RISE CBI Betonginstitutet AB

Their core work

CBI is Sweden's specialist concrete and cement research institute, now integrated into the RISE group (Research Institutes of Sweden). They develop and test advanced concrete formulations, assess durability under harsh conditions, and work on sustainable construction materials including recycled aggregates and low-carbon cement. Their H2020 work focuses on making concrete infrastructure last longer in energy applications and closing material loops in the construction sector.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

CBI's H2020 portfolio spans a relatively compact window (2015–2017 start dates), so a dramatic shift is not visible. Early entries like AMANAC and FISSAC suggest an initial emphasis on advanced materials characterization and industrial symbiosis. Later projects (RE4, GEOCOND) show a sharper focus on applied sustainability — recycling construction waste into real building products and improving geothermal ground-loop materials. The overall trajectory moves from material science fundamentals toward circular construction and energy-related durability challenges.

CBI is moving toward applied circular-economy solutions for the construction sector, with growing interest in energy infrastructure durability — a natural fit for partners working on green building or infrastructure resilience.

How they like to work

CBI participates exclusively as a consortium partner, never as coordinator, which is consistent with their role as a specialized testing and research facility that contributes deep concrete expertise to larger projects led by others. With 68 unique partners across 16 countries from just 5 projects, they join large, diverse consortia (averaging 14+ partners per project). This suggests they are easy to integrate into multi-partner proposals and bring a focused, well-defined contribution rather than seeking to drive the overall agenda.

CBI has collaborated with 68 distinct partners across 16 countries, giving them a broad European network despite a modest project count. Their reach spans well beyond the Nordics into Southern and Central Europe, reflecting the pan-European nature of construction and energy infrastructure research.

What sets them apart

CBI is one of very few dedicated concrete research institutes in Europe operating under a national research umbrella (RISE), giving them both deep cement/concrete testing capability and credibility as an independent, non-commercial lab. Their combination of concrete durability testing, circular construction materials expertise, and energy infrastructure focus makes them a natural partner for any consortium that needs validated material performance data. For coordinators building proposals around sustainable construction or infrastructure resilience, CBI offers a trusted Swedish research brand with hands-on lab and field testing capacity.

Highlights from their portfolio

• LORCENIS
  Largest funding share (EUR 379K) and directly targets CBI's core strength — long-lasting reinforced concrete for energy infrastructure under severe conditions.
• RE4
  Directly addresses circular construction by turning demolition waste into energy-efficient prefabricated elements, combining CBI's materials and sustainability expertise.
• FISSAC
  Large-scale industrial symbiosis project extending CBI's concrete knowledge into cross-sector resource efficiency for construction and heavy industry.