News on 17 October 2000
Nick Raynsford, the minister for construction, has given
his support to an Association of Consulting Engineers (ACE) initiative
to promote research and innovation for construction consultants.
The association is currently surveying member firms to find out what research
and innovation (R&I) they currently carry out, how they learn about
the latest innovations that help their business practice and what role
they would like the ACE to play.
The ACE survey will reveal how innovation is affecting businesses across
the engineering consultancy spectrum, from sole practitioners to the biggest
partnerships and plc's. Raynsford, who welcomes the initiative, said the
government has been promoting the benefits of R&I for some time through
the Movement for Innovation and the Construction Best Practice Programme.
He added: "This ACE initiative can only help the government’s
mission to get all sides of the construction industry to recognise the
huge benefits on offer if the potential of research and innovation could
be realised."
ACE assistant director Craig Beaumont stated that the exercise showed
ACE was taking R&I seriously, affording it the importance it deserved,
and leading the industry.
An R&I working group for engineers interested in the field is being
set up and the ACE plans to help influence government thinking and funding,
disseminate results and raise awareness of the benefits of research and
innovation.
