2nd EDITION

Boost your growth with roota, the intrapreneurship program by Digital Innovation Lab

We now have the program’s finalist and winning projects. Discover the ideas that stood out in this edition and the teams that brought them to life.

We seek innovative routes
that impact tomorrow

If you believe there is more than one way to solve problems, you are in the right place. As a Group, we have decided to help and promote innovative ideas that lead to the necessary solutions, thanks to internal talent. Ideas that arise from observing needs or problems to be solved, and find sustainable solutions that enable progress by making use of new technologies.

The progress achieved thanks to talent —opening new paths to improve our future— is the progress we want in the Group, and we will support it.

[RESULTS ANNOUNCEMENT]

Two winning projects and one finalist

Winning projects

Team: Patricio Hermosilla, Irene Fernández, Damián Amador, Miriam Tena

The AQUALIBER-N project addresses the challenge of eutrophication and nitrate pollution in inland waters through an innovative solution aimed at restoring water quality and regenerating degraded environments, in line with growing regulatory and sustainability demands. Its value proposition is based on a comprehensive approach that combines technological innovation and operational vision to act directly on pollution sources, reducing the nutrient load and improving ecological status, with the potential for scalable application across different environments and the capacity to generate environmental impact and business value in water management.

→ Business Unit: Aqualia
Spain

Team: Cristina Fernández

The LABMOVIL project proposes a transformation of the water sampling model through a mobile laboratory that integrates the complete process of on-site collection and analysis into a single unit, responding to more demanding future regulatory requirements in traceability and quality. Its proposal focuses on optimising operations, improving direct control of the process and increasing efficiency, reducing dependence on third parties and logistical complexity, with results that already demonstrate its viability, internal acceptance and capacity to improve service quality and generate significant savings.

→ Business Unit: Aqualia
Spain

Finalist project

Team: Nora Bohrn, Natasa Maksimovic

GreenScore Plug-In is a digital framework that integrates sustainability criteria into investment decision-making, enabling projects to be assessed through a combined approach of ESG indicators and financial metrics. Its proposal transforms the current fragmentation of sustainability data into a structured model that generates a score (GreenScore), facilitating more agile and comparable decisions aligned with corporate strategy. By integrating key variables such as climate change, circularity and social impact with financial results, the model drives more informed, transparent and long-term-oriented decision-making, improving the visibility of risks and opportunities and creating a common language between business, sustainability and finance.

→ Business Unit: FCC Environment CEE
Austria

[PHASE 03]

Phase 3 begins: Validate your solution

These are the 6 proposals that have reached this phase

A digital tool concept that aims to speed up and simplify the preparation of proposals for water reuse projects, automating the interpretation of new regulations and technical analysis. The proposal seeks to reduce timelines, improve solution quality and provide a competitive advantage in a growing market, though it is not yet a fully developed project.

→ Business Unit: Aqualia
Spain

A concept for integrating ESG criteria into investment decision-making by adding a standardised sustainability indicator within current financial models. The proposal aims to improve the quality, comparability and credibility of decisions, reducing workloads and responding to growing regulatory and market pressure, though it is not yet a fully developed project.

→ Business Unit: Environment
Austria

A concept that proposes recovering critical metals from industrial waste, turning materials currently sent to landfill into a strategic, sustainable and economically valuable resource. Based on a patented technology already validated at laboratory scale, the proposal seeks to develop a pilot plant to demonstrate its viability and pave the way for a future full-scale facility, creating an environmentally positive alternative unprecedented in the British market.

→ Business Unit: Environment
UK

A concept that proposes bringing accredited analysis and sampling capabilities directly into the field, avoiding delays and errors caused by courier services and ensuring compliance with RD 3/2023. The proposal seeks to deliver faster, more reliable and cost-effective results, reduce incidents that put accreditation at risk and anticipate the future mandatory requirement for accredited sampling, positioning the company as a pioneer with a solution that does not yet exist on the market.

→ Business Unit: Aqualia
Spain

A concept that proposes implementing an intelligent operating model capable of centralising corporate knowledge, automating repetitive tasks and providing 24/7 support to employees and support areas. The initiative seeks to reduce the reactive workload that currently absorbs between 25% and 40% of HR and IT time, improve employee autonomy and enable the organisation to scale without increasing headcount, turning internal complexity into productivity and freeing up talent for higher-value activities.

→ Business Unit: Corporate Services
Spain

A concept that proposes a natural bioreactor capable of removing nitrates without energy, chemicals or waste generation, offering a sustainable, low-cost alternative to traditional technologies. The solution uses pine bark as a carbon source, achieves 95% efficiency and is designed to help small municipalities comply with the new TARU Directive without major investments, positioning itself as a simple, circular and scalable option in the face of tightening regulations.

