Joost Vantomme, ERTICO CEO since 1st January, is welcoming you back from the short summer break with a fully energised team. Looking ahead, we will continue to focus on the ongoing dialogues with our Partners and external players from the ITS ecosystem to help tackle societal challenges, including transport-related issues such as road safety, air quality, decarbonisation, energy dependency, data access and sharing in the mobility space. With our unique position, focusing on thought leadership and knowledge sharing, we promote innovative solutions together with our Partners.

Since the beginning of 2022, ERTICO has had a considerable number of companies and institutions showing a strong interest in our innovation projects and in joining our Partnership. We are also delighted to announce that we have four new Partners since 1 January: SAENA, Biscay Regional Council, SAE Group and Microsoft. Stay tuned for seven more have signed up and will be announced in the coming newsletters.

We also continue to work towards the proposal submissions deadline in early September for delivering and promoting new EU-funded projects reflecting our four focus areas.

Bridging gaps through dialogues ecosystem 

In addition to the ongoing dialogue with the European Commission, we continue strengthening our cooperation with China through the discussion on the common ICV roadmaps for Connected and Automated Mobility (CAM) together with the Chinese authorities, the EU and the U.S. We have also started a collaboration on mobility and research related topics with the International Transport Forum (ITS), part of the OECD.

As a thought leader, ERTICO build bridges with like-minded actors from different sectors through the establishment of strategic partnerships. We signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the International Road Federation in Geneva earlier this year and, most recently, a Memorandum of Intent with the European Space Agency, with many more to come.

In the mobility space, we also establish connections with other influential players, for example, through the establishment of a Forum of Platforms, a horizontal forum with 17 other European associations, focusing on common challenges.

Data: Part of the ITS Ecosystem

With ongoing debates in the European data economy about the availability of, and access to data, vehicles and infrastructure, we are taking another step forward to reinforce the important message of improving the movement of people and goods seamlessly and ubiquitously. For example, the topic of data in the smart mobility ecosystem was at the forefront during the ITS European Congress in Toulouse, notably at the ITS Summit.

Data also remains a key priority for us going forward. Besides the management of the Data For Road Safety (DFRS) ecosystem, we are strengthening our role and position through new European-funded projects, for example, the National Access Point Coordination Organisation for Europe (NAPCORE), where we play an active role in establishing regulatory data feed and improving accessibility of real-time traffic data through our innovation platform TN-ITS.

When it comes to data sharing, 5G connectivity and interoperability in transport and logistics, two of our flagship projects are finalising this year. ENSEMBLE hosted its final event earlier this year in March, presenting key results on the adoption of multi-brand platooning in Europe. 5G-MOBIX will host its final event in the coming days, from 13 to 14 September in Spain.

Technologies have also gone hand in hand with the development of automated driving, which is another important topic at ERTICO, focusing on the newly launched innovation platform, the European Automated Valet Parking (EAVP).

Alongside data, automated driving and digitalisation in transport, ERTICO focuses on Urban Mobility, including SUMPs and SUMIs, which are two of the hottest topics in smart mobility. Cities across Europe are now also working with the ERTICO Partnership to become even more sustainable and cleaner while increasing their commitment to measuring the impact of their plans and actions. In this field, the ERTICO City Moonshot initiative has marked great progress in the second phase of interviewing 300 cities worldwide.

In the coming months, ERTICO will be involved in mapping the European Mobility Data Spaces, starting with the Innovation Platforms closely linked with TISA, MaaS Alliance, TN-ITS, ADASIS, EAVP, DFRS, TM 2.0.

It is also my ambition to put the finger on the pulse of the energy chapter, including electrification, charging infrastructure, and energy dependency… so watch this space!

Next Steps

We are delighted to announce that following on from the recent Network of National ITS Associations elections, we have three newly elected members which we would like to congratulate.

  • Donal Hodgins of ITS Ireland as Vice Chairman of the ITS Network
  • Maarja Rannama of ITS Estonia as new Coordination Committee member.
  • Guenther Weber of ITS Germany re-elected to remain as Chairman of the ITS Network.

The ERTICO team is pleased to be back at the office in Brussels after the summer, and we are very much looking forward to fruitful future collaborations and engagements with our Partners and stakeholders in the ITS ecosystem.

“I am proud of the team and would like to thank everyone for delivering great results during this half year,” concludes Joost Vantomme, ERTICO CEO.