GRADO ZERO INNOVATION SRL

Their core work

Grado Zero Innovation is an Italian SME specializing in advanced materials development, with a strong focus on transforming waste and bio-based feedstocks into high-performance materials. Their work spans converting zero-value waste textiles into designed products, extracting lignin from eucalyptus for carbon fibre production via electrospinning, and developing portable electrochemical systems for activated carbon regeneration. They operate at the intersection of materials science and circular economy, turning low-value or waste streams into functional advanced materials.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Grado Zero Innovation's H2020 trajectory shows a clear progression from general waste-to-value material design (Trash-2-Cash, started 2015) toward more specialized carbon-based and electrochemical material technologies (EUCALIVA and PORTABLECRAC, both started 2017). Their early work centred on design-driven upcycling of waste textiles, while later projects zeroed in on specific technical processes like lignin electrospinning and electrochemical carbon regeneration. This suggests a deepening specialization in carbon materials and sustainable processing methods.

Moving from broad waste-to-product design toward specialized carbon fibre and electrochemical material processing — a partner to watch for bio-based carbon material projects.

How they like to work

Grado Zero Innovation operates exclusively as a project participant, contributing specialist materials expertise to larger consortia rather than leading them. With 30 unique partners across just 3 projects, they work in sizeable consortia (averaging 10+ partners), indicating comfort in multi-partner Innovation Actions where they fill a specific technical role. Their consistent participant role and focus on applied material development suggest they are a reliable technical contributor who brings hands-on prototyping and material processing capabilities to consortia.

They have collaborated with 30 unique partners across 11 countries through their 3 Innovation Actions, giving them a well-distributed European network relative to their size. Based in Tuscany, their partnerships span broadly across the EU with no obvious single-country concentration.

What sets them apart

Grado Zero Innovation sits at a rare intersection: they combine textile and fibre expertise with carbon materials processing and circular economy principles. While many SMEs specialize in either waste valorisation or advanced materials, this company bridges both — taking feedstocks others discard (waste textiles, lignin residues) and converting them into functional materials like carbon fibres. For consortium builders, they bring practical SME agility to material prototyping tasks that larger research institutes handle more slowly.

Highlights from their portfolio

• EUCALIVA
  Largest budget (EUR 580,562) and most technically specific — lignin-to-carbon-fibre via electrospinning represents a clear value chain from bio-waste to advanced material.
• Trash-2-Cash
  Significant funding (EUR 547,577) for a design-driven approach to zero-value waste textile upcycling, combining materials science with product design methodology.