Overview
TransSLO ran from April 2008 and was designed to increase the participation of Slovenia in the field of transport research and the integration of Slovenia in the ERA (European Research Area). The overall aim of TransSLO was to prepare, strengthen and network the transport research community in order to expand participation in European projects through the co-operation and networking capability of the surface transport research community and form methods of cooperation and form strong relationships for future collaboration. The overall aim of the project was to use the scientific and research potential of the networked research community to connect the academic environment and industrial practice. One of the important aspects of any adjustment of economic progress in Slovenia is in the transformation of the transport industry.
The specific goals were:
- To support knowledge transfer and experience exchanges within the EU and specifically target Slovenia and nearby countries in order to promote transport research and encourage post graduate research at Universities.
- To generate information for decision makers and politicians on Slovenian and EU transport research priorities
- To ensure dissemination of Slovenia transport research capability
- To ensure dissemination of the results of the project
The project focused on four main actions:
- Organising a contest of the best PhD studies in the field of transport, the best of which was presented during the Slovenian ISEP 2008 Conference.
- Setting up a database of companies, research institutes, organisations and universities involved in transport research facilitated through the Slovenian Transport Research workshop 2007.
- Mapping areas of strengths (and weaknesses and needs) of Slovenian transport research.
- Presenting of the final results of the TransSLO project during the EU - Transport Research Arena (TRA) Conference in Ljubljana in April 2008.
Funding
Results
The TransSLO project and The Ministry of Transport Slovenia worked together to establish a strong link between transport and research policy and how to support these priorities in the budget. TransSLO has shown that Slovenia has a substantial transport research potential.
The result was a network of academic and industrial players in Slovenian transport research and an overview of their strengths and fields of expertise. Workshops were organised to inform and train Slovenian researchers and make them familiar with the procedures necessary to achieve a successful participation in the 7th European Framework Programme for Research.
The outcomes of the TransSLO project were:
- TransSLO Plus – a tender proposal submitted to the Slovenian Ministry of Transport to continue the work of TransSLO with the results being included in the National Transport Agenda for Slovenia.
- TransNEW – a proposal submitted under the FP7-TPT Call to provide support for realising New Member and Associated States’ potentials in transport research.
The project deliverables submitted:
- D1, D2 and D3 were reports for the EC;
- D4 Terms of Reference;
- D5 Database;
- D6 Scientific Support Forum;
- D7 Capability Report;
- D8 Project website;
- D9 TransSLO Workshop;
- D10 The Way Forward for Slovenia in European Transport Research – a Road Map;
- D11 Presentation at TRA2008.
Policy implications
The TransSLO project exceeded the expectations of the original goals of the project, and this was largely due to the willingness of the Consortium to take up any opportunities to expand the project and move it forward in a positive and proactive direction. Ultimately, the Slovenian Ministry of Transport was keen to adopt and move this research forward to facilitate the on-going development of Policy that assisted in taking Slovenia forward in the European transport market.