Innovation in rail depends on more than technology alone. Understanding and addressing the organisational, cultural and operational challenges that can prevent new ideas from progressing is critical to supporting successful adoption.

This report is for suppliers of all sizes looking to engage more effectively with rail customers, as well as organisations across the UK rail industry seeking to better understand innovation barriers from a supply-side perspective and identify practical ways to overcome them.

As part of their ongoing support for the development and modernisation of the UK rail industry, the Department for Transport (DfT) commissioned Connected Places Catapult to investigate the non-technical barriers that can impact innovation.

We have engaged with industry stakeholders to identify and explore these barriers in more detail. Building on this insight, the report provides actionable recommendations designed to help organisations address these challenges and create the conditions needed for innovation to succeed.

The five themes shaping non-technical barriers to innovation

Stakeholder interviews consistently highlighted five key themes that underpin the non-technical barriers faced by the rail industry:

• Organisational & cultural
• Workforce & skills
• Funding & procurement
• Regulatory & policy constraints
• Adoption & integration

The report explores each theme in depth, highlighting where these barriers appear, why they persist, and what can be done to help overcome them.

Non-Technical Barriers to Innovation

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Innovation questions bank: Workforce skills and organisational & cultural barriers