Imagine a whole industrial park where one factory's leftover heat warms up the building next door instead of just escaping into the sky. That's what INCUBIS set up — five "incubators" across Europe that help companies in the same area trade waste heat and cold like neighbors sharing a lawnmower. They also built an online platform that maps who has excess energy and who needs it, making it easy to match supply and demand. The result: less fuel burned, lower bills, and a serious dent in carbon emissions.
European industry produces roughly 370 TWh of waste heat every year — energy that literally escapes into the atmosphere while nearby factories and homes pay full price for heating. Companies in industrial parks sit next to each other but have no structured way to trade this excess energy. The result is billions in wasted fuel, avoidable carbon emissions, and missed revenue for both heat producers and potential consumers.
The project built and deployed 5 physical Energy Symbiosis Incubators across Europe (in Spain, Germany, Norway, Poland, and the UK/Switzerland) plus a digital Cloud Incubator — the INCUBIS Virtual Platform — that maps waste heat supply and demand across industrial parks. The platform was launched online and used by consortium partners and selected third parties to support energy cooperation matchmaking.
If you are an industrial park operator struggling with tenant energy costs and carbon targets — INCUBIS developed and tested Energy Symbiosis Incubators across 40 industrial parks, engaging 1,450 businesses. Their virtual platform identifies waste heat exchange opportunities between tenants, targeting 200 GWh/year in energy savings across participants.
If you are a district heating operator searching for cheaper, lower-carbon heat sources — INCUBIS mapped waste heat from energy-intensive industries to nearby heating networks. With 370.41 TWh of waste heat available annually across Europe and only 8% of heating demand currently served by district heating, their incubation model helps you tap into industrial excess heat at scale.
If you are an energy service company looking for proven methods to unlock industrial waste heat deals — INCUBIS built a cloud-based platform and on-the-ground incubation methodology tested in 6 countries. Their approach triggered €6 million in sustainable energy investments and generated €4 million in benefits, giving you a replicable model to pitch to manufacturing clients.
Based on available project data, specific pricing for the platform or incubation services is not disclosed. The project was funded with EUR 1,999,875 in EU contribution as a Coordination and Support Action. Companies interested in accessing the methodology or platform should contact the consortium directly for current terms.
Yes — the project specifically targeted industrial-scale deployment, setting up 5 Energy Symbiosis Incubators across 6 European countries (Spain, Germany, Norway, Poland, Switzerland, UK). The goal was to engage 1,450 businesses across 40 industrial parks, demonstrating the model is designed for multi-site, cross-border scaling.
Based on available project data, the INCUBIS Virtual Platform was launched for consortium partners and selected third parties. As a Coordination and Support Action (CSA), the outputs are primarily methodologies and tools rather than patented technology. Contact the coordinator to discuss access arrangements and potential licensing of the platform.
INCUBIS directly supports EU decarbonization targets for industry by 2050. It addresses the Energy Efficiency Directive and EU climate goals, specifically targeting GHG reduction of 55,000 tCO2-equivalent per year. Industrial parks adopting this approach position themselves ahead of tightening carbon regulations.
The full INCUBIS project ran for 36 months to develop the methodology, platform, and deploy 5 incubators. Based on available project data, the time to set up a single incubator at one industrial park would be shorter once the methodology is established, but specific timelines per site are not detailed in public data.
The INCUBIS Virtual Platform was designed as a cloud-based digital tool that maps waste heat supply and demand across industrial parks. Based on available project data, it was built to complement existing setups rather than replace them, with the first version supporting delivery of incubation services during pilot operations.
The INCUBIS consortium of 10 partners from 6 countries (Spain, Germany, Norway, Poland, Switzerland, UK) is overwhelmingly industry-driven: 8 out of 10 partners are from industry, with 5 being SMEs and only 1 university involved. This 80% industry ratio is unusually high and signals the project was built for practical market deployment, not academic publishing. The coordinator, IRIS Technology Solutions, is a Spanish SME — meaning a commercially-minded company led the work. For a business looking to adopt these results, this composition means the tools and methods were shaped by companies that need them to actually work in practice, not just in theory.
IRIS Technology Solutions (Spain) — a Spanish SME that coordinated the consortium. SciTransfer can facilitate a direct introduction.
Managing an industrial park with wasted heat? SciTransfer can connect you with the INCUBIS team and their tested incubation methodology — contact us for a briefing.
