Deadline extended for COINS Grand Challenge

There’s still time to shape the future of construction, and win cash prizes, with the new deadline for the COINS Grand Challenge being 6 July 2021.

Organised by Construction Industry Solutions (COINS) and supported by the COINS Foundation the COINS Grand Challenge aims to inspire innovation within the construction industry and is open to anyone whose idea could improve construction for the better – from increasing efficiency, to improving sustainability and safety, with a focus on new or emerging technology.

Take a look at some of the ideas focussing on sustainability that were entered for previous challenges:

The winner of the 2019 Open Competition was UK based Michael Evans with climate-saving CO2LOC technology which aims to reduce the embedded carbon in construction projects.

We’re developing a technology that can capture CO2 and convert it into materials that can be used in the construction sector. Winning this award has been really fantastic for us as we’re at a stage in the development of our technology where we really need to get exposure to the construction sector, so that they can adopt some of the materials we’re using and take some risks in trying something new. Our CO2LOC technology can capture CO2 in the form of magnesium carbonate, this can be used as a filler in construction materials as a direct replacement for gypsum. And the beauty of that is that we’re capturing the CO2 so that it that doesn’t go into the atmosphere, and we’re also creating carbon negative building materials which are displacing other more carbon intensive materials. So overall, we’re making construction industry a lot cleaner!

Michael Evans, CEO, Cambridge Carbon Capture Ltd, UK

Ehab Sayed from Biohm was a winner in 2018 with a ‘Revolutionary Construction System for a Circular Future’. Watch his winner’s interview here…

New Zealand’s Ged Finch modular structural wall framing technology, X-Frame, was also shortlisted in 2020. This construction system being designed specifically for end-of-life recovery and direct high-value reuse. Ged explains more in this short video:

Pooran Desai, founder of OnePlanet and Bioregional, was shortlisted for the 2019 COINS Grand Challenge. The idea that I entered into the COINS Grand Challenge is a digital solution to make it easy for people to create, share and connect sustainability plans. At the moment, in the construction industry it’s not always very joined up between different players in the industry, between real estate companies and cities. Our solution enables everyone in that ecosystem to see what they are really intending to create and to collaborate on those outcomes.

Pooran Desai, OnePlanet & Bioregional 

In 2020, Uganda-based Franc Kamugyisha was shortlisted for his innovative, chemical-free and energy efficient technology, EcoPlastile: a method of upcycling post-consumer waste in order to manufacture cost effective plastic lumber from plastics and packaging materials.

Could your idea be a winning one? Enter your idea before the deadline of 6 July 2021 at www.coins-grandchallenge.com

This global competition has two entry categories, an Open competition and an Undergraduate competition.

This year’s prizes include:  

COINS Investment Prize: Up to £100,000*

Open Competition Winner: £5,000*

Open Competition Runner Up: £2,000*

Undergraduate Competition Winner: £2,500*

Undergraduate Competition Runner Up: £1,000*

COINS Software Innovation Prize Paid Internship at COINS

(* or local equivalent)

We look forward to hearing your ideas ….

The 2021 COINS Grand Challenge is open for entries, with the deadline for entry being extended to 6 July 2021.