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.

813 billion

passenger kilometres travelled in Great Britain in 2024.

640,000 jobs

supported by the UK’s rail industry.

Busiest ever year

for UK aviation in 2025.

86%

of international UK freight is moved by sea.

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:

.

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:

Our focus areas

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
Tyre recycling firm builds on industry partnership to make asphalt production greener
Article

Tyre recycling firm builds on industry partnership to make asphalt production greener

Millions of used vehicle tyres from Britain end up being scrapped overseas. Now a materials recycling firm from Scotland is working with Connected Places Catapult to put waste rubber to better use.
West Mids wall-climbing robot firm charts global sales growth
Article

West Mids wall-climbing robot firm charts global sales growth

Wall-climbing robot developer HausBots is selling its product around the world and has entered several new sectors after participating in Catapult-led accelerators.

Recent projects

No posts found.

Live open calls

No posts found.

Have you got an innovative pilot, project or solution?

Case studies

No posts found.

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

Latest news

New funding for green transport innovators in the West Midlands
News

New funding for green transport innovators in the West Midlands

Up to £50k and expert support is available to businesses in the region with solutions to make transport greener.
A logistics hub featuring trucks, shipping containers, a cargo ship, and an airplane, a perfect backdrop for TRIG 2022 event
News

£1.8m to back cutting-edge transport innovations

Grants of up to £45k are available to businesses and academics with ideas to solve some of the transport sector’s most pressing challenges.
A worker in a hat and vest oversees a forklift lifting a container, surrounded by containers in a shipping yard.
News

Government funding available for fresh thinking in freight

Up to £150k and specialist business support is available to innovators with ideas to solve some of the freight sector’s most pressing challenges.

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.

Card image

Transport Research and Innovation Grants

The Department for Transport (DfT), in partnership with Connected Places Catapult, offers Transport Research and…