The FIF and Railenium Launch a Call for Projects to Accelerate Railway Innovation

The FIF and Railenium Launch an Unprecedented Call for Projects to Accelerate French Railway Innovation Together, the FIF and the IRT Railenium (Institut de Recherche Technologique) are launching a scheme designed to bring field-level industrial needs closer to research excellence, in order to accelerate the emergence of solutions that will shape the railway of tomorrow. A sector undergoing profound strategic transformation The French railway industry is going through a period of unprecedented change. Driven by climate challenges and the digital revolution, the sector must reinvent itself to offer ever more efficient, decarbonised and connected mobility. In this shifting landscape, the ability to innovate quickly is no longer merely a competitive advantage — it is a condition for long-term viability. It is to meet this challenge that the French Railway Industry Association (FIF) and the IRT Railenium are launching a Call for Innovation Projects designed to support companies in the sector in developing innovative solutions. SMEs, essential links in industrial sovereignty Designed to address the realities faced by SMEs and mid-caps in the sector, the scheme targets medium-sized projects capable of delivering concrete results within timeframes compatible with industrial challenges. - Accessibility and flexibility: With project budgets ranging from €150k to €1.5M, the format is ideally suited to the R&D constraints of SMEs and mid-caps. - Decisive financial support: Thanks to the support of the Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR), selected projects will benefit from funding that will help reduce the financial risk for the participating company. - A timeline geared towards action: Companies have until 15 September 2026 to submit their application, with a target start date in the fourth quarter of 2026. This call for projects is fully in line with CORIFER's roadmap, targeting the pillars of railway transformation: climate and environmental resilience, social and operational adaptability, rail's contribution to crisis management, and economic performance and intermodality. A catalyst for the innovation of tomorrow This partnership between the FIF and Railenium reflects a shared ambition to mobilise the entire ecosystem around a vision of technological excellence. By acting as a strategic link between industrial ambitions and cutting-edge research capabilities, the Association is fostering the synergy essential to the sector's competitiveness. This scheme thus encourages the formation of teams bringing together companies with experts from IRT Railenium and the academic world, offering project leaders an agile, effective and accessible framework. The shared ambition is to facilitate access to high-level research in order to bring about the technological breakthroughs that will equip the trains, infrastructure and railway services of the coming decades. For further information and to apply: Press Contacts: Marine Latombe Communications Manager, FIF Email: mlatombe@fif.asso.fr Phone: 01 50 63 83 60 Mobile: 06 59 40 33 96 Estelle Cartignies Communications Manager, Railenium Email: estelle.cartignies@i-trans.org Mobile: (0)6 81 77 60 40 About the FIF: The French Railway Industry Association is the representative professional organisation for all players in the railway industry in France. It embodies the collective voice of a sector that is strategic for sustainable mobility and the country's industrial sovereignty. Bringing together all industrial trades in the railway sector — rolling stock manufacturers, rolling stock and infrastructure equipment suppliers, track and signalling industry players, engineering, maintenance and retrofit — the FIF reflects the diversity, complementarity and innovative strength of the French industry. About Railenium: A genuine resource for the railway industry, the Institut de Recherche Technologique (IRT) Railenium carries out partnership-based research and innovation projects bringing together academics and industry players, in conjunction with public authorities, in France and internationally. Thanks to the expertise of its teams, Railenium offers the skills needed to overcome technological and scientific obstacles in the fields of artificial intelligence (data science, AI vision), telecoms, asset management, energy and organisational and human factors (OHF).