The NSERC Industrial Research Chair's focus on creating a critical mass of simulation research in construction has resulted in a leading research program in construction engineering and management at the University of Alberta. Since the launch of the Chair, the Construction Engineering & Management program has grown to include four faculty members and approximately 20 graduate students each year.
The Chairholder is assisted by a research and technology transfer engineering, a team of programmers, and industry liaison/administrative assistant, technical writers, and over ten graduate students per year. These individuals contribute to the process of research and development and technology transfer while also gaining the skills required to be leaders in the construction industry.
Industry Involvement
The Chair program maintains strong ties with the construction industry in Alberta. The research program is guided by two committees formed from these industrial collaborators. The management committee oversees financial matters, approves the general direction of the program, and provides support on a strategic level to the chair. The committee is composed of six members representing the industrial partners, and the chair holder. The committee meets a minimum of twice annually to review the progress of the program. The technical committee facilitates collaborations with the involved companies, provides in-kind support and ensures successful transfer of research and technology to the industry. This committee is composed of eight members in total, with five members representing companies involved in project delivery, one representative from the Industrial Research Assistance Program (IRAP) as a non-voting member, the research and technology transfer engineer, and the chair holder. The committee meets at least four times every year to review specific projects, approve research transfer activities, and guide the Chair in its implementation efforts. The industrial members of this committee are the primary links between the collaborators and the Chair program.
Intellectual Property
The research program is conducted in accordance with a research agreement that was developed, reviewed, and ratified by the Chair Advisory Board and the Industry Liaison Office at the University of Alberta. The agreement defines intellectual property as “individually and collectively all inventions, improvements, discoveries, software and know-how, whether patentable or not, which results directly from the execution of the Program”. The rights and title of that property reside with the University of Alberta. The rights and title of the collaborating company’s background information remain with that company, just as background information from the University remains the property of the University.
Patent protection of any intellectual property resulting from the program is at the discretion of the University. If the University declines the opportunity to apply for protection, but the collaborating company believes it should be protected, the University will make the application if the company is willing to bear the costs.
Generally, actively involved companies are entitled to royalty-free use of all inventions and developments with which they were involved. Other members are entitled to use these inventions for reduced royalties.
In addition, the agreement provides non-disclosure clauses to protect the companies involved.
The Product
The Chair has achieved considerable success in providing three products to the construction industry:
State of the Art research innovation that broadens the possibilities for productivity and cost reduction
Technology transfer programs of immediate benefit to the collaborating companies
Human and Technological resources that benefit the construction industry as a whole
Since its inception in 1997, the Chair has propelled the CEM program to become the leading program in Canada and one of the finest in the world. Further, we are a major producer of graduate students who become industrial leaders in Canada and around the world.
Community Contributions
In addition to specific projects with collaborating companies, the Chair works to contribute its knowledge and technological skill to the advancement of construction productivity and of the industry in general.
A recent endeavor has been the implementation of an Electronic Plan Room. In collaboration with the Alberta Construction Association, members of the research team have implemented an interactive web site where contractors can search for upcoming projects and view project information. This format is becoming increasingly popular with construction associations across Canada and the United States; at present 14 associations in the US are using the same system as Alberta.
The Construction Opportunities On-Line Network (COOLNet) is located at www.coolnet.ab.ca. This facility is maintained by the Chair at no cost to the Construction Association and is available for use by contractors and owners free of charge.
In order to produce research and technology that is relevant to the construction industry, the Chair strives to create opportunities to both share its research findings and get input from industry on its needs and goals.
In keeping with this, the Chair organizes and sponsors an annual Canadian Construction Research Forum where research results are presented to industrial partners over a two day conference including presentations and workshops. Both industry members and faculty are given opportunities to discuss how research can meet the needs of industry, and there is general participation by collaborating companies and researchers from across Canada and the United States.
We have recently begun publishing the proceedings of the Forum, making each of the academic papers and speeches presented available to the public.
