MRG was delighted to take part in the Connected Places Summit 2026 in London that brought together more than 1,100 delegates and over 700 companies, making it one of the UK’s most influential gatherings for organisations shaping the future of transport, construction, and data driven infrastructure.
It was a valuable snapshot of where the industry is heading — and the opportunities ahead for organisations ready to innovate.
For potential customers exploring new partnerships, emerging technologies, or fresh thinking in the built environment, this year’s event offered powerful insights into how the UK’s innovation ecosystem is evolving.
A Clear Direction for the UK’s Infrastructure Future
A major theme of the summit was the UK’s newly released £718bn, 10 year infrastructure strategy, which was widely welcomed by industry leaders. Attendees praised its ability to give businesses clarity, confidence and a roadmap for investment and innovation across the next decade.
For organisations working with infrastructure and placemaking, this strategy represents a rare moment of long term alignment across government, industry and the innovation community.
Innovation as a Competitive Advantage
Across the event’s tracks — including transport, construction, digital infrastructure and data innovation — speakers drove home a consistent message:
innovation isn’t optional; it’s a growth driver.
Connected Places Catapult showcased how their programmes accelerate commercialisation, support SMEs and help industry transform through applied innovation and new technologies.
Sessions on topics like future mobility, AI enabled infrastructure, data governance, and regional growth clusters illustrated how quickly the landscape is changing — and how organisations that collaborate early stand to benefit most.
Transport: Investment, Decarbonisation & New Mobility
Transport innovation was one of the most heavily discussed areas. Speakers highlighted:
• The urgent need to accelerate transport decarbonisation, which still lags behind other sectors.
• How the National Wealth Fund is prioritising transport to unlock place based investment.
• The importance of collaboration between public and private partners to deliver future mobility systems at scale.
With transport central to economic growth and sustainability, the summit reinforced that new ideas, new technologies and new partnerships are essential for delivering meaningful change.
Construction & Local Growth: Fixing Fragmentation, Driving Consistency
For the construction sector, the summit highlighted major opportunities to improve productivity and cost efficiency — but also the challenge of a fragmented supply chain.
Speakers emphasised that inconsistent processes across the industry undermine trust, standardisation and performance. They highlighted successful examples, such as the prisons programme, where a unified approach has delivered measurable benefits.
For customers, the message was clear:
organisations that take a consistent, collaborative and technology driven approach can achieve significant gains in efficiency and quality.
HS2: A Model for Innovation at Scale
A standout moment came from HS2’s Director of Stations & Placemaking, Huw Edwards, who discussed the success of the HS2 Accelerator, delivered with support from Connected Places Catapult.
Since 2020, the accelerator has:
• Supported 37 small tech firms,
• Delivered 33 pilot projects,
• And embraced a bold “fail fast, learn fast” approach — unusual for a major UK infrastructure programme.
Edwards emphasised that HS2 is not just a rail project but an engine for economic growth, expected to enable tens of thousands of new homes and jobs across regions like the West Midlands and West London.
For potential customers, HS2’s innovation mindset demonstrates how major clients increasingly expect partners who are agile, collaborative and capable of bringing forward new ideas.
Why This Matters for You
Whether you’re exploring smart transport solutions, digital infrastructure, sustainable construction methods or data driven operational improvements, the summit highlighted several industry wide shifts that directly impact your decision making:
– Long term clarity — with the government’s 10 year strategy, there is unprecedented certainty for planning and investment.
– Innovation as standard — clients and partners now expect technology enabled solutions, not optional extras.
– Collaboration is key — the most exciting successes showcased at the summit were built on cross sector partnerships.
– Place based outcomes matter — transport, housing, economic growth and infrastructure are increasingly connected in policy and practice.
This is a pivotal moment for organisations looking to modernise, scale or rethink how they approach infrastructure, mobility and placemaking.
Final Thoughts
The Connected Places Summit 2026 reinforced the UK’s position as a global hub for innovation in transport, construction and smart places. MRG looks forward to using it’s unique skill sets to bring to life some of the innovations discussed.