Projects Awarded Seed Funding 2025

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Construct Innovate Work Ready Graduate Programme (WRGP)

One way in which Construct Innovate is supporting innovation and collaboration in the construction industry is by funding industry-led projects through Seed Funding Calls.

This year, following success of the Seed Fund calls in 2023 and 2024, Centre’s third Seed Fund also attracted collaborative, impactful project proposals. 8 project proposals have been approved for funding.

The focus of these projects are wide ranging and reflect challenges the industry is facing around productivity, quality, safety and sustainability as well as opportunities for collaboration.

8 project funded under the Seed Fund 2025 call:

Project Title: Scaling up the use of the CO₂ Performance Ladder as a Green Public Procurement (GPP) and carbon reduction tool in Ireland

Lead RPO: IGBC

Lead PI: Marianne Ibrahim

Industry Partners: Colas Joint Venture, Roadstone, Irish Rail, Transport Infrastructure Ireland, Southeast Energy Agency

Abstract: Public procurement accounts for 10%-12% of Irish GDP reflecting high purchasing power and potential to create market change. While GPP is a key instrument in supporting the decarbonization of public procurement, its implementation in the construction sector (which accounts for 37% of overall carbon emissions) is slow, raising concerns about Ireland’s ability to meet its climate targets.

This project will scale up GPP implementation by supporting procurers in including the Ladder in public tenders enabling suppliers to structurally decarbonize their projects. The project will share results on emissions reductions achieved using the Ladder. Research shows that Organizations certified on the Ladder reduce emissions twice as fast as the industry average, fostering quantitative reduction and behavioural shift, therefore playing a crucial role in mitigating the carbon footprint associated with government spending.

Project Title: Investigation and application of innovative non-destructive measurement techniques to facilitate extending the life of existing structures and infrastructures.

Lead RPO: UCC

Lead PI: Michael O’Shea

Industry Partners: Infrastruct

Abstract: Conserving and extending the life of existing buildings and structures helps contribute to a sustainable development solution. The continued use of such structures minimises their environmental impact as the energy resources and materials (as would be required for a new-build replacement structure) are not required.

Structural health monitoring (SHM) refers to the characterisation of the structural behaviour of a structure, to provide a continuous diagnosis of the health of the structure. Innovative smart sensing technologies and predictive modelling, enhance SHM providing real-time data acquisition and data analytics.

The objective of the proposed project is the development of a smart, innovative, non-destructive and non-invasive SHM system, comprising wireless sensor networks and communications with edge computing and machine learning, to provide real-time analysis and information on the health of the structure under test.

Such continuous monitoring of the structural integrity of structures throughout their life span, provides a means to identify any potential weaknesses or issues in advance of structural damage and failure occurring and to carry out any necessary maintenance works. This monitoring and predictive maintenance will facilitate expanding the lifetime of the structure for future generations.

Project Title: Evidence and Demonstration for the Adoption of New Low Carbon Cement Technologies in the Irish Market

Lead RPO: UCD

Lead PI: Ciaran McNally, Dan McCrum, Mehran Khan

Industry Partners: Ecocem, Cairn Homes, Kilsaran

Collaborators: Egis, Kwick RC Frames

Abstract: The Irish construction sector urgently needs to address the intertwined, and unfortunately conflicting, challenges of increasing the delivery of housing, while also reducing the environmental impact of a carbon-intensive construction industry.

Cairn Homes has committed to reducing their Scope 3 emissions intensity by 61% from a 2019 baseline, by 2030. To achieve that goal, solutions for embodied carbon in cement are needed through development, scaling, testing and certification of Supplementary Cementitious Materials (SCMs), such as Ecocem’s ACT. ACT is a next generation low-carbon cement technology which can deliver a globally scalable 70% reduction in the cement industry’s carbon footprint and Ecocem is preparing to deploy it in Ireland. The project intends to build on the strong R&D already undertaken by Ecocem across Europe, and will involve:

· Construction of a full-scale “Irish Demonstrator” using ACT to validate the buildability of various mixes in different scenarios; and

· Undertaking extensive laboratory testing to assess the material and strength characteristics of concrete made using Ecocem ACT for certification/compliance, building on existing durability testing under way in UCD.

For the first time, the project evidence and a buildability demonstrator will enable standards authorities to update relevant codes to adopt alternative SCMs and binders in Ireland.

Project Title: AI-Enhanced Data Standardisation and Integration: Leveraging Large Language Models to transform the Construction Sector

Lead RPO: UoG

Lead PI: Yadong Jiang

Industry Partners: KOSMOS

Abstract: A major challenge in the construction industry is the inconsistency and fragmentation of project data. Vast amounts of information are generated across various platforms and tools, such as CostX, Sterling, Solibri and Dalux, and a significant portion remains disorganised, stored in incompatible formats, and difficult to analyse. This inconsistency necessitates manual data handling, limits the potential for data-driven decision-making, and restricts the effective usage of Artificial Intelligence (AI), which requires well-structured inputs, particularly for predictive tasks such as cost estimation and carbon impact analysis, which are key focus areas within KOSMOS.

This project proposes the application of AI itself, specifically large language models (LLMs), to automate the standardisation of construction data. LLMs will be used to structure information based on key attributes, such as material type, family, placement, and allocation towards Global standards (ICMS), facilitating data alignment across diverse platforms, reducing manual intervention, enhancing data quality, and improving overall project efficiency. The initiative also holds strong potential to advance the digitalisation of the construction sector and aligns with national strategies, including the Irish Government’s Housing for All program. Ultimately, it supports the industry’s transition toward a more sustainable and data-driven future.

