Innovation in rail isn\u2019t confined to individual projects or technologies, it is a system-wide challenge that touches on skills, sustainability, digital transformation, and customer experience. This event, the final in our Skills Beyond Scale series, will explore how rail can think and act systemically to deliver long-term resilience and adaptability.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Rail Innovation Group are delighted to welcome Dr Tilly Collins, Deputy Director at Imperial College London\u2019s Centre for Environmental Policy, as keynote speaker. With a focus on sustainable urban areas and how interconnected systems can promote greener, more liveable cities, Dr Collins will offer a fresh perspective on how rail can embrace innovation at scale.<\/p>\n
A panel discussion with industry and skills leaders will follow, examining how rail can embed innovation across the whole supply chain. The session will close with Q&A and networking.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Agenda:<\/p>\n
14:00 \u2013\u00a0Arrival, Refreshments, and Opportunity to view demo materials from partners
\n14:30 \u2013 Welcome and Opening Remarks
\n14:45 \u2013 Keynote Presentation: Dr Tilly Collins, Deputy Director, Centre for Environmental Policy, Imperial College London
\n15:15 \u2013 Panel session: Innovation for Net Zero<\/p>\n
Topics: Skills for system-wide innovation; Rail within urban systems; Adoption of AI and digital tools; Sustainability drivers; Customer experience as a systems issue; Policy and investment context.<\/p>\n
16:00 \u2013 Audience QA
\n16:15 \u2013 Networking Reception
\n17:30 – Close<\/p>\n
About the Keynote Speaker<\/p>\n
Dr Tilly Collins, Deputy Director, Centre for Environmental Policy, Imperial College London<\/p>\n
Imperial College London is a leader in climate and transport research. Dr Tilly Collins describes her \u201ccore loves\u201d as Sustainable Urban Areas, i.e. how green space, appropriate construction and short-chain urban systems can promote sustainability in cities and will offer a perspective on innovation as a system-wide challenge.<\/p>\n
About Skills Beyond Scale<\/p>\n
The Rail Innovation Group\u2019s latest report: Skills Beyond Scale reviews the skills base within our community of startups and small digital companies, highlighting the pivotal role that our members play in harnessing innovation to develop solutions for the future of rail. The report shows that these enterprises are already leveraging advanced technologies, including AI and data analytics to develop cutting-edge digital solutions, transform customer experiences and enhance operational efficiency. This is the third of a series of events delivered in partnership with Ovinto.<\/p>\n
Driving Operational Efficiency in Rail Logistics through Innovation
\nSpace-Enabled Digitalisation
\nSmart Technologies for a Green (Rail) Future<\/p>\n
________________<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
– This event is open to members and non-members of the Rail Innovation Group<\/p>","excerpt":"","slug":"innovation-beyond-scale-rails-role-in-system-wide-sustainability","image":{"url":"https:\/\/www.railbusinessdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Innovation-Beyond-Ultimate-Rail-Calendar.jpg","id":60569,"extension":"jpg","width":940,"height":487,"filesize":101661,"sizes":{"medium":{"width":300,"height":155,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","filesize":13942,"url":"https:\/\/www.railbusinessdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Innovation-Beyond-Ultimate-Rail-Calendar-300x155.jpg"},"thumbnail":{"width":150,"height":150,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","filesize":6790,"url":"https:\/\/www.railbusinessdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Innovation-Beyond-Ultimate-Rail-Calendar-150x150.jpg"},"medium_large":{"width":768,"height":398,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","filesize":61134,"url":"https:\/\/www.railbusinessdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Innovation-Beyond-Ultimate-Rail-Calendar-768x398.jpg"}}},"all_day":false,"start_date":"2025-11-20 13:00:00","start_date_details":{"year":"2025","month":"11","day":"20","hour":"13","minutes":"00","seconds":"00"},"end_date":"2025-11-20 16:30:00","end_date_details":{"year":"2025","month":"11","day":"20","hour":"16","minutes":"30","seconds":"00"},"utc_start_date":"2025-11-20 13:00:00","utc_start_date_details":{"year":"2025","month":"11","day":"20","hour":"13","minutes":"00","seconds":"00"},"utc_end_date":"2025-11-20 16:30:00","utc_end_date_details":{"year":"2025","month":"11","day":"20","hour":"16","minutes":"30","seconds":"00"},"timezone":"Europe\/London","timezone_abbr":"GMT","cost":"","cost_details":{"currency_symbol":"\u00a3","currency_code":"gbp","currency_position":"prefix","values":[]},"website":"https:\/\/www.eventbrite.co.uk\/e\/innovation-beyond-scale-rails-role-in-system-wide-sustainability-tickets-1389565992289","show_map":true,"show_map_link":true,"hide_from_listings":false,"sticky":true,"featured":true,"categories":[],"tags":[{"name":"innovation","slug":"innovation","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":204,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":8,"filter":"raw","id":204,"urls":{"self":"https:\/\/www.railbusinessdaily.com\/wp-json\/tribe\/events\/v1\/tags\/204","collection":"https:\/\/www.railbusinessdaily.com\/wp-json\/tribe\/events\/v1\/tags"}},{"name":"Networking","slug":"networking","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":418,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":34,"filter":"raw","id":418,"urls":{"self":"https:\/\/www.railbusinessdaily.com\/wp-json\/tribe\/events\/v1\/tags\/418","collection":"https:\/\/www.railbusinessdaily.com\/wp-json\/tribe\/events\/v1\/tags"}},{"name":"rail