Overview
In the field of Transport research, the European Union as well as other major national, federal or regional entities of global importance such as the U.S., Japan, Australia, South America, India, China, and others are buffeted by common transport related problems and challenges.
International Cooperation in Transport research is becoming therefore an increasing priority aiming, primarily, at creating critical mass in moving collaboratively to solve critical 21st century transportation challenges.
The main idea and objective is to establish through international cooperation in transport research - the free circulation of specialized knowledge, experience and know how in facing transport problems and challenges and create through collaboration the conditions for more breakthrough research and achievements that would otherwise require more time and resources if faced individually and separately.
More specifically EUTRAIN aims at:
- Contributing towards the establishment of a framework for international transport research cooperation to be built upon the principles and orientations laid down in the EC Communication 'A strategic European Framework for International Science and Technology Cooperation'
- Investigating country research capabilities, investment, future priorities and potential for cooperation with the EU in the prospect of mutual interest, in major regions of importance to the European Research Area - Transport (ERA-T). These regions will include (but not necessarily limited to), the following:
- Regions of immediate proximity and/or interaction with ERA-T: US, Russia, Mediterranean cooperation countries (with focus on the southern side of the Mediterranean, i.e.: Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Egypt), and Eastern Europe Neighbourhood cooperation countries (such as: the Balkan countries, Turkey, Moldova, Ukraine and Belarus)
- Regions of wider interest and importance: China, India, Korea, South Africa
- Other regions, e.g. Japan, Australia, Latin America (Brazil / Argentina / Chile), Canada
- Considering and discussing current practices for research governance and management as well as barriers, gaps, and diversions for international transport research cooperation.
- Assessing the benefits or added value to ERA-T, as well as the prospective synergies from such closer international cooperation
- Investigating alternative models and tools for carrying out such cooperation in the most effective and productive way
- Disseminating, in the course of doing the above activities, European know-how and practices in transport research.
As the European Transport Research Area (ERA-T) takes shape and strength, international transport research collaboration can both help its further strengthening and internal cohesion as well as boost Europe's competitiveness in the global economy. The EUTRAIN proposal seeks to put forward a framework for such international cooperation in Transport research between the European Transport Research Area (ERA-T) and other regions, in order to ease existing barriers and limiting factors for such collaboration. It is also of major interest to try and achieve, within international research collaboration, an increased focus on human resources and creating the next generation of global researchers.
In the course of carrying out the project objectives, the project will seek to clarify and establish the current status and practice vis-à-vis a number of 'focused' international cooperation issues among which, most notably the following:
- Information and data sharing issues
- Achieving 'global' research infrastructures
- Pre-standardization issues and means of harmonizing approaches and practices
- Intellectual Property Regimes
- Differences in Institutional cultures and research governance regimes
- Research training and human resource issues (Mobility of researchers and global networking)
- Establishment of open research cooperation programmes (e.g. notably joint programming).
EUTRAIN will build upon the existing experience and know-how in this field - that has been gained in recent years through specific actions of international cooperation as well as projects / studies and will go one step further to make specific recommendations and policies that will be ripe for implementation.
Funding
Results
Global forces upgrading transport research
Bringing governments together to conduct transport research and foster collaboration will help all stakeholders involved tackle challenges in the transport sector.
As pollution and global warming become more serious, governments are realising that a cleaner and more sustainable world involves working closely together, such as in the field of public transport. International cooperation in transport research can create the critical mass required to address key challenges through cutting-edge research. This was the aim of the EU-funded project 'European Transport Research Area international cooperation activities' (http://www.eutrain-project.eu/ (EUTRAIN)).
Spearheaded by a consortium from Belgium, Germany and Sweden, the project team outlined all necessary aspects to achieve international cooperation in transport research. Specifically, it developed a framework for global cooperation in transport research between the European Transport Research Area (ERA-T) and other regions of the world in order to overcome barriers to collaboration.
The many challenges that the project investigated include sharing data, achieving 'global' infrastructures, harmonising approaches and practices, and dealing with intellectual property regimes. The work also involved issues related to research training, researcher mobility and differences in institutional cultures. Importantly, the project team looked at how to facilitate the establishment of open research cooperation programmes, most notably joint programming.
Overall, the project led to three major deliverables. The first outlined current practices, characteristics and issues in international transport research cooperation. The second deliverable presented research topics, capabilities and future priorities for this cooperation.
The third key deliverable supported stakeholders in heading towards a framework for EU international transport research cooperation. It covered various relevant topics, organisational models, tools and recommendations.
Project results have already begun paving the way for greater collaboration on a global scale, helping governments to harmonise practices in the transport sector and furthering synergies at a higher level than before.