COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL AND THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT Research and innovation for Europe's future mobility_Developing a European transport-technology strategy
Date: 2012-09-13
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: common transport policy, innovation, research and development, sustainable mobility, technological change

EUROPEAN COMMISSION 

Brussels, 13.9.2012  
COM(2012) 501 final 

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL AND THE 
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT 

Research and innovation for Europe's future mobility 
Developing a European transport-technology strategy 

{SWD(2012) 260 final} 

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TABLE OF CONTENTS 

1. 

2. 

3. 

3.1. 

3.2. 

4. 

5. 

5.1. 

5.2. 

5.3. 

5.4. 

6. 

7. 

Research and innovation in support of transport policy............................................... 3 

Unleashing the untapped innovation potential of the European transport sector......... 3 

The vision for future European transport and mobility................................................ 5 

User-oriented integrated transport................................................................................ 5 

Sustainable long-distance, intercity and urban transport ............................................. 6 

Strengthening Europe’s transport research and innovation system ............................. 6 

Initiatives to improve the innovation capacity of the transport sector ......................... 7 

Making transport research and innovation more focused ............................................ 8 

Better aligning efforts .................................................................................................. 9 

Beyond the comfort zone: breaking through technology lock-in................................. 9 

Efficient deployment of innovative solutions ............................................................ 10 

The opportunities and challenges of transport-technology deployment .................... 11 

Taking the work forward............................................................................................ 11 

ANNEX: Research and innovation areas, priority fields, and their policy relevance.............. 13 

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RESEARCH AND INNOVATION IN SUPPORT OF TRANSPORT POLICY 

1. 
The 2011 White Paper on Transport1
 makes the case for transforming the European transport 
system  into  a  sustainable  and  competitive  system  that  will  further  improve  mobility  and 
continue  to  support  economic  growth  and  employment.  It  sets  ambitious  objectives  for 
reducing  Europe’s  dependence  on  imported  oil,  improving  the  environment,  reducing 
accidents and sharply cutting greenhouse-gas emissions. These objectives have to be seen in 
the  context  of  a  continuous  growth  in  transport  demand,  differences  in  the  evolution  of 
transport  modes,  demographic  changes  and  a  dwindling  investment  capacity  of  public 
authorities. 

Incremental  changes  will  not  be  enough  to  confront  the  challenges  facing  Europe  and  its 
transport sector. Instead, governments and the transport sector at large must break away from 
conventional  thinking.  New  ideas,  pioneering  strategies,  and  entrepreneurship  are  needed  to 
respond to the new reality. What is at stake is not only the viability of the European transport 
system but also, given transport’s impact on economic growth and job creation potential, the 
achievement of a smart, sustainable and inclusive European economy, as outlined in Europe 
20202. 

It  is  therefore  essential  that  Europe’s  research  and  innovation  capacities  are  mobilised  to 
support transport policy objectives and societal goals. The White Paper proposes to set up a 
‘Single European Transport Area’ to serve the 500 million citizens in the internal market. The 
size  of  this  market  will  allow  for  the  large-scale  testing  of  a  diversity  of  innovative 
technologies  and  services,  reaping  scale  and  scope  economies  and  creating  strong  home 
markets  for  Europe’s  globally  operating  transport  industries.  This  approach  interlinks 
innovation  with  the  other  three  dimensions  of  the  White  Paper:  the  internal  market, 
infrastructure development and international cooperation. 

In  this  Communication,  the  Commission  summarises  the  results  of  a  first  stocktaking  of 
research and innovation in the EU transport sector. It reviews the shortcomings of Europe’s 
transport innovation system and presents initial proposals on how to tackle them. 

The  Communication  will  be  the  starting  point  for  the  elaboration  of  a  European  strategic 
transport-technology  plan,  which  will  effectively  be  the  White  Paper’s  research  and 
innovation pillar. The aim is to ensure a coherent approach across various funding sources for 
research and innovation in transport for the next financial programming period and beyond. 
This  plan  will  outline  the  priority  fields  of  greatest  relevance  to  research  and  innovation, 
address  the  efficiency  of  the  innovation  chain  and  propose  specific  actions  to  overcome 
barriers to deployment. 

2. 

