Overview
Predit is a national programme to encourage innovation and co-ordinate research. Predit 2 was launched in 1996 in order to carry out research to further the improvement of transport on a day-to-day basis, through scientific and technical excellence. It was a follow-on programme to Predit 1 (1990-1994) and has now been superseded by Predit 3 (2002-2006).
In coherence with transport policy specified at national and European levels, the programme was organised around five targets:
- Develop quality of service in public transport to make it more accessible; more comfortable and more reliable.
- Accelerate the launching of new vehicles and clean, quiet and more energy-efficient transport systems.
- Improve global safety of vehicles and networks.
- Increase the performance of French firms in international markets.
- Promote the realisation of European transport networks, with respect to integration of transport into the landscape and to environmental factors.
Predit 2 covered four fields of research, development and experimentation gathering 13 research themes (each of the 13 themes is listed as a sub-programme with a separate form providing further information):
1. Strategic research - this is the only research field which is also a research theme. It deals with analysis of mobility needs, transport economics and plans, technology advances and services.
2. Science and technology - this is organised around three federative themes:
- 2.1: Environment and Energy;
- 2.2: Safety, ergonomics and comfort;
- 2.3: Design-production.
The main targets are to improve, study and make useful scientific and technological basic knowledge progress to surface transport.
3. Technological objects - based on four research themes:
- 3.1: Components and sub-systems;
- 3.2: Clean and safe vehicles;
- 3.3: Rail transport equipment;
- 3.4: Urban transport equipment.
Projects are developed considering the requirements of the environment, energy, safety and quality of service.
4. Transport systems - this gathers five research themes:
- 4.1: Urban trip management;
- 4.2: Intelligent road;
- 4.3: Freight transport;
- 4.4: Rail command-control;
- 4.5: New services to users.
Funding
Predit 2 did not have a specific budget. Public funding for this programme relied on incentive means brought by the six funding organisations (the four ministries and two agencies), which allocated funding. Each of them allocated a certain amount of money to a given project according to its interest in the research theme: funding could then contribute totally or partially to the funding of a project.
Funding involved subsidies, PhD funding, etc. In case of subsidies, the share of public funding ranged from 20% up to 80% according to the ministry or agency. The public funds spent during the Predit 2 programme amounted to about EUR 300 million.
Projects covered
Contact
DRAST (Research Directorate)