At the recent CIB World Building Congress in Tampere, Finland on 2 June 2016, two awards recognising international achievement were made. The CIB awarded Honorary Membership to John V. McCarthy AO, SBEnrc’s Governing Board Chair, while SBEnrc’s CEO, Dr Keith Hampson was presented with the Best Coordinator Award for the 2013-16 triennium.

In awarding lifelong Honorary Membership to John V. McCarthy AO, the CIB Board acknowledged the outstanding contribution to its mission made by John for his extraordinary and long lasting support to the CIB mission to promote worldwide information exchange and cooperation in research and innovation for building and construction. In particular John was recognised for having been Chair of the CIB Marketing and Communications Committee 2007-10, CIB Global President in 2010-13, and CIB Immediate Past President in 2013-16.

At the same event, the CIB acknowledged the outstanding contribution made by Keith in having provided innovative and inspiring scientific leadership in support to the CIB mission. During 2011-14 Keith was one of the Coordinators of Task Group (TG) 85 – R&D Investment and Impact. In addition to regular annual meetings this group had bi–monthly international WebEx meetings, which enabled a different modus operandi, with a focus on committed international collaboration and deliverables. Under his inspiring and driven leadership the group produced a high-quality book in June 2014, entitled R&D Investment and Impact in the Global Built Environment. Since October 2014 Keith has also served as one of the Coordinators of TG90 – Information Integration in Construction. This group has adopted a similar modus operandi and focus on global collaboration delivering high-quality relevant outcomes. Both groups have attracted a significant number of new members to CIB (probably more than any other single commission or task group).

In accepting the award, Keith acknowledged the pivotal contributions of his co-coordinators Adriana Sanchez (Curtin University), Judy Kraatz (Griffith University), Aminah Robinson Fayek (University of Alberta) and Rasmus Rempling (Chalmers University) and the support of the SBEnrc/Curtin University innovation network.

Keith was also elected as Vice-President of the CIB for the next three-year period of the Global Board 2016-19 serving on the Officers’ Committee and Marketing and Communications Committee.

The International Council for Research and Innovation in Building and Construction (CIB) was established in 1953 as an Association whose objectives were to stimulate and facilitate international cooperation and information exchange between research institutes in the building and construction sector. CIB has since developed into a worldwide network of over 5,000 experts from approximately 500 member organisations with a research, university, industry or government background, who collectively are active in all aspects of research and innovation for building and construction.