UNLEASHING  THE  UNTAPPED  INNOVATION  POTENTIAL  OF  THE  EUROPEAN 
TRANSPORT SECTOR 

Transport  services  and  the  manufacturing  industry  contribute  significantly  to  Europe’s 
competitiveness.  The  EU  transport  services  and  storage  sector,  including  postal  and  courier 
activities,  provides  5.1 %  of  total  value  added  and  5.0 %  of  total  employment  (around  11 
million  persons  employed).  If  the  manufacturing  of  transport  equipment,  trade  in  and  the 
repairing of motor vehicles and motorcycles are included, transport comprises 7.9 % of value 

1 

2 

Roadmap  to  a  Single  European  Transport  Area  —  Towards  a  competitive  and  resource  efficient 
transport system, COM(2011) 144 final. 
Europe 2020: A strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth, COM(2010) 2020 final. 

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added  and  8.2 %  of  employment,  or  18  million  persons.  Many  SMEs  in  the  transport-
manufacturing sector invest heavily in research and development (R&D). 

The transport sector is faced with a growing number of global competitors who are keen to 
innovate and invest. In today’s fast-evolving world, Europe cannot afford to lag behind and its 
businesses  must  be  able  to  absorb  innovative  technologies  and  business  models  that  will 
maintain Europe’s position as world leader in transport. 
An  analysis  of  the  innovation  capacities  of  the  transport  sector3  suggests  that  in  2008, 
corporate  transport  R&D  investments  by  EU-based  companies  amounted  to  more  than  €
 39 
billion4. This makes transport the largest industrial R&D-investing sector in the EU. A further 
 4.2  billion  was  invested  by  Member  States  and  the  EU.  EU-based  companies  account  for 
more  than  40 %  of  worldwide  industrial  R&D  investments  related  to  transport,  ahead  of 
Japanese and US-based companies, which each account for about one quarter. 

Compared to the private sector and Member States, the EU’s current investment in transport 
research  and  innovation  is  modest  in  monetary  terms  but  its  leverage  is  high.  It  provided 
 600  million  per  year  in  the  7th  Framework  Programme  for  research,  technological 
about  €
development and demonstration activities (FP7). Funding from the Trans-European Transport 
Network  programme,  Cohesion  Fund  and  European  Regional  Development  Fund  (ERDF) 
supports market uptake and deployment. The EU also fulfils an important role of coordination 
through  a  variety  of  instruments  and  partnerships,  such  as  European  Technology  Platforms 
and  Joint  Technology  Initiatives5,  and  is  a  forerunner  in  proposing  broad  political 
commitments  and  regulatory  requirements.  So  far,  in  FP7,  the  Marie  Curie  Actions  have 
awarded €43.5 million to transport-related rese arch, providing attractive career development 
opportunities to researchers. 

In  terms  of  innovation  capacity, transport  comprises  highly  heterogeneous  sub-sectors,  each 
exposed  to  different  market  pressures,  to  different  drivers  for  innovation  and  user 
requirements.  In  some  sub-sectors,  there  is  a  mismatch  between  the  market  players  that  are 
active in developing solutions and those that are active in deploying them. Other specificities 
are  the  different  institutional  set-ups  of  transport  policy-making  across  Member  States,  and 
their diverging transport research, innovation and deployment priorities. As a result, Europe 
does not fully  exploit the benefits  that could be gained from a better alignment of transport 
research and innovation efforts among Member States or within different transport industries. 
A true European Research and Innovation Area for transport is still to be put in place. 

So far, the focus of EU-funded research and innovation activities has largely been on research 
and less on the demonstration, market uptake and full deployment of new solutions, although 
full-cycle commitments exist in cases such as ERTMS6, SESAR7 or Galileo8. To unleash the 
transport  sector’s  full  innovation  potential  and  address  the  challenges  outlined  above,  the 
Commission proposes a new approach. A diversified portfolio of public and private sources of 

3 
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Mapping innovation in the European transport sector, EC Joint Research Centre, EUR 24771 EN, 2011  
This refers to own-funded R&D investments; accordingly, as far as possible it excludes publicly funded 
research activities in order to avoid double-counting of public R&D investments. 
Including  the  European  Green  Cars  Initiative,  CleanSky  and  SESAR  (Single  European  Sky  ATM 
Research), plus the current European Technology Platforms with main relevance for transport: ACARE 
(Advisory Council for Aviation Research and Innovation in Europe), ERRAC (European Rail Research 
Advisory  Council),  ERTRAC  (European  Road  Transport  Research  Advisory  Council),  and 
WATERBORNE-TP (Technology Platform for the Maritime and Inland Navigation sectors). 
European Rail Traffic Management System. 
Single European Sky ATM Research. 
Europe’s state-of-the-art global satellite navigation system. 

