Connected Places

In this episode, we visit a city with a proud sense of identity and a bold vision for the future. Liverpool is famous for its maritime heritage, musical legacy, and vibrant culture. But today it's reimagining itself as a hub for science, technology and inclusive innovation. We explore how civic leaders, entrepreneurs and community voices are driving change, from green shipping corridors and digita...

In this episode, we visit a city with a powerful story to tell about invention and reinvention. Bristol, in the southwest of England, is famous for its engineering heritage, creative industries, and independent spirit. Today it is forging a national reputation bold plans for sustainable and inclusive growth. We explore how leaders, entrepreneurs, and community organisations are working together to...

In this episode we visit a place with a fascinating story to tell about reimagining the economy of a place. Northeast Ohio in the USA, or the Greater Cleveland region, comprises 30% of the state of Ohio's economy, which is ranked 5th in the US for its business climate, 3rd when it comes to affordability, and second in the country for quality of life. Team NEO (the NEO stand for Northeast Ohio) is...

In this episode we meet Dan Labbad, CEO of the Crown Estate - an independent commercial business, created by an Act of Parliament, with a diverse portfolio of UK buildings, shoreline, seabed, forestry, agriculture and common land. Dan sat down with the Chair of the Catapult, Prof. Greg Clark, shortly after giving a keynote address to the Summit our second Connected Places Catapult Summit held in i...

In this episode we meet Andrew Barr, President of Hitachi Europe in conversation with Becky Wood at our recent Connected Places Summit, held in London on 19/20 March. Hitachi Europe was one of our strategic Summit partners and we are very grateful for their support. Andrew and Becky sat down in the margins of the Summit to discuss Hitachi's approach to innovation in rail, the work they do in the e...

Last week was a big one for the Connected Places Catapult. On the 19/20 March we hosted our second Connected Places Summit, in the heart of London. In this episode we hear from some of the leading voices who spoke at the Summit...  Sir Andrew Haines from Network Rail on the future of Britain's railways and transport connectivity; Dan Labbad from the Crown Estate on the future of innovation in plac...

Every year the UK spends £3 8 0bn on third party suppliers - £60bn of that is spent by local authorities - so it is vital to ensure we are getting the best value from the goods and services we buy . A big part of any public budget i s not just the question of what things to buy, but how can we be more creative in how we buy, especially when it comes to innovation. So, in this episode we want to re...

The UK is positioning itself to be a global hub for innovation by 2035. But how do we make sure that the innovation economy creates opportunities for people and communities from all corners of the country? Getting this right has  implications not just for businesses and research institutions, but also for the life chances of people and communities who have typically been marginalised or overlooked...

Last week was a big one for the Connected Places Catapult. On the 20/21 March we hosted our first ever Connected Places Summit, in the heart of the City of London . It was a big one because even though we run multiple events throughout the year, this was the first time  we've run a 2-day Summit which brought together all of our flagship projects under one roof. But it also included a keynote progr...

Ask any Londoner what the city's greatest challenge is and they'll probably mention the housing crisis or, more specifically, the affordable housing crisis. Over the last 40 years, London's population has boomed from 6.9 million in 1980 to 9.6 million today. London now hosts 6 million jobs, £1.5 trillion of housing assets and a £4 trillion property asset base. All of that growth has put enormous p...

I n this episode we meet Professor Dame Julia King , Baroness Brown of Cambridge ; member of the House of Lords and an engineer by training . We  talked about the UK Government's ambition to become a science and technology superpower by 2030; what it's like to straddle the worlds of academia, industry, and government; the role that data and digital has to play in making our national infrastructure...

It's been another eventful year on the Connected Places Podcast and we've got a lot to look back on as 202 3 draws to a close ! In this episode we revisit some of the stories  we've featured on the show this year, and the fascinating guests we've been able to have on. We hear from three companies making extraordinary strides on the use of connected digital  twins to tackle real world problems; Roy...

