Call for ideas #5: Industry Challenge on Reuse – Innovation Booster Circular Building Industry (CBI Booster)
Challenge Metadata
- Challenge Name: Call for ideas #5: Industry Challenge on Reuse – Innovation Booster Circular Building Industry (CBI Booster)
- Date: 12/18/2023 8:58:14 PM
- Administrators:
Challenge Description
Please read the Submission Guidelines attached before submitting your idea and answer all provided questions in a consecutive order.
The Circular Building Industry Innovation Booster (CBI Booster) aims to enable the transition towards a circular building industry through systemic, radical, and joint innovation. This call for ideas is specifically focused on the various challenges around reusing existing building elements within a circular construction industry. In addition, one of the selected innovation teams will get the opportunity to collaborate with Implenia, a key player in the Swiss building ecosystem, to advance their idea.
Who do we address?
Are you a Swiss company (start-up, SME, or corporate), non-profit (public institution, NGO, etc.), or a research group interested in implementing an idea on reuse in the construction industry, or testing its viability, desirability, and/or feasibility? A team needs to have at least one implementation partner and one research partner.
What are we looking for?
Do you want to develop, test, and refine your idea for a product, service, process, or business model relating to the circular building industry? For this call, we invite innovation teams to submit ideas tailored to the specific challenges around reuse (outlined below).
In the pursuit of mitigating climate impact and resource depletion, the need for increased reuse in new buildings and refurbishment projects is paramount. In collaboration with Implenia we outlined the following challenges around this topic and seek innovative solutions addressing one or several of these challenges:
- Urban Mining and Reused Materials: How can we gather a significant share of reusable materials, elements and products from the current building stock and remanufacture them to meet today’s norms and performance expectations?
- Process Innovation: Given the lack of standardized reuse procedures in the industry, what processes can we implement to facilitate the use of reused materials (e.g. inventorying, dismantlement, storage, transportation, construction site logistics)?
- Legal Processes: How can we handle client requests for reuse without the substantial risks related to warranty, insurances and the physical performance (e.g. statics, sound, insulation, fire) of reused materials?
If your idea fulfills the following criteria, then you are in the right place:
- You have an idea for a new product, service, process, or business model
- Through circularity, your idea has a positive impact on the 3Ps:
- Planet (e.g., reducing GHG, raw material extraction and toxicity, etc.)
- Prosperity (e.g., creating employment, generating innovation, etc.)
- People (e.g., improving health, well-being, and living conditions of employees, communities, customers etc.)
- You are familiar with the value chain and account for its particularities. Your idea involves stakeholders across the value chain.
- You are a Swiss start-up, SME, large company, a non-for-profit, or a research team looking with partners to implement an idea in practice
- You have the intention of implementing the project in Switzerland and/or beyond after the booster
- You can attract 10% of the total funding amount in third-party funding (= 2'000 CHF).
What's in it for you?
- Six teams will be awarded with direct cash contribution of 20,000 CHF to develop ideas, concepts, and prototypes (the project team shall add an additional 3rd party contribution equivalent to 10% of the funding requested from the booster to confirm commitment). The funds can be used flexibly (e.g., pay salaries, buy equipment and material, etc.). The cash contribution is split in 2 payments of 15’000 CHF at the project start and 5’000 CHF when 3rd party funding has been received.
- Methodological and technical support from topic experts
- A Swiss-wide network of companies, researchers, and public institutions
- Networking and targeted events (e.g., roundtables, workshops, etc.)
- One of the selected teams (chosen by Implenia) will in addition get the opportunity for feedback and to collaborate with Implenia during or after the program, to advance their idea. Via the CBI Booster Implenia will provide additional 5’000 CHF 3rd party funding to the selected idea. The formal agreement for the collaboration between Implemia and the project team are organized bilaterally.
How to be eligible for selection and funding?
What to submit?
When submitting your project idea, start with a brief overview of your idea. Subsequently, address all the following questions in consecutive order.
- What problem would you like to solve?
- Who will benefit from your solution and how?
- Who are the existing persons/companies in your team and what is their role?
- How does your challenge have a positive impact on the planet (e.g., material reduction, CO2 emission reduction)?
- Has your idea been tested before?
- What are you planning on working on throughout the booster (e.g., developing the business model, building an initial prototype, material for prototyping, etc.)? What will you deliver at the end of the booster?
- What are you expecting from the booster (e.g., looking for specific partners, expert support, etc.)?
- How will you attract the 3rd party funding (10% of the total funding amount)?
Please note, that the project application is done through the open innovation platform JointCreate and will be visible to the CBI Core Team, the jury, as well as Implenia for this specific industry challenge call.
What to attend?
To be eligible for funding, teams must have at least attended one of two open innovation events listed below. The Roundtable and Design Thinking Workshop serve as complementary components in the innovation journey, and teams have the freedom to attend the event that best suits their innovation journey ideation stage:
- Roundtable, 08.02.2024, ETH Zurich (morning only)
- The Roundtable primarily focuses on the early stages of idea generation, partner identification, and fostering connections within the industry. It is a platform for collaborative brainstorming and networking. Coffee, tea and snacks are offered.
- Design Thinking Workshop, 29.02.2024, HSLU Campus Horw (whole day)
- The Design Thinking Workshop refines existing ideas, offering a structured space for testing, development, pitch practice, and peer feedback. Teams are guided by a Design Thinking Coach, inspired by a guest speaker, challenges to bring their idea to the next level and improve their pitch so to increase their success at the pitching event. Lunch and snacks are offered.
Further details on participation can be found on the website www.cbi-booster.ch.
If you have any questions, contact info@cbi-booster.ch.
You can submit your application in English, German or French. If you wish to submit to your project in French, you can do so through the platform, or you can request a French application form by writing to info@cbi-booster.ch.