The construction sector in the United Kingdom is dominated by small and
medium size enterprises (SMEs) which have less than 250 employees and usually
do not have research capacities to develop a range of low carbon innovations
applicable in the construction sector. Various European and national funding
programmes have addressed this problem by providing funding for research
collaboration between universities and SMEs. The paper provides a selection
of the outputs of academic/industry research, undertaken by seven Scottish
universities through the project CIC Start Online from September 2009 until
February 2013, related to low carbon planning, building design, technologies,
construction, refurbishment and performance. The studies either contributed
to the further development of existing products or processes, or tested new
products or processes, often developed for a specific project with a
potential for application in future projects. Online dissemination of the
project outcomes has assisted in attracting membership across Scotland, the
United Kingdom and internationally. Along with the low carbon building
products and technologies, new low carbon infrastructure is being planned and
developed in order to provide connections and services for energy generation
from renewables, energy storage and decentralised distribution, water
management (harvesting, saving and reuse), waste management (reduction, reuse
and to-energy), transport (electric vehicles, cycling and walking) and
information communication technology (ICT) for monitoring and managing
infrastructure systems. The second part of the paper outlines how innovations
for integration of sustainable infrastructure into the existing built
environment will be supported through the follow-on joint project of nine
Scottish universities, named Mainstreaming Innovation.