Overview
TRAIL Research School was established in 1994 to target world-wide developments in transport, infrastructure, and logistics, to combine high-level education and research, and to transfer and apply knowledge in practice.
The mission statement of TRAIL is:
- First, to educate high-level scientific researchers and research-leaders with a broad background and of high standing who will contribute scientific innovations to the solution of scientific, business and societal problems in the field of transport, infrastructure and logistics.
- Second, to build up and transfer new, ground-breaking interdisciplinary knowledge and insights at the highest international level in the fields of transport, logistics and associated infrastructure, by adopting an integrated and solution oriented approach aimed at supporting an economically viable, sustainable and accessible society.
With respect to Research and Development, TRAIL's clients include general scientific foundations (NWO), the European Union, Dutch ministries (V&W - Transportation, VROM - Spatial Planning and Environment, EZ - Economic Affairs, OC&W - Education and Science), provincial and local governments and various companies (Airport Amsterdam Schiphol, ECT, Holland Railconsult, KPN, Nedtrain Consulting, NS-Infra, NS-Reizigers, Railion, Railned) and organisation (Connekt, Platform Stedelijke Distributie, RIL).
TRAIL has research agreements with AVV, SWOV and TNO and links with other international knowledge centres in the same fields of research (like ITPS, Japan and CIIPMS, Korea).
Funding
TRAIL is funded by the participating universities. Moreover, specific projects and programmes within TRAIL are subsidised by other parties (such as Connekt, NWO).