Rail Innovation Charter (v.1)
Rail Innovation Charter
This document, produced by the Railway Industry Association and the Transport Knowledge Transfer
Network, introduces and provides brief guidance on the Rail Innovation Charter.
The Charter can be found on the third page of this document.
1. What is the Charter seeking to achieve (and not achieve)?
Few organisations now have the capability to carry out all development projects within their
organisational boundaries, and therefore collaboration is a crucial aspect of business innovation.
Often referred to as open innovation (Chesbrough, 2003) or collaborative innovation, this is a way of
conducting business that relies on openness and the sharing of risk and reward.
The Rail Innovation Charter is a document which sets out principles of ‘fair play’ when engaging in
collaborative innovation. It is not a set of terms and conditions, nor is it intended to be contractually
binding, although it could be incorporated into a contract if the contracting parties so wished.
2. Why is the Charter useful?
Parties whose business model involves collaborative innovation can openly declare their intention to
comply. Signing up to the Charter would give a transparency of approach, and reduces likelihood of
surprises during the innovation activity. As such it is intended to:
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Reduce commercial risk and uncertainty
Provide a basis for common understanding of how sensitive issues like IPR will be handled
Help to create a fair and level playing field between parties
Provide the basis for trust between parties
Support an “open innovation” approach between parties
While the principles embodied in the Charter apply to all collaborations, it is hoped that it will be
particularly useful in the context of small companies engaging with large ones
3. How might the Charter be used?
The Charter is applicable to all collaborative activities. Examples of its possible use include:
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A joint development project between two parties.
A supplier undertaking innovative work for a client in the context of a contract.
A supplier seeking support and acceptance from a potential client for a product or system under
development.
Parties that have signed up to the Charter and who want to engage in a specific collaborative
innovation venture might therefore:
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Preferentially seek other parties who have similarly signed up to the Charter, or
Seek to persuade other parties to sign up for the purposes of a specific collaborative innovation
venture.
The collaborating parties might by mutual agreement amplify or modify the application of the
charter to suit the specific circumstances.
jointly developed by the Transport KTN and the Railway Industry Association
Rail Innovation Charter (v.1)
The Charter provides the basis for trust and fair play, but it is not intended to be comprehensive or
have legal status. The details of an inter-organisational cooperation on a specific project are likely to
be the subject of a customised Collaboration Agreement. A simple example of this might be to
append the Charter to a memorandum of understanding which defines the scope of the
collaborative innovation. In other circumstances a more formal legal basis might be required.
4. Why should my company sign up to the Charter?
Signing up to the Charter makes sense for companies whose business model involves collaborative
innovation. It demonstrates the company’s intention to comply by the Charter’s principles, and
signals its commitment and fair play towards in working with other organisations.
5. How do we know who else has committed to the Charter? Can we trust them?
At present we do not intend to maintain records of whose has signed up to the Charter, although we
are interested in knowing who is making use of it. The Charter will operate on the basis of trust.
There are no plans for the foreseeable future to monitor whether companies abide by the Charter.
6. Some issues to consider before signing up to the Charter
Many companies already work collaboratively with their supply chains as part of their daily business.
Before signing up for the Charter, an organisation should consider whether it is prepared to adopt
each of the seven commitments. This is likely to include activities such as:
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Ensuring senior level commitment to the Charter
Obtaining buy-in at middle and junior management levels to make the Charter work in practice
Communicating the principles of the Charter throughout the organisation (R&D, engineering,
procurement, commercial)
Managing the use of the Charter in the organisation
Periodic review of how it the Charter is working in practice
7. References, contacts and other useful material
a) Transport KTN (2013). A Newcomer’s Guide to Collaborative R&D.
Available from https://connect.innovateuk.org/web/transportktn/. A brief introduction to
collaborative R&D covering: the reasons for collaboration; the need for Collaboration
Agreements; introduction to the BS11000 standard for collaborative business relationships; and
the Lambert Toolkit which focuses on intellectual property rights (IPR) in collaborative activities.
b) Transport KTN (2013). Guide to Technology Strategy Board Collaborative Research and
Development Competitions.
Available from https://connect.innovateuk.org/web/transportktn/.
c) Chesbrough, Henry William (2003). Open Innovation: The new imperative for creating and
profiting from technology. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.
d) A Word version of this document is available on request from Francis How (Technical Director,
Railway Industry Association) – see contact details below.
8. Contacts
This Charter has been produced jointly by the Railway Industry Association and the Transport
Knowledge Transfer Network. We would like to hear from you if you are considering using, or have
used, the Charter. Please contact:
Francis How (fhow@riagb.org.uk)
Rob Furlong (rob.furlong@transportktn.org)
jointly developed by the Transport KTN and the Railway Industry Association
Rail Innovation Charter (v.1)
Rail Innovation Charter
“As an organisation we commit to the following general principles in our working relationships with
our innovation partner(s):”
1.
Our attitude to innovation
Innovation is at the heart of what we do, and through collaborative relationships we seek to
improve the performance of our business and that of our partners.
2.
Collaboration and sharing
We recognise that collaborative innovation involves sharing commercial risk. We will strive to
ensure that there is an equitable risk/reward balance with our innovation partners so that we
and our partners benefit from the collaboration.
3.
Our behaviours
We agree to behave in an open, honest and trustworthy manner with our innovation partners.
4.
Respect for intellectual property
We will respect the intellectual property of our innovation partners, and we will not seek to
exploit it for our own advantage at the expense of our partners.
5.
Knowledge exchange
We will share with our innovation partners the knowledge that will enable us to collaborate
effectively. We will respect the confidentiality of knowledge and information that our partners
share with us, and we will not divulge it to others unless our partners have agreed to this.
6.
Communication
We will communicate regularly, openly and in a timely manner with our innovation partners.
We will explain to our partners the responsibilities and arrangements within our organisation
for our contribution to the collaborative innovation. We will inform our partners without delay
of any changes or difficulties that might jeopardise the successful outcome of the collaboration.
7.
Ending a partnership
If circumstances should arise where we are unable to continue working with an innovation
partner, we will strive to achieve a mutually satisfactory closure of the collaboration, continuing
to abide by the principles in this Charter until the collaboration is ended.
See overleaf for a joint signatory table.
jointly developed by the Transport KTN and the Railway Industry Association
Rail Innovation Charter (v.1)
Innovation Charter : Scope statement and signatories
(to be completed by the collaborating parties)
Scope of application
Signature
Name
Position
Company
Date
jointly developed by the Transport KTN and the Railway Industry Association