National Research Projects

The ReDuCe - Use of disposable mask residues in composites with different formulations project aims to reduce microplastics and plastic pollution by incorporating the plastic materials from the face masks in different binders (cement, plaster, lime). This project will address this societal challenge by investing in the circular economy.

Start: 01/09/2021 Duration: 28 months
Funding: Fundação Amélia de Mello e BCSD Portugal

Partners involved: CERIS

ReDuCe - More details

The aim of the NanoFire - Fire behaviour of conventional and innovative thermal mortars project is to study the fire behaviour of conventional EPS-based thermal mortars and innovative ones, integrating aerogel in their composition. The study consists in comparing the fire reaction properties, determining the thermophysical and thermodynamic properties and, based on these results, proposing a risk matrix.

Start: 01/08/2021 Duration: 6 months
Funding: CERIS

Partners involved: CERIS

Nanofire - More details





The SRS - Smart Roofs System: Advanced Roofs Waterproofing System (POCI-01-0247-FEDER-046957) copromotion project aims the research and development of an advanced roofs waterproofing system with thermal reflectance capability. This system will be composed of a water-based polymeric membrane with UV reflective additives, reinforced with smart textile substrate with coupled humidity sensing and regulation, and acceleration of the active heating curing process. By combining materials and technologies will result in an innovative and distinctive solution for the demanding global construction market. Having as main application areas in conventional flat roofs (warm roofs) or inverted roofs, the project involves the development of a base layer mortar to support and interface between the insulation material and the waterproofing system in conventional flat roof configuring a final product application kit.

Start: 01/01/2021 Duration: 30 months
Funding: COMPETE 2020, Portugal 2020, ERDF

Partners involved: Saint-Gobain Portugal, Têxteis Penedo, ITECONS, CITEVE, and CeNTI

Smart Roofs System (SRS) - More details

Smart Roofs System (SRS) Video

The c5Lab WP10c - Use of recycled materials project main goal is the evaluation of the viability of using recycled aggregates in concrete and mortars at the industrial level, from a technical, economical, and environmental standpoint. The project includes the optimization of the production of recycled aggregates from construction and demolition waste at quarries; the definition of aggregate requirements (aggregates totally or partially composed of recycled materials) for concrete and mortal applications; the optimization of concrete and mortar mix designs covering a broad range of applications; and the evaluation and comparison of costs and environmental impacts of aggregates, mortars, and concrete with those of typical products used by the industry.

Start: March/2020; Duration: 36 months
Funding: FCT (Collaborative Laboratory) and ANI
Partners involved: CIMPOR, IST (CERIS), ITECONS, LNEC and SECIL

c5Lab WP10c - More details

The REV@Construction Mobilizer project proposes a transversal approach to the value chain of the construction industry, based on fundamental pillars of Research and Development: a consistent methodological approach, partners with recognized and complementary technical-scientific knowledge, an integrated management and coordination and a strong connection to industry, able to guarantee the adequacy of the problems and a development oriented to the real needs.

Start: 04/10/2018; Duration: 36 months
Funding: COMPETE 2020, Portugal 2020, ERDF, ANI
Partners involved: TEIXEIRA DUARTE, INESCTEC, BIMMS, Casais, UMinho, LNEC, IP, Engexpor, IPQ, IST, UPorto, A400, Mota-Engil, 3Maps, ISEL, PTPC, ACPMR, Ouzo, IC, COBA, FASE, Adão da Fonseca, Contacto Atlântico

REV@Construction - More details

The RiceHUSK+ - Cementitious composites with rice husk for prefabricated solutions of multilayer panels and acoustic barriers (POCI-01-0247-FEDER-039577; LISBOA-01-0247-FEDER-39577) objective is centered on the development of pre-fabricated elements for the construction industry produced from innovative cement-based composite materials and of high functional value, integrating agro-industrial by-products, such as rice husk, in its composition.

