Rail Forum is delighted to announce the UK regional winners of this year’s European Railway Clusters Initiative (ERCI) Innovation Awards.
We were pleased to work collaboratively with our fellow UK ERCI clusters – BRIC and Rail Cluster Scotland – to ensure UK-wide innovation has a platform to shine. With a strong field of 20 high-quality entries, all from within the Rail Forum membership, the judging panels faced some tough decisions.
We are now pleased to confirm the following organisations have been selected as regional winners and will progress to the European judging stage:
Rail Forum Regional Round Winners:
- Composite Braiding – for their innovative composite braided twin track cantilever
- Plastecowood – for their Smartawood solution
- LB Foster – for their digital help point
Regional Round Winners in partnership with ERCI member BRIC (Birmingham Centre for Railway Research and Education):
- Ampetronic – for their Auri+ hearing assistance solution
- Positive Traction – for their conversion of an 08e shunter from diesel to battery
- ExcelWraps – for their SmartFleet Digital solutions
Regional Round Winner in partnership with ERCI member Rail Cluster Scotland:
- SPL Powerlines – for their Rail Road Vehicle mounted mobile mapping system
As part of the ERCI Innovation Awards process, these regional winners will now be assessed by an international panel of judges from ERCI clusters across Europe. The overall ERCI winners will be announced later in July.
Catherine Appleby, Membership & Engagement Director at Rail Forum, commented: “The Rail Forum Panel were impressed by the range of submissions, having impact across all of the scoring themes and reminding us of the great strength the UK offers around problem-solving and challenge-led innovation.
“It is the responsibility of the whole industry to actively support and nurture innovation across rail and we encourage the wider industry to continue to be receptive to ideas, respective of intellectual property and welcoming for testing and demonstration. Our congratulations to the Regional Winners across the three UK clusters: Rail Forum, BRIC and Rail Cluster Scotland, and the very best of luck for the finals.”
Shona Clive, Project Lead for Rail Cluster Scotland, said: “Rail Cluster Scotland is delighted to congratulate SPL Powerlines and all the UK regional winners on this first phase of regional assessments in the ERCI Innovation Awards 2025. Their pioneering projects—from mobile mapping systems to digital help points and sustainable traction solutions—showcase the ingenuity and technical excellence thriving across our rail sector. Best of luck to all in the next stage of the ERCI Innovation Awards!”
Nominations were sought for innovations at Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 7 and above, spanning themes such as the positive economy and social benefits, integration of new digital technologies, impact on human capital, and creation of innovation in cooperation.