Transport start-ups with a focus on decarbonisation or Covid-19 recovery can now bid for a share of over £1m in UK Department for Transport funding.
Announced during a roundtable held by UK transport minister Rachel Maclean, the Transport-Technology Research and Innovation Grants (T-TRIG) is open to projects developing new ways of creating a better transport system.
Each project that successfully bids for funding will be issued up to £30,000 to help fast-track the idea to market.
UK transport minister, Rachel Maclean, said: “As we continue to follow our greenprint for a transport recovery from Covid-19 it is imperative we work with start-ups at the cutting edge of technology to help us build back more sustainably and today’s competition launch will do exactly that.
“That’s why supporting innovation is a priority for this government, as we start to travel again safely while also seeking to solve the complex challenge of decarbonising transport.”
Now in its 11th round of funding, T-TRIG has so far provided £5.4m to more than 170 technology and innovation projects, with over 60% of grants awarded to SMEs and 30% to universities.
Winning projects include Wayfindr, which used the funding to help develop a system that helps blind and partially sighted people navigate towns and cities using Bluetooth-enabled beacons and smartphones.
Maclean also announced at the roundtable a separate £500,000 competition to fund the development of products or services to improve the ability for disabled people to use the transport network.
Bids for the Accessibility-Technology Research Innovation Grant (A-TRIG) will be open until the end of November.
