THE CORNERSTONE INITIATIVE

Build your system. Pay half.

A five-year program funding digital systems for Australian construction businesses. Build on DDDI Group's proven construction systems under licence, or have one engineered from scratch with the source code delivered. DDDI funds half of the development cost either way. RESI supervises delivery. Cyberate builds.

Up to ten projects each year. Applications for the 2026 intake are open now. This is a privately funded industry program, not a government grant.

Apply for a place ยท See how it works

Half the invoice, by design

If your application is approved, Cyberate scopes and builds your system, and you are invoiced for half of the quoted development cost. The other half is funded by DDDI Group and administered by RESI, the Australian Residential Construction Institute, which supervises each project against the program's terms through to completion.

One quote, one build team. The funding structure changes what you pay, not what is delivered.

WHAT YOU START FROM

Two ways to build.
Both half funded.

DDDI Group has spent years building the systems its own operations run on. Approved projects choose at scoping whether to build on that work or to have a system engineered from scratch. The funded half is the same either way; what differs is the schedule and what you hold at the end.

The methods behind the existing systems are published, peer-reviewed work: a 2025 AUBEA Best Paper Award, drawing-review research presented at WSBE26 in Melbourne, and the Australia Housing Market White Paper (2026), published by RESI. Which path suits your project is agreed in writing before work begins.

  • Build on proven systems: Your system is assembled from components already running inside DDDI Group - estimating algorithms, automated code compliance models, the scheduling engine behind a portfolio that grew from two projects to thirty-four, document intelligence and spatial analysis - then configured to your workflow. The licence to use them is included in the approved scope at no separate cost, and this is the fastest path to live operation. Source code is not provided: you operate the systems under licence, and the underlying engineering stays with DDDI Group and Cyberate.
  • Build from the ground up: Your system is engineered for your operation from scratch. The development schedule is longer than the licensed path, and the source code is delivered to you on completion.

Open across the building chain

The program is open to companies registered in Australia, in any state or territory, that work in planning or construction, or that provide services to construction businesses.

Not sure you qualify? Apply and describe what you do. Applications are assessed by people who know the industry.

  • Developers
  • Construction groups
  • Manufacturers
  • Trade contractors
  • Planning and professional services
  • Businesses serving the construction industry

Covered by the approved scope

The approved scope is confirmed in writing before any work begins.

  • Covered: Half of the quoted development cost for the project scope approved in your application.
  • Not covered: Work outside the approved scope. Additions are quoted separately at full cost.

What the program asks of you

Both terms are written into the agreement you sign, and are agreed before any work begins.

  • Case study rights: DDDI Group and RESI may name your project in published case studies.
  • Research collaboration: Your team works alongside the engineers and researchers who built the systems your project is based on. Methods and findings from the work may inform published industry research, under intellectual property terms set out in the program agreement before work begins.

How it works

  1. Apply: Submit the form below.
  2. Assessment: Reviewed by RESI and participating industry associations. We aim to respond within one week.
  3. Scope and agree: Project scope, cost and program terms are confirmed in writing.
  4. Build: Cyberate delivers. RESI supervises the project through to completion.

Questions.

Is this a government grant?

No. This is not a government grant. The program is privately funded by DDDI Group and administered by RESI. It has no connection to any government scheme.

Why does DDDI fund this?

DDDI Group has spent years developing the systems its own portfolio runs on - estimating, code compliance, scheduling, spatial analysis - and a share of that work is published, peer-reviewed research. The program puts that R&D to work beyond the group: licensed into Australian businesses that would otherwise pay to develop the same capability from scratch, extended by real projects, and fed back into published industry research. A more digitised industry is also the environment DDDI develops and builds in.

Who assesses my application?

RESI and participating industry associations. Cyberate does not assess applications for its own pipeline.

What if this year's places are filled?

Applications stay in the queue for the next intake. The program runs for five years.

What does RESI do during the project?

RESI administers the funded half of the program and supervises each project against the agreed scope and terms.

What am I building on?

Systems already running in DDDI Group's own operations - estimating, code compliance, scheduling and document intelligence among them - configured to your workflow rather than developed from scratch. Which components apply to your project is confirmed at scoping, in writing.

Do I get the source code?

On the from-scratch path, yes: the source code is delivered to you on completion, and the development schedule is longer for it. On the licensed path, no: the existing systems are licensed to you with the licence included in the approved scope rather than charged separately, which is what makes it the faster route. Both paths are funded at half the quoted development cost, and the path is agreed at scoping before work begins.

Apply for a place

Eight questions. We aim to respond within one week.