Close
Close Browser Alert
Browser Compatibility Notification
It appears you are trying to access this site using an outdated browser. As a result, parts of the site may not function properly for you. We recommend updating your browser to its most recent version at your earliest convenience.
  • Sectors
    Toggle Section
    • Energy & Resources
      Toggle Section
      • Mining
      • Oil & Gas
      • Power
    • Environment
    • Property & Buildings
      Toggle Section
      • Civic, Community and Justice
      • Commercial and Workplace
      • Defence and National Security
      • Education and Science
      • Healthcare and Wellbeing
      • Industrial, Resource and Utilities
      • Industrial, Resource and Utilities
      • Residential, Retirement and Aged Care
      • Retail and Hospitality
      • Transport Facilities
      • Urban Development
    • Transportation
    • Water
  • Projects
    Toggle Section
    • Project Search
  • Services
    Toggle Section
    • Advisory
      Toggle Section
      • Asset Management
      • Asset Management Systems
      • Asset Performance and Optimisation
      • Asset Operations
      • Assurance, Audit and Compliance
      • Business Case Development
      • Finance and Economic Analysis
      • Logistics and Infrastructure Policy
      • Regulation and Access
      • Risk Management
      • Transaction Advisory
    • Architecture and Design
    • Buildings
      Toggle Section
      • Asset Management Systems
      • Demolition and Decommissioning
      • Digital Design
      • Geotechnical
      • Instrumentation and Control
      • Land Development and Urban Planning
        Toggle Section
        • Land Development
        • Urban Planning
      • Materials, Process and Plant Engineering
        Toggle Section
        • Materials Handling
        • Minerals Processing
        • Plant Engineering
      • Mechanical, Electrical, Fire and Life Safety
        Toggle Section
        • Electrical Engineering - Building
        • Fire and Life Safety
        • HVAC
        • Hydraulics - Building
      • Project Management
        Toggle Section
        • Project and Construction Management
        • Stakeholder Engagement and Social Sustainability
      • Security, Information, Communication & Technology
        Toggle Section
        • Communication Systems
        • Security
      • Spatial Sciences
      • Structures
    • Digital
      Toggle Section
      • Digital Experience
      • Digital Intelligence
      • Digital Lab (D-Lab)
    • Energy and Resources
      Toggle Section
      • Asset and Facilities Management
      • Chemicals
      • Dams
      • Emergency Response
      • Geology
      • Geotechnical
      • HSE Systems and Industrial Hygiene
      • Impact Assessment and Permitting
      • Instrumentation and Control
      • Integrated Water Management
      • Materials, Process and Plant Engineering
        Toggle Section
        • Materials Handling
        • Minerals Processing
        • Plant Engineering
      • Materials Technology
      • Mechanical, Electrical, Fire and Life Safety
        Toggle Section
        • Electrical Engineering - Building
        • Fire and Life Safety
        • HVAC
        • Hydraulics - Building
      • Mining Engineering and Geosciences
      • Oil and Gas
      • Power
      • Project and Construction Management
      • Risk Management
      • Spatial Sciences
      • Stakeholder Engagement and Social Sustainability
      • Tailings (Mines and Residue)
      • Wastewater Treatment and Recycling
      • Tunnels
      • EPCM
    • Environmental
      Toggle Section
      • Air and Noise
        Toggle Section
        • Computational Fluid Dynamics
      • Aquatic Sciences
      • Contamination Assessment and Remediation
        Toggle Section
        • Guiding industry on PFAS management
      • Demolition and Decommissioning
      • Environmental Strategy Consultation
      • Food and Agriculture
        Toggle Section
        • Agriculture
        • Food Processing
        • Forestry Management
      • HSE Systems and Industrial Hygiene
      • Hydrogeology
      • Hydrology and Hydrodynamics
        Toggle Section
        • Climate Change
        • Waterways and Coastal
      • Impact Assessment and Permitting
      • International Development Assistance (IDA)
      • Maritime and Coastal Engineering
