation between digital innovation actors and the construction ecosystem.

Participants then received an overview of the EDIHs, presented by Gaspard Demur, Deputy Head of Unit ‘Artificial Intelligence (AI) Innovation and Policy Coordination’ at the EU AI Office, including its service offer and the growing role of AI as a strategic driver for competitiveness, resilience and innovation across sectors.

This was followed by a presentation of the B4PIC Network, delivered by Anastasiya Yurchyshyna, outlining its role within the Built4People (B4P) Partnership and its contribution to fostering innovation, collaboration and impact in the built environment.

Following this, the programme continued with the Thematic Working Group on Construction, presented by Stéphanie Roosa from EDIH Connect and Luigi Perissich from DIHCUBE. The session highlighted the main activities of the current eight construction EDIHs, their focus areas and key achievements in supporting digital transformation in construction.

Concrete implementation was at the centre of the following sessions:

  • Practical examples of EDIH services provision for companies, demonstrating hands-on support for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and industry – presented by six different EDIHs: DIHCUBE (Italy), DIGITAL Built (Portugal), EDICS (Bulgaria), TKEDIH (Poland), EDIH-EBE (Belgium) and EDIH Connect (Belgium).
  • Practical examples of B4PIC activities, showcasing cluster-driven collaboration and innovation initiatives, delivered by SYXIS (Lithuania) and Construction City Cluster (Norway). Both B4PICs signed the B4P Innovation Cluster Charter later that afternoon and officially became Emerging B4PICs.

The morning concluded with a networking lunch and a visit to the Buildwise Demonstration Centre, where participants explored live demonstrations and continued informal exchanges.

Afternoon session: Co-Creating future actions

The afternoon shifted from information sharing to active collaboration.

A first session set the collaboration framework, introducing the participatory methodology used during the round tables and outlining the objectives for each working group. Short thematic pitches prepared participants for the collaborative discussions ahead.

The participatory round table workshops then focused on co-creating concrete future actions, fostering alignment between networks and identifying joint initiatives with tangible impact:

  • Positioning and collaboration around four upcoming EU calls, including two Built4People calls.
  • A potential joint presence at Smart City Expo World Congress (November 2026, Barcelona).
  • The DIHCUBE Launch Pad event—a matchmaking initiative designed to boost the exposure and growth of innovative solutions from selected EDIHs in the construction sector.
  • Project INTEGRATES – strengthening the pathway from project results to ecosystem uptake.
  • Strengthening synergies between digital collaboration platforms and the Digital Product Passport (DPP) to enhance integration, data exchange and ecosystem-wide uptake.

The day continued with insights into upcoming EU work programmes, helping participants to position themselves strategically for future funding and cooperation opportunities.

Celebrating B4PICs advancement within the network

A key highlight of the event was the signing ceremony of the Built4People Charter by two B4PICs; SYXIS and Construction City Cluster, marking an important step in strengthening the network and formalising their commitment to shared objectives as ‘Emerging’ B4PICs. You can read a full summary of the cluster charter signing here.

Overall, the meeting clearly demonstrated the shared ambition of Europe’s digital and construction communities: moving from exchange to structured cooperation, and from ideas to implementation.

Save the date: NEBULA at Sustainable Places!

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Come and meet NEBULA’s partners at Sustainable Places the 14th, 15th and 16th of June in Madrid! NEBULA will hold different sessions, including its first matchmaking as a free of charge and hybrid side event, on Wednesday the 14th of June 2023.

This matchmaking session will aim to expose the B4P Stakeholders Community, ECTP members, WorldGBC members and members of European clusters to relevant upcoming European and national funding opportunities related to the New European Bauhaus (NEB). The NEB is a creative and interdisciplinary initiative from the European Commission that connects the European Green Deal to our living spaces and experiences. It calls on all of us to imagine and build together a sustainable and inclusive future that is beautiful for our eyes, minds, and souls.

A second NEBULA session will be organise as part of Sustainable Places, with return of experience of some of the first NEB and B4P funded projects, to share good practices and enhance synergies between the Built4People and the NEB.

Sustainable Places prides itself on being an ideal platform for the dissemination of research, the conduct of workshops, EU project clustering and networking between stakeholders of all types. Besides NEBULA’ sessions, you will be able to participate in many different sessions on the following topics: Energy Communities, Smart Cities and Urban Transition; Sustainable Construction & Renovation; Climate Change mitigation and adaptation and many more.

Get your ticket for Sustainable Places here on the event’s website.

Are you interested in the matchmaking event? Stay tuned, the registration link will soon come!

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