Almost £1m to help carry out real-world testing of some of the most innovative
transportation technology in the world has been announced in Dundee.
The city’s Mobility Innovation Living Laboratory (MILL) is looking for new products,
services and business models that can be developed and trialled using the city as a test-bed.
Part of a joint drive to create and bring together smart mobility know how, the first wave
of projects will meet social and economic priorities including reduced cost, congestion
and carbon emissions as well as improving air quality.
Lynne Short, convener of Dundee City Council’s city development committee said: We
have a well-deserved reputation for being at the forefront of clean, efficient and integrated
transport solutions, from electric cars and charging points to hybrid buses and smart
ticketing.
The MILL allows us to keep pushing new thinking forward and give companies,
academics and entrepreneurs opportunities to get funding and a location in a co-ordinated and controlled way that will demonstrate to interested public, Third Sector and
private bodies how their ideas could work in a real-life environment.
Dundee is one of four cities along with Aberdeen, Inverness and Stirling backed by
money from the European Regional Development Fund to take on smart mobility through
the Scottish Cities Alliance (SCA).
Scotland is already pioneering ways of using smart connected vehicles and digital
infrastructure in roads to make it easier for people to find available shared car club
vehicles, hire bikes, access taxis and locate electric charging points.
Technologies can also integrate traditional public transport real time data and smart
ticketing along with Urban Traffic Control information.
Dundee City Council is now looking for the first wave of projects to be run through the
MILL, under the banner Share More (Shared Mobility and Resource Efficiency).
Project funding is available to support the live trial, testing and refinement of solutions
from a total budget of £950,000, divided into five lots.
The Mill is run by Urban Foresight on behalf of Dundee City Council. Simon Tricker,
Urban Foresight’s partnership manager said: We will make smart, sustainable mobility
cost-effective, convenient and part of the cultural fabric of Dundee.
Detailed information and background is available at www.themill.scot with a closing date
for applications of March 2nd 2018.