Next Tuesday, 30 June, marks 8 years of operation for the CRC for Construction Innovation. While Construction Innovation has been formally extended to 31 December 2009, there will be limited activities continuing over the next 6 months. The focus will be on the completion of existing research projects, with the National BIM Guidelines being rolled out through September/October and a launch of our Dispute Avoidance and Resolution project on 17 November followed by a series of seminars nationally.

 

Though Construction Innovation winds-up at the end of this year, research in this space will continue. We shared the news with our partners this week that we have been able to secure a QUT commitment to provide seed funding for a new centre from 2009-10 as a transition is made to the Sustainable Built Environment National Research Centre. We are very grateful to QUT for their ongoing support of Construction Innovation's activities and providing the continuity that is needed to ensure long-term success of the research outputs.

 

We are certainly pleased to be in a position to get on with the urgent business of developing and delivering sustainability research and education solutions for the built environment industry. The critical task of securing the new centre’s on-going funding base continues. We have been buoyed by strong support for the new centre's objectives and work program by stakeholders in government, industry and research and are confident of their support as we move to establish a national research centre.

 

It is probably fair to say that we are currently at a cross-road as we transition from the existing CRC for Construction Innovation to the new centre. We are already in discussions about new research projects and new centre activities look set to overlap with Construction Innovation's wind-up period to 31 December 2009.

 

Construction Innovation’s wind-up means we have recently said goodbye to a number of valued staff who have served our CRC well over the years. I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the work of Colleen Foelz, who will be well known to many of you having managed the CRC’s communications and publications with great flair for the last 5 years, the delightful Jenny Spiers, who worked with Colleen to manage the CRC’s website and online resources, Lyn Pearson, who has always had an effective hands-on role in delivering our education and training program and Fiona Lauder who has lent us her great administrative services over the past few six months. We wish them every success in their future endeavours.