Accelerating Innovation in Rail 5
The Fifth Accelerating Innovation in Rail (AIiR 5) competition opens on 18 September 2017.
Innovate UK is managing a collaborative R & D competition on behalf of the Department for Transport (DfT) to accelerate innovation in the UK rail sector, to enable technologies to be readily and rapidly integrated into the railway system.
The Fifth ‘Accelerating Innovation in Rail’ (AIiR 5) competition call will open on 18 September and businesses will be able to apply for a share of £7.9 million of funding to develop technology prototypes in the broad areas of:
·       Intelligent trains.  Advances in computational power, communications, automation and sensing give the railway the potential to develop and deploy intelligent rolling stock. Such trains can reduce the railway’s reliance on complex and expensive infrastructure and control systems, making the network more cost effective and improving capacity, punctuality and reliability.
·      Minimal disruption to train services.  Railway rolling stock and infrastructure need to meet the future needs of passenger and freight customers. The railway must therefore make these more reliable, more readily available and easier to maintain.
Key dates for this competition call are:
•  Competition opens midday, 18th September 2017
•  Register by midday, 8th November 2017
•  Competition closes for applications midday, 15th November 2017
This competition call is open to businesses of all sizes (micro, small, medium and large) as well as academics, researchers and the public sector.  It will appeal particularly to businesses not currently supplying the rail industry, but which have technologies and innovations that meet the scope of “Intelligent trains” and “Minimal disruption to train services”.
Full details of the competition scope is available here.
Registration for briefing and consortia building events are now open:
19 September РLondon: Register to attend
19 September РWebcast: Register to attend
21 September – Cardiff (Welsh Government): Register to attend
26 September РDerby: Register to attend
28 September РGlasgow: Register to attend
03 October РManchester: Register to attend