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Innovation Champions
The innovators, disruptors and thought leaders transforming the sector
BE an Innovation Champion
Are you leading change in the built environment?
Join our growing group of more than 60 innovation champions to help us transform the sector.
Our innovation champions are the disruptors and thought leaders in either industry or research who want to influence change. They work together with us to set our priorities and inform our support programmes. They help us to share knowledge, expertise and inspire the wider sector.
For more information on what's involved read below, and if this sounds like you get in touch.
Benefits
Influence
opportunities and solutions
Expand your network
through regular innovation champion events
BE-ST Board Member
the opportunity to apply to join our board
Meet some of our Innovation Champions
Examples of their work
- Contributed to Scottish Government working groups delivering policy transformation
- Developed technology solutions for the construction recovery action plan
- Developed a zero carbon sustainable blueprint for commercial retrofit innovation project
- Supported MSc students with industry projects and provided educational mentoring
- Delivered work as part of the United Nations Development Programme
- Shared knowledge and insights with industry
- Connected industry with our Innovation Factory, its equipment and technology
Terms of reference
Innovation champions assist the governance board and impact teams to lead change in the built environment sector to get to zero carbon.
As an innovation champion you:
- Review project applications submitted to BE-ST for innovation funding support
- Highlight opportunities for innovation within the built environment, technological or legislative
- Support industry engagement through thought leadership such as leading workshops and events or providing written content
- Identify ideas for future funding calls and leverage potential projects from across all relevant sources
- Help promote BE-ST's work and outputs including best practice for industry to learn from
- Provide insight to increase productivity, change culture and commercial impact, and inform policy and legislation
Innovation champions serve for a period of 18 months with the option to extend. The commitment expected varies from champion to champion but is on average around 2 hours per month.
Interaction with BE-ST can be:
- Informing BE-ST and industry strategy
- Attending innovation champion and other BE-ST events or workshops
- Providing insight on a particular area of expertise
- Sharing solutions, inspiration and best practice with your networks
- Appraising funding applications
Grant application assessment:
- Innovation champions assess projects for grant funding over £50,000. For projects over £100,000 the innovation champions' recommendations are vetted by our governance board.
- The process for project and funding assessments is:
- Review dates will take place when a call arises, the BE-ST team will make innovation champions aware when a call is scheduled.
- A minimum of 3 and a maximum of 6 innovation champions are required to assess each individual project application
- Innovation champions receive applications at least 7-10 working days before the scheduled review date.
- BE-ST hosts a review panel and final scores are circulated within two working days for comment. An innovation champion can request scoring training call in advance of reviews.
- Innovation champions appraise applications based on a set scoring matrix and review applications in advance of the review call.
- Individual scores are finalised and submitted at end of the review call.
- To avoid any conflict of interest, no member will be allowed to assess a project from their own organisation. Applicant companies are also permitted to name up to three companies that they do not wish to review their applications e.g. key competitors.
Other terms and conditions:
- Business contact details will be shared with the innovation champion network, and company and individual name only are shared outside of BE-ST and the innovation champion network (eg. BE-ST's website).
- BE-ST maintains a GDPR compliant record of innovation champions and ensures a confidentiality agreement is in place with all members.
- BE-ST hosts a number of themed events throughout the year to support the innovation champion network.
Innovation champions should have at least seven years' experience in a built environment field, innovation or a related profession that has impact on the built environment.