New partnership with Southeast University in Nanjing enhances wide academic network of LafargeHolcim
- Partnership explores materials for 3D printing
- Latest addition to global academic network
- Leading R&D network creates a pipeline of ideas and talent
On the occasion of World Science Day, LafargeHolcim is proud to announce its latest partnership with Southeast University in Nanjing, China, where it is sponsoring research into concrete and mortars for on-site 3D printing.
Leading the way in green building solutions, LafargeHolcim is using 3D printing to make construction more efficient while lowering its carbon footprint, aiming to become a full 3D printing solutions provider.
Professor Yamei Zhang of Southeast University says: "My team and I have been working on sustainable concrete and the development of 3D printing concrete technology. The partnership with LafargeHolcim will allow us to take it to the next level."
“Our global network of academic partners is critical in helping us think outside the box. We need the brightest minds to help us lead the next frontier of building solutions,” emphasizes Edelio Bermejo, Head of R&D for LafargeHolcim.
This research is the latest step in broadening LafargeHolcim’s distinguished academic network. The company works with forty leading university departments around the world in fields ranging from materials science to civil engineering to sustainable construction. Many of the PhD students from the network go on to become employees of LafargeHolcim, helping to develop visionary innovations.
LafargeHolcim currently finances two university chairs advancing sustainable construction, one at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich, Switzerland, and one at the École des Ponts ParisTech in Paris, France. Other partnerships across the network are driving innovation in low-carbon and resource-efficient buildings, as well as resilience and durability of concrete structures, taking place at such prestigious institutions as IIT Madras (Chennai, India), Cape Town University (South Africa), TU Braunschweig (Germany) and University of Cambridge (UK). Announcements on further partnerships are expected in the coming months.
LafargeHolcim also strengthens its innovation network by partnering with hundreds of start-ups around the world that are experts in fields such as AI and digitalization. In this spirit, LafargeHolcim is currently organizing the first 3D printing hackathon, calling on the world’s smartest students to pioneer new solutions for more effective and efficient housing construction. All these collaborations help expand the company’s offering of low-carbon products and solutions as part of its journey to net zero.
LafargeHolcim leads the largest R&D organization in its industry with six innovation centers serving customers across all its markets, employing 300 researchers and drawing on 1,500 active patents. The company dedicates 55 of its innovation resources to advancing green construction with 45 of its patents in this area today.
To learn more about our R&D activities, please visit this link
About LafargeHolcim
As the world’s global leader in building solutions, LafargeHolcim is reinventing how the world builds to make it greener and smarter for all. On its way to becoming a net zero company, LafargeHolcim offers global solutions such as ECOPact, enabling carbon-neutral construction. With its circular business model, the company is a global leader in recycling waste as a source of energy and raw materials through products like Susteno, its leading circular cement. Innovation and digitalization are at the core of the company’s strategy, with more than half of its R&D projects dedicated to greener solutions. LafargeHolcim’s 70,000 employees are committed to improving quality of life across more than 70 markets through its four business segments: Cement, Ready-Mix Concrete, Aggregates and Solutions & Products.
About Southeast University
Southeast University (SEU), located in Nanjing, the ancient capital city of six dynasties, is a prestigious institution of higher learning renowned both at home and abroad. As one of the national key universities directly subordinate to the Ministry of Education of China and jointly established with Jiangsu Province, it is also listed as one of the universities involved in National “985 Project” “211 Project”. In 2017, SEU was ranked on the list of constructing “Class A first-rate world universities”.
More information is available on www.seu.edu.cn
