A strategic collaboration between two of the UK’s Intelligent Mobility (IM) leaders, the Transport Systems Catapult (TSC), together with TRL (the Uk’s Transport Research Laboratory) will further accelerate the deployment of advanced transport systems in the UK. The move follows the launch of the TSC’s Technology Strategy for Intelligent Mobility, which outlined plans for the development of a UK Integrated Test Environment (ITE) to accelerate the development of new transport technologies. 

The agreement builds on TRL’s longstanding experience in the area of Connected and Autonomous Vehicles and will see the company combine its UK Smart Mobility Living Lab in Greenwich London with the TSC’s expertise developing capabilities in areas such as modelling and visualisation and information exploitation. It will enable large scale demonstrations of advanced transport technology in both the physical and virtual worlds, and help develop advanced transport systems and mobility services for the UK and beyond.  

The three core aims of the collaboration are to ensure the UK’s IM research and evaluation base is aligned and working towards a common vision; to attract and develop the workforce skills necessary to implement next generation transport systems; and to work together to attract further investment to the UK transport industry. 

Steve Yianni, CEO of the Transport Systems Catapult, commented:

“Intelligent Mobility is not an incremental advance that supports the status quo; instead it represents a radical overhaul of the entire transport market. Our agreement with TRL brings together two of the UK’s leading organisations in IM under a shared vision to address this change and ensure the UK can reap the benefits. 

TRL’s connected and autonomous vehicle testbed in Greenwich is one of the most advanced facilities in the UK Intelligent Mobility market. By combining our unique streams of work, we can complement and advance each other’s research and development programmes, creating an environment that makes the UK a world leader in transport systems innovation.”