The CDTI Innovation seeks a Spanish company to develop an R&D project with Egypt on the auscultation of bituminous mixtures on roads

The initiative seeks to develop a simpler and cheaper solution for the quality control of asphalt binders

Búsqueda de socios Egipto 08sept26
The proposal is part of the 11th Spain-Egypt bilateral call (ESIP)
INTERNATIONAL TECHNOLOGY COOPERATION

The American University in Cairo (AUC), in Egypt, is looking for a Spanish company to jointly develop an R&D project focused on the validation and development of the micro indentation and relaxation method (MIR) for the quality control of asphalt binders.

Currently, routine quality control of these materials primarily uses the Dynamic Shear Rheometer (DSR), a sophisticated and expensive instrument that requires specialized training and controlled testing conditions. In contrast to this method, MIR offers a simpler and more economical alternative based on a strength-relaxation test on a binder sample.

The AUC has developed and validated the MIR method at the laboratory level and has a test protocol, software for the analysis of the data and its conversion to parameters obtained by DSR, as well as a set of validation data corresponding to 16 samples, which combine four degrees of binder and four aging states.

Within the framework of this search, the university is looking for a Spanish company that participates in the validation of the method in Spain using European binders and in the joint development of the instrument and the test protocol, aimed at its use in quality control laboratories, contractors and suppliers of binders.

The proposal envisages the validation of the MIR as a screening and prequalification tool for quality control and assurance, maintaining the DSR as a reference method. The validation will combine a mathematical equivalence based on Prony series and Fourier interconversion with an empirical correlation of the results.

The proposal aims to be submitted to the 11th bilateral call between Spain and Egypt under the ESIP Programme, whose deadline for submitting applications expires on 3 December 2026.

Interested Spanish companies can consult in this link additional information about the search for a partner, the profile of the Spanish company sought and the scope of the proposal.

 

Contacts

For additional information on the technical scope of the proposal and the role of the Spanish company, you can contact Dr. Ahmed Faheem, of the American University in Cairo:

For specific information and advice on this search for partners and/or on the ESIP call, you can contact the Office of the Delegation of North Africa and Middle East of the CDTI Innovation:

 

CDTI Innovation

The Center for Technological Development and Innovation, CDTI E.P.E. It is the innovation agency of the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, whose objective is the promotion of technological innovation in the business environment. The mission of the CDTI is to ensure that the Spanish business fabric generates and transforms scientific and technical knowledge into globally competitive, sustainable and inclusive growth. In 2025, within the framework of the Strategic Plan 2024-2027, the CDTI provided 2,423 million euros of support to Spanish companies and startups.
 

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