Project Title: Digitising the Existing Public Sector Building Stock: A Template for Sustainable Management & Retrofitting through Digital Twins

Lead RPO: TUDublin

Lead PI: Barry McAculey, Mark Mulville

Industry Partners: Dublin City Council

Abstract: Sustainability in new buildings is supported by a stringent set of regulations covering energy efficiency and, increasingly, embodied carbon. Digital twins will support ongoing management of these buildings to ensure not only efficiency and sustainability at delivery but over the lifetime of the buildings. For existing stock, however, significant challenges exist where historical design and construction information is sparse and unreliable. Rehabilitation and rejuvenation are increasingly preferred to demolition and reconstruction from an embodied carbon perspective; however, the information gap noted presents a significant challenge in key decision-making and investment.

In Ireland, the public sector owns up to 13,700 buildings1 and is required to improve energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030. There is limited clarity on how to efficiently and accurately construct digital twins to enable this, especially as they are also required to be to a standard consistent with the Government’s Building Information Modelling (BIM) Mandate.

Using one or more blocks from Dublin City Council’s Civic Offices campus, this project will develop a robust, reliable and consistent methodology and process for developing digital twins to the BIM Mandate to support energy efficiency and operational management of the existing public sector stock.

Project Title: Developing new METRICS for quantifying the amount of MMC used on a project (METRICS4MMC)

Lead RPO: UCD

Lead PI: Samar Raffoul, Dan McCrum

Industry Partners: ClearTech Engineered Solutions, Evolusion Innovation

Abstract: Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) offer crucial productivity and efficiency improvements to the construction industry. The Government, particularly Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (DHLGH), is keen to support MMC, as evidenced by various initiatives and reports (MMC Leadership and Integration Group, Housing4all, Standardized Design Approach Study, Construct Innovate Standardize Project). Yet, MMC uptake in Ireland remains low and support and opportunity is needed to compete with traditional construction during procurement. One lever at government’s disposal is to specify benchmark MMC levels in tenders, a practice done in UK, Singapore, Hong Kong, etc. This supports the government’s commitment for 25% state-backed housing to be MMC but also provides a fair procurement approach for different MMC categories. This requires a clear Irish-specific metric enabling quantification of MMC in a project, which doesn’t exist. The UK’s Pre-Manufactured Value (PMV) is one such metric; however, research and stakeholder engagement reveal substantial limitations, particularly for site-led MMC, highlighting the need for alternatives. This project will develop Ireland-specific metric(s), through critical assessment of global metrics, stakeholder engagement, and case studies, to quantify off-site and on-site MMC, enabling unified measurements and fairer procurement. It will provide crucial knowledge and inform DHLGH policy supporting MMC uptake.

Project Title: Control and optimisation of new and existing wastewater infrastructure: Enabling control of GHG emissions and energy use while meeting discharge limits and maximising treatment capacity.

Lead RPO: UoG

Lead PI: Eoghan Clifford

Industry Partners: Ward and Burke Construction Ltd.

Abstract: Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTPs) play a critical role in protecting human health and preventing pollution. They are key to enabling society meet the growth in demand from housing and industry. Given widely reported infrastructure capacity issues, there is an imperative to ensure existing and new WWTPs assets are operated efficiently. In Ireland (and globally) most WWPTs have limited or low levels of control and thus operate inefficiently. There is a clear industry need for innovative systems that enable WWTPs operate efficiently across 4 parameters (i) discharge limits (ii) maximising capacity, (iii) limiting greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and (iv) limiting resource consumption. The University of Galway, Ward & Burke Ltd and Uisce Éireann have initiated a full-scale case-study project to address this gap. To fully enable this innovative work there is a need for direct measurement of process GHG emissions. This application proposed purchasing an off-gas analyser system to monitor the GHGs directly emitted from the case-study WWTP. This will enable innovative process control trials, that improve WWTP performance and maintain compliance, while reducing direct and indirect GHG emissions. The outputs could transform how WWTP stakeholders make evidence-based, cost-effective decisions that support climate targets and reduce operating costs.

Project Title: CLT demonstrator structure using Irish homegrown timber

Lead RPO: UoG

Lead PI: Patrick McGetrick

Industry Partners: John Sisk and Son Ltd, Coillte DAC, Glenfort Timber Engineering Ltd

Collaborators: Vision Built, Gottstein Architects

Abstract: This innovative project showcases how Ireland can lead the way in sustainable construction by using homegrown timber in engineered applications to construct modern, adaptable buildings. The collaborative partnership between University of Galway, Sisk, Coillte, Forest Industries Ireland and Glenfort Timber Engineering, aims to create the first full-scale Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT) demonstrator structure (e.g. Fig. 1) using Irish-grown C16 Sitka spruce. CLT is an advanced, prefabricated engineered wood product known for its strength, durability, and low environmental impact. Therefore, the project will demonstrate a scalable, low-carbon timber alternative to traditional construction methods, using local resources from Irish forests in place of imported timber.

The project team will explore the performance of the homegrown Irish CLT demonstrator in terms of manufacturing, carbon footprint, and how it can speed up building times by following off-site fabrication, minimising material waste while improving construction precision, reinforcing the case for Irish-grown timber in low carbon construction.

By keeping the entire process – from forest to completed building – within Ireland, the project supports local jobs, reduces carbon emissions, and strengthens the forestry and construction sectors. The findings will influence industry standards and contribute to evidence-based decision-making for future infrastructure investments, reinforcing Ireland’s commitment to sustainable development.

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Projects Awarded Seed Funding 2025

NEWS

One way in which Construct Innovate is supporting innovation and collaboration in the construction industry is by funding industry-led projects through Seed Funding Calls.

8 project funded under the Seed Fund 2025 call:

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