INITIATE Final Conference: Building Symbiotic Value Chains Across the Steel and Chemical Industries: Results and Lessons Learned

The INITIATE Final Conference will take place on 23 October 2026 in Ghent, Belgium, marking the conclusion of six years of collaborative research and innovation within the project. The event will bring together representatives from industry, academia, policymaking and the wider research community to present and discuss the project’s key outcomes, achievements and lessons learned, and to consider their relevance for future research and innovation. Participants will have the opportunity to exchange knowledge, reflect on the progress achieved throughout the project, and explore perspectives for continued collaboration and impact beyond INITIATE.

INITIATE set out to explore how Carbon Capture and Utilisation (CCU) and industrial symbiosis can strengthen links between the steel and chemical sectors by integrating residual steel gases into a value chain for sustainable urea production. Throughout the project, partners have worked to design, build and operate a first-of-a-kind TRL7 pilot unit while assessing the technical, environmental and economic potential of this cross-sector approach.

The conference will take participants through the INITIATE journey, from the design and construction of the pilot unit, to the implementation of the integrated process, the insights gained from the demonstration, and the assessment of its sustainability and techno-economic performance. Alongside the project's key outcomes, discussions will also address the challenges encountered, the lessons learned and the roadmap developed to support future industrial deployment.

Held immediately after the ESTEP Conference "Paving the Future of EU Steel: Clean Technologies, Smart Steel Products and Applications", the event offers a natural opportunity to continue the discussion on the future of the European steel industry. Participants will exchange perspectives on the role of CCU, industrial symbiosis and cross-sector collaboration in supporting the defossilisation, competitiveness and resilience of Europe's energy-intensive industries.

Please find the agenda here.

Please register for the conference here.

Venue: RodeBol Events, CommunicationCampus (building 485), Sint-Denijslaan 485, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium