M4I aiming to be self-financing

The Movement for Innovation (M4I) plans to raise £1 million from all sections of the industry to fund the next stage of its task of disseminating best practice and innovation.

Alan Crane, chairman of its board, believes if industry stumps up £1 million, the Government will put up another £500,000 for the next year. Contractors will not be expected to bear the whole burden, he said. "We are looking for contributions from designers, consultants, institutions, suppliers, universities and the press."

Construction minister Nick Raynsford announced at last week's M4I conference in Birmingham that the Government wanted M4I to become self-sustaining.

He urged: "A movement of the industry, owned by the industry, that acts for the industry. A movement that has the resources and the widely based commitment to be able to promote continuous improvement throughout the industry."

Crane believes M4I will benefit from putting distance between itself and its Government paymaster: "If they are paying all the costs, they will start to dictate what is done," he said.

In its first year, M4I has spent about £1 million setting up its organisation and establishing 84 demonstration projects.

It is now seeking a third wave of projects in the north and Scotland, in projects demonstrating innovations in components and in off-site fabrication, and involving teams showing continuous improvements for a variety of clients.