Contract opportunity: International Rail Innovation Challenges

Apply for a share of £500,000 to deliver feasibility studies addressing international rail challenges

The Department for Business and Trade is funding a Contracts for Innovation competition to support feasibility studies aimed at tackling challenges in international rail projects worldwide.

To be eligible, projects must focus on one or more of the following themes within:

• Infrastructure - Focus on proactive maintenance, handling wind-blown contaminants, reducing wear and tear in terminals, cost-effective track inspections, monitoring geotechnical stability, and using optical fibers for data insights.
• Operations - Innovative software for non-standard cargo clearance, rapid infrastructure repair, secure freight containers, automated cargo inspection, streamlined rolling stock inspections, and aerodynamic improvements for intermodal trains.
• Sustainability - Carbon capture solutions, sustainable alternatives to metal and concrete, and strategic electrification approaches for double-stacked freight trains.
• Strategic - Feasibility studies on hydrogen transportation, testing facilities for innovative solutions, revenue generation in station parking spaces, infrastructure resilience, increasing axle load, passenger comfort systems, and disaster resilience for rail networks.

Phase 1 of this competition will cover technical feasibility studies. These should include details of a possible subsequent Phase 2 activity. This can include prototyping, demonstrating, piloting, testing and validation of new or improved products, processes or services in environments representative of real-life operating conditions.

Projects must start on 1 January 2025 and complete spend by 31 March 2025. They must last up to three months. Projects costs can be between £5,000 and £50,000, inclusive of VAT.

Find out more about the International Rail Innovation Challenges.

Potential applicants can watch the briefing event recording to find out more.

First published 7 October 2024