New board to shape future of transport innovation

16.06.25, LONDON, Connected Places Catapult, the UK’s innovation accelerator for transport, the built environment, cities and local growth, has announced today the names of 24 professionals who have been appointed onto a new Advisory Board for the Transport Research and Innovation Grants (TRIG) programme.

TRIG is the Department for Transport’s (DfT) flagship cross-modal, innovation grant funding competition, which aims to drive scientific and technological progress in the UK transport sector by funding proof-of-concept projects. The programme is delivered by Connected Places Catapult on behalf of the DfT and has been running since 2014. It has so far supported 434 projects with over £15.6 million in grant funding.

The newly established TRIG Advisory Board will play a crucial role in shaping the future of the TRIG programme by providing strategic guidance, sector insights and industry expertise. Members of the Board have been appointed on a voluntary basis from industry, academia and local government, with representation also including transport user groups and previous participants of the TRIG programme.

Members of the TRIG Advisory Board will act as independent industry experts and will provide strategic guidance to TRIG-funded projects. They will review programme challenges, assess project progress, and offer high-level direction to support delivery and impact.

They will also advise on next steps and potential commercial opportunities for TRIG-funded innovations, engage in showcasing events to amplify the programme’s impact, raise awareness of TRIG among senior decision makers as well as promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in transport.

Members will not be involved in the selection process for grant awards.

The members of the Transport Research and Innovation Grants Advisory Board are:

Waleed Ahmed, Transreport
Aaron Barrett, RSSB
Jonathan Bean, Materials Nexus
Zainab Dangana, Wates Group      
Mike Dawson, Belfast Harbour
Abigail Dombey, Net Zero Associates
Ben Earl, Hitachi
Harry Fisher, Motability Foundation
Pablo Garcia Lopez, McLaren Applied
Donya Hajializadeh, University of Surrey
Michael Kitching, Transport for London
James Lee, Publica Associates
Matt Lees, Clyde Hydrogen Systems
Llewelyn Morgan, Systra
Kirstyn Munro, Ecomotus
Andrew Murphy, BP
Yogesh Patel, Vinci Construction
Bharat Pathania, Midlands Connect
Sharon Payne, Transport East
Louise Reardon, University of Birmingham
James Scott, Cycling UK
Gyula Torzok, Thames Estuary Growth Board
Kate Young, Jacobs
Jinning Zhang, University of Leicester

“We are pleased to welcome 24 individuals to the new TRIG Advisory Board, which will help to shape the future direction of the programme. This high-calibre group offers a range of perspectives from across the UK’s transport ecosystem and we look forward to benefitting from their expertise.
“The TRIG programme continues to go from strength to strength in demonstrating the positive impact that innovation can have in improving our transport systems.”

Steve Pyer, Highways and Integrated Transport Director at Connected Places Catapult

Applications to apply for the next round of TRIG are open until 20 June.