2. AWARENESS

THE CHALLENGE

For TfN to realise its ambitious programme, it will need to address a number of critical challenges. These include major engineering challenges, such as tunnelling beneath the Pennines, as well as broader industry priorities such as decarbonisation, decongestion, better passenger information and accessible and inclusive transport. For these critical challenges to be addressed as effectively as possible, TfN must be able to effectively articulate its needs to the supply chain.

A study into grassroots innovation in UK transport3 identified immersion in the problem space as a key enabler to innovation. Whilst engagement with small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) is continually improving, the challenge remains to improve engagement between grassroots innovators and public rail projects.

The north has significant technical and innovation capability across SMEs, consultancies, larger businesses, and academia. There is strength in the development of software, where grassroots innovation can add real value to the sector and new businesses are adding to the local economies.

In recent years, there has been a notable increase in events and initiatives designed to communicate rail industry challenges to potential solution owners. These initiatives have been invaluable in offering direct insight and in building new partnerships. However, their effectiveness can be limited by factors such as:

• Insufficient internal engagement in the development of challenge statements, resulting in the oversight of less obvious challenges or a lack of buy-in from key internal stakeholders. • Requirements expressed in terms of solutions rather than outcomes, which can constrain the scope for innovation and may result in only traditional suppliers being able to respond. • A mismatch between the stated desire for innovation and key constraints, for example timescales being too short for the development of any significant innovation, or the client wanting a proven product. • The number and scale of engagement events, leading to a level of ‘challenge apathy’ among solution owners. This is particularly apparent where a low likelihood of success is perceived, due to illdefined challenges, a lack of funding, or a high ratio of innovators to challenges.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Gaining a thorough understanding of the challenges facing transport in the north requires an effective stakeholder engagement programme. This should consider diverse perspectives from stakeholders including local transport authorities, infrastructure owners, operators, communities and grassroots groups. This approach will uncover opportunities for change that are less obvious, stimulating a range of innovative solutions that deliver value to the north.

Once challenges have been identified, it is important to prioritise them so that there is collective agreement on where to focus effort. Success factors can be agreed, as well as constraints and the risk appetite towards the specific problem. Additionally, there should be alignment with other research and development networks, such as UKRRIN and the Catapults, to understand the capabilities of existing technologies and their roadmaps. To attract the widest range of innovative solutions, challenge statements should focus on the desired outcomes and avoid dictating the technical solution.

Once challenge statements are clearly defined, they can be disseminated via events and online communication or procurement processes. Ideally there should be a clear progression route for addressing the challenges, for example funding competitions or accelerator programmes. Where challenge statements are made available on an ongoing basis, they should be reviewed (such as annually) to ensure they remain fit for purpose.

Recommendation: Develop a plan for identifying, defining, and prioritising TfN challenge statements and communicating these widely to solution owners.

3 Tracy Ross, Valerie A. Mitchell & Andrew J. May (2012) Bottomup grassroots innovation in transport: motivations, barriers and enablers, Transportation Planning and Technology, 35:4, 469-489