The UK Government has announced a competition aimed at developing a smart traffic management system that can integrate and interact with new transport technologies.

Under the small business research initiative (SBRI) competition, funding will be provided by the GovTech Catalyst that enables the public sector to recognise and work with innovative businesses.

It is a two-phase competition and a decision to proceed with the second phase will depend on the successful outcomes from the first phase.

To reach the second phase, participating organisations are required to develop a feasibility study, including the proposed architecture and projection of ongoing costs and development.

Organisations can apply for a share of up to £250,000 to develop a traffic management system that can accommodate both traditional vehicles and new mobility technologies such as self-driving cars.

“Organisations can apply for a share of up to £250,000 to develop a traffic management system that can accommodate both traditional vehicles and new technologies such as self-driving cars.”

The system should be able to gather data from various sources such as infrastructure owned by Oxfordshire County Council, including CCTV, traffic light controls and number plate recognition.

To support data gathering, the system must leverage information from sources on the Internet of Things (IoT) and share this data with different teams and organisations. Additionally, it should be able to allow Oxfordshire County Council to identify data gaps.

Furthermore, the system should be capable of producing data metrics that can adjust to the council policies, including changes in performance indicators.

During the second phase, successful applicants will develop a test system that will be deployed at the Oxfordshire County Council’s Urban Traffic Management Control Centre in Kidlington.

During this phase, each successful applicant will be given up to £500,000 to develop their prototype and undertake field trials for a year.

The competition will open on 4 March and the deadline for registration is at midday on 10 April.