Skip to main content

Business Secretary opens UK centre for smart transport technology

UK Business Secretary Vince Cable today opened a new innovation centre for smart transport technology that will transform the movement of people and goods around the world, generating up to £90 billion per year for the UK by 2025. Based in Milton Keynes, the Transport Systems Catapult’s ‘Imovation Centre’ will help make journeys more seamless, smart, and efficient. It will support business growth in this emerging market, positioning the UK as a global leader in Intelligent Mobility products and services
June 12, 2014 Read time: 3 mins
UK Business Secretary Vince Cable today opened a new innovation centre for smart transport technology that will transform the movement of people and goods around the world, generating up to £90 billion per year for the UK by 2025.

Based in Milton Keynes, the 7800 Transport Systems Catapult’s ‘Imovation Centre’ will help make journeys more seamless, smart, and efficient. It will support business growth in this emerging market, positioning the UK as a global leader in Intelligent Mobility products and services -- from driverless vehicles and improved airport data systems to integrated logistics, sentiment mapping and smart traffic lights.

The centre is part of the Government’s industrial strategy – a long-term plan to deliver high-skilled jobs and growth.

Speaking at a special media preview of the Centre in Milton Keynes, Vince Cable said: “Britain has a long history of transport innovation; from the shipbuilders who paved the way for globalisation, to the railways, that underpinned the industrial revolution. This new innovation centre will ensure the UK is well placed to profit from the increased demand for high-tech transport solutions- creating jobs, supporting businesses, and driving economic growth.”

Operated by the Transport Systems Catapult, the Imovation Centre (combining Intelligent Mobility and innovation) is a world-class collaboration space for innovators, entrepreneurs, research organisations and businesses using the latest technological developments to improve the transportation of people and goods. It will also offer modelling and testing facilities, allowing new products to be properly trialled and demonstrated.

Steve Yianni, chief executive of the Transport Systems Catapult said: “Intelligent Mobility harnesses new technologies to create seamless journeys, where transport is smart and connected, and delays and congestions are a thing of the past. The Imovation Centre will take the brightest solutions to the most pressing transport challenges, and help make those ideas a commercial success.”

The Transport Systems Catapult is one of a new network of elite technology and innovation centres established by the 2231 Technology Strategy Board as a long-term investment in the UK’s economic capability. Applying business-led research, Catapults help businesses transform great ideas into valuable products and services to compete in the global markets of tomorrow.

It is estimated that the global market in Intelligent Mobility will be worth around £900 billion a year by 2025, and the Imovation Centre aims to help the UK secure at least a ten per cent share of that market. The Transport Systems Catapult will directly contribute £712 million in economic value to the UK during its first five years (2013-2018).

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Jupiter Systems reports strong worldwide sales
    June 15, 2012
    Jupiter Systems, a specialist in visualisation and collaboration solutions for display walls and networked PCs, has announced its twentieth consecutive year of profitability and growth, driven by strong worldwide sales, strategic investments, and continued innovation and product quality. “Achieving our twentieth consecutive year of profitability and sales growth over the recent challenging economic period represents a significant accomplishment,” said Eric Wogsberg, the company’s president. “Strategic inves
  • Automatic driving creates billion dollar market
    December 5, 2014
    A new study, Autonomous Driving, by Roland Berger Strategy consultants finds that automatic driving will generate additional revenue volume of up to US$40 billion in component sales in the period through 2030. In addition, new software solutions needed for automated driving will reach a global market volume as high as 20 billion dollars by 2030. There are specific technologies to be mastered, to a large extent unknown territory for both OEMs and suppliers and considerable investments will be needed to de
  • California e-dreaming with ABB
    March 27, 2020
    Data can unlock the costs and benefits of converting commercial fleets to electric vehicles.
  • New website aims to act as a centre for multi-modal transport
    February 3, 2017
    Travel technology firm SilverRail has unveiled seamlessmobility.com, a new website which it says will act as a centre for information and developments in what it calls seamless mobility, an integrated multi-modal transportation network. As the transport system of the future is likely to include more rail, buses, bikes and autonomous and electric cars and growing numbers of people adopt them, SilverRail believes technologies are required that make it easier for people to use different forms of mass transi