TRANSPORT FOR GREATER MANCHESTER

Their core work

Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) is the public transport authority responsible for planning, coordinating, and investing in transport across the Greater Manchester city-region — one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas. In H2020 projects, they contribute real-world urban transport data, living-lab environments for testing mobility innovations, and operational expertise in multimodal public transport networks. Their value lies in being an actual transport operator and planner — not a research lab — meaning they bring deployment-ready infrastructure and millions of daily passenger journeys as a testbed for new mobility concepts like Mobility-as-a-Service and connected vehicles.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

TfGM's early H2020 involvement (2017-2019) centred on Mobility-as-a-Service platforms, cycling promotion, and behaviour change — practical, people-focused urban mobility topics. From 2019 onward, the focus shifted decisively toward data-driven transport management: simulation models, network optimisation, data harmonisation, connected vehicles, and strategic urban mobility planning (SUMP/SULP). This trajectory shows a clear move from softer mobility interventions toward digital infrastructure and predictive transport intelligence.

TfGM is building capacity in transport data fusion, simulation, and intelligent traffic management — expect future interest in digital twins, AI-based traffic prediction, and integrated multimodal data platforms.

How they like to work

TfGM operates exclusively as a participant, never as coordinator — consistent with their role as a public authority providing real-world deployment context rather than leading research. With 85 unique partners across 26 countries from just 6 projects, they work in large, diverse European consortia. This broad but non-repeated partner base suggests they are sought after as a credible metropolitan transport testbed rather than building long-term bilateral research ties.

TfGM has collaborated with 85 distinct partners across 26 countries — an unusually wide network for only 6 projects, reflecting participation in large pan-European transport consortia. Their reach spans most of the EU with no apparent geographic concentration beyond the UK.

What sets them apart

TfGM is one of very few large metropolitan transport authorities actively participating in H2020 research projects — most public transport bodies of this scale are too operationally focused to engage in EU research. They offer something researchers and technology companies struggle to access independently: a real, functioning multimodal transport network serving 2.8 million residents, complete with data, infrastructure, and policy-making authority. For any consortium needing a major UK city-region as a pilot site for urban mobility innovation, TfGM is a uniquely positioned partner.

Highlights from their portfolio

• Handshake
  Largest single EC contribution (EUR 284,105) and longest duration, focused on cross-city transfer of cycling innovations — an increasingly policy-relevant topic.
• TANGENT
  Most recent project (2021-2024) and signals TfGM's strategic shift toward data-driven multimodal traffic management and intelligent transport systems.
• MaaS4EU
  Early entry into Mobility-as-a-Service research with an end-to-end approach covering tools, business models, and evaluation evidence.