      • Natural Resources
      • Spatial Sciences
      • Stakeholder Engagement and Social Sustainability
      • Sustainability and Human Rights
      • Waste Management
    • Geosciences
      Toggle Section
      • Contamination Assessment and Remediation
      • Dams
      • Geology
      • Geotechnical
        Toggle Section
        • Geotechnical laboratory testing
      • Hydrogeology
      • Mining Geosciences
      • Risk Management
      • Spatial Sciences
      • Tailings (Mines and Residue)
      • Tunnels
    • Project Management
      Toggle Section
      • Construction Contracting
      • EPCM
      • International Development Assistance (IDA)
      • Project and Construction Management
      • Stakeholder Engagement and Social Sustainability
    • Transportation
      Toggle Section
      • Air and Noise
      • Architecture, Interior Design, Landscape Architecture and Urban Design
      • Asset and Facilities Management
      • Aviation
      • Bridges
      • Digital Design
      • Geotechnical
      • Impact Assessment and Permitting
      • Maritime and Coastal Engineering
      • Materials Technology
      • Railways
      • Road Systems
        Toggle Section
        • Pavement Engineering
        • Road Network Management
        • Road Systems
      • Structures
      • Transportation Planning and Traffic Engineering
      • Stakeholder Engagement and Social Sustainability
      • Tunnels
      • Intelligent Transport Systems
      • Sustainability and Human Rights
    • Water
      Toggle Section
      • Aquatic Sciences
      • Dams
      • Food and Agriculture
        Toggle Section
        • Agriculture
        • Food Processing
        • Forestry Management
      • Hydrogeology
      • Automation
      • Hydrology and Hydrodynamics
        Toggle Section
        • Climate Change
        • Waterways and Coastal
      • Impact Assessment and Permitting
      • Integrated Water Management
      • International Development Assistance (IDA)
      • Maritime and Coastal Engineering
      • Spatial Sciences
      • Stakeholder Engagement and Social Sustainability
      • Wastewater and Stormwater Collection Systems
      • Wastewater Treatment and Recycling
      • Water Treatment and Desalination
        Toggle Section
        • Desalination
        • Water Treatment
      • Water Transmission and Distribution
      • Construction Contracting
  • About Us
    Toggle Section
    • Annual Review
    • Community
    • Diversity and Inclusion
    • Health, Safety and Environment
    • History
      Toggle Section
      • A Firm Foundation
      • Breaking New Ground
    • Integrity Management
    • News and Insights
      Toggle Section
      • Insights
        Toggle Section
        • Water
        • Energy & Resources
        • Environment
        • Property & Buildings
        • Transportation
        • Digital
        • Advisory
        • Project Management
        • Planning for uncertainty
        • Non-revenue water losses
        • Achieving business sustainability
        • Flood Modelling and Water meter Calibration
        • Waste to Energy for Wastewater Treatment
        • Integrated Water Management
        • Resource Recovery from Wastewater
        • Transitioning to customer-centric apporaches
        • Groundwater Quality Monitoring at CCR Units
        • California children affected by lead poisoning
        • Water Recycling Fund Program
        • Upgrading Kangaroo Creek Dam
        • Complying with industrial stormwater planning updates
        • EPA 2017 Stormwater Construction General Permit
        • Filtering microplastics
        • Lead in Drinking Water
        • Permitting for industrial stormwater discharge in Illinois
        • Storm Water Grant Program (SWGP)
        • Water Recycling Fund Program
        • Microgrid in WA
        • EPA 2017 Stormwater Construction General Permit
        • Permitting for industrial stormwater discharge in Illinois
        • Court upholds emission monitoring for oil and gas
        • Storm Water Grant Program (SWGP)
        • Enabling electricity evolution
        • Groundwater Quality Monitoring at CCR Units
        • Infrastructure owners face change
        • Proposed emission reductions for oil and gas
        • Underground storage closure requirements
        • US Congress votes to lift US oil export ban
        • EPA 2017 Stormwater Construction General Permit
