The commercial impact of scheduling and optimisation on university space planning and utilisation

Impact: Economic Impact, Public Service Impact

Narrative

A QUB spin-out company, EventMAP, led by Queen’s University Belfast researchers, has commercialised joint research in resource planning and optimisation by QUB and University of Nottingham to build a global capability in resource planning and management. The specific impact of the QUB team’s activities in research and commercialisation include:
(i) Saving real estate construction costs through simulation and optimisation at the planning stage. In one recently completed commercial project for Victoria University, Australia (2009-2011), the use of EventMAP’s tools and involvement enabled the University to avoid new construction costs estimated by Victoria University at £70m.
(ii) In another international construction project in Abu Dhabi, UAE, the property developer estimates that EventMAP’s involvement saved an estimated £4.6M in reduced real estate construction costs.
(iii) Similarly, EventMAP enabled Imperial College London to achieve savings of around £600k in its South East Quadrant redevelopment project within the impact period.
(iv) EventMAP has solved major planning and timetabling problems for around 15 leading UK and international educational institutions. Among them are three of the Russell Group’s top five universities, and Paris-Sorbonne University.
(v) Since 2008 the company’s headcount has grown from 2 part time employees to 8 full time and 5 part time employees, and turnover has doubled each successive year.
Impact statusOngoing
Category of impactEconomic Impact, Public Service Impact