Insights

Articles & Blogs

Article

Meet the innovator helping construction projects use data better

Paul Duddy from Glasgow has developed digital twin technology to improve works efficiencies on large engineering schemes.
Article

Transport accessibility tech thrives following Catapult testbeds

Several innovators to have developed passenger assistance systems with the support of Connected Places Catapult have gone on to secure further trials or commercial success; among them Hello Lamp Post and Jnction.
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Meet the Academic urging creative delivery in the procurement of rail projects

Ian Heptinstall is drawing on over 30 years’ experience gained as a project manager and consultant to champion the benefits of innovative procurement and critical analysis in construction, as a Researcher in Residence with Connected Places Catapult.
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Managing energy use smartly at Bristol Temple Meads

Big savings in cost and carbon are promised at one of Network Rail’s largest stations.
A group of eight people, consisting of six men and two women, stand on a wooden staircase in the Station Innovation Zone, posing for a photo.
Article

New group of station innovators gather in Bristol

In pictures: the first meeting of the Station Innovation Zone 2024 cohort.
A panel of seven people, six seated and one speaking while gesturing with a pen, are engaged in a discussion on stage about innovation technology, with a black curtain backdrop and a screen to the left.
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Innovators urged to demonstrate true value of their technologies

Commercial challenges of accelerating innovation and winning contracts were topics of conversation at an event convened by Connected Places Catapult.
A group of ten people, some holding certificates, pose for a photo indoors at what appears to be an award ceremony or formal gathering for Transport Research & Innovation Grants.
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Celebrating successful starts in developing transport innovation

Five awards for excellence have been handed out to innovators involved in the Transport Research & Innovation Grants programme.
A man with a bald head and a black shirt sits in a workshop surrounded by various tools and equipment, ensuring everything is ready for the day's focus on virtual reality safety.
Article

Meet the innovator cleaning the air in train stations

Matteo Maccario and his start-up company Pluvo are about to install new air filtration devices on train platforms in Birmingham and Salisbury.
A rail yard at dusk showing multiple freight trains on parallel tracks, with illuminated lights and distant hills in the background.
Article

3Squared: Filling spare capacity on freight trains

Hundreds of promising start-up companies and university teams have received funding through the Transport Research and Innovation Grants programme in recent years. In the fourth of a series of profiles about grant recipients finding success, we speak to Jason Durk, principal consultant of rail software firm 3Squared.
A woman in a blue blazer leans on a metal railing inside an industrial facility, with machinery and equipment visible in the background.
Article

Meet the academic detecting bridge defects using an instrumented train

Efforts by a senior lecturer at the University of Surrey to analyse complex data generated by a measurement train could help to improve structural engineers’ understanding of when bridges need attention.
A modern train with "LENZ LABS" written on its side is stationed on a railway track with clouds in the background.
Article

Lenz Labs accelerates innovation in rail

Hundreds of promising start-up companies and university teams have received funding through the Transport Research and Innovation Grants (TRIG) programme in recent years. In the first of a series of profiles about grant recipients finding success, we speak to Hamish Geddes – one of the founders of software developer Lenz Labs.
A busy train station with two yellow and green trains on separate tracks under a large arched roof buzzes with activity. The crowd of passengers on the platform reflects the spirit of Sustainable Stations, where eco-friendly travel options meet efficient design.
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Researchers helping to make stations greener take residence at Bristol Temple Meads

Sustainability is the focus for two academics involved in our Station Innovation Zone testbed.
Two women are sitting at a table, engaged in a discussion about business support. One is gesturing with her hand while speaking passionately, and the other is listening attentively. A laptop, likely filled with funding options, is visible on the table.
Article

It’s a match! Hear from businesses that the Catapult helped connect

Funding and business support are not the only perks for small enterprises joining our programmes; networking opportunities allow companies with similar ambitions to come together and share ideas. We speak to two new pairings developing business propositions after meeting over coffee at events organised by Connected Places Catapult.
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Rail innovators exchange ideas ahead of Temple Meads trials

Nine firms hoping to demonstrate their novel products or systems inside Bristol’s mainline station later this spring alighted in the city to showcase their grand ideas, before three are chosen for installation.
Station Innovation Zone
Article

Innovators hone passenger tech ideas for Temple Meads

Past thinking collided with future ideas at Bristol’s iconic station in January inside the very room where Britain’s most celebrated rail engineer masterminded the introduction of his mainline route towards London.
A person holds an orange and blue book titled "Connected Places: Digital twins" in a bustling city street, emphasizing the concept of connected places.
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Our New Magazine – Connected Places

How is digital twin technology changing how we think about everything from cities to railway stations? How will the third age of flight change our skies and the airports of the future? And how are UK cities thinking out of the box to fund net zero investment?