The University of Alberta’s Construction Innovation Centre (CIC): Academia-Industry Collaboration for High-Impact Research
Publication: Construction Research Congress 2024
ABSTRACT
The Construction Innovation Centre (CIC) was established at the University of Alberta with the aim of providing breakthrough research, education, and training that would directly benefit the construction industry, leading to sustainable and economic development of our built environment—all while providing a competitive advantage for the Canadian construction sector. Bringing together over 30 inter-disciplinary faculty members and more than 50 industrial partners, professional associations, and government bodies, the CIC is accelerating and supporting innovation, productivity, and competitiveness in the construction industry through high-impact research. This paper shares the steps taken to establish the CIC including the development of its research road map, governing structure, services provided, and metrics to evaluate performance. By exploring the process of establishing the CIC as a collaborative construction research center, this paper provides insights into the opportunities, challenges, and directions for creating successful academia-industry collaborations. Such collaborations are crucial for developing impactful solutions that can address the challenges encountered by the construction industry through cultivating a collaborative environment for effective innovation and knowledge mobilization, successful dissemination of research findings, and productive training of highly qualified personnel.
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Construction Research Congress 2024
Pages: 159 - 169
History
Published online: Mar 18, 2024
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