The Technology Strategy Board is to invest up to £4m in collaborative research and development to encourage a radical rethink of the build process and supply chain relationships, leading to more consistent delivery of low-impact buildings. We plan to fund up to 15 research projects that will explore and test the viability of new integrated ways of working; that will examine novel process tools, products or contractual arrangements; and that will demonstrate that these improve the consistency, cost-effectiveness, speed and sustainability of building.
The competition is open to the full range of design and construction organisations, trades and professions, but is particularly targeted at construction contractors, developers and other major procurers of buildings, collaborating with their supply chain. We aim to encourage a fundamental rethink of current procurement and construction processes. The funding requires these new integrated ways of working to be trialled on a new-build construction project, or series of buildings.
We are looking for radically innovative ideas resulting in significant transformations; not the fine-tuning of existing tools, or the roll-out and training of existing processes or skills.
Projects must be collaborative and business-led and can involve science-tobusiness and/or business-to-business interactions. Academics can apply only as a collaboration partner in a consortium. Successful consortiums will attract up to 50% public funding. We expect to invest between £150k and £1m per project, and projects can last between one and four years.
This is a two-stage competition that opens on 8 May 2012. The deadline for registration is noon on 6 June 2012 and the deadline for expressions of interest is noon on 13 June 2012. The deadline for invited full-stage applications is noon on 22 August 2012. A briefing event for potential applicants will be held in London on 15 May 2012.
A further industry related event will be organised by the Modern Built Environment Knowledge Transfer Network to support this competition.
Open date: 08 May 2012
Registration close date: 06 June 2012
Close date: 13 June 2012
Email: competitions@innovateuk.org
Phone number: 0300 321 4357
