09.07.12
International SPARK partnership to boost rail research
A new partnership to share rail knowledge more efficiently has been agreed between the RSSB and the International Union of Railways (UIC).
The RSSB portal SPARK has been chosen as a web platform to create international sharing capability for rail research by the UIC. From January 2013, SPARK will link to the new ‘Railway Research’ web portal hosted on behalf of theInstituteofRail Research Board.
The agreement aims to reduce duplication, speed up innovation and maximise value for rail industry research, and researchers and innovators in universities and rail companies will be able to upload and share information.
RSSB’s head of research and development Guy Woodroffe explained: “Innovation is recognised as being crucial for the railways and our members in the GB rail industry have got a new, stronger appetite to boost it and generate new solutions.
“SPARK is like an on-line library and social network all wrapped into one. It allows professionals and experts to get connected and share what they know.
“The benefit of the new alliance for UIC and its members is taking advantage of the SPARK network and platform off-the-shelf, and helping to prevent “wheel reinvention” and duplication of different portals, libraries and extranets.
“The benefit to members of RSSB is the opening up of knowledge sharing to an array of different railway administrations, agencies, companies, organisations, putting in reach a large number of subject matter experts and researchers across the world.”
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