New technologies and novel ways of managing processes effectively and efficiently in new situations or environments come under the umbrella of innovations. The adoption of these innovations is proving challenging under existing contractual arrangements for various reasons. These include the adversarial relations between participants in some industries, e.g. construction; complex contractual relationships that hinder natural progression of innovations between parties involved, e.g. traditional contracting arrangements; and the fragmentation, instability and disintegration of procedures used in the organisation of a supply chain.A number of attempts have been made to drive through the adoption of innovation in the health service through its ProCure21 programme and also in the defence sector through its SMART Procurement initiative. Both approaches are based on the thinking that innovation adoption could be achieved through the use of partnering. However, more work needs to be conducted to develop a proactive, systematic and structured approach for the range of Integrated Procurement Systems (IPS) available which would also incorporate performance measures in the form of critical success factors and key performance indicators.Integrated procurement approaches such as PPP, PFI and prime contracting have the potential to overcome the problems of fragmentation in project delivery which are prime barriers to effective knowledge sharing and flow of new technologies and ideas in project environments. These types of integrated supply chains have the prospect of benefiting industry by encouraging competition primarily on the basis of expertise innovation in processes and products rather than on the basis of short-term cost efficiency only as it has been the case through traditional procurement systems.To overcome the problems identified above, this research proposes a framework with a capacity to develop, absorb and exploit knowledge to enable continuous innovation diffusion within and between projects by evaluating the effectiveness of integrative procurement systems. The proposed research seeks to establish performance measures and success factors for innovation and knowledge sharing in projects' environments. Furthermore, it intends to analyse and investigate communication channels within supply chains to enable the flow of knowledge and the adoption of innovations.

New technologies and novel ways of managing processes effectively and efficiently in new situations or environments come under the umbrella of innovations. The adoption of these innovations is proving challenging under existing contractual arrangements for various reasons. These include the adversarial relations between participants in some industries, e.g. construction; complex contractual relationships that hinder natural progression of innovations between parties involved, e.g. traditional contracting arrangements; and the fragmentation, instability and disintegration of procedures used in the organisation of a supply chain.A number of attempts have been made to drive through the adoption of innovation in the health service through its ProCure21 programme and also in the defence sector through its SMART Procurement initiative. Both approaches are based on the thinking that innovation adoption could be achieved through the use of partnering. However, more work needs to be conducted to develop a proactive, systematic and structured approach for the range of Integrated Procurement Systems (IPS) available which would also incorporate performance measures in the form of critical success factors and key performance indicators.Integrated procurement approaches such as PPP, PFI and prime contracting have the potential to overcome the problems of fragmentation in project delivery which are prime barriers to effective knowledge sharing and flow of new technologies and ideas in project environments. These types of integrated supply chains have the prospect of benefiting industry by encouraging competition primarily on the basis of expertise innovation in processes and products rather than on the basis of short-term cost efficiency only as it has been the case through traditional procurement systems.To overcome the problems identified above, this research proposes a framework with a capacity to develop, absorb and exploit knowledge to enable continuous innovation diffusion within and between projects by evaluating the effectiveness of integrative procurement systems. The proposed research seeks to establish performance measures and success factors for innovation and knowledge sharing in projects' environments. Furthermore, it intends to analyse and investigate communication channels within supply chains to enable the flow of knowledge and the adoption of innovations.

The geopolitical and geo-economic shifts we are experiencing have stress-tested the national security and resilience of the United Kingdom. The consequences of EU Exit, COVID-19, Russia's invasion of Ukraine and other events of national importance, have coalesced around three global challenges that will shape the future direction of our economy and society; energy security, climate change and cyber security. Our world is characterised by high degrees of volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity (VUCA); this context means that emergencies will be much greater in frequency and are likely to have far reaching consequences for our national economy. It is therefore essential for the UK to ensure adopt a sophisticated and nuanced approach to our understanding and communication of risk. If we are to enhance resilience and security through improved risk management, it follows that the doctrine of 'prevention rather than cure' should guide policy wherever possible. However, the intractable problem of recognising and quantifying the value of good risk management is omnipresent. We believe that risk management is the antecedent to a robust resilience system; it is the glue which connects central government, the devolved administrations, local authorities, and the private and third sectors. Risk intelligence is crucial to effective decision-making, this is particularly important in the context of emergency and crisis situations that require government to adopt a radically different 'operating rhythm' and where decisions and actions occur at pace. In response, the 'Government Risk Profession' was launched in 2021 to advance professionalism, effectiveness and efficiency in the way risk is managed. It is clear that a socio-technical systems approach that recognises resilience as an interacting set of sub-systems at both social and technical levels is crucial to adopting a human-centred approach that aligns will the Integrated Reviews' recognition of the 'professionalism and commitment of the people who contribute to our resilience' Our proposal for a new coordination hub (SALIENT) to support the UK's contribution to building a secure and resilient world will focus the UK's research effort on national resilience through the lens of human centred systems-thinking. Our five-year programme of research will deliver a portfolio of evidence and insight to support central and local governmental actions and ultimately strengthen the UK's resilience to civil contingencies and threats. Our human-centred approach, informed by a distinctly anthropological perspective, will enable SALIENT to identify and articulate the systemic changes that are needed to strengthen resilience. We know that resilience requires a 'whole of society' mindset; this means organising our social order and government in ways that enhances transparency, leadership and promotes greater accountability. The mere notion of a resilience-focused outlook requires consideration of how we use 'futures' to engage citizens in ways that empower their communities. It follows that the research to underpin this effort must be of the highest quality in terms of originality, methodological richness and impact. SALIENT will provide the means to coordinate research actions across a broad spectrum of disciplines and sectors and deliver evidence that will shape the UK's response to the increasingly complex threat landscape.

