Smart Transition Strengthens the Construction Industry’s Digital Transformation

The construction industry faces major challenges related to resource efficiency, climate impact, and digitalization. Through Smart Transition, companies gain access to new knowledge, research, and tools that can contribute to a more sustainable and competitive construction sector. One example is the work on BIM (Building Information Modeling), where researchers and the business community are collaborating to create a better basis for decision-making in future construction projects.

Through the Smart Transition initiative, Innovatum Science Park and University West are collaborating to strengthen companies’ capacity for innovation through research-based initiatives and knowledge transfer. One of these initiatives focuses on how BIM can be used to streamline construction processes, improve resource utilization, and reduce material waste.

Visualizing, analyzing, and planning construction projects in digital environments creates new opportunities to make data-driven decisions and optimize workflows throughout the entire construction process.

Research to Support Better Decisions

As part of this work, Lina Gharaibeh, a researcher at University West, has developed a tool that helps construction companies assess when it is cost-effective to invest in and use the BIM method in large-scale construction projects.

“By using our tool, construction companies can get a clear picture of when it makes financial sense to implement BIM, which allows them to make more informed decisions and optimize their processes,” says Lina Gharaibeh.

The research highlights the opportunities that BIM can create through more efficient planning, improved coordination, and better utilization of resources. The tool is designed to provide companies with a clearer basis for decision-making regarding when digital work methods yield the greatest operational and financial benefits.

Digitalization That Strengthens Companies' Competitiveness

For many small and medium-sized businesses, investing in new digital workflows can seem both costly and complex. By highlighting the business benefits of BIM, it becomes easier to assess when and how the technology can create value for the business.

Linda Nordén, project manager for Smart Transition at Innovatum Science Park, emphasizes the importance of translating research into practical benefits for businesses:

– Supporting research like Linas’s is central to our efforts to strengthen companies’ capacity for innovation and sustainable competitiveness. When companies have access to concrete tools that help them make well-informed decisions, it creates better conditions for both digitalization and sustainable development.

Collaboration for the Construction Industry of the Future

The work with BIM is an example of how Smart Transition brings together research and the business community to address the challenges facing the industry. Through collaboration between companies, researchers, and innovation support organizations, opportunities are created to test new methods, disseminate knowledge, and develop solutions that strengthen companies’ competitiveness.

Research on BIM demonstrates how digitalization can contribute to more efficient processes and better resource utilization in the construction sector. At the same time, it illustrates the value of research-based collaborations in which new knowledge is translated into practical benefits for companies as they transition toward a more sustainable industry.

Smart Transition is a collaborative project between Innovatum Science Park and University West. The project is co-funded by the European Union, the Västra Götaland Region, and the Halland Region.