The £30 million ADEPT Live Labs 2: Decarbonising Local Roads programme celebrated its first year with a successful live Expo in Birmingham earlier this week – and the event was such a success that organisers have announced a follow up online mini Expo to be held next month.
The Live Labs 2 Expo 24, held at the Birmingham Conference and Events Centre on the 17th of April, brought together the key partners, researchers, stakeholders and project leaders to explore the first year of achievement in this exciting, industry-leading initiative.
The Expo event was fully subscribed with 200 people attending for a full day of inspiring speakers, demonstrations and discussions.
Thought to be the largest initiative of its kind in the world, Live Labs 2 is a UK-wide programme, designed to tackle decarbonisation across local highways.
Funded by the Department for Transport, the programme is being delivered by the Association of Directors of Environment, Economy, Planning and Transport (ADEPT), and is scheduled to run until 2026.
Aimed at local highways authorities and the wider highways, transport and environment sectors, the Expo showcased projects and solutions that support the decarbonisation of local highways infrastructure and assets.
The Expo was a chance for project teams to give insights into their work so far, demonstrating the new thinking, tools, services and technologies currently in development. Attendees had the chance to engage in face-to-face interactions, explore innovative technology, listen to inspirational speakers and take part in insightful conversations.
Neil Gibson, Chair of the Live Labs 2 Commissioning Board, said: “The Live Labs 2 Expo was an incredible success and a real wow moment for all of us involved, as we saw the results and research achieved in just one year.
“It was an important opportunity for everyone involved to meet, check in and learn about the development of each project so far to discover the innovations and materials we need to deploy to succeed with the objectives of Live Labs 2.
“I’m thrilled to announce that we will also be running the follow up Live Labs 2 mini Expo event next month for those who were not able to attend. It will be a way to meet, discuss and contribute to the exciting Live Labs 2 initiative, helping to enhance awareness and set out priorities for the years ahead.”
ADEPT represents local authority, county, unitary and metropolitan directors of place. Live Labs 2 includes seven projects, grouped by four interconnected themes, led by local authorities working alongside commercial and academic partners.
The Live Labs 2 online mini Expo will take place on 14th May between 09:30 – 12:30 and is aimed at those who were unable to attend the Live Labs 2 Expo.
