Forum for the Future is joining forces with the Environment Agency, National Grid, Arup, Interserve Plc, Galliford Try Infrastructure and United Utilities to explore how innovation can be nurtured throughout the lifecycle of an infrastructure project, not just in design. The organisations will also look at how innovation can become a norm, an expectation even, in every project.

Some infrastructure projects are held up as sustainability pioneers; others are recognised through innovation awards. But, if you ask any engineer for their honest opinion, they’ll confess that innovative thinking is not yet mainstream. Organisations are more likely to adopt what is seen as a low risk/low cost approach: using the customary design, materials and construction methods.

We need to move beyond this business as usual approach to find radical new ways of working to deliver value for money now and in the longer term. We need to make sure projects provide solutions that are fit for purpose and add value in what could be a very different carbon and resource constrained world. And we need to enable all parties at all stages of the project lifecycle to have the license and ability to adopt new products and processes.

Over the next year (Sep 2011 – Sep 2012) future leaders from all six organisations will come together to understand what enables and holds back innovation in infrastructure projects, guided by a steering group of senior managers and a representative from the Royal Academy of Engineering (RAE). The aim is to come up with various outputs (tools, products or processes for instance) that will address these barriers and enable the uptake of opportunities for sustainability.

Latest progress

Stakeholder update number 1 - September 2011

Stakeholder update number 2 - March 2012

Stakeholder update number 3 - April 2012

If you would like further information on the project or to sign up for the bi-monthly updates please contact Anna Warrington on a.warrington@forumforthefuture.org. This project forms part of the Engineers for the 21st Century Programme (E21C). More information on this programme can be found here.