Winners of a £1.4 million competition to transform the transport sector have been announced by the Department for Transport.

Organisations and academics with innovative ideas were able to win up to £45,000 in funding to offer sustainable, forward-thinking alternatives and contribute to the government’s aim of cleaner, greener and more efficient transport networks.

This year sought proposals focused on local transport decarbonisation, maritime decarbonisation and emerging technologies such as AI and drones.

Aviation, maritime and security minister, Mike Kane, said: "Innovation is the driving force behind our transport system and these winning projects are leading the charge by creating cutting-edge solutions that could offer so much benefit for all.

"With sustainability at the core of this year’s competition, we’re helping to shape the future of transport - making travel cleaner, safer and more efficient for everyone."

One of the projects being funded is Vox Aeris, with an invention that hopes to use sound waves and music vibrations from a speaker to reduce harmful pollution across transport networks.

Selene Sari, founder and CEO of Vox Aeris, said: "We are beyond excited to be a TRIG 2024 winner. This support will be pivotal for developing our technology, assessing feasibility with refined prototypes and engaging early stakeholders. We look forward to collaborating with Connected Places Catapult and the Department for Transport."

Previous TRIG winners include OpenSpace – a cutting-edge project using digital twinning and AI to tackle rail station disruption. By using special algorithms, it created the world’s first real-time simulated environment of St Pancras station to help operators manage people flow, improve safety and boost customer experience.