Modernising the UK's health and social care system is a priority for government and for the country as a whole. To do this, wide ranging organisational and funding reforms are being put in place. An unprecedented investment to renew the built and technical infrastructure for delivering care is also underway: new hospitals and primary care centres are being built, information and communication technology is being upgraded and new technologies for diagnosing and treating disease are being introduced. If world-class infrastructure is to be delivered, this investment must achieve its full potential. The aim of HaCIRIC is to establish a new research centre to help accomplish this. HaCIRIC's focus is on the built and technical infrastructure for health and social care, and the interaction between infrastructure specification and the way patients are treated. Improving the way this is planned, delivered and managed is at the core of HaCIRIC's activity. What are the challenges? The health and social care system is one of the most complex and rapidly changing organisational and technical environments in any sector of the economy. Many stakeholders are involved in delivering care, funding mechanisms are convoluted, and patterns of demand and use are changing, as are government health policies. All this places new pressures on the underlying infrastructure. These are compounded by two problems. First, there is an historic legacy of out-dated buildings and cultures within the care system. Second, the life cycles of the various elements of the infrastructure / buildings, medical and information technology / are mismatched. Each involves complex supply chains, multiple users with their own needs and differing institutional and funding arrangements. All these have to be reconciled. For example, the current PFI programme for new hospitals involves supply contracts for thirty years or more, but incorporates technologies which have five year life cycles to help deliver diagnostics and therapies which are undergoing rapid evolutionary change. Modernising the health and social care infrastructure will therefore require innovative approaches. HaCIRIC will help develop the tools and processes which will embed 'innovation as normal business' amongst those responsible for delivering the investment in infrastructure. Its research programme has been developed in partnership with all the key stakeholders from the care system, including the Department of Health, the NHS, the Department of Trade and Industry and the supply industries. Seven research themes have been identified:- Managing innovation in a context of technological change- Procurement for innovation- Innovative design and construction- Care delivery practices- Delivering improved performance through operations management- Knowledge management in complex systems - Design and evaluation of integrated systems HaCIRIC is a collaboration between existing research centres at Imperial College London and the Universities of Loughborough, Reading and Salford. Additional partners from other universities, industry and the care system will be involved in specific research projects. Together this represents a resource valued at more than 11m, of which 7.0m consists of EPSRC support, 2.9m is from the four existing research centres, 500,000 is from the Department of Trade and Industry and 720,000 is from industrial partners. HaCIRIC will therefore represent a substantial resource and a unique capability in skills and knowledge to find solutions to the key healthcare infrastructure problems of the 21st century.

The Innovative Construction Research Centre (ICRC) is dedicated to socio-technical systems research within the built environment, with particular emphasis on through-life performance in support of the client's business operations. Our vision is for a research centre that not only supports the competitiveness of the architectural, engineering, construction and facilities management sectors, but also supports societal needs for built infrastructure and the broader competitiveness of the UK economy. The domain of enquiry lies at the crucial interface between human and technical systems, thereby requiring an inter-disciplinary approach that combines engineering research methods with those derived from the social sciences. The ICRC's research portfolio is organised into six themes: (1) Integration of design, construction and facilities management. Concerns the through-life management of socio-technical systems within the built environment. Topics of consideration include: integrated logistic support, design for reliability and systems integration for building services. Of particular concern is the way that firms within the supply chain are integrated to provide solutions that add value to the client's business. (2) Knowledge management and organisational learning. Addresses the means of supporting knowledge flows across extended supply chains and the extent to which procurement systems learn across projects. Of particular importance is the design of learning mechanisms that extend across organisational boundaries. Also investigates the degree to which the construction sector can learn from other sectors, i.e. aerospace, automotive, retail, defence. (3) Human resource management and the culture of the industry. The construction sector is too often characterised by regressive approaches to human resource management (HRM) with little emphasis on developmental to support innovation. Of particular importance is the concept of 'high commitment management' that has emerged as a central component in the quest to link people management to business performance. Any attempt to improve HRM practices in the construction sector must also recognise cultural barriers to the implementation of new ways of working.(4) Innovative procurement. Includes legal, economic and organisational aspects of procurement systems. The last twenty years has seen a plethora of new procurement methods seeking to encourage different behaviours and allocations of risk. Many such initiatives experienced significant reality gaps between technological intent and resultant behaviours. Of particular importance in the current context is the notion of performance-based contracting which seeks to reward parties on the basis of building performance.(5) Innovation in through-life service provision. Most innovation in facilities management (FM) is concerned with service provision rather than the design and construction of the built asset. The inclusion of FM-service provision reflects the ICRC's strategic focus on through-life issues. The shift towards service provision is reflected in practice through procurement approaches such as PFI/PPP. But the issue has a wider significance as construction contractors increasingly embrace service philosophy. (6) Competitiveness, productivity and performance. Focuses on techniques for performance improvement, coupled with a broader emphasis on competitiveness and profitability within the marketplace. Techniques for performance improvement include: process mapping, benchmarking, value management, risk management and life-cycle costing. Also seeks to assess the competitiveness of the construction sector in comparison to other countries, and to achieve a broader understanding of the economic context within which firms operate.