        • Managing Outrage
        • Groundwater Quality Monitoring at CCR Units
        • Lead in Drinking Water
        • Proposed emission reductions for oil and gas
        • USEPA intends to expand the Risk Management Program
        • Transforming perspectives on complex sites
        • Complying with chemical data reporting
        • Risk Assessment and Toxicology Update On TSCA Reform
        • Court upholds emission monitoring for oil and gas
        • Benzene Fenceline Monitoring Program
        • California Organics Diversion Regulatory Update
        • California children affected by lead poisoning
        • Change Notification to ISO 14001:2015
        • Task force recommendations for expedited site cleanup
        • Proposed Revisions to Site Remediation MACT
        • New Ontario online registry for environmental permits
        • Federal guidance released for human health risk assessments
        • Revised UST regulations
        • Lead levels updated for remediation
        • Remediation guidance for adaptive site management
        • USEPA intends to expand the Risk Management Program
        • New toxicity values for EPA screening calculator
        • TSCA Reform is on its way to become a law
        • New Strategy for Waste-Free Ontario
        • Final ruling issued on exposure to Crystalline Silica
        • Fill and Excess Soil Regulatory Update
        • EPA 2017 Stormwater Construction General Permit
        • Future of Western Sydney
        • USEPA Vapor Intrusion Technical Guide
        • Hazard awareness training for demolition services
        • Big Data
        • Digital Technologies
        • Digital Disruption
        • Canada hosts international forum on public private partnerships
        • Public private partnership forum examines lessons for transit
        • New Strategy for Waste-Free Ontario
        • Hazard awareness training for demolition services
        • Complying with chemical data reporting
        • Fill and Excess Soil Regulatory Update
        • Project Management for Large Transport Projects
        • Public private partnership forum examines lessons for transit
        • Canada hosts international forum on public private partnerships
        • Transforming perspectives on complex sites
        • Risk Assessment and Toxicology Update On TSCA Reform
        • Critical insights from P3 2017 in Toronto, Canada
        • Pioneering New Energy Systems
          Toggle Section
          • Protecting Critical Energy Infrastructure
          • Fast track new energy grid connection
          • Pumped for pumped hydro projects?
          • Maintaining power system strength
        • Solving the PFAS puzzle
        • How major rail is keeping pace
      • newsheader
      • News
        Toggle Section
        • Adani Carmichael Coal Mine Project
      • Publications
      • Insights
    • Our leadership
      Toggle Section
      • Our Board
      • Executive Management Group
      • Governance
    • Proud to be employee owned
    • Sustainability
    • Values and Culture
  • Careers
    Toggle Section
    • Opportunities
      Toggle Section
      • Graduates and students
    • Life@GHD
    • Work@GHD
  • Contact
    Toggle Section
    • Feedback Form
Skip to Content
iCreate Base Site Logo
  • Sectors
    • Energy & Resources
    • Environment
    • Property & Buildings
    • Transportation
    • Water
  • Projects
    • Project Search
  • Services
    • Advisory
    • Architecture and Design
    • Buildings
    • Digital
    • Energy and Resources
    • Environmental
    • Geosciences
    • Project Management
    • Transportation
    • Water
  • About Us
    • Annual Review
    • Community
    • Diversity and Inclusion
    • Health, Safety and Environment
    • History
    • Integrity Management
    • News and Insights
    • Our leadership
    • Proud to be employee owned
    • Sustainability
    • Values and Culture
  • Careers
    • Opportunities
    • Life@GHD
    • Work@GHD
  • Contact
    • Feedback Form
Search
Global
Change Your Location
  • Global
  • Australia
  • Canada (English)
  • Canada (français)
  • Chile
  • China
  • Fiji / South Pacific
  • New Zealand
  • Papua New Guinea
  • Philippines
  • Qatar
  • UAE
  • UK
  • United States
  • Awards and Rankings
  • Family of companies
  • Policy Statements
  • Quality Management Systems

