Overview
The NRP 41 was launched by the Federal Council at the end of 1995, to improve the scientific basis on which Switzerland's traffic problems might be solved, taking into particular account the growing interconnection with Europe, ecological limits, and economic and social needs.
The National Research Programme 'Transport and Environment, Interactions Switzerland/Europe' (NRP 41) aimed to become a think-tank for sustainable transport policy.
Following objectives of the transport policy in 1997 were formulated in the Programme portrait of the National Science Foundation's 'Transport and Environment' research programme (NRP 41):
- the protection of human health and our natural resources
- the conservation of the social achievements of mobility
- an economic use of public funds
- coordination with European transport policy
The Division IV of the Research Council of the Swiss National Science Foundation was concerned with the approval of the projects and a general supervision of all national research programmes. The scientific secretary of the Swiss National Science Foundation dealt with financial and administrative matters of the programme.
A group of experts under the presidency of Prof. Francis-Luc Perret acted as the scientific conscience of the programme.
The programme was directed by the programme manager, Felix Walter, an economist and partner in the consulting company ECOPLAN. He was responsible for permanent contacts with all projects and organised workshops of the modules where advisory groups discussed intermediate results. Furthermore, he informed the administration and other target groups about the programme as well as the media about intermediate results. He was concerned with co-ordination and links with other research activities.
Projects were monitored by means of regular workshops with experts and an advisory group.
Funding
The Swiss National Science Foundation supported the NRP 41 with 10 million Swiss francs for 5 years.
34 projects received co-funding by third parties (especially by the Federal administration, cantons, cities, transport companies) of more than 1.7 million Swiss francs in total.