Highways England has launched two multi-million-pound
competitions to encourage the country’s most creative minds to
come up with innovative ideas to revolutionise roads and driving.
The company aims to build on the nation’s great history of
innovation and has set aside £20m to invest in projects which
change the way the country’s motorways and major A roads are
designed, managed and used.
It is inviting ground-breaking entries which will help develop
digital roads – connected vehicles and infrastructure, design and
construction that reduces cost and improves safety, better and
more predictable journey times – and to improve air quality.
Anyone interested in entering the competition is encouraged to
join a webinar, hosted by Innovate UK and Highways England on
Thursday 14 February.
The types of benefits which road users and local communities
could see as a result include better quality journeys, improved
road safety, more efficient use of vehicles, enhanced public
spaces and improved health.
The competitions come as the company continues to plan for the
future, the changing roads landscape and the increasing
automation in vehicles and systems.
Entries open on 11 February.
Mike Wilson, Highways England’s Executive Director for Safety,
Engineering and Standards, said:
“This is an exciting opportunity for entrepreneurs, collaborative
partnerships, and organisations of any size to help shape the
roads of the future.
“We want to explore new and innovative approaches and invest in
the best.
“And we’re keen to engage with a wider network than we have
traditionally worked with.
“Together we can make great improvements both to people’s
journeys and communities and the environment around our network.”
Highways England is delivering the Government’s current £15bn
road investment programme and paving the way for the second
programme which will start in April 2020.
In June 2018 the company launched an ‘innovation portal’ – an
online platform to help identify projects which could make roads
safer for motorists and road workers, improve how information
reaches those travelling around or help deliver an ambitious
roads programme.
And in October it showcased to an international audience the
pioneering work it was leading to transform journeys with
innovative technology allowing vehicles and the roads to ‘talk’
to each other.
Now the company is casting its net wider and looking to invest in
creative solutions covering six themes:
- Design, construction and maintenance
- Connected and autonomous vehicles
- Customer mobility
- Energy and the environment
- Operations
- Air quality
Examples of projects could include roads which repair themselves,
robotic construction methods, and improved connections between
different modes of transport.
One competition is for unproven feasibility projects which
through a second phase closed competition could be further funded
for development. The other competition is for proven projects at
development stage.
To lead a project, entrants can be an organisation of any size,
and can either work alone or with others as subcontractors.
Entries must be suitable for a trial on England’s strategic road
network. Projects are expected to start by September this year.
The funding comes from two of Highways England’s Designated funds
– ringfenced pots of money – which the company has set aside for
innovation and air quality projects.
The bids will be administered by Innovate UK, the innovation
agency which drives solutions to the greatest challenges facing
the UK by connecting businesses to the partners, customers and
investors that can help them turn ideas into reality.
Entries can be submitted from Monday 11 February 2019 to 8 May
2019.
Further details of the funding, and of the webinar are available
on the Innovate UK website: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/innovate-uk
