In ADEPT’s latest update from the Live Labs 2 programme Hannah Bartram, Chief Executive Officer, reflects on an important year for the Live Labs 2 programme and looks ahead to its strong presence at the LCRIG Innovation & Learning Festival – a major sector event in 2026 – as well as the industry organisations that are an intrinsic part of year 4.
As the Live Labs 2 programme moves into the final months of its original three year programme, it is a good time to reflect on the progress made and look ahead to what comes next for the projects, as well as focus on the industry events and organisations that are vital to increasing the depth and breadth of the audiences who can capitalise on the learnings.
While the programme is approaching a significant completion milestone, it is also entering a new phase following the recent confirmation of a year 4 programme extension. With up to an additional £300,000 funding from the Department for Transport, this extension will enable the Live Labs 2 programme to continue sharing findings with existing audiences and expand this comprehensive programme of communications and dissemination to reach new audiences, with a view to scaling and adoption by the sector.
This will ensure that the insights, evidence and innovations generated by the seven Live Labs 2 projects are shared widely across the sector.
The Live Labs 2 programme is already generating and sharing valuable data and information and continues to demonstrate how innovation and collaboration can support the decarbonisation of local highways and infrastructure. It is also preparing for the amplification of Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) findings at the end of the fourth year to provide further evidence to inform change.
In previous years, Live Labs 2 has brought the programme and its seven pioneering projects together through a dedicated expo event. Following the successful Live Labs 2 Expo in Liverpool in 2025, the decision has been taken this year to engage directly with the sector in a different and exciting way. Rather than hosting a standalone event, Live Labs 2 will begin with a strong and visible presence at two established and highly influential sector gatherings in 2026.
The first is Interchange, taking place on 3rd to 4th March 2026 at Manchester Central, and the second is the LCRIG Innovation & Learning Festival, taking place on 24th to 25th June in Kenilworth. This event is well known in the industry for its focus on practical learning, collaboration and innovation within the local highways and transport sector. For public sector delegates, there is the opportunity to apply for a fully funded place, making it an accessible and inclusive forum for engagement and networking.
At LCRIG, Live Labs 2 will have a particularly strong presence. For the first time at the festival, all seven of the project teams will come together across 6 stands, in a dedicated space creating a distinctive ‘Live Labs 2 Zone’. This will offer a welcoming environment for conversations, questions and collaboration during the event.
It will allow local authorities, industry partners and other stakeholders to engage directly with the teams, explore project progress and understand how learning can be applied in different local contexts.
The LCRIG Innovation & Learning Festival is the perfect setting for Live Labs 2. Bringing the projects together reflects the collaborative spirit of the programme and we are really looking forward to welcoming people to talk, share ideas and explore what Live Labs 2 can offer the sector.
It is incredibly exciting to be part of LCRIG at such an important stage for Live Labs 2, not least because the projects have so much information and many useful tools to share at this stage. One such example is the Knowledge Bank from the North Lanarkshire project, that is an open-source digital platform designed to support local authorities in their efforts to decarbonise the local roads network.
You can find out more and register your interest for a fully funded place here.
The seven Live Labs 2 projects continue to explore different but complementary aspects of decarbonising local highways across four interconnected themes. Each project is rooted in real places and real networks, ensuring that learning is practical, transferable and suited to becoming Business as Usual (BAU).
But it doesn’t stop there – other industry events, conferences and organisations will be vital for the dissemination stage. These are reflective of the depth and breadth of the audiences we are engaging with across the four nations. They include, but are not limited to:
- Highways UK
- LGA Annual Conference
- UKRLG
- Catapult
- TechUK
- ICE (Institution of Civil Engineers)
- CIHT (Chartered Institution of Highways & Transportation)
- CILT (Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport)
- Road Expo Scotland
- Highways Live Cymru
- SCOTS
Another key Call to Action running through the programme and project work is the Decarbonisation of Highways Pledge, which was launched at Westminster last year and sets out a shared commitment from local authorities and industry to reduce carbon across the lifecycle of highway assets. Furthering the communication stage of the programme findings, regular webinars take place for Pledge signatories, featuring project leads with a focus on project outcomes and driving change in the UK’s local highways networks and infrastructure. The first webinars took place in December and January – and it’s not too late to sign up for the third and final webinar by simply signing the Pledge.
For those who were unable to attend the Live Labs 2 Expo in Liverpool last year, learning materials, presentations and resources remain available online here.
These resources sit alongside a growing body of project blogs and updates that chart the programme’s journey and emerging insights.
As Live Labs 2 looks ahead to year 4, the LCRIG Innovation & Learning Festival offers excellent opportunities to engage with the programme at a pivotal moment and mark the beginning of a busy year of dispersing programme findings and effecting industry change.
We look forward to seeing colleagues from across the sector there and to continuing the conversation on the decarbonisation of highways.