29/09/2025

📢 Highlights from our 3rd CONTRABASS Workshop, Training School & Consortium Meeting!

From September 22–25, we gathered at Hotel Vienna House Easy by Wyndham in Katowice, Poland, for a week full of scientific exchange, industrial insights, and engaging training activities!

A huge thank you to our hosts Hegoi Manzano (EHU) and Maciej Zajac (Heidelberg Materials) for organizing such a successful and inspiring event. 👏

🗓️ Monday, Sept 22 – Morning:
We kicked off with our Consortium Meeting, where our coordinator Hegoi Manzano shared an updated on the progress and health of the network.
🧪 Afternoon:
Our Doctoral Candidates presented their research—after one year in the project, ideas are crystallizing and leading to great discussions! We ended the day with a relaxing dinner at Tatiana Restaurant in the city center. 🍽️

🗓️ Tuesday, Sept 23 – Morning:
We launched our 3rd Workshop: “Cement and Concrete Recycling – Industrial Issues” with a unique visit to the carbonation reactor at Heidelberg Materials’ cement plant in Górażdże 🏭🇵🇱
Thank you, Maciej Zajac, for this exceptional opportunity!
🗣️ Afternoon:
Industrial talks from:
🔹 Maciej Zajac (Heidelberg Materials)
🔹 Bruno Huet (Holcim)
🔹 Claire Giraudeau (CHRYSO)
Each offered key insights into recycling challenges and innovations in the cement industry.

🗓️ Wednesday, Sept 24 – Morning:
We concluded the workshop with a talk by Patrick Juilland (Sika).
Then, Kristen Park (Heidelberg Materials) and Juan José Gaitero Redondo (EHU) shared their PhD experiences, offering advice and perspective.
We launched our Residential School with an interactive exercise on unconscious bias.
🧠 Afternoon:
We met Guido Goracci and Maria Saiz Santos from PhotoKrete, who presented their innovative spin-off and its technology—an inspiring session that sparked curiosity and great questions from our DCs! 🚀

🗓️ Thursday, Sept 25 – Morning:
We hosted together with Maria Saiz Santos and Guido Goracci, a business model contest, where our DCs formed teams, built concepts for a spin-off, and pitched their ideas—a fun and energetic session full of creativity and collaboration!
The Residential School wrapped up with a reflection session by our coordinator.

A special thank you to our Training WP Leader David Faux, whose commitment and creativity keep the training activities dynamic and impactful! 🙌

💡 What a fantastic week of learning, connection, and inspiration!