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€
                                                 
finance will be needed, including new financial instruments to increase the leverage of public 
budgets and a further move towards the ‘user pays’ principle. 

3. 

THE VISION FOR FUTURE EUROPEAN TRANSPORT AND MOBILITY 

A vision of how European transport might develop can usefully serve as a basis for reflection 
on  research  and  innovation  and  on  the  solutions  that  are  necessary  to  support  the  White 
Paper’s objectives. It is based on the analysis9 that underpinned the White Paper on Transport 
and a Scientific Assessment of Strategic Transport Technologies10. 

The vision outlined below has to take into account the anticipated evolution of the European 
transport-manufacturing  industry.  Our  industry  will  continue  its  shift  from  a  cost-based 
competitive  advantage  to  one  based  on  high  value-added,  linked  to  innovation  in  the 
conception,  production  and  operation  of  complex  systems  and  services  with  lower  carbon 
content.  This  will  support  employment  and  growth.  The  introduction  of  new  materials  and 
production  processes  will  bring  new  technology  partners  into  the  transport-manufacturing 
sector.  Together  with  stronger  cross-fertilisation  between  the  transport  modes,  this  will 
strengthen  the  innovative  character  of  the  sector,  yield  greener  products,  and  strengthen  the 
value of the European label for high quality products and services. 

3.1. 

User-oriented integrated transport 

In  the  future,  a  stronger  interaction  between  transport,  energy  and  information  and 
communication  technologies  and  networks  will  lead  to  improvements  in  environmental 
performance and resource efficiency. Transport will see a shift towards mobility largely based 
on the use of alternative fuels, sustainable energy sources and greater use of energy-efficient 
and  environmentally  friendly  means  of  transport.  Alternative  propulsion  systems  and  smart 
communication technologies will be at the heart of a new generation of clean and ‘connected’ 
vehicles. 

The  transport  system  will  become  fully  integrated,  and  intermodal,  allowing  travellers  and 
freight  to  switch  seamlessly  between  modes  and  across  borders.  Growing  end-user  demand 
coupled  with  further  development  of  the  internal  market  will  bring  new  services,  higher 
reliability  and  more  flexibility  for  passengers  and  cargo  owners.  All  major  airports  and 
seaports will be connected to the railway network. This will be supported by fully intermodal 
information,  reservation  and  payment  systems  and  services.  Intermodal  terminals  and 
platforms  for  passenger  and  freight  will  be  ‘smartly’  designed  and  endowed  with  advanced 
equipment, for example to facilitate seamless freight transhipment. 

New approaches in tracking, tracing and management of freight will result in highly efficient, 
affordable  and  paperless  logistics  services  with  a  lower  carbon  footprint.  Goods  will  be 
delivered  within  guaranteed  delivery  times.  In  the  transport  safety  and  security  domains, 
technology  will  help  to  provide  a  response  to  society’s  demands  for  ‘zero-casualties’  and 
‘total security’ visions. 

In the medium term, a new architecture for a user-oriented European transport management, 
information  and  payment  system,  based  on  state-of-the-art  positioning,  communication  and 

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A  sustainable  future  for  transport:  Towards  an  integrated,  technology-led  and  user  friendly  system, 
COM(2009), 279 final. 
Scientific Assessment of Strategic Transport Technologies, EC Joint Research Centre, EUR 25211 EN, 
2012. 

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monitoring  technology,  will  be  implemented.  Over  the  shorter  term,  existing  modal 
management  and  information  systems  will  be  further  improved,  deployed  and,  whenever 
appropriate, extended with interfaces to other modes allowing for seamless travel and logistics 
services. 

Transport infrastructure will change. Modern infrastructure will increasingly incorporate new 
components which make it smart (intelligent, ICT-enabled and automated), green (new light 
and recyclable materials) and intermodal (automated terminals, hubs, and equipment). It will 
integrate  the  provision  of  alternative,  low  carbon  fuels  and  innovative  management  and 
operation systems. The trans-European transport core-network will be an important showcase 
in  this  context.  New  infrastructure  will  be  characterised  by  climate-resilience,  shorter 
downtime and low maintenance costs. 

3.2. 

Sustainable long-distance, intercity and urban transport 

New generations of clean, safe and quiet road vehicles, aircraft, vessels and trains will replace 
the  means  of  transport  that  we  currently  use.  However,  the  lifetimes  of  aircraft,  ships  and 
trains  are  long,  which  means  that  —  save  for  retrofitting  —  the  benefits  will  emerge  only 
slowly  even  if  operational  and  technical  improvements  will  be  implemented  sooner.  Future 
aircraft  and  vessels,  combined  with  a  paradigm  shift  in  organising  traffic  management,  will 
bring major environmental benefits and efficiency gains to a sector which will continue to see 
a strong market growth. 

