Federal Government Issues Funding Notices for the Federal Research Center for Construction

Climate-neutral construction as a societal challenge for the future: KIT contributes cutting-edge research to a nationwide network – Baden-Württemberg becomes the third founding state
A researcher removing and examining a concrete prism from an acid bath. Magali Hauser, KIT
KIT contributes its broad expertise in the field of construction, ranging from the development of low-CO₂ construction materials to the implementation of sustainable renovation measures, to the newly established Federal Research Center for Construction.

Climate change and high levels of resource consumption are among the key challenges of the 21st century, and the construction sector bears particular responsibility in addressing them. Against this backdrop, the federal and state governments have established the Federal Research Center for Climate-Neutral and Resource-Efficient Construction (BFZ). Sören Bartol, Parliamentary State Secretary to the Federal Minister for Housing, Urban Development and Building, signed a memorandum of understanding outlining the key principles together with representatives of the founding states of Saxony, Thuringia, and Baden-Württemberg and presented the corresponding funding notices.

Baden-Württemberg contributes its construction research landscape, which is unique in Germany: around 40 research institutions, including Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), University of Stuttgart with its IntCDC Cluster of Excellence, Biberach University of Applied Sciences, and eight institutes of the Fraunhofer Construction Alliance, cover key future fields ranging from digital planning and circular construction methods to bio-based building materials such as timber.

Experimental Platforms for Knowledge Transfer

To support these efforts, experimental platforms are being established at University of Stuttgart and KIT. Underutilized existing buildings will serve as testbeds for the development and testing of sustainable renovation, adaptive reuse, and building extension concepts. “A core element of the experimental platform concept is a three-way knowledge transfer: researchers, industry partners, and public authorities work closely together. This enables findings from research to be translated rapidly into practice, while ideas and experience gained in practice simultaneously feed back into research,” says Professor Dirk Hebel, who will establish the experimental platform at KIT.

The goal of the BFZ is to reduce resource consumption, develop low-carbon building materials, and strengthen links between research and practice. In 2026, the BFZ will be established as an association and, supported by an international scientific panel, will launch three research clusters bringing together academia, practitioners, and municipalities.

de, September 28, 2026