Will there be pioneers of new technologies in Europe who will change the industry responsible for 10.5 per cent of Polish GDP? The answer will be known this summer, when the Budimex Acceleration Program will invite a group of startups to implement innovative solutions in the construction industry. The leader of the construction market in Poland, together with young companies, wants to create innovations for its sector.
As part of the Budimex Acceleration Program, startups from Central and Eastern Europe will receive access to experienced experts, resources and data, as well as the opportunity to test their solutions on the largest construction sites in Poland.
New technologies for the construction industry
Budimex is the largest company in the Polish construction sector, which in recent years has also been strengthening its position in the region of Central and Eastern Europe. As a leader operating in many market segments, the company is constantly looking for technological solutions to improve the safety, efficiency and quality of construction processes and wants to set new trends in this area. Budimex is already the m.in national precursor in testing cobots or implementing investments using 3D printing technology.
The company has been developing innovations in cooperation with research units, academic centers and business for years. Now it is taking the next step by offering startups tailor-made acceleration along with full access to a unique expert base on a national scale. Budimex will be looking for solutions that respond to the industry’s biggest challenges related to decarbonisation, automation and the use of AI, or sustainable materials that can change the future of construction.
“The development of innovation is a trend that has been gaining momentum in recent months. In the EU, new technologies are to increase the competitiveness of European economies and their decarbonisation. As an industry leader, carefully observing what is happening in our environment, we are aware that companies should be open to digitization and advanced solutions even more than ever. We made this decision a few years ago, when we established our internal innovation team and established our first collaborations with external entities. Today, we want to go a step further and look for talented partners on a larger scale.Together with young entrepreneurs, we will create breakthrough technologies that will improve safety, efficiency and streamline work not only in Budimex, but also in the entire construction sector,” says Artur Popko, President of the Management Board of Budimex SA.
The best projects in the Budimex Acceleration Program have a chance to scale and long-term cooperation with a company that operates in one of the most dynamically developing sectors of the economy. – adds Artur Popko.
What does the Budimex Acceleration Program offer?
The initiative is addressed to young companies whose solutions fit into one of the six areas indicated by Budimex as strategic for the future of construction.These are:
ConTech – construction technologies of the future, modern construction materials, advanced quality monitoring systems.
Cleantech – solutions for the efficient use of resources, reduction of CO₂ emissions, as well as recycling and recovery of raw materials.
Green energy – technologies that allow for the efficient generation, storage and distribution of renewable energy on construction sites and in infrastructure facilities.
Artificial intelligence (AI) in construction – intelligent algorithms that optimize the planning, management and analysis of construction processes.
Robotization and automation – autonomous machines, construction works and automatic management systems for execution processes.
Occupational health and safety – innovative solutions for risk monitoring, accident prevention and increasing the efficiency of rescue operations.
Startups that take part in the program will receive: access to Budimex’s infrastructure and resources, support from the company’s experts in the form of technical and business mentoring, and the opportunity to test projects on construction sites located in Poland.The best technologies will gain a chance to implement and establish long-term commercial cooperation with the leader of the domestic construction market.
Who is it aimed at?
The programme opens a development path for entities from Poland and abroad, which have already developed a prototype and are ready to test it in locations where Budimex implements its investments.
The company will give companies creating artificial intelligence systems the opportunity to introduce algorithms to analyse the progress of work or optimize the use of materials on road, railway or bridge construction sites. Entities from the CleanTech industry will have the opportunity to implement raw material recovery technologies or energy-saving solutions in actually implemented facilities. On the other hand, startups from the robotics sector will be able to check how their autonomous machines cope in a real work environment, in the vicinity of people and construction machinery.
The Budimex Acceleration Programme is looking for projects that stand out with their unique solutions and are implemented by competent teams that have been operating on the market for less than 10 years (counting from the date of registration to the date of application).
What does the process look like?
Recruitment for the Budimex Acceleration Program will last until 7 May 2025. Startups can apply through the bap.budimex.pl website. The next stages of the program are: selection and pitching, during which the applications will be evaluated and their authors will present them to industry experts; acceleration – including mentoring, testing and pilot implementation of selected technologies in real conditions on Budimex projects, as well as possible further strategic cooperation.
“The program has been designed to enable startups to quickly move from pilot to actual commercialization. We are looking for young companies that need space to test the effectiveness of their solution. We offer them the support of experienced Budimex experts who have extensive knowledge in all segments of the construction industry. This comprehensive knowledge is a unique value that we want to share as a company,” explains Marek Klusek, Director of the Guarantee, Innovation and Contract Conditions Branch at Budimex SA.After the acceleration is completed, we are open to continuing business cooperation and supporting startups in further scaling their solutions,” adds Marek Klusek.
The substantive partner of the program is Startup Hub Poland, an organization that has been actively supporting innovative startups in Central and Eastern Europe for over 13 years
More information about the program is available at: www.bap.budimex.pl.
Budimex S.A. – about the Program organiser
BUDIMEX SA is a company with over fifty years of tradition, which has a significant share in the economic development of Poland. During over 50 years of the company’s existence, we have completed thousands of modern infrastructural, cubature and industrial investments. A culture of innovation, improvement and following the principles of sustainable development have allowed the company to become a leader in the Polish construction market. It is present not only on the Polish market, but also abroad: Slovak, Czech, German and Latvian. Budimex is also active in the following markets: RES, waste management, road and real estate maintenance, and electromobility. Since 1995, the Budimex Group has been listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange. Since 2011, it has been included in the index of the most responsible listed companies. In 2024, the company entered the WIG-20 index. Its strategic investor is a Spanish company with a global reach – Ferrovial. The group includes, among others: Mostostal Kraków, FBSerwis, BXF Energia, Budimex Kolejnictwo, Budimex Mobility.
More information on www.budimex.pl
Startup Hub Poland – about the Program operator
The SHP Foundation is the builder of the Central European deep-tech startup community. For 13 years, it has been promoting Poland as an ideal place for the development of technological startups from 65 countries around the world. Annually, the Foundation’s experts select about 30 companies from over 2000 leads, which, thanks to the Startup Hub, receive analytical, business and operational support in starting operations in Poland. The main goal of the Foundation is to accumulate world-class intellectual capital in Poland by connecting startups with investors, research institutes, corporations and agencies distributing grants for advanced research and development projects. The Foundation’s charges obtain patents m.in.in the EU and the USA, expand to foreign markets, debut on the Warsaw Stock Exchange and, despite the early stage of investments, attract multi-million investments.
More about the Startup Hub foundation Poland at: www.startuphub.pl
source: Startup Hub Poland
