ZIMBA Reaches M18 Milestone and Completes First Project Review
July 1On 30 June and 1 July 2026, AMIRES joined fellow ZIMBA partners in Chambéry, France, for the project’s M18 Consortium Meeting and first Project Review, hosted by the project coordinator CEA. The two-day meeting provided an opportunity to review the progress achieved during the first 18 months of the project and align the next steps towards demonstrating ZIMBA’s innovative absorption heat transformer technology for industrial heat recovery and decarbonisation.
During the meeting, partners highlighted the main achievements reached so far across the project.
WP1 – Design of the Innovative AHT System successfully completed the design phase, delivering the final system architecture, eco-design framework, end-user requirements analysis, and an optimised ejector design.
WP2 – Manufacturing and Pre-Characterisation is progressing steadily, with the ejector already manufactured and assembly of the baseline AHT system set to begin shortly.
WP3 – Prototype Assessment has initiated preparatory activities for the testing and validation of the upgraded ZIMBA AHT prototype.
WP4 – Market Uptake and Business Development completed the first market analyses and business model activities, laying the groundwork for future commercialisation and market deployment.
WP5 – Communication, Dissemination and Exploitation continues to increase the project’s visibility through communication activities, stakeholder engagement, scientific dissemination, and exploitation planning.
WP6 – Project Management and Coordination ensures the smooth implementation of project activities and facilitates effective collaboration among all partners.
A key highlight was the participation of the project’s External Advisory Board (EAB), whose members attended a consortium meeting for the first time and exchanged valuable feedback with the partners. The programme also included a tour of CEA’s laboratories, providing insight into the facilities that will support the upcoming testing and validation activities.
The second day was dedicated to the project’s first review meeting with the CINEA Project Officer. The consortium presented the work completed during the first reporting period and received constructive feedback on both the project progress and reporting activities. The Project Officer acknowledged the substantial progress achieved and commended the consortium for the quality of the work performed and the preparation of the review meeting.
With the design phase completed and prototype manufacturing advancing, ZIMBA is now entering a crucial stage focused on system integration, assembly, testing, and validation. The meeting confirmed the strong collaboration among partners and the project’s continued progress towards delivering innovative solutions for sustainable industrial heating.
AMIRES would like to thank CEA for hosting the meeting and all project partners for their continued commitment and cooperation.
The ZIMBA consortium brings together five partners with complementary expertise: CEA (France), POLIMI (Italy), CLAUGER (France), OST (Switzerland), and AMIRES (Czech Republic).
