Supporting new solutions and rewarding innovation

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    Access to spacious laboratory spaces and sophisticated equipment at Research & Development Center in Lyon, France.

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    The aim is to accelerate national and international Startups by providing access to the research and development facilities of LafargeHolcim based in l’Isle d’Abeau (Greater Lyon area).

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    Knowledge exchange between researchers at LCR Lyon and ETH Zurich

    Discussing research and approaches to recycling concrete and “closing the gap” towards a circular flow of materials in construction: Carlos Espina, LafargeHolcim Research & Development; François de Larrard, LafargeHolcim Research & Development; Gérard Kuperfarb, LafargeHolcim Executive Committee member responsible for Growth & Innovation; and Guillaume Habert, Professor & Chair of Sustainable Construction, ETH Zurich.

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    Members of the Steering Committee of the LafargeHolcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction (l-r): Eric Olsen, Harry Gugger, Gérard Kuperfarb, Marilyne Andersen, Marc Angélil, and Roland Köhler.

LafargeHolcim will launch a Start-Up Accelerator to offer young companies on-site accommodation and the use of the facilities at the industry's leading Research & Development Center in Lyon, France.

Last updated: February 10, 2017 Lyon, France

LafargeHolcim will launch a Start-Up Accelerator to offer young companies on-site accommodation and the use of the facilities at the industry's leading Research & Development Center in Lyon, France. The collaboration will support development, testing, and marketing of new solutions in construction and urban planning.

Changing the face of construction

The Start-Up Accelerator will be open to entrepreneurs from around the world who will benefit from LafargeHolcim’s network of technical experts and its commercial experience across all continents. The project is building on the existing work of the Group with startups in areas that include sustainability and innovative construction systems. It also reaches out to students and young professionals participating in the LafargeHolcim Awards - an initiative of LafargeHolcim, organized by its independent Foundation for Sustainable Construction.

Gérard Kuperfarb, Head of Growth & Innovation and member of the Board of the LafargeHolcim Foundation said: “With the Start-Up Accelerator we are making a commitment to support young companies specializing in construction materials and construction solutions. We can offer them a sophisticated laboratory environment and access to years of experience in creating and applying building materials in thousands of projects and challenging environments around the world.”

LCR-Visit-ETHZ-Sep2016-RecycleConcrete.JPGInternational Awards competition for materials and product innovation

The LafargeHolcim Awards seek innovative visions and solutions in materials, products and construction technologies as well as project concepts from architecture, building and civil engineering, landscape and urban design. Students and professionals up to the age of 30 years are encouraged to submit visionary concepts, bold ideas and “blue-sky” solutions in the Next Generation category of the competition - including projects related to construction materials, processes and related innovations.

Entry in the competition is free, projects must be submitted by March 21, 2017, 14:00 UTC at www.lafargeholcim-awards.org/enter

Find out more about the Start-Up Accelerator at http://bit.ly/2lqSFg2

Further reading

Knowledge exchange between researchers at LCR Lyon and ETH Zurich

Sustainable Construction Research

Accelerating innovation in the building sector

Zurich, Switzerland