Submitted by Angela Walters on Tue, 05/06/2018 - 11:52
Alexandra Bolton, Deputy Director of CDBB, prepares to reveal the successful Network Bid applications and announces a diary date for the forthcoming CDBB Pecha Kucha Lunch event.
The call for proposals for Research Networks, launched at the Centre for Digital Built Britain (CDBB) Research Network Scoping Workshop in early April, has attracted an impressive response. We have received 16 Network Bid applications, which have been under review by an independent national panel of experts since the middle of May when the call came to a close. This is an exciting and significant point in the Centre’s development as our Networks are likely to be key contributors to subsequent research activities in future years.
Our Research Networks are central to the wider CDBB programme that has the potential to lead one of the defining developments of our times. The transformation to a digital built Britain requires a synergy of ideas rooted in rigorous and innovative academic research as well as industry engagement; this will inform the wider DBB agenda that supports the creation of a digital and smart economy to capture the inherent value in our built assets and improve services and wellbeing for all.
The successful bids will be announced on w/c 11 June on our website, so do stay in touch. While the results of the most recent bids are imminent, the framework for our research network programme is open to engagement at all times and we welcome suggestions from anyone who would like to propose a new network or contribute to an existing one. There are additional research calls planned for later this year, including an Early Career Researcher Call, so it is worth signing up to keep connected with us to be informed about the latest developments, recruitment, activities and events.
Another reason to visit our website is the series of case study articles that will be published over the next few weeks to showcase the suite of 2018 Mini-Projects that attracted funding earlier this year. The range of topics is impressive – from how European cities are adapting to BIM, and the use of machine learning and AI in the built environment, to building smart acoustics into buildings and clothing and applying computer vision techniques to recreate geospatial viewpoints and 17th century line drawings of Cambridge colleges. These projects really do demonstrate the dynamic and far-reaching remit of the CDBB programme that is interdisciplinary by nature and far more than a technical exercise.
Please do keep a diary date for our CDBB Pecha Kucha Lunch on 30 July at St Catharine’s College (University of Cambridge). This is an opportunity to hear more about our programme, research framework and longer-term plans and we will be welcoming industry professionals, academic researchers and interested members of the public to the event. Many of you may be familiar with the Pecha Kucha format, but, for anyone who is not, the original Pecha Kucha (the Japanese term translates as chit-chat) is a fast-paced, concise and visually-driven format where speakers present 20 slides for 20 seconds each to showcase their work. Our event will feature a number of Pecha Kucha style presentations highlighting our 2018 Mini-Projects and funded Research Networks as well as details about future funding calls, the chance to talk with the CDBB team and our associates and, of course, lunch. You can request a place at the event here. Join us if you can and I look forward to seeing you there.