Name
ROUNDTABLE: Constructing a More Productive Future: Scaling Beyond Pilot Programs in Canada's Industrialized Construction Sector
Date & Time
Thursday, October 9, 2025
Description

Canada's construction industry faces urgent challenges, including a housing crisis and persistent productivity declines. While robotics and AI offer a clear path to a more efficient and productive future, their adoption remains largely in the pilot stage in the construction sector. What would it take to turn promising demonstrations into repeatable results?

The session will build directly on insights from the Edmonton AI x CE (Artificial Intelligence and Construction/Engineering) Strategy, which highlighted the value of a private-sector-led innovation ecosystem. It will also build on the recently published Roadmap to Transform the Canadian Construction Industry and the Canadian Construction Automation and Robotics Roadmap, which collectively call for greater collaboration, standardized frameworks, and targeted R&D to drive the adoption of new technology in Canada’s IC sector. 

We will create a collaborative space for robotics and automation firms, construction and demolition companies, researchers and leaders real estate, infrastructure, economic development and housing to reflect on early lessons and shape the path forward. Our goal is to build a shared understanding of the barriers and enablers to robotics and automation adoption in IC, while fostering actionable ideas for pilots and partnerships, and support future collaborations, including project teams applying to the NRC’s Construction Sector Digitalization and Productivity Challenge (CDSP) Program or Ontario’s Trade Impacted Communities Program.

  • Discussion 1: Why is construction different? We will explore what makes technology adoption harder or easier in this sector, specifically within the context of Modularization/Pre-fabrication, Integrated Project Delivery (IPD), and Additive Manufacturing.
  • Discussion 2: Can procurement unlock innovation? We will focus on how government and large buyers can support robotics through outcome-based procurement and innovation partnerships, directly addressing the question of how to create the right conditions for adoption across these IC categories.

Key outcomes of this session will include:

  • Blueprint for Strategic Procurement: A concise summary of best practices and policy recommendations for using outcome-based procurement to de-risk technology adoption and incentivize collaboration between innovators and industry, with a focus on IC projects.
  • Proposal for a National Construction & Robotics Working Group: An initial plan outlining the mandate and key stakeholders for a new CRC working group that will serve as a crucial collaboration hub for joint industry, academic, and government projects. (This will directly address the NRC roadmaps' call for a national consortium and align it with the CRC's existing structure.)
  • Refined Proposal Strategy and Partnerships: Direct participant feedback and collaborative ideation will produce a more robust and well-defined strategy for teams preparing proposals. The session will help participants identify and connect with potential collaborators who can strengthen their proposal in terms of technical expertise, market adoption, and policy perspectives, addressing both the proposal strategy and partner identification needs in one focused outcome.

Pre-Reading