Only a small fraction of the research funding goes to restructuring the construction industry. An industry that accounts for a huge share of greenhouse gas emissions, energy consumption and waste. We need to do something about this.

Transition and innovation are crucial to achieving our climate goals. We need to work together across subjects and silos to create a more sustainable way forward.

New Roads and 16 partners from across the value chain are brought together in the research and innovation project Sustainable value chain and material use in road construction. With a budget of over NOK 123 million, the goal is to cut CO2 emissions for road projects by at least 50%. To achieve this, the project will develop at least ten full-scale pilot projects to test new road materials and methods on high-traffic highways. The first pilots will be rolled out in the summer of 2024.

The Research Council, Innovation Norway and SIVA are contributing NOK 68.5 million to this project, with industrial partners contributing the rest. We rely on such large-scale collaborative projects, linking research and industry, to speed up the transition.

Together with Nye Veier, the Norwegian Public Roads Administration and Sintef, we in VIA focus the spotlight on the challenges during a session at Arendalsuka on August 14, and we discuss the need for more research funding for the construction industry with Sigrun Gjerløw Aasland (Ap), State Secretary at the Ministry of Climate and Environment, Ola Elvestuen (V) and Terje Halleland (Frp), member of the Energy and Environment Committee, Jo Mortensen, Executive Vice President Technology, Innovation and Green Business Development at Skanska and Vibeke Nossum, Head of Research at SINTEF.

Are you present during Arendalsuka? Feel free to contact us for a chat!

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