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New Civil Engineer: thought leadership on innovation

In January 2026, Concretene founder and Chief Development Officer Alex McDermott authored a column in New Civil Engineer on the challenges and opportunities for innovation in the construction and advanced materials sectors, which you can find at this link or read on below…

Innovation in construction is constantly discussed, yet frequently misunderstood. The gap between ‘We want innovation’ and actually doing it is where most ideas fail, writes Alex Dermott.

Some of the failure can be attributed to not every idea being a good one. But often it is a lack of ability to scale-up the initial ideas, be that through budget pressures, limited time or risk factors that can lead to stagnation.

The construction sector is dominated by large companies, an inevitable consequence of needing deep pockets to fund a resource-intensive industry. Yet it’s the startups and small companies that are often the innovators.

Being small can allow for a level of creativity and agility that isn’t always possible within big organisations with other priorities. I’ve found this to be true for embodied carbon in concrete, where genuine innovation is essential if we’re to meet net zero targets.

The genesis of Concretene was driven by collaboration that allowed an idea to become a reality. It was during an ICE North West knowledge event that a spark was first ignited for me, leading to the development of a more sustainable concrete alternative.

We’ve since developed a graphene-enhanced admixture for concrete that cuts embodied carbon and accelerates curing, with no cost premium to customers. At scale, the material cost equals the cement removed, creating a commercially viable proposition.

The innovation has required alignment and collaboration across the supply chain, including raw materials, manufacturing, volume commitments, demonstrator projects, testing and accreditation. It’s a complex web of relationships that demands rigorous curation, where everybody has their part to play.

For those starting out with an idea, the best thing to do is put yourself out there. Establishing key relationships has allowed us to scale-up and progress. The ICE hosts numerous events worldwide – from knowledge sharing to networking. Connecting with fellow members and sharing ideas can lead to the next big innovation.

Collaboration may look different, depending on your goals. Collaborating with government, across sectors or with universities could lead you closer to innovation. For example, we worked closely with the Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre at the University of Manchester. Real innovation also demands time, capital and determination. We’re still in the early stages of our scale-up journey, with a long road ahead.

Working with Innovate UK, Cemex Rail and the Global Centre of Rail Excellence has led to real progress – delivering pilot iterations of low-carbon concrete sleepers to the rail industry, aiming for carbon reductions of more than 20%.

When you are ready to develop your idea, there is a wealth of support and funding available – this is true within the UK, and globally. Support can include grants for feasibility studies or protype production, or schemes that knit together ideas, innovators and construction businesses. Accessing universities’ research and knowledge transfer schemes can also be highly beneficial.

We’re innovating because it’s possible. And you could too.