DEFINING INNOVATION
Innovation Library
When a company joins the Rail Innovation Group, we ask them one thing: tell us what innovation means to you.
We ask because we don't think innovation has a single definition, and we don't think a membership body should impose one.
The companies we work with are closest to the problems rail needs to solve. Their view of what innovation is, and what it is for, is the view that should guide us.
Every definition here has shaped how we assess ideas, what we look for in new members, and what we advocate for with the sector and government.
What the definitions tell us
Read together, a few things stand out.
For most of our members, innovation means solving real problems in ways that work in the real world. The words that come up again and again are practical, useable, deployable, trusted, applied. Novelty for its own sake barely features.
Many frame innovation as an ongoing process. They talk about execution, persistence, and learning through failure as much as the original idea.
Several point to the end-user. Innovation, for them, is measured by the outcome for the people who use the result, whether that is a passenger, an operator, or a colleague.
Taken together, these definitions describe a community that is pragmatic, outcome-focused, and impatient with hype. That tells you a lot about who we are.
From definitions to recognition
These definitions do more than mark our heritage. We have drawn on them to build a single working definition of innovation, shaped by our members themselves. That definition underpins our Recognised Innovation Scheme, which recognises suppliers and individuals whose work reflects it.
Because the definition is peer-generated, recognition under the scheme carries the weight of an industry-wide endorsement.
What a decade has taught us
In 2026, to mark our tenth anniversary, we asked our members how innovation in rail had changed over the ten years since we formed. The headline finding was simple: the sector is not short of innovation, it is short of pathways to adoption.
That sits closely alongside these definitions.
Year after year, our members have defined innovation in terms of application, deployment, and real-world value, rarely in terms of novelty for its own sake. They have always understood that an idea only counts once it is in use.
The research showed why that matters. Most members can develop a credible solution, run a successful trial, and prove its value. Progress stalls at the step from trial to adoption, what the report calls the "missing middle". The quality of the idea is rarely the problem. The structure of the system around it is what holds things back.
The definitions and the research tell the same story from two angles. Our members have always defined innovation as something that has to be adopted to mean anything. Over the decade the sector has grown more open to that idea, though the structural pathways to adoption have been slower to follow.
THE DEFINITIONS
Add your own definition..
Every member contributes their definition of innovation when they join. If you'd like yours to appear here, become a member.
Transporting Cities:
“Innovation does not need to be a product, it is the introduction of new ways of thinking within a traditionally process-driven industry.”
JPL Diversified:
"Product Innovation is the process of transforming an idea or invention into a successful commodity in its target market. Business Innovation is taking a new idea and using it to embed real change."
CrossTech:
"Innovation to us is simply the label given to the end of the process of creating successful change. What's more important is the road taken to achieve that outcome. This road is about failing, persevering and quickly learning through challenges. For teams who get past this and make it, success is codified as innovation. Hence, innovation is about execution."
Tekmon:
"Innovation leads to novel ways of living and working that, once adopted, become indispensable and hard to imagine life without."
DataWharf:
"We believe that successful innovation is focused on the end-user and outcomes for people. Whether it's new products, ideas or technological inventions, innovation should ultimately aim to simplify lives, provide new opportunities and empower potential."
One Big Circle:
"Innovation is about being smart without just trying to be clever. It's about taking time to understand the problems that really need solving and then finding the best way to build a solution. An innovative solution can be built on and with systems & technology already available in place - it's not just about the shiny and new and it has to work in the real world."
Predge:
"Innovation is to continuously identify new ways to improve and generate more business value by combining state of the art technologies with real life business conditions."
PiPcall:
"Innovation means removing complexity from critical communications - enabling rail teams to meet regulatory, safety and operational needs with simple, scalable technology that fits the way they already work."
Next Gen Engineers Force:
"Innovation is the process of transforming creative ideas into practical solutions that deliver value by improving existing systems, creating new products or services, or advancing sustainable practices through novel approaches."
TickEat
Innovation comes from collaboration between operators, suppliers, technology providers, and industry leaders who are willing to challenge traditional thinking and embrace new ideas. It's about solving real-world problems, making rail more attractive and accessible to travellers, and ensuring the industry continues to evolve to meet changing customer expectations.
PreEmpt
The purposeful creation of new products, processes or capabilities that enable organisations and people to improve outcomes for their customers or themselves.
Infinitive Group
True innovation is often suppressed through bureaucracy, red tape and the lack of support or general infrastructure. Innovation should be inclusive, an idea no matter how big or small that has the potential to change tomorrow for the better should be explored to establish the possibility of getting an idea off the ground and realised.
RailRepay
Innovation is the act of developing a new solution for existing processes or new challenges facing a market or industry. Innovation is at its greatest when the solution uses technology to gain efficiencies in time and energy, reduces costs and improves the user experience.
Ethos Farm
Innovation is the continuous production of new ideas & concepts that add enhanced value to a process, product or service.
Hitachi
Having the courage to drive change
MRCT
Innovation isn’t just a service to offer, it’s ingrained within our business values. When we analyse a problem, we pride ourselves on going the extra mile.
Jnction
Innovation is creating a new product or service in order to maximise service efficiency and bring a benefit to an intended audience. This starts from initial planning all the way to product support.
Deeper Than Blue
To look at what is already being done... strip it back and look at the bigger picture of the goal to be achieved - and reconstruct using ideas, creative thoughts and imagination.
Astutim
Innovation is about using ideas to create money. This is not the same as using money to create ideas.
