Transport

Creating cleaner, safer, smarter and more resilient transport systems

The UK transport sector is under growing pressure to decarbonise, improve safety, increase resilience and deliver better outcomes for passengers and freight. But complexity, risk and market barriers can slow the adoption of new technologies and innovation at scale.

We help transport organisations and high-potential businesses overcome barriers to innovation by validating emerging technologies in real-world and highly regulated infrastructure environments, accelerating the deployment of proven solutions across the transport sector.

By connecting industry, innovators, investors and government, we help scale proven transport solutions that improve performance, productivity and long-term sustainability across the UK transport system.

£698 million

raised in private investment by supported SMEs since 2019.

26

trials delivered for the Department for Transport in FY24-25 alone.

£30 million

in actualised cost-savings for HS2 as a result from our accelerators.

Live testbeds

delivered using active airports and rail stations for trialling new solutions.

Driving change in transport

We support the UK transport sector to test, validate and scale innovation across rail, aviation, highways, maritime and integrated transport systems.

Explore case studies on recent projects driving change in the transport industry, including:

Decarbonising the 1.6 billion tonnes of annual UK freight
Awarding £60,000 grants to innovators using AI in transport
Unlocking £50m in savings with HS2

Download the report

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Our services

Connected Places Catapult is a proven delivery partner for transport operators, infrastructure owners, government and high-potential SMEs.

We help identify, test and scale solutions that improve transport performance, sustainability and operational resilience.

Our services for transport industry organisations and SMEs include:

Horizon scanning, market analysis and innovation opportunity assessments

Identifying and removing non-technical barriers to innovation

De-risking emerging technologies through validation and real-world testing

Supporting the commercialisation of emerging transport technologies

Guidance on navigating the regulatory landscape and procurement challenges

Accelerating deployment and improving delivery efficiency

Get in touch

Our focus areas

Rail

Aviation

Maritime

Highways and Integrated Transport

We have an imperative to transform the transport sector – creating systems that are more sustainable, reliable, safe and accessible to all. At Connected Places Catapult, we collaborate with the entire transport ecosystem to catalyse change.

Sameer Savani, Transport Managing Director,

Connected Places Catapult

Scaling SME growth

We work directly with high potential transport businesses in the UK to support growth and commercialisation through our projects and programmes, which aim to:

Help SMEs turn potential into performance
Reduce risk so individual businesses can scale
Support SMEs to compete in real markets

Explore SME growth stories

Article

AI service developed with freight programme eyes seven figure target

Data management specialist Zizo expects to make £1 million from its AI platform in the next year; created with help from the Freight Innovation Fund accelerator.

Article

Meet the innovator scaling a business to make roads and sites safer

Concern with zebra crossing safety led one entrepreneur to take his technology idea from Powerpoint to product in under a year, with support from Connected Places Catapult.

Recent projects

Project

HS2 Accelerator Programme

HS2, working with Connected Places Catapult and in partnership with the Department for Transport, delivers the HS2 Accelerator Programme. It enables innovators to work with HS2 to develop technologies that solve real infrastructure challenges and improve efficiency

Flying taxi drone going through the city

Project

Air Mobility Ecosystem Consortium (AMEC)

The Air Mobility Ecosystem Consortium (AMEC) project formed the third phase of the Government Future of Flight challenge, which ran from 2022 through to 2025.

Project

AI in Transport

The Department for Transport (DfT), in collaboration with Connected Places Catapult, recognises the transformative potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in shaping the future of the UK’s transport system.

Live open calls

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Opportunity

HADeS 2026 Competition

Building on the success of the HADeS (High Assurance Detection Systems) innovation call in 2025 the Department for Transport (DfT) is launching HADeS 2026.

A port scene shows cargo ships, trucks, and stacked containers. An airplane is flying overhead against a sunset sky, with city skyscrapers visible in the background.

Opportunity

TRIG 2026 competition – Cohort 19

Up to £2,385,000 in funding is available across 53 projects to develop feasibility studies, proofs of concept, or prototypes tested in laboratory or relevant real-world environments.

Opportunity

Freight Innovation Fund Accelerator 2026 – Cohort 5

The Freight Innovation Fund Accelerator will support up to 12 Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) to develop a trial to test their solution in real-world environments to help solve pressing challenges within the freight sector.

Have you got an innovative pilot, project or solution?

View live open calls

Case studies

Case Study

Harnessing AI to enhance passenger experience

The AI in Transport Enhancing Passenger Experience competition, a collaboration between the Department for Transport (DfT) and Connected Places Catapult, aimed to find innovative ideas that embed responsible AI into a resilient transport system, in alignment with the UK government’s vision.

Case Study

Connected and Autonomous Vehicles

Connected Places Catapult has collaborated with government, industry and academia on various projects to position the UK at the forefront of the Connected Autonomous Vehicle (CAV) revolution.

Case Study

Improving connectivity in rural communities

Connected Place Catapult delivered the Rural Transport Accelerator from November 2023 to March 2025 with nearly £2 million funding from the Department for Transport.

Get in touch

Interested in collaborating with us to de-risk new technologies and solutions, and implement innovation at scale?

Get in touch

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Latest news

News

£2.3m funding for ideas to transform transport

Grants of up to £45k and business support is available to innovators with cutting-edge ideas to help make transport greener, more resilient and better connected.

An aerial view of a docked ship in a port

News

Search begins for innovators to make maritime operations greener

The new Ideas Elevator – Maritime Decarbonisation programme is set to support innovators with very early-stage business ideas in the maritime sector.

News

Chief Scientific Adviser celebrates five transport innovators

Exceptional start-up firms participating in the Transport Research and Innovation Grants programme were recognised at the Connected Places Summit.

Collaborating with the Department for Transport

We work closely with the Department for Transport (DfT) to drive innovation and deliver transformative projects across the UK transport sector. Our partnership enables us to support cutting-edge research, develop new technologies, and create solutions that address the most pressing challenges in transport today.

Find out more about our partnership