Start: 01/08/2019; Duration: 36 months
Funding: FEDER and PORL (Lisboa 2020, Compete 2020, Portugal 2020)
Partners involved: FARCIMAR (Concrete Pre-fabricated Solutions), ITECONS (Institute for Research and Technological Development for Construction, Energy, Environment and Sustainability) and CERIS/IST.

RiceHUSK+ - More details

The TEC-TIMBER - Techniques to assess the properties of timber on old buildings (IPL/2019/TEC-TIMBER_ISEL, 2019-2020) project supports the recognition, evaluation and rehabilitation of existing timber structures in old buildings. It consists in the estimation of properties by non-destructive or semi-destructive techniques performed in situ and their validation by reference data obtained in the laboratory, through the cross-correlation of multiple parameters.

Start: 01/08/2019 Conclusion: 13/06/2020
Funding: IPL and IDI&CA
Partners involved: ISEL

TEC-TIMBER - More details

The AERoGELS COST Action - COST CA18125 ‐ Advanced Engineering and Research of aeroGels for Environment and Life intends to bring together the knowledge on research and technology of aerogels at the European level from academia, industry and regulatory experts. Aerogels are a special class of mesoporous materials with very high porosity and tunable physicochemical properties. Although some types of aerogels have already reached the market in construction materials and aerospace engineering, the full potential of aerogels are still to be assessed for other sectors. In this Action, the use of aerogels specifically for environmental and life sciences applications will be explored in a multidisciplinary approach to tackle two of the current main European challenges: circular economy and active ageing. The scope of the Action is to advance the state-of-the art on the topic by joining the knowledge and efforts of the most renowned experts on cutting-edge aerogel technology, on advanced characterization of materials as well as on biomedical and environmental research. Aerogels will be assessed from a materials performance point of view but also regarding health and environmental implications.

Start: 30/04/2019; Duration: 48 months
Funding: : COST Action - Horizon 2020 Framework Programme of the European Union
Partners involved: 38 COST members, one cooperating member and one partner member

AERoGELS COST Action - More details

The WGB_Shield - Shielding Buildings’Facades on Cities Revitalization. Triple resistance for water, graffiti and biocolonization of external thermal insulation systems (PTDC/ECI-EGC/30681/2017) project aims at the development of ETICS with improved durability in the urban environment, defining performance, durability and ecotoxicity criteria for commercially available solutions. Initially, several different commercially available ETICS systems supplied by three different manufacturers were considered and their water resistance, biological susceptibility and surface properties were evaluated. The durability of these specimens was evaluated and validated through a fine-tuned aging protocol, which consists of hygrothermal, UV and pollutants (SO2) cycles. The long-term performance in external exposure was also evaluated through natural aging tests. Furthermore, the performance and graffiti-resistance of the several ETICS were analyzed, prior and after the application and removal of graffiti. The bio-susceptibility of ETICS specimens was also evaluated through laboratorial testing, prior and after aging tests. Finally, different case studies (residential buildings in Lisbon) were considered, and mould populations were collected for the identification of microorganisms inhabiting ETICS also using a DNA-based method.

Start: 04/10/2018; Duration: 36 months
Funding: FCT
Partners involved: Associação do Instituto Superior Técnico para a Investigação e Desenvolvimento (IST-ID), University of Lisbon and National Laboratory of Civil Engineering (LNEC) – Rosário Veiga

WGB_Shield - More details

WGB_Shield Output - Publication

WGB_Shield Final Indicators

The BEStMaintenance_LowerRisks - Buildings’ Envelope SLP-based Maintenance: reducing the risks and costs for owners (PTDC/ECI-CON/29286/2017, 2018-2022) main objectives are the: i) implementation of a user-friendly software to support the management of the maintenance activities in buildings - for each element of the envelope (wall claddings, roofs and window framing) a maintenance module is proposed, with an adjusted schedule (based on the component’s service life), the adequate maintenance activities (with actions flowcharts ) and the related costs; ii) definition of insurance policy models, with different risks premiums, according to the owners’ characteristics and the risk of failure of the various elements of the envelope considered.

