5Pring and Ferrovial call on accelerators to harness 5G

5pring has partnered with Ferrovial to launch a new challenge for innovative startups and small businesses to shape construction's future.

The Future of Construction challenge will provide startups and other small businesses with support in developing and scaling innovations targeted at the construction sector which harness the power of 5G to create a safe, dynamic and efficient construction industry, with a specific focus on health & safety and security; and logistics and site operations.

Applications for the accelerator are now open and should be submitted here by midnight on May 14 and successful applicants will start working with 5PRING from July 5. For participation in the Incubator, registration should be submitted by May 7 and ready to start on May 10.

Javier Vaca de Osma, Technology and Processes Director at Ferrovial Construction, said 5pring will give Ferrovial the opportunity to explore 5G potential to leverage innovation for its businesses by accessing a new selection of startups and disruptive solutions.

“With this partnership we are looking to foster the digitization of our construction sites integrating, through 5G, technologies such as augmented reality, edge computing or IoT systems to boost efficiencies while ensuring the safety of our working environments," he said. "5prinG will allow us to identify and test cutting-edge solutions on a real test-bed of innovation."

With construction output in the UK valued at more than £110 billion, accounting for 7% of GDP and employing around 10 million people, the sector is well positioned to benefit from the impact of deploying 5G solutions to increase efficiency and optimise processes such as asset monitoring, as well as reducing costs and emissions.

Applicants with 5G-enabled solutions which leverage augmented reality, computer vision, IoT, artificial intelligence and machine learning, and robotics, and are still relevant to the construction sector, are also encouraged to apply.

Last year, West Midlands 5G (WM5G) and collaborators O2, Deloitte, Digital Catapult and Wayra announced the launch 5PRING to develop the first region-wide 5G testbed.

Robert Franks, Managing Director at WM5G, said it is through partnerships such as those that 5PRING is developing that 5G has the ability to revolutionise the UK’s major industries.  

"Ferrovial’s decades of experience will be vital in helping to shape and guide the innovative solutions that we are hoping to see delivered through this programme, transforming their ambitions into reality," he said.

In these disruptive times, Ferrovial recently announced plans to enter the urban air mobility sector (click here) and will "acquire direct or indirect stakes in startups that offer it a meaningful position in future markets".