Overview
Sustainable development is a central objective of the European Union. In this context, global change, energy security, sustainable transport, sustainable management of Europe's natural resources, and their interaction with human activities motivate this research action priority theme.
In the FP6, sustainable development is divided in three individual sub-priority areas:
- Sustainable energy systems;
- Sustainable surface transport; and
- Global change and ecosystems.
To strengthen its scientific and technological capacities Europe needs to be able to implement a sustainable development model in the short and in the long term, integrating its social, economic and environmental dimensions, and to make a significant contribution to international efforts to mitigate or even to reverse current adverse trends, to understand and control global change and preserve the equilibrium of ecosystems.
The specific sub-theme of priority thematic area 6 with a transport focus is sustainable surface transport which comprises research into:
- New technologies and concepts for all surface transport modes;
- Advanced design and production techniques;
- Rebalancing and integrating different transport modes; and
- Increasing road, rail and waterborne safety and avoiding traffic congestion.
Funding
The overall budget covering the four-year period 2003-2006 is EUR 2329 million for PTA6. Budget for the sub-theme Sustainable Surface Transport is indicated as EUR 670 million in the same timeframe.
Projects covered
Contact
Directorate General for Energy and Transport (DG TREN)