UK: The Rail Innovation Group has published a Skills Beyond Scale report highlighting the impact of SMEs in the rail industry and calling for government action to unlock the full potential.
The report stays that the despite their strengths in innovation, SMEs face resource constraints, regulatory complexity and funding gaps limiting their ability to scale.
The Rail Innovation Group is calling on the government to support collaboration between major projects and digital SMEs with specialised technical skills; to invest in skills programmes; to increase R&D funding for AI, data analytics and sustainability; to use public-private partnerships to enhance resource-sharing and accelerate innovation; and to accelerate regulatory reform to remove barriers to SME participation in rail projects.
‘This research confirms what we have long known: start-ups and small digital suppliers are the driving force behind rail innovation’, said Rail Innovation Group Chair Liam Henderson on March 19. ‘These companies don’t just bring fresh ideas; they bring practical, deployable solutions. However, for their impact to be fully realised, we need decisive action to remove barriers. The potential here is enormous.’
