Overview
Since 2004 a comprehensive and powerful network of national ministries and supporting organisations in the field of transport research has been building up ERA-NET TRANSPORT (ENT).
The ERA-NET TRANSPORT pre-dominantly served the owners and managers of transport research programmes. By facilitating cooperation among publicly financed transport research programmes it was ENT's goal to improve the outcome and quality of transport research in Europe. The main mechanism was seen in the structuring of the European Research Area (ERA) for Transport.
Since its foundation the ERA-NET TRANSPORT has initiated and implemented several activities and defined even more advanced measures to make the ERA for Transport become reality.
Successful cooperation requires a solid and suitable basis and framework, which was the subject of coming ENT-driven activities. One of these horizontal future initiatives was the provision of a database on national transport research programmes and national R&D results. Furthermore the ENT sees a need to encourage and enable less-experienced partners to participate in transnational cooperation as well as in the European Framework Programme. ENT facilitated this target by supporting these partners in their development of appropriate structures, processes and transport research programmes.
ERA-NET TRANSPORT II (ENT II) brought together the owners of national transport research programmes from twelve countries.
Objectives of ENT II were:
- Create consensus at national level to enhance transnational cooperation
- Improve and intensify transport research programme cooperation
- Initiate at least two new joint funding actions per year
- Set up at least one joint call per year
- Develop at least one ERA-NET Plus activity
- Strengthen cooperation amongst national research programmes
- Strengthen dissemination and deployment of research results
- Broaden geographical scope of ENT
- Define role of ENT in ERA
- Improve collaboration between policy levels.
Funding
Results
Some key results of ERA-NET TRANSPORT:
- 23 thematic transnational funding initiatives initiated since 2004 representing all surface transport modes
- Joint research funding initiatives of approximately € 50 million through ten funding initiatives
- One of these being an ERA-NET Plus initiative on Electromobility pooling € 21.7 million from twelve national and regional programmes (topped up with up to € 10 million from the EC)
- Participation of all partners in one or more joint funding initiatives
- Networking based on the regular and close contact between programme representatives leading to exchange of research results, research policies and information
- Efficient tools and structures for transnational funding cooperation activities and dissemination
- Shaping national programmes to transnational funding cooperation.
ENT has developed a suitable reference structure and tools for implementing transnational funding initiatives for all cooperation activities – small, medium sized as well as large-scale.
The tools comprise of:
- Experienced Support Teams facilitating contact to other programme representatives and assisting with the development of transnational calls
- Starter Kit, Cooperation Handbook, templates, and examples
- EPSS: Electronic Submission System for proposals and calls
- Call flyers for national/regional distribution
- ENT newsletters
- ENT Conference/Plenary Group
- Networking with EC and stakeholders
- ENT-rada: Web-based cooperation platform for funding programmes
- ENT repository and website.
Strategy targets
Innovating for the future: technology and behaviour:A European Transport Research and Innovation Policy
Readiness
Have already been implemented.