ADEPT’s Live Labs 2 secures £30M government support

The Department for Transport (DfT) has confirmed £30M funding for the Live Labs 2 competition-based programme organised by the Association of Directors of Environment, Economy, Planning and Transport (ADEPT).

The launch follows the successful conclusion of the first £22.9 million Smart Places Live Labs programme launched in May 2019. This supported the creation of eight “real world” projects testing innovative solutions on local authority highways infrastructure.

The competition aims to bring “cutting-edge, innovative ideas to decarbonise the country’s highways to life”. In Live Labs 2 the focus is on net zero and making the construction, maintenance and running of the UK’s roads more sustainable.

Transport Minister Trudy Harrison said, “Investing in innovation is a priority and we’re supporting local highways authorities to develop cutting-edge projects and help drive our decarbonisation mission.”

Paula Hewitt, ADEPT President, said, “ADEPT is delighted to be able to move ahead on Live Labs 2 with this new round of DfT funding and support. The highways and transport sector is the UK’s single biggest carbon emitter and although we are seeing a transition to electric vehicles, there is a huge gap where we are yet to tackle road infrastructure and maintenance.

“Local authorities are perfectly placed to lead the drive to create net zero highways and local roads from the bottom up. The Live Labs format has proven particularly successful for highways authorities, enabling rapid change, innovation and experimentation.

Following the success of the first ADEPT SMART Places Live Labs programme, Live Labs 2 aims to build on the partnerships between DfT, councils, commercial partners, SMEs and academia to deliver scalable zero carbon objectives with potential for commercialisation and applicability to diverse areas across the UK.”