Thirty-two cutting edge transport projects have won a share of a £1.4 million prize to develop technologies the government hopes could potentially revolutionise the UK transport sector.

The winning plans include an air purification product to tackle pollution, a pedestrian management system to enhance road safety, and carbon-negative pavements.

The ideas, coming from a host of organisations and academics, have won up to £45,000 in funding each to develop sustainable, future-proof concepts, contributing to the government’s aim of a cleaner, greener, and more efficient transport network.

As part of the Transport Research and Innovation Grant (TRIG) the new projects join a cohort of successful schemes from the programme’s decade-long tenure. In all, the TRIG programme has invested over £15 million, and funded more than 430 projects that support industries in the pursuit of new technologies and collaborations.

This year looked for proposals focused on local transport decarbonisation, maritime decarbonisation, and emerging tech like AI and drones.

Among the projects awarded funding is Vox Aeris, a London based firm with an invention that hopes to use sound waves and music vibrations from speakers to reduce harmful pollution across transport networks.

Selene Sari, founder and CEO of Vox Aeris, said: “ This support will be pivotal for developing our technology, assessing feasibility with refined prototypes and engaging early stakeholders.

“The financial backing, expertise, and network support we’re receiving will be crucial for us to advance to the next stage. Having such robust support early in our journey will enable us to move faster and connect with networks that would otherwise be challenging to bring together.”

Other winning projects include the development of drone ports using robotic systems to charge fleets, an innovative travel ‘barcode’ allowing passengers to use a single ticket across disparate transport systems, and an AI tool that helps to reduce and mitigate the dangers of road accidents.

“Innovation is the driving force behind our transport system and these winning projects are leading the charge by creating cutting-edge solutions that could offer so much benefit for all,” said Mike Kane, aviation, maritime and security minister.

“With sustainability at the core of this year’s competition, we’re helping to shape the future of transport – making travel cleaner, safer and more efficient for everyone.”

This latest round of TRIG projects falls in line with the increasing efforts of the government to boost the green economy, and in particular the transport sector, as the UK continues on the path to net-zero emissions by 2050.

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In September, the government announced that dozens of green vehicle technology projects, including ultra-lightweight vehicles, zero emission buses, and new battery technology were set to benefit from £88 million of funding, and a recent report commissioned by UKRI found record levels of venture capital investment in EV battery start-ups, amounting to $1.3 billion (£975.9 million) of private investment.

With Gartner predicting that by the end of 2025, 85 million electric vehicles, including cars, buses, vans and heavy trucks are expected to be on the world’s roads, such investments in green technology and promising small-scale projects will no doubt continue to grow exponentially.