CSIC and Structural Timber Association form partnership to boost innovation in the timber sector

Construction Scotland Innovation Centre (CSIC) and the Structural Timber Association (STA) have announced they are joining forces to support structural timber businesses across the UK to innovate and grow.

CSIC is an industry-led, demand-driven Innovation Centre linking businesses, universities and the public sector in collaboration to support increased innovation and productivity.

The STA is a UK-wide trade body that represents over 600 timber businesses, from manufacturers and suppliers to designers and installers. It was established to influence legislation and regulation to support the overall objectives of the structural timber sector.

The partnership will build on the existing relationship between the two organisations, formed through several key collaborative projects that CSIC has already supported, with both the STA and its member company's CCG, Stewart Milne Group and Scotframe.

This formal partnership will create a strategic relationship between CSIC and the STA. It will deliver a supporting programme of activities and provide numerous benefits for STA members, including:

• a series of innovation events for the timber sector, hosted at CSIC's Innovation Factory.

• a discount on use of CSIC's Innovation Factory, which provides access to state-of-the-art equipment including an offsite cell and CLT/glulam vacuum press, as well as training and seminar spaces for up to 120 people.

• support for STA members to understand the benefits working with Building Information Management (BIM) can bring, and how to adopt BIM working.

• events and communications support.

Stephen Good, chief executive at CSIC said: "CSIC is keen to develop partnerships with organisations like the STA whose objectives align with our own, because we know that by collaborating, we can deliver greater support to groups of construction businesses to help them innovate and grow.

"CSIC already undertakes a range of activity relevant to the structural timber sector, such as being an associate partner in Offsite Solutions Scotland and funding numerous collaborative projects with STA member companies. Formalising our existing relationship with the STA will offer greater opportunities for structural timber companies to participate in innovation activity and collaborate with client bodies, supply chain partners, public sector and academia."

Alex Goodfellow, vice chair of the Structural Timber Association said: "Innovation has always been at the heart of the structural timber sector and our alliance with the CSIC is testament to the very progressive and forward-thinking approach of our industry. Along with championing and supporting innovation, our partnership will also ensure that products, practices and new buildings are robustly tested, and performance is well understood and evidenced to maximise the benefits of technically advanced timber systems and offer assurances to clients and end-users."