Medium-distance  waterborne  and  rail  transport  will  win  passenger  and  freight  markets  by 
using  newly  developed,  dedicated  means  of  transport.  Greening  the  supply  chain  will  also 
trigger  a  modal  shift  of  longer-distance  freight  towards  waterborne  and  rail.  Road-based 
freight  transport  over  medium  distances  and  passenger  transport  by  coach  will  increasingly 
use new types of vehicles on dedicated ‘green-infrastructure networks’. 

While maintaining mobility,  a gradual tightening of emission regulations  for  new passenger 
cars is expected to favour the use of alternative propulsion, particularly in urban centres. New 
personal  transport  modes  with  minimal  resource  use  will  emerge,  alongside  the  increasing 
take up of cycling and walking in redesigned urban areas. Integrated planning for sustainable 
mobility will be embedded in the context of urban and territorial development. Logistics and 
goods delivery and distribution services in urban areas will be quiet and increasingly carbon-
free. New distribution models for urban freight will be implemented. 

The development of public-transport services will become concentrated in urban areas, as it is 
there that public transport can increase its market share. Public transport will increasingly rely 
on electricity. Public transport will remain affordable and accessible for all, regardless social 
status  and  place  of  residence  (avoiding  access-poverty).  Totally  new  business  models  for 
public  and  private  transport  services  might  emerge,  such  as  shared  ownership  of  means  of 
transport.  A  new  generation  of  personal-mobility  means,  which  may  be  connected  and  turn 
into ‘individualised’ public transport systems, may take off. Customised and green bus, coach, 
microbus or taxi transport will ensure ‘accessibility on (electronic) demand’ in rural areas. 

4. 

STRENGTHENING EUROPE’S TRANSPORT RESEARCH AND INNOVATION SYSTEM 

The  above  vision  will  not  become  a  reality  unless  the  European  transport  research  and 
innovation system delivers the necessary new solutions. This will require strategic actions in 
four fields. 

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Firstly, the research and innovation anchorage in transport policy should be strengthened. The 
Innovation Union flagship initiative11 and Digital Agenda for Europe12 underline the need for 
a strategic approach to innovation. The Commission’s proposal for Horizon 202013, subject to 
the  adoption  by  the  legislative  authority,  highlights  smart,  green  and  integrated  transport  as 
one of the six major societal challenges where European research and innovation can make a 
real  difference.  In  addition,  the  White  Paper  on  Transport  calls  for  the  integration  of  all 
transport  modes  into  a  single  European  transport  system,  doing  away  with  the  current 
tendency to consider each mode in isolation. 

Secondly,  the  efforts  of  individual  sectors  and  actors  should  be  better  aligned.  Whereas,  in 
general,  multiple  research  efforts  enhance  the  probability  of  breakthroughs  and  increase  the 
range of solutions, the particularities of innovation in the transport sector suggest that joint or 
coordinated  efforts  across  sectors  and  actors  may  be  more  effective  in  specific  fields.  For 
example,  transport  service  providers  often  refer  to  an  insufficient  or  premature  supply  of 
innovative solutions, whereas the producers of transport solutions often wait for clear market 
signals  before  developing  new  solutions  and  do  not  always  fully  understand  the  user’s 
needs14. 

Thirdly,  it  is  important  to  overcome  technology  lock-in  and  institutional  ‘silo’  thinking. 
Existing structures and stakeholder alliances hamper full realisation of the potential offered by 
transport innovation that draws on other modes and sectors. For example, transport innovation 
could  be  more  strongly 
in  other  sectors  such  as 
influenced  by  developments 
telecommunication  and  energy.  Transport  operators  that  could  benefit  from  such  innovative 
solutions  often  operate  at  low  profit  margins  and  have  limited  incentives  to  invest  in  new 
solutions. 

Finally, the extensive asset requirements, major investment needs, and high barriers faced by 
new market entrants prevent the transport sector from bringing the necessary transformative 
solutions  to  the  market.  The  problem  of  the  ‘valley  of  death’  between  research  and 
development,  on  the  one  side,  and  innovation  and  market  uptake,  on  the  other,  has  already 
been highlighted in the Communication on the Innovation Union flagship initiative. It clearly 
applies to the transport sector. 

5. 