Swimming Lanes

The ECRi Hub: Swimming through the lanes of innovation

In the business of entrepreneurship and innovation, founders are often keen inventors, socially adept and, above all, immensely passionate about their idea. However, where innovators are often challenged is in the commercialisation of their idea.

This is particularly true in the Engineering, Construction and Resources (ECR) sector. Compared with the IT and biological sciences sectors, the ECR sector does not receive the same level of support and attention.

Recognising this, the Queensland Department of State Development, Manufacturing, Infrastructure and Planning (DSDMIP) created the Engineering, Construction, Resources and Innovation (ECRi) Hub program. The focus of the ECRi Hub is to assist Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in commercialisation of their ideas in the engineering, construction and resource sectors.

Commercialisation

GHD Digital was selected by DSDMIP to deliver the ECRi Hub program. Drawing on its vast experience in this sector and coupled with its innovation, commercialisation and new venture creation program, GHD Digital has helped more than 30 Queensland innovations go to market since 2016.

Commercialisation is an oft misunderstood term where it is frequently viewed as simply marketing and selling the idea, however it is a much more complex process than this. Having said that however, there is a “recipe” that is generally accepted within the investor and start up community.

Ideally, the commercialisation process should start as soon as the idea is written down on a serviette, drink coaster or formed at that after work discussion on a Friday evening. At GHD Digital we have adopted a “swim lane” model that takes into account the technical, market and business aspects getting an idea to market.

The three “lanes” of commercialisation

We call them swim lanes, because they all run parallel along one another in the process, each ultimately feeding into the other. Firstly, there is the technical lane, which refers to the technology development lifecycle. We analyse the SME from the point of inception to where they are at in the current moment. We iterate through matrix of 6 phases, from the ideas pipeline all the way through to a market ready product.  

This leads us to the market lane, which goes deeper in the market need or desire for the product or service. Who is the customer? How would the customer use it? How would we actually get it to the market? This information from the market then feed back into the business and technical development for another iteration.

Lastly, there is the business lane, which deals with the nitty gritty: your business plans, cash flow analysis, financial modelling, your ROI and how exactly you are going to get there, how you structure the venture from a company perspective.

Swimming

While we examine the innovation in the context of each lane, we also emphasise the interdependency of each lane. For example, an invention may be modified based on market research that identifies a market need or requirement.

From the company partner perspective, we think about how we see the SME sitting in this commercial pathway and provide feedback, which may include a gap analysis and suggest what steps should be taken next.

ECRi Hub also seeks out innovative SMEs to collaborate with industry leaders who can help them get to market. 

An ECRi Hub success story

It’s very rewarding seeing the ECRi Hub process in action. Recently, we had the pleasure to work with a wonderful local company on a robotic scanner that encircles commercial marine pylons and tracks up and down the vast cylindrical structures to provide a digital assessment of their condition. Fundamentally, it is a robotic scanner of pylons for ports and marine piers; it scans pylons to look for damage, allowing asset managers to make important decisions regarding repairs, replacements and budgets. Mentored by GHD Digital, the company took their product to the local market. Now, the company expects to grow from 5 to 100 employees within the next three years, such is their rapid growth. They are committed to keeping it local for now but it will continue to work with ECRi Hub and GHD Digital to build on this success.

The fruits of ECRi Hub

A key lesson has been that innovation is a thoroughly collaborative process and therefore requires all involved in the project to adopt that mindset. The ECRi Hub model works well and with ECRi Hub 4.0 about to be launched its contribution to a broader market will see it make a bigger impact in building an innovative and world-leading engineering, construction and resource sector in Australia. For more information about ECRi Hub please see the full case study. 


 

Greg has nearly 20 years’ experience in advising start-ups and new ventures in the area of innovation and commercialisation. He also has extensive experience working within the research sector and industry developing collaborative research projects and providing commercialisation advice to this sector in robotics and big data, statistics and other areas of applied mathematics.

For more information please visit www.ghd.com/digital or contact:

Follow Us:
Contact UsNews and InsightsLegal NoticesPrivacy PolicyTerms of UseStaff External ServicesClient Access

Copyright © GHD 2018

Sitemap
Increase Contrast
Top