The Fraunhofer Building Innovation Alliance defines its assignment as systematically addressing the existing need for innovation. This is intended to help ensure Germany's viability as an economic location in international competition.
Traditionally the construction sector is regarded as less of a high-tech industry. This is due to frequent obstacles to innovation, such as the tight time and cost constraints placed on construction projects and a high proportion of small and medium-sized companies in the value creation chain.
As a result the fundamental innovation activities take place not in the main construction industry itself, but rather in the supplier sector. Knowledge of innovation potential is however primarily tied to civil engineers and architects. This situation has in the past made the targeted development of innovation more difficult. With its long years of experience in the construction industry the Fraunhofer Building Innovation Alliance thus sees itself as an interface between innovation potentials and innovative strength.
The institutes hope that by collaborating they will be able to make an important contribution to more efficient processing of complex tasks in the areas of development, application and optimization of intelligent construction materials, systems and processes.