High Efficiency Zero-Carbon
Heating, Cooling, and Ventilation Systems
Canada has a unique opportunity to elevate competitive advantages in the construction and building management sectors, and to use the existing innovation ecosystem to create a thriving market for green building products. The construction industry in Canada is one of the most important economic sectors, generating $141 billion in GDP in 2020. This sector also generates one-third of total solid waste in Canada (more than 4 million tonnes of waste per year), and a staggering 39% of total global carbon emissions.
As a critically important innovation space, there is an urgent need to engage companies and investors operating in these sectors, bringing together a highly focused innovation cluster. Through a market-driven approach to current research and technology innovation efforts, we can help to speed up technology commercialization and deployment.
In response to industry needs, we are looking for emerging ventures with solutions in five areas:
Heating, Cooling, and Ventilation Systems
That Minimise Embodied Carbon, Maximise Constructability, and Minimise Heat Transfer In and Out of the Building
Affordable Housing Technologies
Foresight has launched buildNEXT, a sector-specific, ecosystem-based accelerator to drive development and scaling of Canadian ventures in the built environment. buildNEXT builds on the successful waterNEXT, bioNEXT, and carbonNEXT initiatives to advance a sustainable economy and built environment innovation in Canada.
Innovation Challenges that focus innovators on the needs of industry and accelerate cleantech adoption
that's sector-specific for ventures that meet determined challenges and innovation gaps
to introduce Canadian innovators to international customers and networks
planning to connect innovators with industry and investors
campaigns to build knowledge and accelerate Canada’s profile globally
The village of Lytton, BC and surrounding areas were destroyed by wildfires in June 2021. The Kanaka Bar Indian Band is leading a project that is taking an innovative approach to rebuilding.
The Kanaka Bar Resilient Housing Solutions project is a community-led and community-driven initiative. The Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) is leading a collaborative team with participants from Okanagan College, Foresight Canada, and Seko Construction to create foundational options for rebuilding in the Lytton region.
Foresight is securing industry partners to help guide the bottom-up development of this cluster. Initial work includes:
Identification, support and training for 24 ventures in the build environment space, creating new jobs, new exports, and new companies.
Working with industry partners to identify the specific challenges and opportunities facing the construction, real estate, and building management industries, communities that rely on them, and the potential clean technology solutions, then designing programming or initiatives that will enhance the competitiveness and help the sector grow sustainably.
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The news from last year was shocking: an entire town in the interior of British Columbia burned to the ground...
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