HEIDELBERG MATERIALS ITALIA CEMENTI SPA

Their core work

Heidelberg Materials Italia Cementi is the Italian subsidiary of Heidelberg Materials (formerly Italcementi), one of the world's largest cement and building materials producers. In H2020, they contributed industrial expertise in two distinct directions: decarbonizing cement production through CO2 capture technologies (calcium looping, CCS), and exploring advanced graphene-based materials for construction and industrial applications through the Graphene Flagship. Their participation bridges heavy industry manufacturing with frontier materials science, offering real-world testing environments and scale-up knowledge that academic partners typically lack.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In the early H2020 period (2015-2018), Heidelberg Materials Italia pursued two parallel tracks: industrial decarbonization (CEMCAP) and early-stage graphene research (GrapheneCore1), alongside circular economy work in landfill mining (NEW-MINE). From 2018 onward, the graphene track became dominant, with continuous participation through GrapheneCore2, GrapheneCore3, and culminating in the 2D-EPL pilot line — a clear progression from fundamental research to manufacturing scale-up. The CO2 capture work continued with CLEANKER but the center of gravity shifted decisively toward advanced materials industrialization.

They are moving from participating in graphene research toward becoming an industrial partner capable of integrating 2D materials into real manufacturing processes, making them increasingly valuable for projects needing industrial validation and scale-up.

How they like to work

Heidelberg Materials Italia operates exclusively as a participant — they have never coordinated an H2020 project, which is typical for large industrial companies that contribute domain expertise and testing infrastructure rather than managing research programs. With 287 unique consortium partners across 26 countries, they work in large, flagship-scale consortia rather than small focused teams. Their repeated commitment to the Graphene Flagship (four consecutive projects) signals reliability and long-term engagement, making them a dependable industrial partner for multi-year initiatives.

With 287 unique partners across 26 countries, they have one of the broadest collaboration networks possible for a company with only 7 projects — largely due to their participation in the massive Graphene Flagship consortia. Their network is heavily pan-European with no visible geographic bias.

What sets them apart

What makes Heidelberg Materials Italia distinctive is the rare combination of heavy industry cement expertise with frontier materials science through the Graphene Flagship. Very few building materials companies participate in FET Flagship programs, and even fewer maintain involvement across four consecutive phases from research through pilot line. For consortium builders, they offer something hard to find: a major industrial end-user who can validate advanced materials in real cement and construction applications, providing the industrial relevance that funding agencies want to see.

Highlights from their portfolio

• 2D-EPL
  Represents the culmination of their graphene journey — an experimental pilot line for 2D materials, signaling readiness to move from research to production.
• CLEANKER
  Directly targets their core business — clean clinker production via calcium looping — representing serious commitment to decarbonizing cement manufacturing.
• NEW-MINE
  Their largest single EC contribution (EUR 258,061) and an unusual topic for a cement company, connecting construction materials to circular economy and landfill mining.