ASSOCIAZIONE NAZIONALE COSTRUTTORI EDILI

Their core work

ANCE is Italy's national association of construction companies, representing the building industry at European and national levels. In H2020, they contribute construction sector expertise and industry perspective to projects focused on digitalizing the building sector — particularly around Building Information Modelling (BIM), digital platforms, and building envelope materials. Their role is primarily as a third-party industry voice, bringing real-world construction market knowledge and helping bridge the gap between research innovation and practical adoption by construction firms and SMEs.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

ANCE's H2020 involvement spans only 2019–2021 (project start dates), so the evolution window is narrow. Their earliest project (DigiPLACE, 2019) focused on BIM and knowledge management — core digitalization of construction processes. The later METABUILDING projects (2020–2021) shifted toward broader innovation ecosystem building, open innovation test beds, and cross-sectoral themes like additive manufacturing and nature-based solutions, suggesting a move from pure digitalization toward physical materials innovation and SME support infrastructure.

ANCE is moving from digitalization advocacy toward hands-on innovation infrastructure for construction materials and SME-oriented open test beds.

How they like to work

ANCE primarily participates as a third party (2 of 3 projects), suggesting they serve as an industry advisory body or sectoral representative rather than a research-executing partner. They have never coordinated an H2020 project. Despite limited direct participation, their consortia connections are broad — 80 unique partners across 18 countries — reflecting the large-scale Innovation Action and CSA projects they join, where industry associations provide market validation and dissemination reach.

Through just 3 projects, ANCE connects to 80 unique partners across 18 countries, a reflection of the large consortia typical of construction-sector Innovation Actions. Their network is pan-European with no obvious geographic concentration beyond their Italian base.

What sets them apart

ANCE is not a research lab or technology company — it is the voice of Italy's construction industry within EU research projects. This makes them valuable for consortia needing real-world industry validation, market access to construction firms, and dissemination channels into one of Europe's largest building sectors. For anyone building a consortium targeting the construction market, ANCE offers direct access to the Italian builders' network and credibility with industry practitioners.

Highlights from their portfolio

• DigiPLACE
  ANCE's only project as a direct participant, focused on creating a unified European digital platform for construction using BIM.
• METABUILDING LABS
  A long-running project (2021–2026) establishing an open innovation test bed for building envelope materials, representing ANCE's most forward-looking involvement.