The LH Accelerator is a six-month program that selects, hosts and supports innovative companies and startups to bring their groundbreaking solutions for the material and building construction industry to life. Led by sponsor of the LafargeHolcim Foundation, LafargeHolcim together with CCCC and Sika, the program offers a unique access to a high level technical, market and entrepreneurial expertise. The program is entering its second season and is open for applications until September 15, 2019.

After a successful first season, the LH Accelerator has defined eight new challenges for the material and construction industry that await a solution. The initiative aims to accelerate operational partnerships between innovative companies and LafargeHolcim and its partners.

15 selected start-ups will receive free access to the largest research center in the construction industry – the LafargeHolcim Research & Innovation Centre near Lyon, France (including 100 hours of technical expertise) – and the opportunity to work with over 150 R&D experts and state-of-art equipment. The six-month program is a unique opportunity to develop, test and market your ideas and turn them into a successful business. The program is free, no equity is taken, and can be undertaken from any geographic location.

Who should apply?

Start-ups that already have a product-market fit or more mature companies that are developing a new innovation for the construction market.

The second series of the program is focused on eight challenges:

Concrete 2.0 – Enhancing the properties of cement-based materials beyond the core value of structural integrity (weight reduction, noise reduction, thermal properties, light reflectivity-translucency, porosity, environmental footprint).

Construction waste – Rethinking the design and process of making and delivering cement and concrete to avoid, minimize, and reuse the waste from quarries to building sites.

Real time quality control – Monitor, test, evaluate and adjust the quality of materials across the supply chain.

CO2 neutrality – Measure, track and develop solutions to move towards carbon neutrality (alternative raw materials, industrial by-products, sensors, analytics, software models and new processes).

Real time product demand forecast at site – Develop and apply accurate, real time prediction of demand for product quantities and types by job site

Monitor performance – Characteristics of concrete delivery at construction sites and in prefabrication (sensors for temperature, humidity, pH, structural resilience, durability).

Automation – Including IOTT, 5G, digital solutions, 3D printing solutions, robots and other technologies.

Infrastructure and buildings – Develop and use software models and/or digitalized visualization of the construction phases in infrastructure (such as roads and bridge) and building projects.

Applications and further information

For more information and to apply, visit the LH Accelerator website:

www.lh-accelerator.org

Please note the LH Accelerator program is not linked to the LafargeHolcim Awards for Sustainable Construction. To apply for the LafargeHolcim Awards competition (open until February 25, 2020), please visit:

www.lafargeholcim-awards.org