OHLA and the Foundation of the Autonomous University of Madrid drive innovation in construction waste management through artificial intelligence
15 de October de 2025
- The collaboration is part of the 2024 Call for R&D Project Grants for emerging PhDs at UAM and is expected to last 16 months.
- With over 110 years of experience, OHLA has established itself as a global player in infrastructure development, with a strong presence in markets such as Europe, the United States, and Latin America.
OHLA and the Foundation of the Autonomous University of Madrid (FUAM) have formalized a collaboration agreement for the development of the GIMRIC-AI project: Integrated Management of Materials and Waste in the Construction Industry. This pioneering initiative aims to promote the circular economy through the use of artificial intelligence and smart systems.
The agreement was signed by Ms. Rocío Schettini del Moral, General Director of FUAM, who emphasized that “this collaboration strengthens both entities’ commitment to sustainability, technological innovation, and knowledge transfer between university and industry in the field of AI applied to the circular economy,” and Mr. Gonzalo Targhetta Reina, General Director of Corporate Resources at OHLA, who stated, “This agreement represents a firm step in our commitment to innovation applied to environmental management in projects. At OHLA, we believe in the transformative potential of artificial intelligence to improve processes such as construction waste management, and we especially value collaboration with the Autonomous University of Madrid as a way to foster research talent and generate solutions with real impact in the sector.”
The GIMRIC-AI project is led by Professor Eduardo Guzmán Ortiz (principal investigator) with the participation of Professor Marta Torres Polo as researcher. Both belong to the Department of Business Organization at the Faculty of Economic and Business Sciences of the Autonomous University of Madrid (UAM).
GIMRIC-AI’s main objective is the design, development, and validation of an intelligent tool capable of optimizing the management of construction and demolition waste (CDW). This solution consists of two modules:
- A prediction engine based on AI, trained with OHLA’s historical data, which accurately estimates the quantity and type of waste generated at each site.
- An intelligent logistics planner, which proposes the most efficient and cost-effective way to manage such waste, minimizing costs and operational impact.
“Thanks to the collaboration with OHLA, we will be able to develop and validate tools that optimize material and waste management from the design phase, reducing environmental impact and promoting a true circular economy in the sector. This agreement is a clear example of how the alliance between university and industry can generate innovation with real impact,” said Prof. Marta Torres Polo.
In addition to the two signatories and UAM professors, representatives from both entities attended the signing ceremony. From OHLA: Antonio Valadés Cabello, Director of the Spain Area; Miguel Ángel Amérigo, Corporate Head of R&D&I; Ricardo Sánchez, Corporate Head of Quality and Environment; and Isabel Rico Herrero, Head of Quality and Environment in the Central Zone. From FUAM: Iván Manzanares Recio, Director of CAITEC.
Mr. Antonio Valadés Cabello, Director of the Spain Area of the Construction Division, stated: “We are delighted that these relationships between academia and industry are taking place. Thanks to the Foundation, which makes this connection possible, and to all the OHLA personnel who contributed to making it a reality. We have a vast amount of data that we can now leverage through artificial intelligence, allowing us to undertake this ambitious process we are starting today.”
With this alliance, OHLA joins the Alia2uam network of collaborating entities, promoted by FUAM, which seeks to create synergies between university and industry for the exchange of experiences, resources, and innovation.
About GIMRIC-AI
GIMRIC-AI (Integrated Management of Materials and Waste in the Construction Industry) is a project funded by the Community of Madrid that develops AI-based solutions to optimize waste management and promote the circular economy in the construction sector.