Innovate UK, the UK Government’s innovation agency, is to invest the funding to explore new ways of increasing collaboration and improving the flow of information in the construction industry supply chain.
Innovate UK said lack of integration in the construction industry supply chain is leading to lost innovation opportunities, commenting:
“Our aim is to address problems arising from the fragmented nature of the industry. With so many layers of sub-contractors and suppliers, construction clients too often find themselves divorced from those who deliver projects on-site.”
The weakness was highlighted in Construction 2025, the joint strategy produced by the Government and industry.
Poor flow of information and a lack of collaborative behaviour in the supply chain have been identified as the chief obstacles to innovation. The root causes are the fragmented nature of the industry and the use of inadequate information management systems.
The organisation is now inviting businesses with ideas that will encourage the creation of more integrated, collaborative supply chains in the construction industry to bid for a share of the £2 million funding.
Companies working in construction or any other industry sector can apply for the funding for feasibility studies, which must be business-led and projects are open to companies of any size working in collaboration.
If successful:
- small businesses could receive up to 70% of their eligible project costs
- medium-sized businesses could receive up to 60% of their eligible project costs
- large businesses could receive up to 50% of their eligible project costs
Innovate UK said it expects projects to last 6 to 12 months with total costs ranging from £50,000 to £150,000.
The competition for applications for the funding opens on 9 March 2015, while the deadline for registration is midday on 15 April 2015. Innovate UK are holding a consortium-building workshop in Birmingham on 27 January and a separate briefing day for potential applicants in Bristol on 19 March.
Innovate UK has suggested that applicants could consider the environmental and social aspects influencing the market, incorporated within its invaluable free-to-use Horizons tool. http://horizons.innovateuk.org/
Click here for more information about the competition and how to apply.
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