In the first initiative of its kind for Travis Perkins plc, the Innovation Awards will be open for entries next month.
The awards will be open to a wide range of sectors for the submission of projects and ideas in an attempt to find ground-breaking product innovation and problem solutions for the UK construction industry.

The Wickes parent says that anyone with a good idea can apply - inventors, university affiliated groups, individual students, suppliers or even Travis Perkins plc employees - all will be eligible to enter the awards through two entry streams of Problem Solving and Product Innovation.

New construction products are the focus of the Product Innovation category with applicants invited to submit their ideas and specifications. Applicants to the Problem Solving category can put forward solutions to industry-specific problems identified by Travis Perkins plc customers.

The discretionary award structure is based on providing substantial financial and business support for product and idea development, including up to £10,000 in financing, an opportunity to trial products in selected Travis Perkins plc locations around the UK, and business mentoring and support from Travis Perkins plc's senior team.

The Innovation Awards will be officially launched at EcoBuild in early March. All the details of the awards will be available on a dedicated website (www.tpia.co.uk) which will be open for applications from March 1, with a closing date of June 30.

Travis Perkins plc chief executive John Carter sees the competition as an important expression of the group's commitment to innovation and new ideas. "Getting new ideas and products to market and finding the right channels for support can be very hard," he said. "This competition provides an opportunity for all the people out there who been harbouring a great new idea for the construction industry to bring it to the attention of market experts and get the support they need for development and marketing."