Overview
Facing a variety of emerging challenges, such as climate change, resilience, ageing infrastructure, maintenance, digitalisation, automation, energy and electrification, the National Transport Infrastructure Authorities (NTIA) have urgent requirements for infrastructure innovation. In view of the long cycle times in infrastructure management and the rapid mounting pressure from these challenges, there is a need for fast delivery of ready-to-implement, cost-effective innovative solutions matching the requirements of the NTIA that jointly build the TEN-T network.
infra4Dfuture will develop a demand-driven overarching strategy and coordination mechanism for the modernization of transport infrastructure including a shared strategic vision on future infrastructure capabilities and common pathways for innovation development and implementation.
The infra4Dfuture consortium encompasses 20 partners from 17 countries, 19 of them being NTIA, joining forces to develop:
- a strategic coordination mechanism aiming to deliver a concerted cooperation and collaboration across a portfolio of relevant European and national innovation programmes and initiatives;
- a shared strategic vision on future infrastructure capabilities, each capability encompassing a series of innovation focus areas for innovation.
infra4Dfuture is based on a sound and coherent consultation and dialogue process with relevant stakeholders. This process will be structured in a sequence of strategic, decision-making conferences and a supporting, tactical sequence of expert workshops and regional events. These will culminate in the founding of the infra4Dfuture Stakeholder Platform for Infrastructure Innovation and Implementation (ISPIII) at the TRA 2020. ISPIII will ensure a continuance of the coordination mechanism and shared vision beyond the duration of the action. Follow-up ISPIII events will take place at the consecutive biannual TRA conferences.