The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology has expanded its Cyber Runway Critical National Infrastructure programme with innovation accelerator Plexal to bring more cybersecurity SMEs into protecting UK energy, transport, water and digital networks. The scheme targets operational technology and industrial control systems used in assets such as substations, treatment works and tunnels, where legacy SCADA and remote monitoring are increasingly exposed to cyber-physical attacks. For civil and infrastructure engineers, this signals closer integration of cyber risk into asset design, condition monitoring and resilience planning.

London Gatwick has become the first airport globally to achieve PAS 2080:2023 certification for carbon management across its buildings and infrastructure assets. The BSI-verified standard requires quantified whole-life carbon baselines, option appraisal and reduction pathways for capital works, including terminals, piers, pavements and associated civil engineering. For designers and contractors working at Gatwick, future schemes will need to evidence embodied and operational carbon performance alongside cost, influencing material choices, construction methods and asset renewal strategies.

Northern Ireland’s Department for Infrastructure has commissioned mapping specialist Gaist to deliver a network-wide digital stock-take of its road assets using AI-based condition assessment. High-resolution imaging and machine-learning classification will be used to catalogue carriageway defects, drainage features and street furniture, creating a georeferenced inventory to support maintenance planning amid a mounting roads backlog. For asset managers and pavement engineers, the move signals a shift towards data-driven prioritisation of resurfacing, patching and drainage interventions across the regional network.