Start: 01/10/2018; Duration: 42 months
Funding: FCT
Partners involved: CERIS/IST

BEStMaintenance - More details

The IF MORTAR - Experimental and numerical analysis of interface mortar-support (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-032223, PTDC/ECI-EGC/32223/2017) project intends to analyse the influence of the characteristics of several substrates on the properties of various mortars so that when choosing the type of mortar coating to be applied we can estimate what will be its real behaviour when applied on the support.

Start: 01/10/2018; Duration: 42 months
Funding: FCT and FEDER-POCI
Partners involved: ITECONS (Institute for Research and Technological Development for Construction, Energy, Environment and Sustainability) and IST (CERIS and CERENA research units)

IF MORTAR - More details

In the Lab2Market@Tecnico 2016 - Thermal mortar for rendering with subcritical silica based aerogel and natural lightweight co-aggregates project CERIS team has 250 hours of mentoring for adaptation of new products to the market, with the support of i-deals (a technology broker company) to help in commercialization and contact with market opportunities.

Start: 2016 Conclusion: 2016
Funding: IST
Partners involved: IST/CERIS

Lab2Market@Tecnico 2016 - More details

The SLPforBMS - Service Life Prediction for a risk-based Building Management System (PTDC/ECM-COM/5772/2014) research project intended to develop a building management system of building envelope’s elements (flat and pitched roofs, walls - ceramic, renderings, painted surfaces, natural stone, ETICS and architectural concrete), in current buildings, including inspection and diagnosis, service life prediction procedures and support decision-making processes in the maintenance/rehabilitation area. The buildings overall performance is intrinsically related to the performance of their components and, in particular to the external envelope that acts as the "skin" of the building, protecting it from the degradation agents.

Start: 01/06/2016 Conclusion: 30/11/2019
Funding: CERIS/IST
Partners involved: CERIS/IST

SLPforBMS - More details

The PEP_SG Weber - Efficient Wall Plus Saint-Gobain Weber project intended to develop an energy-efficient multifunctional exterior wall solution with environmental sustainability concerns. A new thermal block (composed of cement and expanded clay aggregates), and a finishing thermal insulating render with improved insulating properties were developed. In this project, the RT was responsible for developing the new thermal insulating render formulation and characterise its physical, mechanical, and microstructural performance. The RT was also responsible for executing the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of all the individual products used in the wall solution.

Start: 07/03/2016 Conclusion: 31/01/2018
Funding: COMPETE 2020, Portugal 2020, ERDF
Partners involved: Saint-Gobain Weber and Construction Institute (IC), Porto

PEP_SG Weber - More details

The REuSE - Wall coatings for rehabilitation: safety and sustainability (ref. 0803/112/19461, LNEC) project is expected, among others: i) the acquisition of new tools to respond to anomalies in coatings and rehabilitation solutions and to support the development of solutions with better performance; ii) the definition of evaluation criteria for solutions applied or to be applied, from the point of view of safety, sustainability and durability.

Start: 01/01/2015; Duration: 72 months
Funding: : LNEC - Research and Innovation Plan for LNEC
Partners involved: LNEC - National Laboratory of Civil Engineering (internal project)

REuSE - More details

The NANORENDER project investigated the use of silica-based aerogels in coating mortars (renders) in order to formulate improved-performance renders from a thermal, acoustic and environmental point of view, for application in building walls. The goal was to use as aggregate in mortars a silica or silica/latex-based aerogel, obtained from safer and less costly processes, already tested and patented by members of the CFQM research team.

Start: 20/03/2012 Conclusion: 19/09/2015
Funding: FCT.
Partners involved: IST (CERIS and CFQM research units)

NANORENDER - More details