Birmingham City University deepens ties with a leading international research body, creating new opportunities for the city’s construction, design and research community
Birmingham’s reputation as a centre for built environment expertise is growing, with Birmingham City University building closer ties with the International Council for Research and Innovation in Building and Construction (CIB) — one of the world’s leading networks connecting construction research and innovation across the globe.
The Department of Architecture and Built Environment recently hosted Don Ward, Chief Executive of CIB, for a visit focused on expanding international collaboration. With over 35 years of experience in research, innovation and industry change, Ward’s engagement with BCU signals a meaningful step forward for both the university and the city.
Opening doors for researchers
One of the most tangible outcomes of the visit is the planned establishment of a CIB Student Chapter at BCU — giving early career researchers and postgraduate students direct access to a worldwide community of experts and cutting-edge knowledge. For PhD and MRes students in particular, it creates a clear pathway top international visibility and professional development.
BCU’s Head of the Department of Architecture and Built Environment, Peter Baldwin, described the connection as strategically significant: “Connecting our staff and research students with global network of this calibre opens up extraordinary opportunities, from collaborative research and knowledge exchange to expanding the horizons of our PhD and MRes students”.
A partnership with real-world impact
Beyond academic exchange, the collaboration is designed to have practical reach — supporting enterprise activity and ensuring that globally-informed research translates into tangible impact for the built environment sector here in Birmingham and beyond.
Ward highlighted the depth of engagement he found at BCU: “the breadth of staff involvement across CIB’s commissions, and the enthusiasm of the researchers including students, demonstrates a genuine appetite for international collaboration. We look forward to seeing this partnership flourish”.
Connected to Birmingham’s wider ambitions
The collaboration sits withing BCU’s Strategy 2030 and Beyond, supporting the university’s goals around creating knowledge, developing talent, and driving regional prosperity by linking global expertise to local growth.
For Birmingham, it’s another example of the city’s academic institutions forging the international connections that put the region on the world map — not just in research, but in the industries that will shape who our cities are built, designed and sustained for generations to come.
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