Smart transport & digital economy ecosystem
Studying connections between transport capabilities, technology and capital to develop measurable joint projects.
Initial study and design; under developmentRead the dossier →Research & innovation
From problem definition and evidence review to project development and research collaboration: three connected paths in one place.
Our research programmes
Problems identified by TBT INVEST and developed into initial studies and proposals; dossiers progressing toward further research, evaluation and bounded trials.
Integrated smart transport network for cooperatives
Researching shared services, procurement and productivity in transport cooperatives while preserving member independence.
Initial study and design; under developmentRead the dossier →Smart services & economic development for guild businesses
Studying shared services, market development and logistics across diverse trade and service value chains.
Initial study and design; under developmentRead the dossier →SMEC: a proposed specialist collaboration framework
Studying an advisory mechanism connecting expertise, industrial experience and transport foresight.
Initial study and design; under developmentRead the dossier →A joint cooperative–guild framework for transport
Studying coordination between cooperative and guild actors around shared transport and service-chain problems.
Initial study and design; under developmentRead the dossier →Research and learning framework
Each study needs a defined question, source review, testable hypotheses and an appropriate method. BPMN process maps, DMAIC improvement cycles and documented measurement definitions are proposed management tools; using a tool or citing a source does not itself validate research.
Development pathway
Define the problem → review evidence and design research → feasibility → pilot design and agreement → evaluation → scale, revise or stop. Each stage requires documented outputs, an accountable owner and a recorded decision.
Analysis & insights
Fleet electrification: compare the whole service
A vehicle’s purchase price is only one part of a fleet decision. Charging access, downtime, maintenance, battery assumptions and the operating pattern belong in the same assessment.
A useful study compares a defined service under consistent assumptions and tests how the result changes when utilisation, energy cost or vehicle availability changes. A technical demonstration alone does not establish operating economics.
AI: define the operational test first
A promising demonstration needs a clearly defined task, a baseline and an agreed way to evaluate errors before operational value can be assessed.
The comparison should include integration, data quality, review effort and failure handling. A bounded trial can reveal whether the proposed improvement survives real workflow constraints; its result should determine the next step.
From a proposal to an executable project
A documented proposal makes its assumptions discussable. It becomes decision-ready when demand, responsibilities, resources, risks and measurable outputs can be assessed together.
Research evidence, commercial feasibility and implementation readiness are related questions. Recording what is known and what remains open helps a team decide whether to continue, revise or stop.
Submit research & collaborate
Introduce the problem, method, current stage and intended application in a non-confidential summary.
Possible next steps include further study, specialist exchange or a bounded trial. Scope and rights to outputs are agreed case by case.
Introduce your research →Rights and publication
An introduction does not transfer intellectual property or establish a confidentiality agreement. Background rights, new outputs, publication, use and commercial terms are addressed before a commitment.