Department for Transport Contracts for Innovation: FOAK26

Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), will invest a maximum of £4.3 million from the Department for Transport (DfT) in this Contracts for Innovation competition.

Competition description

Innovate UK and DfT, are collaborating with the rail industry to accelerate and increase the adoption of innovation to improve UK railways. This is through the DfT’s First of a Kind (FOAK) Programme.

The FOAK Programme addresses industry challenges by running innovation competitions. The competitions focus on collaboration with industry and deliver high maturity demonstrations, enabling efficient integration into the railway system.

The aim of the FOAK 2026 competition is to support innovative suppliers for market readiness, through developing solutions which address the following challenges linked to DfT Priorities:

Grow the economy by enhancing the transport network, on time and on budget:

• Challenge 1 - Safe Concurrent High-Speed Rail Installation in Constrained Environments. Stakeholder HS2
• Challenge 2 - UK Dark Skies - Drone Operations BVLOS - Stakeholder Network Rail

Improve transport users’ experience, ensuring that the network is safe, reliable, and inclusive:

• Challenge 3 - Improving Customer Experience in Isolated Spaces. Stakeholders TfL, DLR and Rail North Partnership
• Challenge 4 - Digital Hazard Log. Stakeholders Network Rail, Southern Renewals Enterprise
• Challenge 5 - Scour Risks to Structures. Stakeholder Network Rail
• Challenge 6 - Structures: Rapid Behaviour Verification to Support Assessment and Intervention Decisions. Stakeholder Network Rail

Reduce environmental impacts by tackling climate change and improving air quality by decarbonising transport:

• Challenge 7 - Green Engineering Solutions for Earthworks Resilience and Biodiversity Net Gain. Stakeholders Network Rail and TfL, and Southern Renewals Enterprise
• Challenge 8 - Enhancing Rail Adhesion Through Intelligent Vegetation Management and Biodiversity-Positive Interventions. Stakeholders TfL and Network Rail

Deadline

This Competition closes at 11:00am UK time, 24 June 2026. 

How to Apply

You must read the guidance on applying for a competition on the Innovation Funding Service before you start.

Before submitting, it is the lead applicant’s responsibility to make sure:

• that all the information provided in the application is correct
• your proposal meets the eligibility and scope criteria
• all sections of the application are marked as complete
• if collaborative, that all partners have completed all assigned sections and accepted the terms and conditions (T&Cs)

You can reopen your application once submitted, up until the competition deadline. You must resubmit the application before the competition deadline.

Read the full competition overview below.