Innovating isn't easy. It's risky, it's fraught with failure, and there's no guarantees of success . In this episode we meet two companies that have had to navigate the innovatio n rollercoaster to get to where they are . Both companies have been supported by the Connected Places Catapult at various points in their journey . T hey have each developed two ground-breaking products and collected some...

The future of Britain's national infrastructure is getting a lot of attention. In large part  because it's facing some big challenges . N ot least our changing climate and the commitment to decarbonise our economy . B ut also the question of who pays for it, who benefits from it , and who gets to contribute to the decision-making process about its future. T here are also the opportunities tha t n...

There are 14 million people in the UK with some form of disabilit y.   F or too many , using public transport can be a nightmare - whether it' s ge tting on and off a bus, or navigating the complex, stressful and often-confusing environment of a large transport interchange.    Sadly, when it comes to accessibility, there's some way to go before we can genuinely say that our public transport system...

We conclude our three-part podcast series on digital twins with a conversation with Ali Nicholl , Head of Engagement at I OTICS , a data company help ing innovators to better collaborate on digital transformation. Ali and his colleagues  are passionate about this. They're impatient too! IOTICS are  on a mission to empower t hose dedicated to making a meaningful impact on our world. They're provid...

In this episode we meet National Grid ESO , the electricity system operator for Great Britain, and one of the sponsors of the Digital Twin Hub's inaugural Connected Digital Twins Summit held this summer . The UK Government has a target for National Grid ESO to be running a zero-carbon electricity system by 2035. This ambition is crucial in helping  the UK meet its wider zero carbon targets . For N...

In this episode we meet Lord Adonis who we were delighted to welcome to our offices last week alongside senior representatives from across the rail sector. Andrew Adonis is a member of the House of Lords and founding Chair of the UK's National Infrastructure Commission. He was a Government Minister in Tony Blair's government, and went on to become Secretary of State for Transport under Gordon Brow...

A profound shift is happening in the world of infrastructure. Advances in software, sensing and computational technology are seeing connected digital twins being adopted across whole infrastructure systems and even entire cities.  In this episode we meet the global engineering consultancy Royal HaskoningDHV (RHDHV), event podcast partner for the Digital Twin Hub's inaugural Connected Digital Twins...

Money is tight right now and tough times call for a renewed focus on how public money is spent. Every year the UK spends £300bn on third party suppliers so it is vital to ensure we are getting the best value from the goods and services we buy. A big part of any public budget is not just the question of what things to buy, but the process of agreeing the terms and procedures for acquiring them.  Th...

Bristol Temple Meads recently became the UK's first 'Station Innovation Zone'. Working in partnership with Network Rail and Innovate UK we're helping the station to test new technologies designed to improve the passenger experience the station.  In this episode we meet three innovators from the three companies who will be live trialling their solutions in the station over the coming months; Rosie...

Bristol Temple Meads recently became the UK's first 'Station Innovation Zone'. Working in partnership with Network Rail and Innovate UK we're helping the station to test new technologies designed to improve the passenger experience the station. This episode is a brief taster of what the Catapult is doing at Bristol Temple Meads to create a safer and more seamless, social and sustainable station. W...

Earlier this month the Catapult announced an exciting new venture which will see Glasgow Airport become the UK's first 'Connected Airport Living Lab'. With funding from Innovate UK the aim is to test new technologies designed to improve the passenger experience, boost productivity, and help the airport hit its sustainability targets. This episode is a brief taster of what the Catapult is going to...

It's been another eventful year on the Connected Places Podcast and we've got a lot to look back on as 2022 draws to a close! In this episode we revisit some of the stories we've featured on the show this year, and the fascinating guests we've been able to have on. We hear from two well-known TV personalities here in Britain – the BBC's former Science Editor, David Shukman and one of Britain's mos...

The fight against climate change will be won or lost in cities. We've known this for some time. The question is, What do cities need to do financially to rise to that challenge?   How can they strengthen their business cases for net zero investment? And if their plans are brought together and aligned in a new and creative ways, could they generate greater scale, volume and predictability in ways t...