RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT CONCRETES SOCIEDAD LIMITADA

Their core work

RDC is a Valencia-based SME specializing in advanced concrete and cementitious materials, with a particular focus on durability enhancement and self-healing technologies for harsh environments. Their work spans developing concrete solutions for marine and coastal infrastructure — from aquaculture structures (their Formex® raft system for mussel farming) to coastal defence and green-energy service infrastructure. They bring materials science R&D capability to European consortia working on extending the service life of concrete structures exposed to aggressive conditions like saltwater, extreme weather, and chemical attack.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

RDC's trajectory shows a clear shift from applied product development toward fundamental materials research. Their earliest project (SELMUS, 2016) was a market-driven SME instrument effort commercializing a specific product — the Formex® raft for aquaculture. By 2018-2022, they had moved into research-intensive consortia focused on durability science (ReSHEALience) and self-healing concrete (SMARTINCS, 2019-2024). This evolution suggests a company that started with a concrete niche product and recognized the strategic value of embedding itself in the European research ecosystem for next-generation construction materials.

RDC is deepening its expertise in smart, self-repairing concrete — positioning itself as a go-to SME partner for any consortium working on extending infrastructure service life in aggressive environments.

How they like to work

RDC operates exclusively as a participant, never as coordinator, which is typical for a specialized SME contributing domain-specific materials expertise to larger consortia. Across just 3 projects they have worked with 26 unique partners in 11 countries, indicating they are comfortable in diverse, multinational teams and are not dependent on a single consortium cluster. Their participation in three different funding schemes (SME Instrument, RIA, MSCA-ITN) shows adaptability to different project structures and roles.

Despite being a small company with only 3 H2020 projects, RDC has built a network spanning 26 partners across 11 countries — a notably wide reach that reflects the international nature of concrete durability research in Europe.

What sets them apart

RDC occupies a rare niche: they are an SME that bridges the gap between academic concrete science and real-world infrastructure applications, particularly in marine and coastal environments. Their combination of product development experience (Formex® raft) with deep involvement in frontier research (self-healing concrete) means they can translate lab results into market-ready solutions. For consortium builders, they offer what universities cannot — a private-sector partner with genuine commercial skin in the game for durable concrete technologies.

Highlights from their portfolio

• SMARTINCS
  Their largest investment (EUR 250,905) in a prestigious MSCA training network, signaling RDC's commitment to building next-generation expertise in self-healing concrete.
• ReSHEALience
  Their highest-funded project (EUR 477,254) tackling coastal defence and green-energy infrastructure durability — directly aligned with EU climate adaptation priorities.