industry events","slug":"rail-industry-events","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":53,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":265,"filter":"raw","id":53,"urls":{"self":"https:\/\/www.railbusinessdaily.com\/wp-json\/tribe\/events\/v1\/tags\/53","collection":"https:\/\/www.railbusinessdaily.com\/wp-json\/tribe\/events\/v1\/tags"}},{"name":"Ultimate Rail Calendar","slug":"ultimate-rail-calendar","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":47,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":250,"filter":"raw","id":47,"urls":{"self":"https:\/\/www.railbusinessdaily.com\/wp-json\/tribe\/events\/v1\/tags\/47","collection":"https:\/\/www.railbusinessdaily.com\/wp-json\/tribe\/events\/v1\/tags"}}],"venue":{"id":58996,"author":"9","status":"publish","date":"2025-01-09 15:28:05","date_utc":"2025-01-09 15:28:05","modified":"2025-01-09 15:28:05","modified_utc":"2025-01-09 15:28:05","url":"https:\/\/www.railbusinessdaily.com\/venue\/london-tbc\/","venue":"London – tbc","slug":"london-tbc","show_map":false,"show_map_link":false,"global_id":"www.railbusinessdaily.com?id=58996","global_id_lineage":["www.railbusinessdaily.com?id=58996"]},"organizer":[{"id":52723,"author":"11","status":"publish","date":"2023-10-09 15:54:41","date_utc":"2023-10-09 14:54:41","modified":"2023-10-09 15:54:41","modified_utc":"2023-10-09 14:54:41","url":"https:\/\/www.railbusinessdaily.com\/organiser\/the-rail-innovation-group\/","organizer":"The Rail Innovation Group","slug":"the-rail-innovation-group","website":"https:\/\/www.railinnovationgroup.com\/","global_id":"www.railbusinessdaily.com?id=52723","global_id_lineage":["www.railbusinessdaily.com?id=52723"]}],"custom_fields":[],"is_virtual":false,"virtual_url":null,"virtual_video_source":""},{"id":60386,"global_id":"www.railbusinessdaily.com?id=60386","global_id_lineage":["www.railbusinessdaily.com?id=60386"],"author":"12","status":"publish","date":"2025-08-11 15:19:10","date_utc":"2025-08-11 14:19:10","modified":"2025-08-11 15:19:10","modified_utc":"2025-08-11 14:19:10","url":"https:\/\/www.railbusinessdaily.com\/event\/ria-innovation-conference-2026\/","rest_url":"https:\/\/www.railbusinessdaily.com\/wp-json\/tribe\/events\/v1\/events\/60386","title":"RIA Innovation Conference 2026","description":"
Last year\u2019s RIA Innovation Conference 2024 has won The Trade Association Forum\u2019s Event of the Year (Under 500 Attendees) Award 2025, The Best Longstanding Association Event (Up to 1000 attendees) Award at the Association of Excellence Awards 2024 Previous RICs have won; MEMCOM\u2019s Best Membership Event of the Year in 2020, The Trade Association Forum\u2019s Best Conference Award in 2018!<\/p>\n
A flagship event in the Unlocking Innovation programme, the RIA Innovation Conference brings together inspirational leaders, pioneering engineers, ambitious entrepreneurs and passionate railway professionals. We know, the railway industry has a plethora of interesting events from which to choose, many of which are delivered by our own RIA team. However, the RIA Innovation Conference has a special place in our and, we hope, our members’ calendars. We have already tried several new elements at the last event, such as the TOC Pitch Session, Exhibitor Spotlights, and innovators\u2019 TechTalks. All of these have received positive feedback from attendees, allowing the event to be more interactive and engaging. For RIA Innovation Conference 2025, we are continuing to challenge ourselves on how to deliver a stand-out event for our members and partners. The event will combine an opportunity for you to share your innovations, be inspired by technological and research advancements happening in the UK and around the world, engage with clients and suppliers to overcome barriers and, most importantly, have fun!<\/p>\n
Super Early Bird Tickets end on 27 July 2025<\/p>\n
\u201cVery well organised event for innovators in the rail industry.\u201d
\nDominic O\u2019Malley, Tended<\/p>\n
\u201cRIC 2024 at Newport was another brilliantly orchestrated melting pot of thinking, direction, ideas, and solutions. Over the years this has become a go to event. Putting Network Rail and all parts of its supply chain in one place together has created a genuine sense of optimism for the next Control Period!\u201d
\nBen Blackwall, Capgemini<\/p>\n
\u201cAs Arcadis we have been a sponsor for 3 years. For us this has been the best event yet. We have had the chance to showcase what we are doing but most importantly learn from and collaborate with other industry colleagues and those from other sectors. It truly is an inspiring event and we come ahead from ICC Wales with renewed vigor and determination to move the industry forward. We recognise that events like this take considerable organisation and a vision. To Milda and the whole of the RIA team. Thank you for organising such a wonderful event. We look forward to supporting you through the other Unlocking Innovation events including Innotrans in Sept\u201d.
