SNCF Innovation & Research is launching its LABs - innovative design laboratories. It's all about new ideas!

What's the big idea? A project team is formed, bringing together people with the necessary skills from in-house and external partners, to look into a key issue for a limited time period (4 to 8 months), using a clearly-defined methodology (DKCP).

What's the aim? The goal is to move beyond step-by-step innovation and develop breakthrough technologies or services. That's what the LAB projects are all about and SNCF Innovation & Research is planning to run one or two of them every year.

What's the methodology? The innovative DKCP design method developed by the Ecole des Mines engineering school features four phases.
Define: specifying the project framework in terms of key issues, resources, teams and timetable.
Knowledge: brainstorming and gathering all current subject knowledge.
Concept: new and "disruptive" ideas are explored, in order to understand their value and business model and to identify any gaps in the knowledge.
Proposal: for each concept that is selected, a report is produced identifying the fields of innovation for further study, projects to run and experiments required in order to make the concept work.

Watch this space... This method has already been successfully used by major groups such as Thales, Dassault System, Vallourec and the RATP. SNCF Innovation & Research launched its first LAB in January 2010 on "infrastructure maintenance in densely populated areas". The key issue was how to ensure the upkeep of a heavily-used rail network with super-quick turnaround times. Keep your eye on the News section to find out our answer... The next LAB, planned for the end of this year, will focus on energy.

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