Construction Scotland Innovation Centre (CSIC) has appointed Lucy Black as its senior business relationship manager.

Launched in October 2014, the Innovation Centre brings together industry, academia and the public sector to deliver transformational change in construction. It acts as a one-stop shop where Scotland’s 31,000+ construction businesses can access a team of experts and public support to help them to innovate.

The Centre is supported by Scottish Funding Council, Scottish Enterprise, Highlands and Islands Enterprise and 13 Scottish university partners.

Lucy’s role will be to work with ambitious innovative businesses within the Scottish construction industry, overseeing the development of pioneering new projects.

For the past 18 years, Lucy has focused on helping large and small companies to develop, fund and commercialise their innovation projects. Lucy comes to CSIC after eight years as Senior Technology Transfer Executive at the Enterprise Europe Network where she connected high growth construction and energy companies with European academic and commercial partners to further their R&D projects and international market development. Lucy also represented Scottish interests in European level sector groups in construction and intelligent energy.

Having been a lead organiser in recent learning missions on district heating to Scandinavia, Lucy has a particular interest in heat related technologies and has also led on matchmaking activity within recent international conferences and events in this area. Lucy has also worked in several innovation agencies across Scotland since the late 1990s, with particular knowledge of collaborative funding programmes.

Lucy said: “I am very excited to have started in my new role at CSIC, where I’ll be helping Scottish construction businesses work towards a more innovative and sustainable future. I am looking forward to offering my experience and advice to everyone from small start-ups with a bright idea right up to large established companies who want to use their knowledge to make things better for the industry. CSIC has a healthy pipeline of innovative projects at the moment, but are always on the lookout – so if you have even the beginnings of idea, I want to hear from you.”

Stephen Good, chief executive at Construction Scotland Innovation Centre, said: “Lucy is a fantastic addition to our team and I am delighted to have her on board. She is talented, inspiring and has a wealth of directly relevant experience in helping innovative ideas become a reality, which is exactly what CSIC is all about. I’m sure that companies who are already working with us, and who will work with us in the future, will benefit highly from Lucy’s knowledge and enthusiasm.”

CSIC and Construction Scotland’s 2016 Conference will take place on Tuesday 13 September at the Hilton, Glasgow. Registration for this free event for the Scottish construction industry, featuring inspiring speakers and interactive workshops, can be done online. Places for the workshops are limited, so book early to ensure you can attend the workshops of your choice.