Connected Places Catapult has opened applications for a new programme designed to help UK SMEs turn proven infrastructure productivity solutions into wider commercial adoption.
The Infrastructure Productivity Scale-Up Programme will select up to ten businesses with technologies or solutions that have already been tested or deployed but face barriers to scaling across the infrastructure sector.
Funded by Innovate UK and delivered by Connected Places Catapult with support from infrastructure partners, the four-month programme comes as the sector prepares for at least £725 billion of planned public infrastructure investment over the next decade.
With the scale of that pipeline placing increased pressure on industry capacity, improving productivity has become a significant priority for clients, contractors and the wider infrastructure supply chain.
Connected Places Catapult said many potentially valuable solutions already exist, but struggle to progress beyond successful trials because of procurement barriers, fragmented supply chains, limited access to decision-makers and difficulties demonstrating their benefits at scale.
The new programme is intended to tackle that commercialisation gap rather than fund the development of early-stage technologies.
Successful SMEs will receive tailored commercial support, engagement with infrastructure organisations, expert guidance and opportunities to demonstrate their solutions to potential customers.
Businesses will also be supported in strengthening the evidence behind their products, demonstrating measurable value and improving their readiness for infrastructure procurement processes.
Each member of the cohort will also have the opportunity to apply for up to £8,000 to demonstrate their solution to prospective buyers.
The programme is seeking solutions across four main areas: improving visibility of productivity throughout infrastructure supply chains; reducing waste, delays and inefficiencies on site; providing greater certainty around project costs and schedules; and making it easier to integrate productivity technologies into existing systems and workflows.
For rail and its supply chain, these are familiar challenges. Major programmes continue to face pressure to demonstrate better value for money, improve delivery certainty and increase productivity while maintaining safety and performance.
The programme could therefore provide an important route for smaller technology and innovation businesses to gain greater exposure to major infrastructure clients and contractors.
Joshua Thomas, Head of Built Environment and Urbanism Technical at Connected Places Catapult, said: “We know there are high-potential SMEs across the UK with practical solutions that can make infrastructure delivery faster, more predictable and less wasteful. The challenge is often not proving that those solutions work, but getting them adopted more widely.
“Through this programme, we want to support businesses that can help clients, contractors and supply chains improve how infrastructure is delivered in practice. That will become increasingly important as the sector prepares for standards such as PAS 4010, which is designed to help organisations plan, measure and continuously improve productivity across the infrastructure lifecycle.
“This is about helping proven solutions reach the right organisations, overcome barriers to adoption and make a real difference across the sector.”
The programme reflects a growing focus across UK infrastructure on addressing the gap between successful innovation trials and widespread deployment.
For SMEs in particular, securing an initial demonstration can be considerably easier than navigating procurement processes and establishing the evidence, relationships and commercial credibility needed to secure repeat contracts across major programmes.
Connected Places Catapult is therefore looking for businesses whose solutions have already been tested, demonstrated or deployed and are ready for their next stage of commercial growth.
Applications close at 12:00 on 14 September 2026 and you can apply here.
