ERTRAC-SAFIER Contributing to European road transport research priorities

The European Road Transport Research Advisory Council (ERTRAC) aims to establish a European Research Area by involving all main stakeholders in the road transport sector in pursuit of structured, optimised and integrated efforts across Europe.

The ERTRAC Coordination Action will provide a platform for establishing consensus between all relevant stakeholders on future road transport research directions and the definition and promotion of European RTD activities such as Joint Technology Initiatives, aimed at setting up long-term public/private research partnerships.

The objective of the Coordination Action is to provide ERTRAC with the management, organisation and technical support it needs to achieve its mission. Cooperation with the European Union services, Member States and other Technology Platforms will also be ensured. Finally, the Coordination Action will ensure that ERTRAC results are promoted and disseminated to a broad audience, ranging from research partners to the general public.
 
ERTICO covers all issues related to Intelligent Transport Systems within ERTRAC. More specifically, ERTICO aims to monitor RTD and update and provide support for the implementation of the Strategic Research Agenda. It focuses on three key areas:

1. Mobility of people, transport and goods
2. Infrastructure usage
3. Safety & security

ERTICO will also be responsible for disseminating ERTRAC findings to the ITS community.

Objectives

• New technologies and concepts for all surface transport modes (road, rail and waterborne).
• Advanced design and production techniques.
• Increasing road, rail and waterborne safety and avoiding traffic congestion.
• Rebalancing and integrating different transport modes.

Duration and Funding

January 2006 - December 2008, funding through EC Directorate General Transport and Energy

ERTRAC Chairman

Wolfgang Steiger, Volkswagen

SAFIER Consortium

Coordinator: AVL List GmbH (AVL)/EARPA

Partners: European Association of Automotive Suppliers (CLEPA), CONCAWE, Centro Ricerche Fiat (EUCAR), DaimlerChrysler AG (EUCAR), ERTICO, Faurecia, Forum of European National Highway Research Laboratories (FEHRL), Ford Forschungszentrum Aachen (EUCAR), POLIS, Renault S.A. (EUCAR), Union Internationale des Transports Publics (UITP)