The connector specialist has launched the initiative to mark its 30th anniversary.

The company will select the challenge which has the most far-reaching market consequences and develop a product to tackle it. The person who sends in the winning entry will get a prototype before it goes into production and also win a holiday for two to Canada.

“We do not have a monopoly of good ideas, just the in-house capabilities to design out issues that are brought to us,” said Cullen managing director Doug Cullen. “That’s why we’re challenging the industry to test us.”

The judges for the competition will include Dr Luke Whale of TimberSolve Ltd.

Also on the “assessment panel” will be Dr Sean Smith, deputy director of Napier University‘s Building Performance Centre, with which Cullen has recently formalised a research and development partnership.

The Cullen Connector Challenge is open to anyone in the roof truss and timber frame construction sectors and full details can be found at www.cullen-bp.com.