London-based EcoWise has developed a solution that provides the means to assemble the ‘golden thread of information’ required for building safety in the UK from 2026. The digital signature-enabled logbook system ensures traceability and accountability from construction products through to entire buildings.
With tailored growth support from Innovate UK, the company has secured more than £1.8 million in European grant funding, built collaborations with over 60 international partners and expanded its team through new roles linked to product development.
Founded in 2016, EcoWise builds on 24 years of research and engineering expertise from its parent company, Ekodenge. Its flagship product, the EcoWise Platform, issues secure digital identities for construction products, enabling traceability from manufacture to the construction site and into digital building logbook records.*
Dr Rembrandt Koppelaar, Chief Operating Officer, EcoWise says: “Our aim is to make traceability and the management of digital information in the construction sector effortless. We’re giving the construction industry a single source of truth that makes safety and sustainability data management practical, scalable and impactful.”
Funding accelerates product development
EcoWise began working with Innovate UK Business Growth in July 2022. Following a detailed needs assessment, Innovation and Growth Specialist, Monika Dunkel, co-developed a tailored action plan that prioritised funding to accelerate product development and international growth to connect the company with the most promising European markets for sustainable construction.
Expert, guided support enabled EcoWise to align its innovation goals with suitable European opportunities and resulted in a series of major grant wins. In early 2024, the company secured €121,000 through Horizon Europe’s Cluster 5: Climate, Energy and Mobility. The funding supports EcoWise’s role in STARtrack, a €2 million international project developing sustainable construction renovation through integrated local value chains. The project is helping EcoWise scale and deploy its platform across EU markets.
In October 2024, EcoWise secured €588,700 through Horizon Europe, as part of a €26 million collaboration with 45 partners across Europe. The initiative is expanding EcoWise’s international footprint and embedding the UK in a significant pan-European network for sustainable construction.
EcoWise’s growth trajectory was further boosted by £700,000 in funding from EIT Digital – part of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology – between 2021 and 2024. The award strengthened its product, supported team expansion and enhanced the company’s ability to scale internationally.
Dr Koppelaar explains: “Innovate UK Business Growth helped us focus our strategy and align it with European funding opportunities. That guidance gave us the confidence to pursue high-value grants, which in turn have accelerated our digital solution development and strengthened our team.”
International collaboration strengthens UK-EU ties
EcoWise’s growth has also been supported through connections provided by the Enterprise Europe Network (EEN). This access to the world’s largest innovation and business collaboration network has enabled EcoWise to join influential EU-led consortia, creating strong foundations for cross-border technology transfer.
Through STARtrack and a large-scale Horizon Europe collaboration, EcoWise is now working with more than 60 partners across Europe, including public authorities, research institutes and industry leaders. These collaborations are giving the company visibility in key markets and embedding the UK into major sustainable construction initiatives.
EcoWise is now moving beyond development by advancing its EcoWise Platform through major European collaborations, refining the system with partner input and preparing it for wider adoption. By working within large international consortia, the company is gaining access to new markets and demonstrating how digital traceability can be integrated into construction processes to improve transparency and sustainability.
Dr Koppelaar adds: “Being part of these European collaborations has opened doors we could not have accessed alone. It’s given us the chance to learn from industry leaders, refine our digital solution with their input and show how smart innovation can drive sustainable construction internationally.”
Driving innovation, jobs and global growth
In total, EcoWise has secured more than £1.8 million in grant funding across Horizon Europe and EIT frameworks. The company has created five new jobs, with further hires planned to support EU-funded product development.
With the EcoWise Platform now export-ready and gaining traction in European markets, the company is positioned to deliver measurable benefits to the UK economy. Its technology supports green growth by helping companies reduce waste, strengthen compliance and unlock efficiencies in construction supply chains. At the same time, the company is generating high-value jobs and reinforcing the UK’s reputation as a leader in sustainable digital innovation.
Dr Koppelaar concludes: “Innovate UK Business Growth has kept us on top of new opportunities and helped us build a strong foundation for future growth. The support has made a clear difference in securing funding, partnerships and market outreach.”
By embedding itself in European networks and strengthening technology transfer, EcoWise is driving sustainable growth in construction while contributing to the UK’s economic and environmental goals. The company is now preparing to scale it’s Ecowise Platform across European markets, opening new commercial opportunities for future growth.
Innovate UK Business Growth has kept us on top of new opportunities and helped us build a strong foundation for future growth. The support has made a clear difference in securing funding, partnerships and market outreach.
Dr Rembrandt Koppelaar, Chief Operating Officer, EcoWise
* EcoWise provides the UK construction industry with seamless digital records automation – from the product design phase through manufacturing and UKCA marking, to installation, occupancy and maintenance. These records are now required for safety under the Building Safety Act 2022 and for carbon reporting under the Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard.
The company’s ‘golden thread’ solution creates tamper-proof records by giving companies and operators a Digital Product Passport for construction products and a Digital Building Logbook for buildings. Every life cycle event – from product placement within a building to fire safety inspections – can be logged by an operator or inspector using a digital business wallet with cryptographic, tamper-proof credentials, similar to the technology used in secure payment systems.