Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) and Transport Systems Catapult (TSC) have collaborated to speed up the deployment of advanced transport systems in the UK.

This move comes after TSC launched its Technology Strategy for Intelligent Mobility (IM), which includes plans on development of Integrated Test Environment (ITE) in the UK to accelerate the development of new transport technologies.

The strategic collaboation builds on TRL’s experience in the area of connected and autonomous vehicles and will combine its UK Smart Mobility Living Lab in Greenwich, London with that of TSC’s expertise in areas such as modelling and visualisation and information exploitation.

"The UK Smart Mobility Living Lab at Greenwich provides a safe and effective real world test environment for new transport technologies and related mobility services."

Further, the partnership will enable demonstrations of advanced transport technologies in both the physical and virtual worlds.

TRL CEO Rob Wallis said: "The UK Smart Mobility Living Lab at Greenwich provides a safe and effective real world test environment for new transport technologies and related mobility services.

"There is already a growing community of world class organisations committed to delivering work in the Living Lab and our collaboration with the TSC will only encourage further research and development in this area, reaffirming the UK’s position at the forefront of intelligent mobility.

"By aligning our unique urban testbed facility within the TSC’s Technology Strategy for intelligent mobility, we can create a cohesive and compelling proposition that encourages further national and international research programmes in Greenwich, creating jobs and building value for the UK."

TSC CEO Steve Yianni said: "Intelligent Mobility is not an incremental advance that supports the status quo; instead it represents a radical overhaul of the entire transport market.

"Our agreement with TRL brings together two of the UK’s leading organisations in IM under a shared vision to address this change and ensure the UK can reap the benefits."

"TRL’s connected and autonomous vehicle testbed in Greenwich is one of the most advanced facilities in the UK Intelligent Mobility market. By combining our unique streams of work, we can complement and advance each other’s research and development programmes, creating an environment that makes the UK a world leader in transport systems innovation."

TRL and TSC are presently working on driverless vehicle projects in the UK TRL is leading the GATEway project while TSC is leading the LUTZ Pathfinder project.