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Heelis, Winner of the RIBA & BIFM Sustainability Awards
(Photo courtesy of Max Fordham LLP/Oak Taylor-Smith) |
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Innovation platforms
The concept of an ‘innovation platform’ aims to use the challenges facing today's society to drive innovative activity in UK businesses. The platforms pull together policy, business, government procurement opportunities, and research perspectives and resources, to generate innovative solutions to these kinds of problems and make a real difference.
By addressing challenges, and harnessing the innovative capabilities of UK businesses, the TSB aims not only to solve the problems for the UK, but also give businesses based here a strong advantage in addressing these same challenges in the other countries – which would then become prime export markets.
Low-impact building
The UK Government has set a number of challenging targets for improving sustainability; starting with the overarching goal of a 60% reduction in carbon emissions in the UK by 2050. The platform aims to increase innovation in the buildings industry to meet this societal challenge.
A consultation exercise in summer 2007 run by the Cambridge Institute for Manufacturing on behalf of the Innovation Platform, plus roadmapping and prioritisation workshops held in September 2007, identified five priority areas:
- design for future climate change;
- design and decision tools;
- management and operation of buildings;
- better materials and components;
- low-carbon energy sources
In addition, human behaviour underpins the effectiveness of all of these areas – as does systems integration.
The Low Impact Building Innovation Platform was launched on 8th May 2008. The first competition seeks to invest £4 million in highly innovative collaborative research projects leading to the development of new components and materials for low-impact buildings. Further competitions will be announced from Autumn 2008 onwards through the first 5 years of the innovation platform’s activity.
 
For further information visit the Low Impact Building Innovation Platform website or
contact the Technology Strategy Board (01793 442700).
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