Manufacturing better buildings
On 26th March 2018, Innovate UK announced that up to £72 million is available to invest in establishing a core innovation hub.
Innovate UK point to the fact that construction has not benefited from the same productivity increases as other industries; in many respects the way buildings are created has not changed in 40 years. In addition, there is a growing skills crisis as the workforce ages and younger people are not brought into the industry fast-enough. The purpose of the core innovation hub will be to transform the construction sector and support collaboration between industry and academia.
The funding competition is aimed at UK-based research and technology organisations that have substantive existing facilities and expertise and are able to work with others in the construction sector.
A single, core hub will be funded, with a focus on:
- The creation of better-performing built assets.
- Increasing the adoption of emerging digital and manufacturing technologies.
- The design of new processes to improve construction productivity (build 50% faster, 33% cheaper and with half the lifetime carbon emissions).
The successful application will be able to demonstrate a commitment from the private sector to invest in, and use, the hub once it has been completed. Projects must start in August 2018 and last up to 4 years.
The funding competition is part of the government’s Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund, which aims to bring together research and business to tackle the significant socio-economic challenges of the day.
The competition deadline is midday on 23rd May 2018.
For more information and to apply, see here.
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