Stantec supports digital twinning research hub to aid decarbonisation of transport

Stantec, a global leader in sustainable engineering, architecture, and environmental consulting, is supporting the UK’s new TransiT decarbonisation research hub, a collaboration of eight universities and dozens of industry partners jointly led by Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh and the University of Glasgow. The TransiT consortium aims to identify the lowest cost and most energy-efficient ways to decarbonise transport by examining new approaches to digital twinning.

Digital twins are digital replicas of the physical world made by analysing and visualising data from sensors connected to real-world infrastructure. They can help users rapidly test and improve different scenarios and solutions virtually before applying them to a real world setting. TransiT aims to develop a ‘Federated Transport System of Systems’, comprising interconnected digital twins spanning different transport modes. This comprehensive approach aims to address the complex challenges of transport decarbonisation holistically. It is thought that the hub’s approach for transport can provide a blueprint for other sectors that need rapid decarbonisation.

Stantec is helping pioneer these efforts by donating £570,000 worth of support to TransiT over the next five years. This package includes a significant amount of dedicated time from the subject matter experts, access to complex real-world models, case studies, learnings, and data gathered from work across the built environment – as well as joint outreach and engagement activities.

In August, the TransiT Hub secured a combined £46 million of funding from the UK government and its partners across the digital, energy, and transport sectors. It is thought to be one of the largest consortiums of its kind, helping pioneer decarbonisation. Stantec is now an engineering consultancy partner to the TransiT hub, bringing extensive experience in digital twinning for whole system modelling from projects across the transport, energy, water, and infrastructure sectors.

For Stantec, TransiT provides a strategic focus for transport data and expertise.  While lending a significant package of support, the global interdisciplinary consultancy will also be exploring the opportunities to access new capabilities and techniques accelerating Stantec’s ability to deliver more advanced modelling to clients across various markets.

“We’re delighted to support the TransiT Hub as a consultancy partner, which comes on the back of our long-standing relationship with Glasgow University”, said Mark Johnston, Stantec’s regional operations director for Scotland. “The research, development and resulting insights provided by digital twinning cut across all our business lines. The focus on decarbonisation of transport builds on the work done by Stantec in our previous report ‘Bridging the gap’. We are looking forward to developing new methodologies and models in a collaborative environment that will bring clarity to the direction of travel and help us design low-carbon communities, utilities, and infrastructure which are fit for the future.”

Professor David Flynn, professor in Cyber Physical Systems at the University of Glasgow and joint Director of TransiT added: “We’re excited to leverage Stantec’s existing and extensive virtual and real-world knowledge in this space. Together, we will explore how digital twinning can improve the design of future transport solutions, support more accessible services, and identify equitable pathways to decarbonisation.”

Stantec has recently released its Bridging the Gap report which suggests there needs to be a systemic shift in the way people travel if the UK is to achieve its net zero mobility targets. It concludes that relying on a switch to electric vehicles alone will not be enough to meet transport decarbonisation targets and that people and place need to play a much bigger role.

About Stantec
Stantec empowers clients, people, and communities to rise to the world’s greatest challenges at a time when the world faces more unprecedented concerns than ever before.   

We are a global leader in sustainable engineering, architecture, and environmental consulting. ​

Our professionals deliver the expertise, technology, and innovation communities need to manage aging infrastructure, demographic and population changes, the energy transition, and more. ​

Today’s communities transcend geographic borders. At Stantec, community means everyone with an interest in the work that we do—from our project teams and industry colleagues to our clients and the people our work impacts. The diverse perspectives of our partners and interested parties drive us to think beyond what’s previously been done on critical issues like climate change, digital transformation, and future-proofing our cities and infrastructure.  ​

We are designers, engineers, scientists, project managers, and strategic advisors. We innovate at the intersection of community, creativity, and client relationships to advance communities everywhere, so that together we can redefine what’s possible.​

Stantec trades on the TSX and the NYSE under the symbol STN. Visit us at stantec.com or find us on social media.

Media Contact
Calum Metcalfe
Stantec Media Relations
Phone: (+44) 07928 501 112
Email: calum.metcalfe@stantec.com