To address today’s and tomorrow’s challenges, the rail industry shares a research and development capability at RSSB, the industry’s own body
Research to support industry's needs and goals
The railway is a vital part of Britain’s transport system. Rail’s popularity has grown substantially over the last 20 years and demand is predicted to grow even further.
To satisfy this growth and to remain a viable and sustainable mode of transport, the railway needs to reduce its own costs, increase capacity, performance, customer satisfaction and its environmental credentials, while maintaining a positive safety record.
Research and innovation supports the industry to achieve its short and long term goals.
Shared R&D Capability
Delivery of railway services is done by many organisations, and all share the common purpose of improving performance and reducing cost. Through RSSB, the industry works together to address issues which no individual company or sector of the industry can solve on their own.
Industry and government benefit from investing in a shared research programme. Managed by RSSB, the programme supports rail companies working together and addresses issues as a whole. Since 2001, and continuing since RSSB was created in 2003, this R&D capability has been largely funded by the government, with funding also coming from RSSB members and the European Union.
The programme represents an efficient and cost-effective means for the industry to come together to research, develop and problem-solve whilst retaining complete ownership and direction of the outputs through the ownership of RSSB.
Find out more about the programme using the navigation menu on the left. You can also download the ‘Guide to cross-industry research and development’
Overview of the programme
The rail industry can find solutions in different ways, depending on the issue or idea.
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Cross-industry Research
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Much of the programme is delivered through cross-industry research and development, where the idea and path to implementation is driven and owned by industry as a whole. |
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Co-funding schemes
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There are additional opportunities for co-funding research and development. These include partnerships with other research funders and a grant scheme for research co-funded with industry. |
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Knowledge services and Partnerships
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Knowledge services and partnerships with others give access to a wider body of existing knowledge. These services support research in the other areas and will often provide the solutions without a more conventional approach to research and development. |