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Connected Places Catapult, in collaboration with Network Rail and funded by Innovate UK, is excited to announce the third year of the Station Innovation Zone Competition, supporting SMEs to test new ways of improving various aspects of the passenger experience.
The open call period for the Station Innovation Zone Competition will be Thursday 18 July 2024 – Tuesday 24 September 2024. The programme itself will take a two-phase approach, with Phase One officially starting in November 2024.
In Phase One, up to 8 SMEs will each receive £4,000 to develop a proposed trial plan during the first two months of work. Upon completion of a trial plan, up to three SMEs will be chosen to proceed to Phase Two.
In Phase Two, the chosen SMEs will move forward to live trials over a six-month period at Bristol Temple Meads, with each SME receiving up to £45,000 to support deployment at the station.
All successful applicants will also receive business development and technical trial support and the opportunity to showcase their technology at relevant industry events.
The Station Innovation Zone competition aims to reduce barriers to innovation and serves as a showcase for rail technology innovators, buyers and investors. The aim is to craft a station of the future that embodies local identity, fosters inclusivity, and ensures seamless transit for all.
Earlier this year, Connected Places Catapult and Network Rail selected 8 SMEs to take part in the second Station Innovation Zone cohort. 3 of these companies were then chosen to trial their ideas to rail passengers over the summer and you can read about their experience here.
Application Support Webinar
On Thursday 1 August, Connected Places Catapult will hold an Application Support Webinar to give applicants to the Station Innovation Zone Competition the opportunity to find out more about the programme offering, challenges, application process, scoring criteria, and the assessment process.
Connected Places Catapult will also be hosting two drop-in sessions with Network Rail for applicants to ask questions about the challenges and competition.
- 1. Drop-In Session with Network Rail & Challenge Designers: Tuesday 13 August
- 2. Drop-in Session with Network Rail & Challenge Designers: Thursday 12 September
Further registration details for these two sessions will be made available shortly.
Key Dates
Programme Challenges
This year’s challenges give applicants the opportunity to categorise your solution as one of two specific types of innovation.
Front-of-House Innovation – consists of solutions that directly improve the station user experience, these are innovations people will experience (see, hear, feel, interact with) in the station environment.
Back-of-House Innovation – consists of solutions that make rail better, simpler, and greener, these innovations improve the effectiveness of rail by better understanding issues and improving operations.
1: The Accessibility Challenge
- Front-of-House: Solutions to improve navigation, assistance confidence, and inclusive design.
- Back-of-House: Solutions to maximize the impact of accessibility improvements and better engage with users.
2: The Personal Security Challenge
- Front-of-House: Innovations to enhance lighting, maintenance, bystander intervention, and surveillance.
- Back-of-House: Solutions to facilitate easier reporting of safety concerns and better understand safety issues.
3: The Green Challenge
- Front-of-House: Creating green, calm spaces, supporting active travel, and showcasing local green businesses.
- Back-of-House: Using data-driven solutions to track and improve resource usage and sustainability.
4: The Open Challenge
- For further information on what type of exciting innovations Network Rail are keen to see in the Open Challenge, please refer to the Application Guidance Document.
What’s on offer to SMEs?
Funding Opportunities
Opportunity to access our fund for trial proposal development or trialling
Trial Support
Trial design, deployment support, mentoring and evaluation
Business Development
4-month tailored business development support and introductions
Eligibility Criteria
- Open to UK-registered businesses, preferably based in the West of England.
- Innovations must be at least TRL (Technology Readiness Level) 5 or higher.
- Solutions must address one of the identified challenge areas.
- Applicants must be willing to travel for meetings in Bristol.
How to apply
Apply through the link below. Applications are open till 24 September.
Supporting Documents
Point of contact
If you have any questions about the programme and the application process, please reach out to Anna Kerr, Innovation Funding Manager, anna.kerr@cp.catapult.org.uk.
