2026 Request for Proposals: Grand Challenges in Digitalization, Artificial Intelligence, & Cybersecurity

"Development of a BIM-Based Case File to Identify Fire Protection Data Exchange Needs Across the Building Lifecycle"

Up to $40,000 USD available

Deadline: 11:59 pm ET on Monday, June 15, 2026

Background & Motivation

As part of our commitment to addressing the research priorities identified in the SFPE Research Roadmap and the SFPE Foundation’s Grand Challenges Initiative (GCI), we invite proposals that address key topics related to Digitalization, Artificial intelligence, & Cybersecurity (DAIC).

In their 2023 white paper, the Digitalization, Artificial Intelligence (AI), & Cybersecurity Working Group of the Grand Challenges Initiative (GCI) identified several research priorities that will need to be addressed to prepare the fire engineering field for emerging technologies such as Building Information Modeling (BIM), Smart Firefighting, Smart Modeling, and more. The working group envisions a digitalized future for fire protection that, through the management of fire data, would enable Digitalized Detection, Inspection, Operation, and Maintenance (DIOM) and Digitalized Firefighting and Evacuation. Through continued working group conversations and with the input of attendees at the 2025 AI in Fire Engineering Summit, it has become clear that a major hurdle to successful development and use of these emerging technologies is a lack of high-quality, standardized, openly available data.

The working group has identified BIM as a gateway to digitalized fire protection. As BIM becomes increasingly central to the design, construction, and operations of facilities, the integration of fire protection systems and compliance information into digital workflows remains limited and inconsistent. To advance safety, regulatory compliance, and lifecycle efficiency, there is a need to identify, document, and test the fire protection-related data exchange requirements in a structured and reusable BIM framework.

This RFP: Development of a BIM-Based Case File to Identify Fire Protection Data Exchange Needs Across the Building Lifecycle

Standardized data framework(s) and tools for fire protection in BIM will improve collaboration, efficiency, and data integrity during the design phase by defining a clear method for how data is captured, exchanged, and validated between stakeholders such as designers, contractors, code officials, and facility managers. In the long term, this foundational work will enable the future development and adoption of digitalized fire protection, firefighting, and building operation and maintenance, most likely through the use of digital twins that include fire protection information. Standardized frameworks will also ensure that cybersecurity and secure data exchange are core components of this digital transformation.

To that end, we invite proposals that address key topics related to producing a BIM-based case file and a structured data exchange framework that will 

(1) assist industry participants in adopting Building Information Modeling (BIM) for fire protection,
(2) in the long-term, enable the development and adoption of digitalized operations and maintenance, fire protection and firefighting,
(3) identify stakeholders (e.g., designers, contractors, code officials, owners, and facility managers), and
(4) align fire protection data requirements, all at the design stage of the building lifecycle from the fire protection engineering perspective.

The outcomes of this project are intended to inform the next step of incorporating these data requirements into openBIM standards.

We invite proposals from researchers that seek to address the following required elements:

1. Identify and document the “bare minimum” fire protection data needs across planning, design, construction, commissioning, operation, inspection, and renovation phases. Proposals should focus on fire protection data specifically and how it is being used through the lifecycle, and not on other BIM data like architectural, MEP, etc.
2. Develop a BIM-based case file that illustrates how such data should be captured, exchanged, and validated between stakeholders. The case file will ideally serve as a “digital sandbox” that anyone can use to analyze fire protection data in a controlled environment. It should include at least one specific use case/scenario focused on design that shows how the data requirements will work in that example. The design stage may include schematic design, design development, and technical design.
3. Discuss various options for available tools and data exchange frameworks that support data capture, exchange, collaboration, and cybersecurity. Consider both proprietary and open source platforms.
4. Define an information delivery roadmap that addresses data ownership, regulatory compliance checkpoints, cybersecurity, and verification requirements.
5. Align findings with existing standards and initiatives (e.g., openBIM, ISO 19650 series, IFC schema development, NBIMS-US, BS 8644, and NFPA guidelines), while identifying and addressing gaps where these standards do not fully cover fire safety workflows and data requirements. Where gaps exist, propose or develop best-practice approaches to foster industry-wide adoption.
6. Establish a framework built on open, non-proprietary standards to ensure the findings are broadly accessible and not tied to a single software platform.
7. Provide recommendations for implementation to improve future BIM workflows, code compliance automation, and building lifecycle management.

Download the complete RFP, with additional information regarding the call and specific required elements below. 

Up to $40,000 (USD) may be awarded. 

ALL proposals must be submitted via the Foundation's Blackbaud Grants Management System, linked in the button below.

Complete proposals are due by 11:59 pm ET on Monday, June 15, 2026.