WEST MIDLANDS COMBINED AUTHORITY

Their core work

West Midlands Combined Authority is the regional governance body for the West Midlands metropolitan area centered on Birmingham, UK. In H2020, they contributed real-world urban transport policy experience and city-level data to research consortia studying how cities can manage mobility transitions. Their value lies in being an actual decision-maker — not a researcher studying policy, but a public authority that implements it across one of the UK's largest urban regions.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

With only three projects spanning 2016–2023, evolution is modest but detectable. The earlier project (SUITS, 2016) focused on transferable tools for transport authorities — a capacity-building exercise. By 2019, SPROUT showed a clear shift toward forward-looking policy responses to emerging mobility disruptions, suggesting the authority moved from learning established methods to actively shaping responses to new transport modes.

Moving from adopting existing transport tools toward developing city-led policy frameworks for new mobility technologies — a potential partner for projects testing real-world urban transport interventions.

How they like to work

Always a participant, never a coordinator — consistent with their role as a city authority providing real-world testbed and policy context rather than leading research. They work in moderately large consortia (58 unique partners across 3 projects, averaging ~19 partners per project), which is typical of RIA transport projects. This makes them a reliable implementation partner who brings genuine city-level authority and data, not just academic input.

Connected to 58 unique partners across 19 countries through just 3 projects, reflecting participation in broad European transport consortia. Their network is geographically diverse, spanning most of the EU, though their own contribution is rooted in UK urban transport realities.

What sets them apart

Unlike universities or consultancies that study urban transport theoretically, WMCA is the actual governing authority responsible for transport decisions across a major UK metropolitan region. They bring genuine policy-making power and access to real city data — something consortium builders struggle to recruit. Post-Brexit, they represent one of fewer UK public authorities with established EU research relationships.

Highlights from their portfolio

• SPROUT
  Their largest funded project (EUR 85,891), focused on the timely topic of city-led responses to emerging mobility disruptions like e-scooters and MaaS.
• TInnGO
  Unusual angle — a Transport Innovation Gender Observatory, showing WMCA's engagement with social equity dimensions of mobility, not just infrastructure.