13.07.26, GLASGOW, Connected Places Catapult, the UK’s innovation agency for transport, construction and data infrastructure, has today announced the opening of applications for the fourth cohort of the Connected Airport Living Lab.

Funded by Innovate UK, the programme is led by Connected Places Catapult in partnership with Glasgow Airport, part of AGS Airports. It provides UK-registered SMEs with a 6 month opportunity to develop, test and demonstrate their late-stage innovative technologies in a live airport environment. By providing a structured, repeatable approach aligned to airport procurement and operational realities, the programme aims to accelerate innovation adoption and scaling across UK airports.

Alongside funding of up to £30k and bespoke commercial support from experts at the Catapult, selected applicants will benefit from connections with industry stakeholders and, crucially, access to airport facilities to trial their solutions.

Innovators are invited to apply with their solutions to the following challenges:

• Asset Performance Management  

Large airport assets (such as escalators, lifts, scanners and car park barriers) are managed through a planned maintenance programme but still fail unexpectedly, causing significant impact to passenger journeys.  How might we monitor these assets in order to better predict and maintain their performance so that passengers’ journeys are smooth and reliable?   

• Understanding Passenger Sentiment – Live passenger feedback  

Reliable and efficient data is imperative in supporting airports to prioritise their activities (either reactively or longer term) to improve passenger experience. How might we understand 'live' passenger sentiment at different stages of the airport journey in order to get an improved understanding of the passenger’s experience? 

• Understanding Passenger Sentiment – Actionable Insights

How might we combine passenger sentiment and feedback data from a variety of sources (for example social media, intelligent voice recognition, formal complaints and other sources) in order to provide trend analysis and actionable insights so that the airport can proactively prioritise activities to improve passenger experience? 

"Glasgow Airport has become a proving ground for innovative technologies that can solve real operational challenges while improving the passenger experience. The success of previous cohorts has demonstrated the value of giving SMEs access to a live airport environment, allowing them to test and refine their solutions in real-world conditions.

"We're looking forward to seeing the next generation of innovators bring forward ideas that can help us better understand passenger needs, improve the performance of critical assets and support the delivery of a smoother, more efficient airport experience."

Gavin Birch-Williams, Managing Director of Glasgow Airport, said:

“Since 2023, the Connected Airport Living Lab has been supporting innovators to scale and succeed in live airport environments. Programme alum Hello Lamp Post has already gone on to secure a multi-year contract with AGS and now benefits more than 12,000 customers each year.

“If you have a solution that can address our latest set of challenges, I encourage you to apply.”

Sameer Savani, Transport Managing Director at Connected Places Catapult

Up to three UK based SMEs will be selected to take part in the programme. Prospective applicants have until midday on 17 August to apply via the Catapult’s website.