CIRIA BUILDOFFSITE Guidance for managing intellectual property relating to MMC (P3280)

The CIRIA Research team and BUILDOFFSITE are working together on developing new guidance on intellectual property (IP) management for modern methods of construction (MMC). To meet the net zero and productivity challenges in the construction sector we need to innovate - more widely and more quickly than we have done in the past. There are signs of this happening, however there are also examples of innovation expenditure not resulting in sustained progress. Some of this latter, ineffective, investment has been due to the poor management or lack of ongoing exploitation of the new IP that has been created or simply a lack of willingness amongst designers and clients to be the first to use or do something new. In other cases there has just been insufficient investment or incentivisation to invest in innovation.

The construction sector appears to be at a tipping point with respect to wider use of MMC and, offsite solutions. Generating robust, protectable IP is key to justifying investment in R&D and efficient manufacturing systems. The Buildoffsite members in the Client Group specifically requested that a guide for the management of intellectual property be produced. Current guidance is limited and this guide would be relevant to a wide range of clients, their advisors, designers and suppliers. It will also help to create an environment which will help incentivise suppliers to develop products, possibly in collaboration with clients and other suppliers. The Buildoffsite / CIRIA IP guide will be complementary to other industry initiatives and outputs.

This new IP guide is primarily aimed at clients, those procuring new buildings & infrastructure, and product designers / developers, so they can safely and productively innovate, and where appropriate, share product design information within their sector and even across sectors. It is anticipated it will also be used by planners and consultants, whilst benefitting suppliers of products and services giving them an opportunity to deliver standardised products, some of which may have been designed and accredited by others.

The guide will cover:

• Different types of IP which can be protected and how
• Which forms of contracts may be formulated to encourage exploitation of IP
• Whether and how IP belongs to clients or designers
• How project portfolios and programmes may benefit from IP strategies
• How we can encourage innovation through exploiting IP within and across different construction sub-sectors
• How risk management is different for products than for projects
• How to overcome barriers and challenges
• The role of standards in enabling the development, and exploitation of IP
• The role of accreditation / certification in bringing suitable, trusted, products to market
• Lessons learnt by prior projects
• Areas where innovation is happening through the effective control and management of intellectual property
• Incentivisation including possible funding sources (e.g. R&D grants)

Project status
The first draft of this guide is progressing well, with the core chapters well advanced.

Call for case studies
This project will include case studies. If you have potential candidates for this, please contact Nigel Fraser. Templates have been developed for these, which should help develop them in a consistent way.

Further information
For further information or to get involved with this project please contact Andy Moores.