The 2020 event will have innovative product manufacturers putting forward radical solutions to Futurebuild’s six key challenges, before one is crowned champion.
Hosted across Futurebuild in conjunction with BRE as technical partner, the competition will be one of the the industry’s largest call-outs for innovation to date and will identify and celebrate new approaches to some of the biggest challenges facing us all.
Following a two-year hiatus, the 2020 edition of the Big Innovation Pitch is now officially open to all organisations, from start-ups and entrepreneurs, through to larger established brands, to come forward and submit their innovative solutions and products for consideration.
The innovations submitted will need to address one of the following six challenges:
- Buildings: retrofitted, re-used, net positive and built to perform
- Offsite: reliability and efficiency combined with creative placemaking
- Interiors: sustainable and health promoting
- Resourceful Materials: thinking circular to reduce, reuse and recycle
- Energy: accurate data for carbon accounting and reduced clean energy usage
- Critical Infrastructure: delivering integrated green, grey, blue and social infrastructure
Speaking about the return of Big Innovation Pitch, Martin Hurn, event director at Futurebuild, stated: “Innovation at Futurebuild 2020 is more than just a buzzword or concept and it goes beyond invention to span the whole of the built environment from products and materials to processes and solutions.
“With greater exposure available than ever before, we urge industry innovators to take this opportunity and get involved today, to make sure their exciting innovations get the attention they deserve. Seeing the talent across the UK and finding solutions that have the potential to meet wider industry issues is truly amazing, which is why we are so excited to bring the competition back and to see what our 2020 entries bring to the table.”
Gillian Charlesworth, chief executive at BRE Group, added: “As an organisation which takes great pride in bringing brilliant ideas to life, we are delighted to be partnering with Futurebuild on The Big Innovation Pitch. It’s a fantastic competition which serves as an ideal platform for solutions to an array of the built environment challenges, we face today. We can’t wait to see what this year’s batch of entrants come up with.”
Entrants who are successfully shortlisted will have visibility in front of Futurebuild’s audience of industry shapers and decision-makers. Six successful innovations per challenge will be invited to present their ideas across Futurebuild’s keynote stages during day one of the event. This group will then be narrowed down further to six finalists who will return on day two to pitch again in the Conference Arena, with a panel of renowned judges determining the overall winner.
The winner’s idea will be incorporated into BRE Academy Training, with the solution also being showcased in the landmark BRE Innovation Park.
Nico Stillwell, imagineer from Protomax Plastics, which took joint top prize in 2017, said: “Winning the Big Innovation Pitch really put my idea on the national stage. Since winning, my company has grown from just myself, to a team of thirteen employees.
“We also have grown a brilliant roster of clients, which include M&S and a number of companies that heard about us at Futurebuild itself. We’re so excited for the future and are looking to having a stand at the 2020 event.”
With all the changes within the industry surrounding the governments Net Zero goals, innovation is more important than ever. The Futurebuild event will be taking place from March 3 to 5 at ExCeL London.