Station Innovation Zone – Innovation Funding Programme - Year Two
Calling all innovators! Apply now for the opportunity to secure trial funding as well as bespoke business support. Applications close 19 October.
What is the Station Innovation Zone?
Welcome to the Station Innovation Zone Competition, part of Connected Places Catapult's wider Station Innovation Zone Programme, a cutting-edge competition aimed at creating a reduced-barrier innovation zone that serves as a unified showcase for rail technology buyers and investors. Our shared vision is to shape the station of the future—a proud, efficient gateway that reflects local identity, fosters inclusivity, and enables effective transit through its spaces. By designing safe, seamless, and sustainable stations, we strive to create an environment that brings together people, businesses, and culture, ensuring both social and financial prosperity.
About the Competition
Connected Places Catapult and Network Rail are running a second series of trials as part of the Station Innovation Zone at Bristol Temple Meads, supporting SMEs to test new ways of improving various aspects of the passenger experience.
The Station Innovation Zone competition is a two-phase programme starting in August 2023.
Up to 10 SMEs will each receive £2,000 to develop a proposed trial plan. Then three SMEs will be chosen to move forward to live trials, each receiving up to £75,000 to support deployment at the station.
All successful applicants will also receive business development and technical 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.
Key Dates
Programme Challenges
A Safe Station
This year, we will be running two themes within the 'Safe Station Challenge': one on personal safety (how might we make people feel safer at the station) and a second one on operational safety (How can we reduce the number of slips, trips and falls that occur at Bristol Temple Meads?)
A Seamless Station
A seamless station is one where users can move around the station easily and safely. We have learned that there are two specific challenges to this at Bristol Temple Meads:
1. Finding a platform when arriving at the station, and
2. Finding the best route from the platform to the next destination, be that a part of the city or another mode of transport (e.g., car park, bus stop).
As part of the regeneration of Bristol Temple Meads (BTM), potential new entrances will be introduced at the station. Whilst access into the station is enhanced, challenges could arise with station users identifying where to go from their specific entrance to the right platform, and from the platform to the right exit to go to their chosen destination in the city. There is also an opportunity for the station to optimise passenger flow by directing passengers along a specified route.
A Sustainable Station
Sustainability is a key strategic priority for Network Rail with a focus on reducing the carbon footprint, making the railway more resilient to climate change, and promoting rail as a preferred green mode of travel. Stations should be inviting hubs, allowing passengers to arrive and leave via sustainable forms of travel. This challenge focuses on the role Bristol Temple Meads station can play in preparing for this future.
This year, we are keeping the challenge area open, to discover from industry what solutions may be out there to support stations in this process. We are interested in receiving a range of proposals across the innovation areas of decarbonisation, improving biodiversity, and increasing circular processes and economies.
This year, we are keeping the challenge area open, to discover from industry what solutions may be out there to support stations in this process. We are interested in receiving a range of proposals across the innovation areas of decarbonisation, improving biodiversity, and increasing circular processes and economies.
What is on offer?
Funding Opportunities
The opportunity to access up to £75,000 in funding opportuntiies
Coaching & Mentorship
Including pitch coaching, business/investment support and marketing strategy.
Business Development
Business development opportunities and introduction to potential customers
Solution Showcase
Demonstration day to raise your profile among investors, industry and potential customers.
Trial Support
Trial design, deployment support, monitoring and evaluation.
Technical Support
Technical support and access to technical experts
Testbed Support
Experiment design training and preparation, deployment support and evaluation
Eligibility
- You must be a UK-registered business, preferably based in the West of England
- Your innovation solution will be at least TRL (Technology Readiness Level) 5 or higher
- Your solution must address one or more of the identified challenge areas.
- You must be willing to travel on occasion for face-to-face meetings in Bristol.
Our goal is to foster a diverse innovation system that inspires improvements in Equality, Diversity & Inclusion practices across the UK. We welcome businesses from micro to medium-sized enterprises to join us.
Equity & Diversity
Connected Places Catapult is collecting equity, diversity, and inclusion (ED&I) data as part of the application process to promote and ensure equality of access for the initiatives it delivers. This data will help us monitor the performance of efforts to promote ED&I in research and business innovation. All personal data will be processed in accordance with current UK data protection legislation, including the Data Protection Act 2018 and the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation)).
How to apply
Applications will remain open until midnight on Thursday 19 October 2023. Late submissions will not be considered. Application Guidance DocumentTerms & Conditions
Datasets for Bristol Temple Meads Station
Privacy Notice
Get involved
To learn more about the opportunity, and for a chance to meet face-to-face with the challenge owners in Bristol, please register for the upcoming webinar and in-person event.
Discover more about the competition, application process, and the available support by joining our information events. Register now!
14 September 2023
Application Support Webinar - View Recording Here
Partners
For more information...
If you have any questions about the application, please contact our team on Innovation_funding@cp.catapult.org.uk