\nChristopher Pike, Arcadis<\/p>\n
\u201cExcellent event well run and very enjoyable\u201d.
\nAndy Cargo, Tended<\/p>\n
\u201cOnce again, the RIA team managed to exceed all expectations and pull off an event that is as perfect as they come. The conference was full of networking opportunities, inspiring keynotes, exciting demos and more robots than ever! The RIA Innovation Conference has proved yet again to be the yearly must-attend event for innovators in the railway industry\u201d.
\nMario Ramos-Garcia, Aegis Engineering<\/p>\n
\u201cAttending the RIA Innovation Conference at the stunning Celtic Manor was an absolute delight! The venue provided a refreshing change of scenery, offering ample space to explore the latest innovations in the rail industry. It was fantastic to witness new ideas and technologies taking centre stage, showcasing the exciting future of rail transport. Thanks for inviting the Rail Innovation Group to be a part of this transformative event. Can’t wait to see what surprises next year’s event has in store!\u201d
\nJohannah Randall, Rail Innovation Group<\/p>\n
\u201cThoroughly enjoyed this year’s Innovation Conference. We were lucky enough to exhibit and catch up with some current contacts as well as making some new connections. Hopefully the event has helped to promote awareness of the charity within the rail industry. Thank you to RIA for an excellent conference and for looking after us so well\u201d.
\nSuzy Powell, Rail Benefit Fund<\/p>\n
\u201cRIA have done once again, a fantastic innovation conference allowing the supply chain to gain much needed exposure moving into CP7 and beyond. As an exhibitor we had meaningful customer interactions as well superb networking opportunities enticing new and potential clients. Overall, an epic profile-raising event that has gained us the much needed revelations and put us in the forefront. Thanks Team RIA!\u201d
\nNuno Vasco, Phoenix Contact<\/p>\n
<\/p>","excerpt":"","slug":"ria-innovation-conference-2026","image":{"url":"https:\/\/www.railbusinessdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/RIA-Innovation-Conference-2026-Ultimate-Rail-Calendar.jpg","id":60387,"extension":"jpg","width":2000,"height":600,"filesize":209981,"sizes":{"medium":{"width":300,"height":90,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","filesize":14237,"url":"https:\/\/www.railbusinessdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/RIA-Innovation-Conference-2026-Ultimate-Rail-Calendar-300x90.jpg"},"large":{"width":1024,"height":307,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","filesize":73778,"url":"https:\/\/www.railbusinessdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/RIA-Innovation-Conference-2026-Ultimate-Rail-Calendar-1024x307.jpg"},"thumbnail":{"width":150,"height":150,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","filesize":11252,"url":"https:\/\/www.railbusinessdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/RIA-Innovation-Conference-2026-Ultimate-Rail-Calendar-150x150.jpg"},"medium_large":{"width":768,"height":230,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","filesize":49695,"url":"https:\/\/www.railbusinessdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/RIA-Innovation-Conference-2026-Ultimate-Rail-Calendar-768x230.jpg"},"1536x1536":{"width":1536,"height":461,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","filesize":136921,"url":"https:\/\/www.railbusinessdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/RIA-Innovation-Conference-2026-Ultimate-Rail-Calendar-1536x461.jpg"}}},"all_day":false,"start_date":"2026-03-17 09:00:00","start_date_details":{"year":"2026","month":"03","day":"17","hour":"09","minutes":"00","seconds":"00"},"end_date":"2026-03-18 16:00:00","end_date_details":{"year":"2026","month":"03","day":"18","hour":"16","minutes":"00","seconds":"00"},"utc_start_date":"2026-03-17 09:00:00","utc_start_date_details":{"year":"2026","month":"03","day":"17","hour":"09","minutes":"00","seconds":"00"},"utc_end_date":"2026-03-18 