Edinburgh Uni aims to build links with construction

ERI's AIMday event will examine the use of new technologies in construction. Picture: Rui Vieira/PA Wire

The commercialisation arm of the University of Edinburgh is to hold an event aimed at boosting the construction industry through the use of new technologies.

Edinburgh Research & Innovation (ERI) said October’s AIMday (academic industry meeting day) will tackle topics such as construction management, innovative materials, new building systems, performance and effectiveness of design, resource efficiency, waste management and the use of robotics.

Companies will be able to submit a question or commercial challenge around any element of construction, with academics from the university selecting those areas where they believe their research could add the most value.

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The AIMday, on 3 October, will be the eighth organised by ERI and the event will see firms and academics meet in a one-hour workshop at the Edinburgh Centre for Carbon Innovation to discuss possible solutions to the challenges faced by the construction sector.

Anna Gibbons, business development manager at the university’s College of Humanities & Social Science, said: “With companies increasingly looking to meet varied global market demands, universities are a vital source of innovative thinking that can be called upon.

“The multi-disciplinary thinking brought to specific company questions on the day is often only the start of the innovative ideas and can often lead to longer term relationships between industry and academia.”