A Word from the Director
Since its foundation in May of 2019, the CIC has grown and accomplished a great deal thanks to the efforts of its partners and collaborators. Though we have all been challenged by the events of the last year, we have also risen to meet those challenges, coming together in the spirit of collaboration and progress. On behalf of the CIC I would like to offer my heartfelt thanks for the hard work of everyone involved in making the CIC what it has become. As we move forward into the new year, we should also take the time to reflect on the successes of 2020.
In the past year since its foundation, the CIC has become recognized under the University of Alberta Energy Systems signature. We have met with many groups — both internal and external to the University of Alberta — about forming collaborative efforts. We have developed plans for the Innovation in Construction Forum (ICF), which we hope to be able to host once it is safe for us all to once again come together in person. We have created a Strategic Plan and Research Roadmap to help guide our future endeavours, and we have begun work on a membership model that will allow us to accept more industry partners in future. We have also been successful in defining and obtaining external funding (in the form of NSERC Alliance Grants) for promising projects that we hope to be able to share more information about soon.
As I consider the future of the CIC, I have high hopes for 2021. Though it may be some time before we can all return to our workplaces and see one another face to face, I have great faith that we will make the best of our circumstances and continue to show the strength, resilience, and cooperation that have become earmarks of the CIC’s efforts.
I am looking forward to celebrating the triumphs and meeting the challenges of 2021 alongside all of the CIC’s collaborators, partners, and contributors, and know that we are all ready and able to put our best foot forward in this new year.
Aminah Robinson Fayek, Ph.D., P.Eng., F.CSCE, NAC
CIC Director
