The Metabuilding project is a 3-year Horizon 2020 EU Innovation project funded by the European Innovation Council and SME Executive Agency (EISMEA). Metabuilding aims to provide direct support (financial and non-financial) to SME innovation, strengthen the competitiveness of SMEs through international collaboration, support SMEs to get out of the COVID-19 crisis through innovation and stimulate the innovation potential of the construction sector through cross-sectoral and cross-border collaboration.

Within the framework of the Metabuilding project, 15 European partners are joining forces to support SMEs from six European countries (Austria, Italy, France, Hungary, Portugal and Spain) to innovate and extend the traditional value chain of the construction sector to other industries and to create an expanded industry sector that enables these SMEs to internationalise their activities and reach European markets. Increasing the level of innovation in SMEs will stimulate sustainable economic growth. This will lead to more fast-growing and internationally active SMEs, which is of great importance as SMEs play a large and central role in the European economy. Research and innovation in SMEs is therefore crucial to increasing competitiveness, economic growth and employment and thus to achieving the objectives of the Europe 2020 strategy.

As part of the Metabuilding project, a digital platform has been established. This platform will be open to all stakeholders of the enlarged built environment sector and will help SMEs to find possible partners for collaborative projects, innovative technologies and information on available funding for SME innovation. This platform will be closely linked to the European Construction Technology Platform (ECTP) and should become an important tool for SME innovation and for cooperation between related industrial sectors in Europe. The Metabuilding project has a budget of  €3.75 million to fund 140 SMEs to stimulate collaborative innovation projects belonging to: the construction sector, the additive manufacturing sector, nature-based solutions, circularity and recycling industries or the digital industrial sector.