Got an idea that could transform construction? You could win £115,000 – Innovation – GCR

This year’s global construction innovation contest – the 2020 COINS Grand Challenge – has opened for entries.

People who put forward the best transformational ideas will get cash prizes and development funding in excess of £115,000.

Organised by construction software firm COINS, the contest is open to anyone with an idea to improve construction, whether through technology, engineering, management or sustainability.

A panel of judges drawn from leading industry figures will look for innovations that minimise waste, reduce costs, or improve sustainability, safety, quality, or compliance throughout the built life cycle.

Entries close 22 June. Find out more here.

Rock from CO2

Last year the 12 finalists hailed from all over the world, having submitted a wide variety of ideas.

The winner was Michael Evans (pictured), chief executive of Cambridge Carbon Capture Ltd, UK, which developed a rock-like building material by sequestering carbon dioxide.

“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,” said Evans.

“And the beauty is that we’re capturing the CO2 so that it that doesn’t go into the atmosphere, but 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.”

Incubating change

Katie Tamblin, chief product officer of Achilles, was a judge in the 2019 competition.

“People considering entering the COINS Grand Challenge should do so because the impact you can have is massive,” she said. “It’s a platform to innovate and incubate change in the construction sector on a global scale and there are very few things like it.”

The challenge has two categories, Professional (Open Competition) and Undergraduate.

“Every year the number and quality of the applications for the Grand Challenge gets stronger and stronger,” said COINS chief executive Robert Brown.

“It’s great to see the level of interest in new and emerging technology in the construction industry continue to grow. We are very proud to see the event go from strength to strength and hope that all the finalists enjoy the Grand Final and go on to pursue a career in construction whether they win the competition or not.”