Canadian Construction Innovations (CCInnovations) has created a clearinghouse portal with the goal of becoming the "nerve centre" for construction innovation, explains its president Pierre Boucher. "One of the issues that we have in Canada with innovation is a lack of co-ordination, communication and sharing of ideas, working in silos," he said.
"We decided, to help CCInnovations fulfill its mandate fully, that the clearinghouse would be a great tool to have. Clearly, the primary purpose is to provide a venue for innovators to post their work — be it a process, be it a tool, be it a gadget, be it an idea. To help them commercialize what they have."
The Clearinghouse for Construction Innovation in Canada portal is meant to provide the industry with new innovative solutions ready for use or implementation in the construction marketplace. It also highlights what could be up and coming developments that are yet to be realized.
"If you want to know about wood, steel, concrete, IT, process, procurement, it will all be there," Boucher added. "We want the portal to be a place for people to know who’s who for innovation."
A full list of industry researchers and resources will soon be added, CCInnovations explained. It will also be a venue for academia to share projects that various institutions and companies are working on.
"Unfortunately, a lot of times we just don’t know what they’re up to," Boucher stated. "We want researchers, academia, private or public, to inform industry of their work. We want to make a difference in that area."
But perhaps one of the most important functions of the portal will be to serve as a medium to connect people, such as industry stakeholders.
"We want it to be a hub for people to discuss concerns that they may have in the industry," Boucher said. "To discuss innovative solutions that they have tried that work, that don’t work so much, and that need perhaps some improvements. We want it to be a hub for people to suggest ideas. That will create a lot of interest. That will really become the nerve centre." He added often times people see innovation as something that needs to be protected and won’t talk about it. "It’s not that we’re not trying," Boucher said.
"I think Canada has all the potential to do better, it’s just a change of culture and that’s what CCI wants to do.
"It’s just to engage people. Maybe in the past the tool wasn’t there in construction."
CCInnovations expects that in the short term the portal will be "packed with material and references that will create an even bigger demand for information," a release reads. Visit www.ccinnovations.ca/clearinghouse to search for information or to post information on construction-related innovations.
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