This sector includes everything from bikes, cars, planes and trains to racing cars and space rockets. It is an area rich in R&D however many of the opportunities remain unexploited.
In the coming years, the way in which we explore our environments will be changing as electric, self-driving cars become the norm, hovering trains are developed and planes become super-sonic. The presence of R&D within these industries is constant as the very nature of the work is to push the boundaries of current transport systems.
Examples of problems to be solved through R&D within this sector
- What materials to use to create these lightweight, robust and passenger-friendly craft
- How to effectively use technology to safely navigate driverless cars on our roads
- How to make such new and exciting products accessible to the general public through cost efficiency and ease of use
- How to reduce travel times by looking at the aerodynamics of each machine
- Creating a green solution to the energy needed to propel such extreme forms of transport
- How to pack items to be posted or stored without damaging contents
Examples of what constitutes R&D in these sectors
The HMRC test as to whether a Company is performing R&D is whether there is ‘appreciable improvement’ in a situation as a result of ‘addressing a scientific and technological uncertainty’.
- Developing new fully-compostable packing materials
- Innovating and experimenting with new materials for the manufacture of transport systems
- Testing and re-testing computer systems designed to enable driverless cars
- Creating low waste coolants to use in refrigerated trucks
- Using big data to create software to scan for competitive flight prices
- Experimenting with different materials and patterns to create packaging which is fit for purpose and reduces waste
