InnovateUK Funding to Help Reduce Suicides on the Railway

Today, we are pleased to announce that SIYTE has been awarded funding from Innovate UK for Project SAIVE (Suicide Avoidance via Intelligent Video Examination). This collaborative initiative is led by SIYTE in partnership with Govia Thameslink Railway and mental health and technology experts from Lancaster University. The project is designed to help railway personnel and the police take swifter, more informed action to prevent the loss of lives.

Between 2020 and 2021, there were 2,057 suicide attempts and 247 deaths by suicide on the railways. These tragedies not only have a profound social impact - causing immense trauma for families, friends, rail employees and witnesses - but also result in widespread disruption.

Project SAIVE is powered by SIYTE, our proprietary AI platform, which extracts and aggregates real-time, anonymised data across organisational infrastructures. Sources include CCTV cameras, IoT sensors and third-party data feeds. Fully GDPR-compliant, the platform is designed to protect the privacy of both employees and customers.

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The project employs three core AI-driven methodologies:

Gregory Butler, CEO of SIYTE, said:‍

"We are incredibly proud of our partnership with Lancaster University and Govia Thameslink Railway and are thrilled to have our work recognised by Innovate UK. Every vulnerable individual deserves support and we are committed to developing ethical AI that has a positive impact on society by improving human outcomes."

Dr Mahsa Honary, Lancaster University Management School, added:‍

"Building on previous research into technology integration for mental health management and behavioural analysis, we aim to identify movement and behaviour patterns in highly vulnerable individuals. By training the AI to recognise key markers, we hope to enable swift, effective interventions and ultimately save more lives."

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