From the experiences of applied research conducted over the last 15 years and their evidence in the impacts produced by technology transfer and innovation, it emerges that design connected to innovative systems and transitions belongs to the framework of socio-technical developments that are increasingly ecological in nature. It refers to developments connected to digital capabilities and the availability of human systems related to projects and products carried out with different approaches, becoming true “devices” in the creative and manufacturing processes at all scales of regenerative design.

Design can encounter any device, as its unique ability to configure itself in the dimension of the territory, the city, buildings and even public spaces, ecological and ecosystemic infrastructures, if the research that produces it intends to consider, in a sort of operational identification, the project itself as a true enabling and emerging technology.

The complexity of the project gives it the characteristics of physical processes as well as digital ones, whereby relational organisations, algorithmic writing, data and information exchange, system and resource hierarchies, information and self-learning capabilities, specialisation and coordination of the governing principles of each phase, platforms for client, production and user structures, are tools and techniques of workflows that increasingly express methodologies and approaches capable of optimising the performance of multi-scale digital and physical design (phygital design). (C. Nava, 2023-25).

The growing exposure of the built heritage—especially in inner areas, which are increasingly central to the debate on territorial vulnerability—highlights how current environmental pressures demand a rethinking of intervention strategies, steering them toward integrated, climate-oriented solutions. The session aims to explore the relationship between innovative materials and construction systems, enabling technologies, and advanced methodologies for assessing climate vulnerability, outlining new applied research scenarios to support adaptation and the ecological transition of the built environment, with particular attention to inner areas and the most exposed urban contexts.

The increasing interest in bio-based materials, low-impact hybrid composites, self-healing systems, and high thermo-hygrometric performance solutions aligns with the most recent ecological and co-evolutionary approaches, which interpret the built environment as a system in continuous interaction with climatic dynamics and living components (Fatoric & Seekamp, 2019). From this perspective, material innovation becomes a tool for supporting the identity continuity of cultural heritage under changing environmental conditions, contributing to the development of transformative adaptation strategies (Sesana et al., 2021).

The session welcomes contributions presenting experiments, protocols, case studies, and interdisciplinary approaches capable of connecting applied research, adaptive design, advanced modelling, and climate-ready materials.

The current scenario regarding research laboratories requires a thorough review of the paradigms that have shaped the landscape of laboratory infrastructure, equipment technologies and testing methods to date. The increasingly pressing need for applied research to be transferred to different sectors in new ways has led to the emergence of structures in the form of hubs, clusters, living labs, open testing systems (OITBs) and new centres, which are often grouped together in highly specialised networks that provide real support to complex sectors and supply chains such as construction. The common goal is often to unlock potential, improve competitiveness and increase the market impact of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the European construction sector.

In particular, the EU scenario (often supported by competitive calls for proposals) targets the entire construction sector by promoting actions for easy access to this vast network of high-value testing facilities, including laboratories, testing, pilot buildings and innovative services that enable stakeholders to develop and test their innovations for next-generation buildings through well-structured and recognisable “access points”.

This network of new R&D players and innovation service providers ensures simplified and transparent access to transfer, including through professional assistance to companies and users in the development of innovative building products, from laboratory validation to large-scale prototypes in controlled environments and pilot operations involving users. For example, structures such as OITBs and Living Labs offer new ranges of services to push innovations to market, with “non-technical” support, certification, industrial expansion and digital software services.

As governments around the world seek to stimulate infrastructure investment to foster economic recovery and address social and climate challenges, traditional cost-benefit analysis (CBA) is no longer sufficient to comprehensively assess the impact of projects.

EU Cohesion Policy states: “Horizon Europe will equip Europe with world-class sustainable research infrastructure, open and accessible to the best researchers in Europe and beyond.”

New evaluation methodologies can improve the accuracy and sustainability of decisions, enabling the creation of equitable, resilient, and future-proof assets. Real-world examples, such as the US Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the UK and EU infrastructure strategies, demonstrate the importance of a holistic approach that takes into account not only immediate costs and benefits, but also long-term objectives.

The Deloitte Global Infrastructure Magazine explores how the infrastructure industry is embracing innovation and digital transformation to improve the quality of life globally. The magazine’s third edition sparks debate on experiences and experimental scenarios from applied research and focuses on how industry leaders are using advanced technologies to create more inclusive, accessible, and sustainable infrastructure, capable of adapting to an ever-changing world.

Significant industry examples include Advanced Testing, which offers measurable, certifiable, and experimental technology services; the innovative digital twin to accelerate the energy transition in Belgium; and the use of Building Information Modeling (BIM) to promote digital transformation in the public sector.

It is strategic to highlight replicable results, proposals, and projects to build a future-proof, upgradeable, competitive, sustainable, and inclusive European innovation ecosystem.