Opening in partnership with Innovate UK, the First of a Kind competition offers grant funding for innovative projects to be tested on the railway, to give them a better chance at being bought by train operators, freight companies, and Network Rail. This will help to deliver better services for passengers, encouraging more people to take the train, and supporting growth as part of the Government’s Plan for Change.

For the first time since starting the competition, Innovate UK consulted closely with industry to identify the top challenges it faces. Given the clear direction of the Transport Secretary to put passengers at the heart of every journey, this year’s competition will be funding projects that focus on:

• Passenger experience, particularly improving safety through reporting tools that could help reduce violence against women and girls and anti-social behaviour
• Accessibility, including level boarding
• AI and data collection, for example prevention and recovery of rail bridge crash incidents
• Greener railways, using AI to drive sustainability and reduce waste

Level boarding – meaning passengers who need assistance can board unaided – is one of the key issues that mean disabled people need assistance to get from street to seat. Accessibility is a core priority for this Government and will be a central mission for Great British Railways, and FOAK funding will help make these improvements happen.

Everyone should feel confident they will be safe when travelling by train. The Government’s Plan for Change commits to cracking down on anti-social behaviour, raising standards and driving up confidence in the police. The Department for Transport is driving this forward by funding projects that will address safety on the railways, for example tools to report anti-social behaviour, or addressing challenges that influence travel choices for example violence against women and girls stopping women from taking trains late at night.

Rail Minister Lord Peter Hendy said: “This competition addresses the biggest challenges facing the rail industry, taking cutting-edge technology and bringing it onto the railways by turning ideas into reality.

“This funding builds a platform for boosting innovation on the railway, giving new technologies a chance to succeed, supporting economic growth as part of the Plan for Change.

“We are creating a railway that works better for the people who use it and making lasting progress for passengers and freight by improving accessibility, safety, and reliability to prevent disruption before it happens.”

This £5 million of Government funding will help to address one of the key challenges organisations with new innovative ideas face, which is securing funding and being able to demonstrate that their projects work. The First of a Kind competition, over the eight years it has been running, has provided £58 million of funding to 179 successful projects.

For example, one successful project that’s already been widely taken up on the railways is Trains with Brains, an AI sensor onboard trains that monitors where maintenance on the tracks is needed and reports on infrastructure defects that need fixed, making the network safer, more efficient and more reliable. Another project, One Big Circle, using AI allowing users to monitor things like track conditions and electrical faults online, won the King’s Award for Innovation.

The Secretary of State has also made strategic innovation one of the five areas of focus for Shadow Great British Railways, bringing together leaders of the Department for Transport, Department for Transport Operator and Network Rail. Work has already started with GBRX, an innovation body sitting under Network Rail challenging and changing the historically slow adoption of new innovations. GBRX is already convening industry and academia to collaborate more effectively and embrace new technology.

Mike Biddle, Executive Director for Net Zero at Innovate UK, said: “The innovations sought through this competition will help create a more accessible, safer, and efficient railway system throughout the UK.

“The competition highlights the importance of collaboration with industry partners to deliver high-maturity demonstration to ensure seamless integration into the existing railway infrastructure.

“Delivered by Innovate UK on behalf of the Department for Transport, the competition aims to identify and support outstanding, innovative solutions. In previous rounds, companies from across the UK have demonstrated the creativity and impact of their ideas through live demonstrations.”

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