This is a Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) competition funded by the Department for Transport (DfT). The aim of the competition is to deliver high maturity demonstrations of innovations to the UK railways.
This competition is part of a larger ‘first of a kind’ demonstrator initiative, on behalf of DfT. The initiative aims to accelerate innovation in the UK rail sector and enable technologies to be readily and efficiently integrated into the railway system. This competition is the sixth in the first of a kind portfolio.
This first of a kind competition has three themes:
Your phase 1 project:
Your potential phase 2 projects can start by 1 March 2023 and must end by 31 October 2024, with a duration of up to 20 months.
To lead a project, you can:
Applicants are welcome from all sectors.
Your project must involve:
These criteria can be met by a single organisation or up to three separate organisations.
You must also:
Proposals into this competition must already be high maturity at Rail Industry Readiness level 5 or above. You must evidence this as part of your application.
We welcome projects that include either an:
This competition will not fund any procurement, commercial, business development or supply chain activity with any Russian entity as lead or subcontractor. This includes any goods or services originating from a Russian source.
Contracts will be awarded to a single legal entity only. However, if you can justify subcontracting components of the work, you can engage specialists or advisers. This work will still be the responsibility of the main contractor.
If you are awarded a contract, you will be required to exhibit your project at the 2023 Innovate UK annual rail exhibition. We will provide the space and advise you of any technology you need to organise. You will also be able to lease equipment from the venue through us. The date and location of the event will be announced on the KTN website in December 2022. This is anticipated to be a live event.
If you have previously been funded for the same or similar innovations, you will not be eligible for this competition. Applications for this competition need to be materially different from previously funded innovations. The decision of Innovate UK and DfT on this matter will be final.
Your phase 1 project can range in size up to total costs of £60,000, inclusive of VAT for 3 months.
The aim of the first of a kind competitions, is to deliver demonstrations to the UK’s railways. These must support low emissions and a greener railway, enhance rail freight, and address a range of key network performance priorities.
You must demonstrate how proven technologies can be integrated into a railway environment for the first time as ‘first of a kind’ demonstrations. This competition aims to support innovative suppliers in preparation for market readiness.
You must create a highly interactive and innovative demonstrator in your phase 2 project. This should be in an environment where railway customers and industry representatives can witness the product as a compelling business proposition.
Example environments can include:
This list is not exhaustive, we may also consider demonstrators in settings highly representative of these environments.
You must describe your projects potential to be successfully exploited in a railway environment. We encourage you to discuss regulations, policy and other requirements with potential customer organisations before you submit your application.
Your project must:
You must provide evidence, showing your innovation can attract customers, get insurance, supply warranties, and attract financing.
Your evidence must show:
You must demonstrate potential benefits to passengers and customers, including:
We will give preference to applications which:
You must define your goals in your phase 1 application and outline your phase 2 plan, including details of a full evaluation of the cost and benefits of your proposed phase 2 activity.
At the end of your phase 1 project, you must deliver a feasibility report outlining your full plans for potential phase 2 activity. Your report must identify the full workplan for the phase 2 demonstration.
It must describe the assets required, the subcontracted organisations, both engaged and potential, a list of milestones, and a full outline of the proposed demonstration activity to be delivered at the end of phase 2.
You must provide evidence that the required access and permissions have been fully de-risked.
In phase 2 we will ask successful applicants from phase 1 to fully develop the capability outlined in the phase 1 feasibility report. Your phase 2 project must deliver a demonstration of the innovation in a live railway environment.
This is part of the full commercial implementation in your phase 1 application. At this stage contracts will be given for phase 1 only.
You must present at an industry briefing event to highlight the benefits you can bring to the railways.
Demonstration Event
Your project must give a demonstration of your innovation in a live railway environment as a key deliverable of your phase 2 project and must be included as part of your milestones.
You must work with your railway partners to achieve this, obtaining all required permissions and approvals. This might take the form of a launch event at a railway station or depot, attended by a range of industry stakeholders with potential interest in your product.
Where required, the event may be online to access a wider selection of stakeholders, but in this case the events must be augmented by evidence of your deployment in a live railway environment.
You should de-risk all aspects of this before bidding into this competition to ensure that it can be delivered to the requirements of DfT and InnovateUK.
Evaluation Activity
You must complete an evaluation activity at the end of the project, measuring data to anticipate the commercial impact that adoption of the innovation will have on the railway network.
This can be a measurement of the time taken to complete a task, or the costs incurred before and after adoption of the technology. Alternatively, the activity might take the form of a survey of railway staff to solicit feedback and to anticipate cost-benefit. In all cases the collection of objective data where possible is preferred over the collection of subjective feedback.
This information should be used to inform the future business case for your innovation. Involvement of individuals with expertise in designing such evaluation activities will benefit your application.
Contracts will be given to successful applicants.
All proposals must demonstrate a credible and practical route to market, so your application must include a plan to commercialise your results.
Specific themes
You must address reduced carbon emissions and the impact of the railway on the environment. Your project can focus on one or more of the following:
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