Green Concept Furniture
Innovation can mean using something simple in a very smart way
Iotics
Acting to manifest the world as you see it could be, rather than accepting the way it is
Storm Communications
Innovation is about challenging the status quo & thinking outside of the traditional way of doing things. For us, it’s about understanding the challenges our clients face & having the courage & the creativity to constantly evolve our technology & develop new solutions that work in the real world.
Grinsty Rail
We are a Solution Provider to help solve the problems you have with the tools available, or even the problem you didn't know you have with an innovative, outside the box approach to problem solving.
Nomad Digital
Innovation is harnessing expertise and the latest technology evolutions to create solutions that address challenges and market needs as, or even before they are known. Driving efficiencies and new, simpler ways of working.
TUBR
The ambition to create, improve or expand something new
X-TransportConX
Innovation is properly understanding a need and finding a simple and cost effective solution which can be deployed in the market.
Future Travel Studio
Innovation is the creative process of improving the human experience within a larger system. It involves generating new ideas, products, or services that address user needs and aspirations. Innovation needs to be user-centric, contextually aware, and bridge the gap between user needs and the system's complexity.
Atmo
Innovation involves using cutting-edge technologies and data-driven insights to enhance operational efficiency, environmental sustainability, and safety. It’s about creating smarter, safer, and more sustainable operations, ultimately transforming industries like rail for the better.
Legal Pythia
It’s about creating ethical, transparent, and adaptable solutions that help clients stay ahead in a rapidly changing world.
Transmanche Metro
Looking at new innovations to drive a modular shift from road to rail.
f17
Innovation is a willingness to risk an unproven approach to improving a proposition or solving a problem
Open Train Times:
"Innovation is the art of taking your knowledge in one sector and applying it in another sector to make a process or technology better and more effective."
Scheidt & Bachmann:
"To increase the passenger experience using technology seamlessly without exposing the challenges in today’s travelling society."
PassageWay:
"Innovation is the art of seeing a better outcome. From re-imagining an existing product, service or experience to pure blue-sky thinking, innovation is the risk that entrepreneurs, inventors and others take to step forward."
True North Rail:
"Innovation is imagining how something can be improved and taking action to bring about the change."
RASIC:
“Innovation is the application of a novel system, process or technology into a specific product, sector or industry.”
Window Seater:
"Innovation is creating something unique and of applied value that hasn't been seen in the industry before"
Yurtle:
"Doing something differently or better - Yurtle innovates not just through technology, but by redefining how care responsibilities are supported in modern workforces, practically, emotionally, and financially."
ThinkinCircles:
"Enhancing talent attraction, generating client leads, and driving business growth, all while conserving time, money, and resources."
Centre for Teams:
"An idea has to be 'Meaningfully Unique': attractive and meaningful to you, your organisation, your customers; and sufficiently 'new & different' - even if that is just in your department, organisation, or sector..."
TreeStock:
"Innovation to TreeStock means solving challenges, but a solution only counts when it is useable, deployable and trusted by the people whose work depends on it."
Camilleri Appointments:
From a recruiters perspective its when an organisation focuses on skills based recruitment rather than just sector and brings in highly skilled individuals who bring in fresh thinking to their organisation and who strive to challenge group think.
Pracedo
Innovation is finding new and better ways to operate, that could be simple as improving one process or radically changing an entire industry. We firmly believe that innovation thrives in organisations that cultivate diversity & openness.
3 Squared
Innovation is turning a great idea into a solution that adds value from a business’s perspective
Oracle
Innovation is turning an idea into a solution that delivers on a need. To be successful in business today you need to adopt innovation as your core strategy.
Watch My Train
Innovation is to exploit the latest tech to make life easier.
Opinsta
Innovation isn’t always radical change. It can just be a simple solution to a complex problem, driving efficiency and making our lives easier.
Calvium
Innovation is driven by a restless search for solutions to problems, combining the skilful application of experience and an ability to look at the world with fresh eyes to create something new and valuable.
Emsol
Innovation is taking a problem and approaching it with new technologies and solutions. The most innovative outcomes are those that can bring about broad benefits for the local community and businesses.
Modal
Innovation is developing ‘step change’ solutions to meaningful problems by applying creativity, teamwork and perseverance
Hubl
Products and services that solve real world issues, that are easily adopted and can scale to make a real difference.
Signalbox
Innovation means creating a key enabling technology that benefits the rail industry and passengers.
Amygda
Innovation is the drive to challenge the status quo and push the boundaries of today, to create a better tomorrow.
Railway Project Services
We believe innovation means identifying new ways to deliver existing products and services with a betterment. Developing these, into an accessible format and delivering efficient, and effective services to our Clients and the industry.
InReality
Innovation is a new idea or solution which improves on the state-of-the-art to add value.
Opal Rail
We believe that innovation is about working with a mindset of being bold and creative. It is about proactively challenging conventional thinking and pushing the boundaries of what is normal to create a competitive advantage. We like to encourage our clients to start with a blank sheet of paper, avoid the status quo, embrace change and allow for the emergence of new ideas that are forward-thinking, ambitious and achievable.
Invisiblinq
Opportunistic innovation draws on the strengths of a periscope, not a crystal ball. Technology opportunity is all around us. The difference between the innovator and the inventor is the challenges they understand and the way they look at what the technology can bring.
Iridium
Bringing new ideas and solutions to address problems
Tended
Innovation is the art of continuously adapting, improving and pioneering new ways of thinking to help drive meaningful change.
Trustifying AI
The creation and implementation of forward-thinking solutions that drive value and progress, while balancing technological advancement with ethical responsibility.
Stanway Consulting
Innovation is using new perspectives to solve old problems
Thales
The application of new or unusual concepts, processes and technologies intended drive up benefits for the recipients.