GRiNS – Green Skills and innovative Qualification for Sustainable Construction in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (Sustainable Construction) – is a collaborative project to strengthen sustainable construction skills in vocational continuing education.
Background
The building sector is responsible for around 40% of energy consumption and 36% of CO₂ emissions in the EU. The transformation towards climate-neutral and resource-efficient construction requires qualified professionals – yet this is precisely where a significant gap exists. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the construction industry often lack the resources to systematically train their employees in sustainable construction.
GRiNS addresses precisely this challenge: The project develops practical, modularly structured continuing education programs specifically tailored to the needs of SMEs in the construction sector. Through the combination of scientific research and practical implementation, an innovative qualification program is being created that broadly anchors sustainable construction skills across the industry.
Project Data
| Duration | February 2026 – January 2029 |
| Funding | Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (BMFSFJ) / ESF Plus |
| Programme | Nachhaltig im Beruf – zukunftsorientiert ausbilden (NIB) (Sustainable in the Profession) |
| Funding reference | 66NIB21602 / 66NIB21603 |
| Consortium coordination | bio innovation park Rheinland e.V. (bioIP) |
| Scientific partner | University of Bonn |
Objectives
- Identification of actual qualification needs in construction sector SMEs
- Development of innovative, modularly structured continuing education formats
- Testing and evaluation of qualification programs in practice
- Transfer and sustainability of results for broad application
- Strengthening training quality in the field of sustainable construction
GRiNS is funded within the ESF Plus programme “Nachhaltig im Beruf – zukunftsorientiert ausbilden (NIB)” by the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth and the European Union through the European Social Fund Plus (ESF Plus).