The UK’s £725 billion infrastructure pipeline could unlock hundreds of thousands of jobs and new business opportunities if greater emphasis is placed on innovation, according to Connected Places Catapult.
Speaking at the Connected Places Summit in London, Chief Executive Erika Lewis highlighted the scale of the opportunity facing the transport and construction sectors.
“If just one per cent of that £725bn was spent on innovation, our evaluations tell us that we could potentially create around 18,000 new solutions or new business ideas, and 600,000 additional jobs,” she said.
Her remarks set the tone for the two-day event, which brought together more than 1,100 in-person delegates alongside hundreds more online, including industry leaders, investors and policymakers.
From pipeline to delivery
Lewis’ keynote focused on the need to translate investment into scalable innovation, particularly by supporting high-potential businesses to move from concept to commercial delivery.
That theme continued in the opening panel session, where industry leaders discussed the realities of scaling new technologies in transport and infrastructure.
Dr Amit Bhave (CMCL), Anna Jordan (Alchera) and Rob Quinn (MakeSense Technology), alongside Dr Alison Vincent CBE, explored the challenges of achieving product-market fit, securing routes to market and building financial resilience.
Their message was clear: innovation alone is not enough; delivery models, leadership and investment structures must evolve alongside it.
Bridging the innovation gap
Professor Patricia Thornley, the Department for Transport’s new Chief Scientific Adviser, reinforced the importance of innovation in tackling the sector’s biggest challenge.
With transport remaining the UK’s largest emitting sector, she pointed to technology and research as critical enablers of a more sustainable future.
She also highlighted the role of the Transport Research & Innovation Grants (TRIG) programme, which provides early-stage funding to help emerging ideas move beyond proof of concept.
Small, targeted investments at this stage, she noted, can play a disproportionate role in de-risking innovation and accelerating deployment.
Cross-sector collaboration
The summit brings together stakeholders from across transport, construction, data and local growth, reflecting a growing recognition that infrastructure challenges are increasingly interconnected.
Speakers across the event include Transport for London Commissioner Andy Lord, National Highways Chief Data Officer Davin Crowley-Sweet, and Manchester Airports Group Chief Technology Officer Andrew Leadbetter, alongside political leaders such as South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard.
Day two will continue the focus on investment and delivery, with contributions from the National Wealth Fund, UK Research and Innovation, and Siemens Mobility.
A clear direction for rail and infrastructure
For the rail sector, the message is direct. The scale of planned investment is no longer the question; the challenge is how effectively the industry can translate that pipeline into tangible outcomes.
Innovation, particularly when embedded early in project design and procurement, offers a route to improve efficiency, reduce cost and accelerate delivery.
The opportunity is substantial. The question now is whether the industry can move quickly enough to capture it.
