Centre for Digital Built Britain Mini-projects Programme 2017-18

We are pleased to announce that to start off the research programme, the Centre is looking to commission a number of mini projects from within the University of Cambridge research network for up to £25K each. Due to funding restrictions, these projects must be completed by 31/3/2018.

This is the first set of funding opportunities. External opportunities will be available in 2018.

[Application Form]

The Centre for Digital Built Britain was announced by government on 29th November 2017. The University has received funding of £5.4 million from BEIS via Innovate UK to support the creation of a Centre for Digital Built Britain (CDBB) at the University of Cambridge focusing on the ongoing transformation of the built environment through the digital tools, standards and processes that are collectively known as Building Information Modelling (BIM). 

Mission

The Cambridge Centre for Digital Built Britain will support the digitally enabled transformation of the full lifecycle of the built environment to increase productivity and improve economic and social outcomes in the UK and, where appropriate, internationally. The Centre will achieve this by developing and demonstrating policy and practical insights, leading to standards and guidance, that will enable the exploitation of new and emerging technologies, data and analytics to enhance the natural and built environment, thereby increasing productivity, help create ‘high performing assets’ in terms of their construction, their operation efficiency and improvement in services they were created to deliver, creating commercial opportunities and enhancing citizen quality of life and well-being. The Centre, with its Government, Industry and academic partnership approach is conceived as a national focal point for this work and the custodians of the integrity of the UK BIM and Digital Built Britain Programme.

Objectives

The Centre has seven core objectives:

1. To act as the custodians of the integrity of the UK BIM and Digital Built Britain Programmes across all the levels and to be recognised both nationally and internationally as that institution.
2. To liaise with national and international standard bodies to create and modify technical standards and protocols which remain relevant to UK needs and which support industry adoption and implementation of all levels of Digital Built Britain.
3. To develop an academic bridgehead to ensure that the Digital Built Britain programme is cognisant of new and emerging research and technological developments that will impact the built environment in the years and decades to come.
4. To track capabilities in the UK and elsewhere to ensure successful commercial exploitation of these new technological developments, identifying where capability investment may be required.
5. To develop and inspire an industrial community who, combined with academics and policy leaders, will provide leadership on adopting and implementing new digital approaches.
6. To co-ordinate and deliver a range of events and activities designed to engage industry in defining and adopting BIM levels 3 and 4, rethinking their business models and the ways in which they use technologies, data and analytics to deliver social outcomes through the built environment.
7. To ensure that findings and insights from the Centre and its engagement activities inform future policy, industrial practice, standards and research initiatives.

The Centre for Digital Built Britain wishes to fund mini projects of up to £25,000 looking at how digital technologies impact the built environment, and how society might be affected by the changes which may follow from the employment of these technologies. Project must be run by a Principal Investigator from the University of Cambridge. Projects must conform to InnovateUK funding rules and must end by 31/3/2018.

Projects can tackle any area which might fit the CDBB 7 core objectives, and may be from any relevant research field. A wide variety of activities might be appropriate. All projects must create an output that can be publically shared by CDBB, in addition to a final report on the project. Examples of such outputs include workshop summaries, white papers, and videos.

The proposal form needs to be submitted to enquires@cdbb.cam.ac.uk.  

Applications will be reviewed regularly while the call is open. The call will close on 31 January 2018.