First-year PhD students Špela Vrtovec, Una Vuletić, Erfan Asgari and Olga Srejić from the Renewable Materials for Healthy Built Environments programme at the University of Primorska, Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies, together with Katarina Legat and Zoja Mohorčič, students of the Master’s programme Sustainable Built Environments, organized a co-creation workshop with researchers and administrative staff from InnoRenew CoE, UP IAM, held on 9 July 2026. As part of the continued development of the SediMateria project, the workshop provided an opportunity to present the project and gather feedback to support its further development.

The SediMateria project explores the development of sustainable bio-clay boards produced from marine sediments from Port Koper and wood-based residues, promoting the valorisation of underutilized local resources within a circular economy framework. During the workshop, the students presented the project’s objectives, technical aspects, environmental impact and the current stage of prototype development.

Following the presentation, participants took part in a workshop designed to encourage constructive feedback and the exchange of ideas. Drawing on their expertise in research, engineering, materials science, communication and project management, participants discussed potential future challenges and possible solutions. The interdisciplinary nature of the group enabled the team to gather valuable insights from a range of perspectives.

The workshop also served as preparation for the team’s participation in the upcoming European Bio-based Innovation Student Challenge Europe (BISC-E) 2026 competition. The feedback collected during the session will help refine both the technical concept and its communication, while demonstrating the value of interdisciplinary collaboration and internal co-creation in developing innovative circular construction materials.