Extending the DfT’s funding impact: The TRIG Community Platform
We worked with Connected Places Catapult and the Department for Transport to create an innovation community for the Transport Research and Innovation Grants (TRIG) programme.
The platform provides a central space to run communications for current TRIG cohorts — sharing news, events, and resources — while also connecting alumni from previous years. By bringing past and present participants together, the innovation community helps sustain relationships, showcase successes, and build a lasting network across the UK transport sector.
Context and challenge
The TRIG programme funds early-stage transport innovations, supporting more than 430 projects and awarding over £15M in grants to SMEs, universities, and other organisations. While these projects generated strong outcomes, engagement often ended when funding finished.
TRIG needed a solution that could:
- Support communications for live cohorts, with programme updates, event announcements, and resources all in one place.
- Connect alumni from previous years, so that past successes could be shared and collaborations extended.
- Showcase innovation to external stakeholders, including policymakers and industry partners.
- Track engagement across a growing community of innovators and decision-makers.
Our approach
We delivered the TRIG Community Platform using Spaces, our innovation community product, designed specifically for expert-led networks and innovation ecosystems.
Spaces has a set of core community features:
Programme communications hub: A dedicated space where TRIG can share announcements, newsletters, event pages, and FAQs, ensuring every cohort is fully informed.
Alumni network: Profiles, messaging, and dedicated groups make it easy for past participants to stay in touch, form partnerships, and showcase their progress.
Knowledge sharing: Innovators can upload case studies, articles, reports, and videos, building a growing library of transport innovation content.
Engagement tools: Forums, sub-groups (by transport mode or challenge area), and interactive newsfeeds encourage collaboration across current and past cohorts.
Data dashboards: Engagement metrics allow TRIG to see how the community is being used, what content resonates, and where connections are forming.
Impact
The TRIG Community Platform ensures that TRIG isn’t just a grant-giving scheme, but a living innovation network.
For current participants, it acts as a trusted communications hub, streamlining updates and resources.
For alumni, it provides a way to stay connected, share lessons learned, and form new partnerships.
For TRIG, it offers visibility into project outcomes and community engagement, making the value of TRIG clearer than ever.
Using our innovation community platform, we’ve given TRIG a sustainable digital home that extends its reach and deepens its impact across the UK transport innovation ecosystem.
Get in touch if you’d like to explore how a dedicated community platform can connect cohorts, alumni, and stakeholders to sustain innovation beyond funding cycles.