SMARTINCS will implement new life-cycle thinking and durability-based approaches to the concept and design of concrete structures, with self-healing concrete, repair mortars and grouts as key enabling technologies. This will create a breakthrough in the current practice of the construction industry, which is characterized by huge economic costs related to inspection, maintenance, repair and eventually demolition activities and additional indirect costs caused by traffic congestions during maintenance and environmental effects.
SMARTINCS will train a new generation of creative and entrepreneurial early-stage researchers in prevention of deterioration of (i) new concrete infrastructure by innovative, multifunctional self-healing strategies and (ii) existing concrete infrastructure by advanced repair technologies. The project brings together the complementary expertise of research institutes pioneering in smart cementitious materials, strengthened by leading companies along the SMARTINCS value chain, as well as certification and pre-standardization agencies. They will intensively train 15 early stage researchers to respond to the clear demand to implement new life-cycle thinking and durability-based approaches to the concept and design of concrete structures, minimizing both the use of resources and production of waste in line with Europe’s Circular Economy strategy. The new generation of researchers will be immediately employable to support the introduction of the novel technologies