UK research hub to help tackle decarbonisation and improve transport resilience

Credit: UK government

The UK government has announced that a new research hub is being launched to boost innovative measures to decarbonise and improve transport, as the country works towards its net zero goals. Applications are now open for organisations to host the new hub, with the government pledging £10 million in funding for the centre, which will establish a UK centre of excellence for transport innovation.

Currently, transport accounts for 27% of the UK’s emissions and the Net Zero Transport for a Resilient Future Hub will drive decarbonisation solutions, such as greater use of recycled materials and reducing the carbon footprint of repairs and maintenance.

The hub will also develop and implement innovative ideas to ensure future transport is resilient and meets the challenges of climate adaption, such as changes to weather and water levels. It will focus on the UK’s transport sector’s needs over the next 25 years, as the government works to meet its 2050 net zero goals, helping to ensure the sector can build UK skills, jobs and innovation.

Decarbonisation Minister, Jesse Norman, said: “Innovation is key to the growth of the transport sector, and the creation of high-skilled jobs and business opportunities across the UK. This new UK research hub will build a centre of excellence for the future development of low-carbon transport.”

By working to develop real-world solutions across a wide range of academic disciplines, such as architecture and design, computing and behavioural sciences, the hub will help support innovation in the UK, which could lead to high-skilled jobs across the UK.

It will aim to provide a link for early stage innovation and later stage demonstration across multiple transport modes to create, develop and test climate resilient solutions that recognise how different places and types of transport will require different answers.

New zero-emission bus trial to begin across regional New South Wales

By researching the challenges of the transport sector in adapting to climate change and securing UK innovation, the centre will look to offer responsive, practical, evidence-based support to transport decision-makers, as well as develop and implement sustainable, low-carbon solutions across existing and new infrastructure.

Some of the areas that the hub will be expected to research include:

• Solutions for resilient transport infrastructure – researching ways to improve the design of transport related infrastructure to better cope with potential climate impacts and reduce emissions
• Streetscape – designing streets to minimise carbon emissions, improve drivers’ and pedestrians’ mental health and wellbeing, and ensure their resilience to potential climate impacts
• Localised climate modelling of temperature, sea-level and weather – gaining a better understanding of potential climate impacts on specific areas, in part, to prioritise those places most in need for possible adaptive measures and projects
• Bridge the gap between infrastructure research and policy – researching ways to shorten the time between developing innovative solutions and their wider adoption.

Over 80% of the funding for the hub will come from the UK government through the Department for Transport (DfT), UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) (via the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council), and organisations in the Transport Research and Innovation Board, with the remaining coming from the winning research centre, which will become the home of the hub.