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Innovation & Technology Request

Dutch public passenger transport company is looking for innovative solutions to improve capacity usage of assets

Country of Origin: Netherlands
Reference Number: TRNL20180412002
Publication Date: 12 April 2018

Summary

A Dutch company involved in passenger transport is looking for innovative solutions to improve capacity usage in rolling stock and at platforms to facilitate mobility growth without loss of comfort. The public organization is looking for know-how and technological solutions from SMEs to add to its own portfolio of implemented improvements. They are seeking companies/start-ups or researchers prior to a possible public tender a research cooperation agreement with a limited scope could be offered.

Description

The Dutch company is involved in public passenger transport. Passenger volumes are expected to keep rising resulting in increasing pressure on the tracks and stations, with limited expansions of infrastructure to be expected. Increasing focus on handling crowding in vehicles and at platforms is required to ensure comfortable and efficient journeys.

The company aims to improve capacity usage in trains or busses and at platforms, and is looking for innovations that can help in this area, because: 

 •	passenger volumes are predicted to increase, while limited infrastructure expansions are to be expected.

•	crowding has negative effects on passenger satisfaction as well as on the performance of a railway system.

On one hand solutions are sought to improve physical infrastructure and/or valuable information on crowding. On the other hand the company is interested in ways to change the behaviour of the most influential actors: passengers and operational crew. 

The company wants to get in contact with relevant parties for innovative solutions that complement its own developments. The company is bound to European legislation on Public Procurement. On an open platform options can be discussed to define the level playing field with all parties involved.

The  company sees this as an opportunity to identify new know-how and technological solutions from parties such as SMEs and innovative start-ups in the public transport and adjacent sectors. Prior to a possible public tender there could be an experimental phase in which (a combination of) solution(s) could be tested, but an eventually offered research cooperation agreement can only be provided within the Public Procurement legislation. 



This technology request is an innovation challenge that is published on an open innovation platform. If interest in cooperation with this firm is expressed, the potential partner will be guided to this open innovation platform on which he can get in touch with the company via a chat function. Mind that posts on this platform are not confidential. Besides open discussion on the platform, sharing of confidential information will be made possible on demand. After closing of the open innovation platform on May 25th, the firm will start selecting the partners that will be invited for further contact. Expressions of interest that are made after May 25th will be handled as usual in the Enterprise Europe Network. 

For the European SMEs and start-ups, it is the opportunity to get in touch with the key accounts and seize new market opportunities.

Participants of the discussion on the platform can also develop new contacts with other SMEs for future partnerships and consortia in European public tenders.

Expertise sought

The company wants to get in contact with relevant parties for innovative solutions that complement its own developments on

-	improving physical infrastructure and/or valuable information on crowding. 

-	changing the behavior of the most influential actors: passengers and operational crew.

Stage Of Development Comment

The company is also interested in pre-mature concepts and ideas that need to be developed further.

Requested partner

All types of organisations especially start-ups with an affinity with public transportation. 



Participants of the discussion on the platform are expected to come forward with their ideas and concepts and provide expertise within the scope of some exploratory experiments.