16:00:00","utc_end_date_details":{"year":"2026","month":"03","day":"18","hour":"16","minutes":"00","seconds":"00"},"timezone":"Europe\/London","timezone_abbr":"GMT","cost":"","cost_details":{"currency_symbol":"\u00a3","currency_code":"gbp","currency_position":"prefix","values":[]},"website":"https:\/\/riagb.org.uk\/RIA\/Events\/2026\/RIC_2026\/RIA_Innovation_Conference_2026.aspx?EventKey=RIC26&WebsiteKey=dc1927f5-fa2e-4539-97fe-f032f006424d","show_map":true,"show_map_link":true,"hide_from_listings":false,"sticky":true,"featured":true,"categories":[],"tags":[{"name":"innovation","slug":"innovation","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":204,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":8,"filter":"raw","id":204,"urls":{"self":"https:\/\/www.railbusinessdaily.com\/wp-json\/tribe\/events\/v1\/tags\/204","collection":"https:\/\/www.railbusinessdaily.com\/wp-json\/tribe\/events\/v1\/tags"}},{"name":"Networking","slug":"networking","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":418,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":34,"filter":"raw","id":418,"urls":{"self":"https:\/\/www.railbusinessdaily.com\/wp-json\/tribe\/events\/v1\/tags\/418","collection":"https:\/\/www.railbusinessdaily.com\/wp-json\/tribe\/events\/v1\/tags"}},{"name":"rail events","slug":"rail-events","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":52,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":258,"filter":"raw","id":52,"urls":{"self":"https:\/\/www.railbusinessdaily.com\/wp-json\/tribe\/events\/v1\/tags\/52","collection":"https:\/\/www.railbusinessdaily.com\/wp-json\/tribe\/events\/v1\/tags"}},{"name":"rail industry events","slug":"rail-industry-events","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":53,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":265,"filter":"raw","id":53,"urls":{"self":"https:\/\/www.railbusinessdaily.com\/wp-json\/tribe\/events\/v1\/tags\/53","collection":"https:\/\/www.railbusinessdaily.com\/wp-json\/tribe\/events\/v1\/tags"}},{"name":"rail supply chain","slug":"rail-supply-chain","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":57,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":105,"filter":"raw","id":57,"urls":{"self":"https:\/\/www.railbusinessdaily.com\/wp-json\/tribe\/events\/v1\/tags\/57","collection":"https:\/\/www.railbusinessdaily.com\/wp-json\/tribe\/events\/v1\/tags"}},{"name":"Railway Industry Association","slug":"railway-industry-association","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":206,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":40,"filter":"raw","id":206,"urls":{"self":"https:\/\/www.railbusinessdaily.com\/wp-json\/tribe\/events\/v1\/tags\/206","collection":"https:\/\/www.railbusinessdaily.com\/wp-json\/tribe\/events\/v1\/tags"}},{"name":"Ultimate Rail Calendar","slug":"ultimate-rail-calendar","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":47,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":250,"filter":"raw","id":47,"urls":{"self":"https:\/\/www.railbusinessdaily.com\/wp-json\/tribe\/events\/v1\/tags\/47","collection":"https:\/\/www.railbusinessdaily.com\/wp-json\/tribe\/events\/v1\/tags"}}],"venue":{"id":53120,"author":"11","status":"publish","date":"2023-11-15 17:45:16","date_utc":"2023-11-15 17:45:16","modified":"2023-11-15 17:45:16","modified_utc":"2023-11-15 17:45:16","url":"https:\/\/www.railbusinessdaily.com\/venue\/icc-wales\/","venue":"ICC Wales","slug":"icc-wales","address":"The Coldra, Catsash Road","city":"Newport","country":"United Kingdom","province":"Wales","zip":"NP18 1HQ","stateprovince":"Wales","show_map":true,"show_map_link":true,"global_id":"www.railbusinessdaily.com?id=53120","global_id_lineage":["www.railbusinessdaily.com?id=53120"]},"organizer":[{"id":17341,"author":"11","status":"publish","date":"2019-03-04 12:13:00","date_utc":"2019-03-04 12:13:00","modified":"2019-03-04 12:13:00","modified_utc":"2019-03-04 12:13:00","url":"https:\/\/www.railbusinessdaily.com\/organiser\/ria\/","organizer":"RIA","slug":"ria","website":"https:\/\/www.riagb.org.uk","global_id":"www.railbusinessdaily.com?id=17341","global_id_lineage":["www.railbusinessdaily.com?id=17341"]}],"custom_fields":[],"is_virtual":false,"virtual_url":null,"virtual_video_source":""}],"rest_url":"https:\/\/www.railbusinessdaily.com\/wp-json\/tribe\/events\/v1\/events\/?page=1&per_page=10&start_date=2025-11-02 00:00:00&end_date=2027-11-03 23:59:59&status=publish","total":2,"total_pages":1}