Innovations GreenWire: £8m to 'green' UK transport and logistics

The 12 collaborative research and development projects aim to develop innovative and sustainable systems and services that will help move goods around the country more effectively. 

The 'Informed Logistics' competition is co-funded by the Department for Transport, the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and the Highways Agency.

The long term aim of this activity is to support the UK logistics industry and help it to evolve by offering the opportunity to take part in collaborative research and development that helps to address some of the unsustainable practices that currently exist within the sector. There is a focus on devising solutions that improve efficiency and competitiveness, while reducing the environmental impact of road congestion. One of the ways in which this could be achieved is by coming up with new technology solutions that influence the choices that are made on a daily basis about the way that goods are moved around the country.

Explaining the background to the TSB's decision to invest in this area, Stephen Hart, the board's Innovation Platform leader for Intelligent Transport Systems and Services said: "There is a national commitment to address increasing levels of congestion and environmental issues. Smarter and more sustainable logistics can help to achieve this."

"We want the industry to work together to increase efficiencies in the whole logistics network. It's our aim to accelerate developments in this area through real life demonstrations that act as a catalyst for marketable solutions."

Projects need to affect entire supply chain

To gain funding, the projects were encouraged to demonstrate that the system or service that they develop will affect the entire supply chain or logistics activity across the whole transport network. They were encouraged to 'think big' and told to identify solutions that will influence the way people make decisions about moving goods, increase the competiveness of the UK logistics industry and reduce the congestion and environmental impact of goods movement.

Steve Agg, chief executive of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport said: "This investment will have significant impact; it is a unique message that demonstrates that Government is investing in our industry."

The successful projects will work towards solutions that help cut the environmental impact of road congestion by influencing customer choices towards more sustainable goods movement, or maximise intermodal freight solutions; or which demonstrate an integrated system approach to the movement of goods.