PROJECT. COLLABORATION. INNOVATION.
SEED FUND 2024
Testing the Regulatory Sandbox Approach in Ireland to Support Innovation in the Construction Industry
Decarbonising the built environment requires innovation in materials and processes. To date, the construction industry has lagged behind others in adopting innovations. While this can be explained by various factors, the project focuses on the complex interplay between innovation and regulation. It explores how the regulatory sandbox concept could be piloted in Ireland to support greener construction.
First used in fintech, regulatory sandboxes are a tried and tested instrument used in more than 50 countries. They allow innovative businesses to test new businessideas and products in a certain time frame under regulatory supervision of the relevant authorities. They bring together innovators and regulators to cooperate, test, and learn about innovative processes/materials in a controlled setting.
Building upon the learnings of regulatory sandboxes for green construction run by the Austrian Ministry of Climate, and in close cooperation with government and industry, the project will develop a concept of a regulatory sandbox that can be piloted in Ireland. By doing so, it will contribute to addressing regulatory areas of tension in the green building sector.
While some areas of tension were identified as part of past projects and at AIMday 2024, areas where regulatory experimentation would add value will be further refined and prioritised.
Applicant’s name and RPO member:
Marion Jammet – Irish Green Building Council
Collaborators:
Irish Institutional Property, Coillte & Henry J Lyons
Collaborators
Principal Investigator
Marion Jammet
Director of Policy & Advocacy / Biodiversity Lead , Irish Green Building Council
Marion is Director of Policy & Advocacy, and Biodiversity Lead at the Irish Green Building Council (IGBC). In 2022, she set up the biodiversity team at the IGBC, and first organised a series of webinars on this topic, leading to the publication of the IGBC’s Insight on “Biodiversity & the Built Environment” available at: Biodiversity-and-the-Built-Environment_IGBC-1.pdf. Since then, she has managed a number of initiatives on biodiversity in the built environment, including the Construct Innovate’s “Building Regenerative Towns and Cities” project. Marion’s working background is in policy development, stakeholder engagement, and project management. She holds a MA in European Affairs from Sciences-Po (France) and an MSc in environmental sustainability from University College Dublin, and recently completed certificates in “Urban Ecology Design”, and “Landscape and the Natural Environment in Architecture”.
Related content
