30 November 2012
Rail’s Enabling Innovation Team gets down to business with £16m funding
What are the challenges and opportunities facing the rail industry and its supply chain?
How can we make sure innovation is supporting the rail businesses and the UK
economy? What are the priorities for innovation?
The rail industry’s new Enabling Innovation Team (EIT) looked at these questions, and
brought together a broad cross-section of industry at their first workshops on
Wednesday. The results will be used as the basis of competitions to improve the
efficiency of UK railways and to grow worldwide opportunities for the existing and
potential UK rail supply chain.
One workshop focussed on the challenge of improving passenger and freight customer
experience, a second workshop considered how to develop a radically different train
with a potential worldwide market. In order to prioritise future EIT investment, the third
workshop considered how to understand the existing and potential capability of UK
industry to support the British and worldwide rail market.
David Clarke, Director of the EIT, said:
‘Innovation can be an over-used word where the relevance and practical application to
real rail business has not always been obvious. The fact is, until now, there has been
no dedicated cross-industry team designed to match the longer term business
challenges to innovative solutions and, where necessary, to provide funding. This is
where we come in.’
‘The workshops on Wednesday have shown that the rail industry is enthusiastic about
accelerating innovation to improve both the GB rail offer to its customers and to support
economic growth and exports.’
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EIT activities will be supported through investing a new dedicated fund for innovation
activities, derived from an initial pilot fund from the government of £16m, the potential
for a similar sum in 2013/14 and an anticipated £50m as part of the development fund
within the High Level Output Specification for Control Period 5. The team also expects
to secure further funding from other bodies and through co-funding partnerships.
This press release is issued by RSSB on behalf of EIT.
For media enquiries, please contact:
RSSB press office
Tel 020 3142 5332 / 5331 / 5333 or email pressoffice@rssb.co.uk or visit
www.rssb.co.uk
-EndsNotes to Editors
1. Research commissioned by the Technical Strategy Leadership Group (TSLG) has shown that
innovation is not working as well in the rail industry as it could. This may be due to uncertainties,
mismatched costs and benefits, timescales or lack of funds. Whatever the reason, it is these
potential missed opportunities for the rail industry and its current and potential suppliers which the
EIT is seeking to address.
2. The Enabling Innovation Team has been set up by the rail industry to accelerate the uptake of
innovation. Our mission is to offer support to practical cross-industry demonstrator projects;
taking concepts to trial, but also seeking out innovative ideas and proposals from across the
industry and other sectors. Our approach is to: understand the challenges that industry faces;
connect potential innovators with these challenges; and, where necessary with potential funding.
The EIT reports into TSLG, and is supported by the Rail Delivery Group, Planning Oversight
Group, and RSSB’s Board as well as the Department for Transport.
3. The Technical Strategy Leadership Group (TSLG), is an RSSB-facilitated cross-industry expert
body made up of senior executive staff from industry and funders, charged with developing and
championing implementation of the Rail Technology Strategy, supporting communication,
managing strategic research, identifying opportunities, barriers and actions. TSLG has a remit to
address future opportunities over a 30-year horizon. For more information please visit:
www.futurerailway.org.
4. RSSB builds industry-wide consensus and facilitates the resolution of difficult cross-industry
issues. It provides knowledge, analysis, a substantial level of technical expertise and powerful
information and risk management tools. This delivers a unique mix to the industry across a whole
range of subject areas – with the aim of:
RSSB Block 2 Angel Square 1 Torrens Street London EC1V 1NY
Telephone: +44 (0)20 3142 5300 Facsimile: +44 (0)20 3142 5301 www.rssb.co.uk
Rail Safety and Standards Board Limited Registered Office: Block 2 Angel Square 1 Torrens Street London EC1V 1NY Registered in England No. 04655675
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Where reasonably practicable, continuously improving the level of safety in the rail
industry
Driving out unnecessary cost
Improving business performance
4. RSSB manages the cross industry research and development programme, which covers
‘systems’ issues across the railway, engineering interfaces within the railway, and interfaces with
other parts of the community and society. This also includes managing the existing crossindustry research programme, strategic research for TSLG to support the Rail Technical Strategy,
as well as hosting the Enabling Innovation Team.
RSSB Block 2 Angel Square 1 Torrens Street London EC1V 1NY
Telephone: +44 (0)20 3142 5300 Facsimile: +44 (0)20 3142 5301 www.rssb.co.uk
Rail Safety and Standards Board Limited Registered Office: Block 2 Angel Square 1 Torrens Street London EC1V 1NY Registered in England No. 04655675