The 3rd Thematic Workshop of the ILLIANCE Agenda was held on May 14, in online format, under the theme "Circular and Efficient Solutions for the Future". 

This workshop focused on one of the pillars of the ILLIANCE Agenda, Sustainability, and innovative solutions in the field of circular economy and energy efficiency for the future of Habitat were discussed.

The event began with the intervention of Nelson Ferreira (Bosch Home Comfort) with a speech on "The Relevance of R3 for a Sustainable Future", addressing the role of Reduce, Reuse and Recycle strategies in the development of environmentally responsible solutions.

This was followed by a panel moderated by Victor Ferreira from the Sustainable Habitat Cluster, where some of the solutions developed under the Agenda were presented and discussed by some of its partner promoters, namely:

- Intelligent Energy Simulator: 

Sérgio Tadeu from ISQ presented the project of an innovative energy simulator, focused on identifying ideal combinations of HVAC and domestic hot water system configurations for the energy efficiency of commercial and residential buildings;

- DHW Heat Pump and Anti-corrosion Solutions: 

Fábio Castanheira from Bosch Home Comfort and João Paulo Dias from IPN, made a joint presentation on the concept of operation of an DHW heat pump and the main features present in the next generation of Bosch equipment. They also focused on developments in terms of durability and strategies to ensure reliability and absence of failures in thermal systems;

- Meireles Furnace with Hydrogen: 

Jorge Meireles from Meireles presented the project that aims to develop a furnace capable of burning gaseous mixtures with different concentrations of green hydrogen, thus promoting sustainability and decarbonization in the Habitat;

- 100% Recycled EPS: 

Raquel Araújo from Petibol presented the 100% Recycled EPS project, which aims to develop a methodology that enables the production of EPS packaging consisting only of recycled EPS, thus implementing a circular economy in this sector and maximizing environmental sustainability;

- OLI Push:

Mónica Oliveira from the University of Aveiro also presented the OLI Push project, an initiative to redesign processes and products for greater circularity and a smaller environmental footprint. Thus, two new control boards were presented in this context, the Voronoi Board and the Maar Board developed within the scope of the collaboration between the UA and OLI;

- Innovative Ceramic Floors: 

Jorge Girão from Revigrés demonstrated the innovative potential of the reuse of sintered ceramic waste in the development of a new high-thickness product for the ceramic flooring and wall covering industry in Portugal.

The ensuing debate allowed us to clarify some issues with the speakers and explore the main constraints in the design, development and adoption of the solutions and projects presented.

The workshop was closed by Carla Santos, representative of IAPMEI, who underlined the importance of the Mobilizing Agendas financed by the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR), such as the ILLIANCE Agenda, in strengthening sustainable and efficient innovation in Portugal.