Articles & Blogs

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Meet the academic pulling the spending lever to stimulate innovation and boost the economy

Public authorities can use their purchasing power to support innovation, drive local growth and improve sustainability for manufacturers and clients, argues one Lancaster University professor.

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Engine builder for boats charts new waters with energy management system

Maritime tech scale-up Ecomar Propulsion widened its focus from designing motors for boats to managing their energy needs after joining the Freight Innovation Fund Accelerator, and aims to become a £100m company within five years.

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Clean Futures participant wins global award with rail infrastructure innovation

Materials innovator Composite Braiding has won a prestigious award in Paris, celebrating the best in composite material applications, alongside partners Connected Places Catapult and Amey.

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Electric vehicle app helps free-up bays for charging

Driver frustration over blocked charging bays can be eased with an app and client dashboard that were refined and taken to market with support from Connected Places Catapult.

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Meet the innovator making infrastructure assets work smarter

Anna Jordan builds AI systems to help highway operators improve how roads function, and has been supported by three accelerator programmes delivered by Connected Places Catapult.

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“More start-up companies die from indigestion than starvation”

Alexei Andreev of Autotech Ventures speaks about his financial backing of Gaussion, a fast-growing battery technology firm supported by Connected Places Catapult that raised over £9 million in investment in 2024.

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Viewpoint: Why interoperable testbeds are the key to the UK’s digital future

The success of the UK’s next digital decade hinges on a unified approach to its data and AI infrastructure.

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Meet the academic promoting shared mobility outside cities

Dr Hannah Budnitz is helping rural areas to build solid business cases for car clubs.

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Slump no more: infrastructure clients adopt high-tech approach to concrete testing

Digital processes are overhauling the traditional means of testing concrete performance on major infrastructure projects, thanks to new systems championed by i3P.

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Welsh and Japanese firms target cross-market expansion thanks to Innovation Twins

Start-up and scale-up technology companies will share solutions through the Green Digital Bridge accelerator programme.

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Meet the innovator determined to scale net zero know-how

Dr Amrit Chandan is using AI to capture workers’ sustainability knowledge, to help the next generation improve on its decarbonisation efforts

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West Midlands innovators explore smart city export opportunities

Technology firms from Birmingham and the surrounding area with smart city innovations were invited to Barcelona to pitch their solutions to an international gathering of city leaders in November, to identify new export opportunities. We hear from two companies who made the trip to Spain: Tenants Hub and Purple Transform.

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Multi-year contract for firm behind new airport digital assistant

Hello Lamp Post – an SME supported on four Connected Places Catapult programmes – has successfully expanded its focus from cities to railways and now aviation, by landing a multi-year contract with a trio of airports (Aberdeen, Glasgow and Southampton) owned and operated by AGS Airports.

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‘Make your first impression count’ SMEs seeking finance urged

Angel investment matchmaker Luke Pulford encourages small business owners to put themselves in the shoes of investors when looking for support.

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I3P re-shapes community of practice to drive sector wide impact

The Infrastructure Industry Innovation Partnership (i3P) recently brought together client organisations and supply chain members to shape the future direction of its three Community of Practices (CoP): Low carbon technology, Safety and Circular economy.

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Pivot! Experts advise TRIG innovators

Forty innovative businesses welcomed onto the latest round of the Transport Research and Innovation Grants programme met in the East Midlands to receive guidance from sector leaders and meet their cohort fellows.