The UK rail industry
transported 1.7 billion passengers and 110 billion tonnes of
freight between 2017 and 2018.
New technologies are needed to help meet passenger needs, offer
better journeys and increase sustainability in rail services.
£5.5 million is available from the Department for
Transport for organisations to develop ‘first of a kind’
demonstrators. These should use existing technologies and develop
these further for the rail industry.
This is a Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) competition.
Rail Minister said:
We have already seen some truly innovative projects developed
for the benefit of passengers in these competitions, helping to
drive forward a greener, cleaner and more reliable rail
network.
This additional funding will spark even more innovation and
ideas that deliver for commuters.
We are also investing £48 billion to modernise our railways
over the next 5 years, ensuring people have the safe, frequent
and punctual journeys they deserve.
Improving resilience
The competition aims to reduce costs, double capacity, lower
carbon emissions and improve customer experiences.
It is across 4 themes:
- infrastructure resilience, including protection against
adverse weather conditions
- operational resilience, such as using data to inform train
maintenance activities
- freight, including improved routing and tracking capabilities
- noise and environment, including innovations mitigating
engine noise
16 projects are expected to be funded across all 4 themes.
Projects should produce an interactive and innovative
demonstrator that shows rail industry stakeholders and customers
how a technology will work in a real-world rail environment. This
can be:
- within a railway station
- in rolling stock
- on railway infrastructure
- in the environment close to the railway
- the competition opens on 25 February 2019 and the deadline
for registration is at midday on 17 April 2019
- organisations of any size are eligible to apply, working
alone or collaborating with others as subcontractors
- total eligible costs can be between £250,000 and £350,000
including VAT
- projects will be 100% funded
- briefing events will be held in London on 26 February 2019,
Manchester on 28 February 2019 and Cardiff on 7 March 2019, where
organisations can find out more about making an application
