From 1 to 5 June 2026, CTCON participated in the Innovation Industry Construction Congress (IC2), held in Santander, Spain. The event, organised by the Spanish Construction Technology Platform (PTEC), the University of Cantabria (UC) and the Construction Clusters Network, brought together experts from across the construction sector to discuss innovation, sustainability and the transformation of the built environment.
Representing CTCON, Fernando Fernández delivered a presentation introducing the CARDIMED project and its contribution to strengthening climate resilience across Mediterranean regions through Nature-based Solutions (NbS).
During his presentation, Fernando outlined CARDIMED’s overall vision and highlighted the potential of Nature-based Solutions to address climate change while delivering multiple environmental, urban and social benefits. He also discussed one of the key challenges currently facing NbS: although many solutions have already demonstrated their technical effectiveness through pilot projects, their wider deployment is often hindered by barriers related to governance, public procurement, value chains and replication.
The presentation focused on how CARDIMED is helping bridge this gap by supporting the transition of NbS from isolated demonstrations to solutions that can be systematically integrated into planning, procurement and implementation processes. In particular, the project is developing approaches that facilitate the incorporation of NbS into governance frameworks, clarify responsibilities for implementation and maintenance, and strengthen their integration into public and private procurement systems.
The session also showcased CARDIMED’s work to improve the transferability and replication of Nature-based Solutions through self-assessment tools, stakeholder mapping, feasibility studies, capacity-building activities and tailored replication packages adapted to different regional contexts across the Mediterranean.
By participating in the Innovation Industry Construction Congress, CARDIMED reinforced a clear message: the future of climate adaptation depends not only on demonstrating that Nature-based Solutions work, but on creating the conditions that enable them to become integrated, contractable and replicable solutions for resilient urban and territorial development.