→ Business Unit: Aqualia
Spain

[PHASE 02]

Phase 2 begins: Develop your opportunity

These are the 17 proposals that have reached this phase

→ Business Unit: Cementos
Spain

→ Business Unit: Cementos
Spain

→ Business Unit: Medio Ambiente
UK

→ Business Unit: Servicios Centrales
Spain

→ Business Unit: Medio Ambiente
Czech Republic

→ Business Unit: Medio Ambiente
Austria

→ Business Unit: Medio Ambiente
Austria

→ Business Unit: Medio Ambiente
Austria

→ Business Unit: Cementos
Spain

→ Business Unit: Aqualia
Spain

→ Business Unit: Construcción
Australia

→ Business Unit: Medio Ambiente
Austria

→ Business Unit: Medio Ambiente
Spain

→ Business Unit: Construcción
Spain

→ Business Unit: Aqualia
Spain

→ Business Unit: Aqualia
Spain

→ Business Unit: Aqualia
Spain

The intrapreneur’s journey

viaje del intraemprendedor
[PHASE 01] Present your idea

This phase aims to capture the most innovative ideas through observation, providing a platform to express creative visions and proposals to address the different strategic challenges.

If you want to participate but do not yet have an idea, do not worry. During the process we will run inspiration and creativity workshops to help you find new routes and teammates with whom to build impactful solutions.

[PHASE 02] Develop your opportunity

We will go deeper into developing the selected ideas, refining the concept, crafting a value proposition, and proposing the necessary components to carry out the idea and validate the identified problem with users.

In this process, you will have the opportunity to be mentored by roota’s expert team, who will guide and accompany you along the entire journey.

[PHASE 03] Validate your solution with your prototype

In this phase, a prototype of the proposed solution will be built and tested to validate its value in a real context, and a feasibility plan will be prepared to be presented before the Evaluation Committee.

To carry out the program, we will rely on the Design Thinking methodology combined with Lean Startup to systematize the execution of innovation initiatives and to have a consistent process from challenge identification to value generation (“Idea to value”).

Design Thinking
Lean Startup
metodología

6 strategic challenges.
The first step towards innovation.

The planet is warming at an unprecedented pace, worsening climate change and water stress that affect agriculture, biodiversity, and communities. The response requires interdisciplinary approaches that combine science, technology, efficient water management, and climate justice to strengthen social and environmental resilience.

This challenge invites us to rethink how we can turn crisis into opportunity, building a fairer, more balanced, and more resilient model for present and future generations.

Projects carried out in the Group in 2024:

→ Reduction of greenhouse gas emissions to achieve climate neutrality.
→ Investment with environmental purpose and nature-based solutions.
→ Promotion of efficient water use through the utilization of sources alternative to mains water.

More information here

Urban concentration, accelerated by migration crises, economic turbulence, and extreme climate events, puts pressure on infrastructure, housing, and resources while requiring cities to adapt to heatwaves, floods, water scarcity, and drastically reduce their carbon footprint.

This innovation challenge seeks to promote transformative proposals that address current demands through collaboration, international knowledge exchange, and comprehensive urban planning.

Projects carried out in the Group in 2024:

→ Service recovery and reconstruction of basic infrastructure.
→ Promote urban growth through low-emission mobility.
→ Strengthen water infrastructure.

More information here

This challenge invites us to transform how we design, produce, and consume, through the principles of reduce, reuse, recycle, and regenerate. Innovation in this area requires adopting systemic approaches that drive eco-design, smart waste management, development of new materials, circular business models, and education for sustainability.

Projects carried out in the Group in 2024:

→ Modernization and upgrading of waste treatment infrastructure.
→ Development of new methodologies for recovering resources from waste.
→ Reduction, recovery, and valorization of waste and materials.

More information here

Digital transformation has become a strategic axis for organizations to respond with agility to present and future challenges.

This challenge invites us to design strategies that leverage the potential of digitalization to generate economic, social, and environmental value, promoting a responsible and ethical use of technology. How can we build a resilient, inclusive, and secure digital ecosystem that drives sustainable development?

Projects carried out in the Group in 2024:

→ Innovation through artificial intelligence in the field of bioplastics recycling.
→ Improvement of cleaning activities through the implementation of artificial intelligence.
→ Strengthening the digital security of information.

More information here

The accelerated loss of biodiversity caused by human activity represents one of the most critical threats to the planet’s balance.

This strategic innovation challenge seeks to promote solutions to preserve, restore, and manage biodiversity sustainably; raise public awareness; scale nature-based solutions; and generate interdisciplinary approaches that reinforce a collective commitment to the planet’s natural heritage.

Projects carried out in the Group in 2024:

→ Restoration of forest areas.
→ Awareness and training of workers.
→ Restoration and conservation of habitats and biodiversity.

More information here

At FCC, we promote the search for solutions that improve the services we offer and deliver value to citizens.

We present this last strategic challenge as an open opportunity where diverse ideas aligned with the vision of FCC Group can be incorporated. This challenge, like a blank canvas, invites creativity and innovation. From technological solutions to market strategies, everything is on the table.

More information here