Driving Innovation with Public Funding

FERROVIAL CORPORACION, S.A.U participates in the consortium project CO2MCHRETE entitled CO2 MINERALIZED IN CEMENTS AND CONCRETES FROM THERMALLY ACTIVATED WASTE AND SLAGS, with a total budget of €2,271,406.00, and whose implementation has received a grant from CDTI amounting to €1,350,106.42, under the 2024 call of the “SCIENCE AND INNOVATION MISSIONS PROGRAMME”, which is part of the KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER AND COLLABORATION PROGRAMME of the STATE PLAN FOR SCIENTIFIC, TECHNICAL AND INNOVATION RESEARCH 2024–2027.

CO2MCHRETE develops innovative solutions for CO₂ capture and mineralization through the valorization of metallurgical slags and construction and demolition waste, generating cements and concretes with a lower environmental footprint. The project incorporates phase change materials to improve the thermal performance of buildings, promoting both the decarbonization of the cement and construction sector and the circular economy. It brings together leading companies and research centers to jointly advance key technologies for more sustainable construction.

Carbon Negative Bitumen is an industrial project funded under the PERTE Industrial Decarbonization (DI1) program, aimed at drastically reducing emissions associated with bitumen production at Ditecpesa plants through biomass solutions and innovation in CO₂ capture. The DI1-010000-2024-38 driving force file and its primary projects address comprehensive decarbonization throughout the value chain, combining R&D, process redesign, and industrial deployments. The project has a total budget of €1,216,916 linked to the Comprehensive Action for the Decarbonization of the Manufacturing Industry program, with total public funding of €591,293.

Ferrovial is participating in the project through Ditecpesa and Ferrovial Energía, promoting the integration of renewable biomass, the installation and commissioning of new energy systems, and the development of prototypes and technical-economic validations. Its contribution focuses on redesigning processes to achieve carbon-neutral bitumen, incorporating advanced CO₂ capture technologies, and operating industrial pilots that will reduce emissions by up to 781.56 tCO₂e/year, according to internal estimates. Among the expected results, the creation of a replicable decarbonization solution for bitumen plants, the promotion of industrializable CO₂ capture and recovery technologies, and the establishment of an energy transition model applicable to the entire sector stand out.

FlexAbility 360 is a collaborative project developed by a group of technology companies, energy operators, legal specialists, and market analysis organizations. The project is funded by the Aid for New Business Models in the Energy Transition program, part of the Recovery, Transformation, and Resilience Plan. It will run for 24 months, with a proposed extension until 2027–2028, and is part of the Regulatory Test Bench regulated by RD 568/2022. The consortium’s total budget amounts to approximately €2,646,648, with overall funding of €1,333,361 granted to define and validate the operational, regulatory, and technical model of the Independent Aggregator in the energy markets.

Within the consortium, Ferrovial acts as an energy infrastructure operator, providing several real-world demonstrators in buildings and facilities to validate demand flexibility. Its work includes the installation of batteries, BMS and SCADA systems, gateway and communications integration, asset characterization and parameterization, as well as connection to aggregation platforms and local flexibility markets, together with the definition of the methodology and process for asset pre-qualification. The expected results include demonstrating the technical feasibility of the aggregation model, generating new revenue associated with flexibility, optimizing the energy efficiency of managed contracts, and providing practical evidence for future national regulations on independent aggregation, laying the foundations for the Royal Decree on Explicit Demand Flexibility and the participation of Independent Aggregators in energy markets and local markets.

Mobilities4EU is an innovation project funded by Horizon Europe within the Climate Neutral and Smart Cities Mission, with a total budget of €28,945,012.89 and a European contribution of €24,743,622.50. The consortium consists of 29 partners from nine countries, combining leading cities, replicating cities, technology companies, transport operators, research centers, and energy and data industries. Its implementation period is 2024-2028 and it will deploy 27 mobility solutions in Madrid and Dresden before replicating them in Ioannina, Trenčín, Espoo, Gdańsk, and Sarajevo.

Ferrovial participates, through Ferrovial Construction (Energy Services) and Ferrovial Corporation, as a key partner providing innovative advanced renewable energy infrastructure, smart and flexible energy management solutions, and bidirectional V2G/G2V chargers in the Mercamadrid environment, acting within several work packages (WP1–WP6). Its contribution includes guaranteeing up to 700 kW of renewable energy for the operation of autonomous and electric vehicles for people and goods, integrating smart grid technologies, interoperable IoT, digital twin, artificial intelligence, and facilitating a smart urban space for the validation of new mobility solutions. Expected results include: replicable zero-emission mobility models, optimization of electrified fleets, improvement of the energy efficiency of the urban ecosystem, generation of high-value data, and scaling capabilities for other European cities.

More information: Mobilities4EU

iEXODDUS is a project funded by the Horizon Europe program that seeks to expand the Operational Design Domains (ODDs) of autonomous and connected driving by developing and validating solutions that take into account vehicle-infrastructure interaction (V2I). The consortium is made up of 14 entities (technology centers, companies, and public administrations) and has a total budget of €7,358,956, co-financed by the European Union with €5,991,893. Its implementation covers 2024-2027 and develops methodologies, digital architectures, and real-world demonstrators to improve the safe operation of autonomous and connected vehicles.

Ferrovial is playing a key role in the project by developing two of the three digital twins: one for the Belabieta tunnel on the A-15 motorway (Spain) and another for the test section of the O-7 (Turkey). This work includes creating the digital environment, sensor simulation, traffic modeling, and V2X communication integration. The expected results will enable the simulation of events in scenarios that provide continuity to the ODD, such as tunnels or sections under construction, facilitating the safe deployment of autonomous and connected mobility in Europe.

More information: iEXODDUS

DYNABIC is a research project funded by Horizon Europe under the Civil Security for Society program, with a total budget of €4,999,695, entirely funded by the European Union (€4,999,695). The consortium is made up of leading industry organizations, research centers, and universities from several European countries, and its implementation period runs from December 2022 to November 2025. The project develops an advanced framework to improve the resilience and business continuity of critical services in the face of advanced cyber-physical threats, integrating socio-technical methods, risk models, dynamic adaptation, and autonomous response tools.

Ferrovial participates in DYNABIC as an essential services operator, contributing to the validation of the DYNABIC Framework in real-world scenarios (together with Norte Litoral and Via Livre) related to critical infrastructure and transport services, one of the project’s four pilot domains. Its role includes providing operational requirements, data, and use cases, as well as evaluating the effectiveness of tools such as digital twins, monitoring systems, advanced detection, and response models. Expected results include an increased ability to anticipate and mitigate incidents, improve automated response to disruptions, reduce cascading effects between connected infrastructures, and strengthen the operational resilience of critical services in the face of complex threats.

More information: DYNABIC