INITIATIVES TO IMPROVE THE INNOVATION CAPACITY OF THE TRANSPORT SECTOR 

The Commission proposes a range of initiatives to implement the necessary actions. They will 
contribute to fulfilling the policy objectives and help meet the Transport challenge in Horizon 
202015. 

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Communication  from  the  Commission  to  the  European  Parliament,  the  Council,  the  European 
Economic  and  Social  Committee  and  the  Committee  of  Regions:  Europe  2020  flagship  initiative: 
Innovation Union, COM(2010) 546 final. 
Communication  from  the  Commission  to  the  European  Parliament,  the  Council,  the  European 
Economic  and  Social  Committee  and  the  Committee  of  Regions:  A  Digital  Agenda  for  Europe, 
COM(2010) 245 final/2. 
Communication  from  the  Commission  to  the  European  Parliament,  the  Council,  the  European 
Economic  and  Social  Committee  and  the  Committee  of  Regions:  Horizon  2020  —  The  Framework 
Programme for Research and Innovation, COM(2011) 808 final. 
Summary  Analysis  of  Responses  to  a  Country  Survey  on  Innovation  in  Transport,  International 
Transport Forum (2010). 
Proposal for a Regulation for the European Parliament and of the Council establishing Horizon 2020 – 
The Framework Programme for research and innovation (2012-2020), COM(2011) 809 final. 

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5.1.  Making transport research and innovation more focused 

The process of common strategic end-to-end programming will provide an important tool to 
strengthen the innovation system. This communication acts as a starting point for this work, 
and  the  Commission  proposes  three  comprehensive  research  and  innovation  areas  where 
concrete and deployable results must be achieved in the next twenty years. 

• 

• 

• 

With  regard  to  means  of  transport,  a  paradigm  shift  towards  alternative  propulsion 
systems, alternative fuels and smart communication technologies should result in the 
development of clean, smart, safe and quiet rail and road vehicles, aircraft and vessels, 
together  with  a  more  effective  interface  with  the  infrastructure.  This  includes 
developments  in  components,  materials,  and  enabling  technologies.  Besides  better 
serving the needs of the European user, the global competitive edge of the European 
transport manufacturing industry should be enhanced. 

In  the  area  of  infrastructure,  progress  is  needed  on  smart,  green,  low-maintenance 
and  climate-resilient  infrastructure,  including  for  the  provision  of  alternative  fuels, 
modal traffic management and information systems which can support user services, 
demand  management,  and  other  solutions  related  to  optimised  infrastructure  usage. 
Capacity  building  on  local,  regional  and  national  level  is  needed  for  both  public 
authorities responsible for the provision of services and transport operators. 

In  the  area  of  transport  services  and  operations,  major  advances  are  needed  with 
regard to seamless and efficient services for passenger and freight transport to allow 
stronger integration of all transport modes, in particular in urban and inter-urban areas 
and in terms of well-designed nodes and efficient transhipment equipment. Progress is 
also needed on integrated multimodal information, traffic and demand management at 
European level, seamless logistics and innovative urban mobility solutions, including 
high-quality public transport. 

Safety and security-related issues and ICT applications will be mainstreamed throughout these 
fields,  as  well  as  user  needs  such  as  accessibility,  as  they  have  implications  for  vehicles, 
infrastructure  and  services.  Socio-economic  and  exploratory  research  including  research  to 
understand user behaviour will also be necessary. 

To  achieve  actual  deployment  of  new  solutions  contributing  to  European  transport  policy 
objectives, European research and innovation activities must be focused. Annex 1 presents the 
three innovation areas, their ten identified fields16 and how they relate to the White Paper’s 
goals and targets. Taking into account expert judgement, the Commission sees these ten fields 
as  offering  significant  potential  for  contributing  to  the  White  Paper’s  objectives  by  2030, 
though  in  certain  fields  up  to  2050,  and  they  take  into  account  the  specificities  of  the 
individual modes and multimodal issues. They represent neither a final position nor a list of 
priorities  for  future  research  and  innovation  programmes  and  could  be  adjusted  during 
discussions with stakeholders. 

The fields represent a starting point for organising a road-mapping exercise, to be launched in 
September  2012  with  the  aim  of  focusing  European  R&D  activities  and  funding  on 
deployable  technologies  that  contribute  effectively  to  policy  objectives.  It  will  also  aim  at 
identifying existing gaps and addressing weaknesses along the innovation chain. Its end-result 
will be one or several roadmaps for each field, identifying funding, instruments and actors and 
foreseeing monitoring and governance mechanisms able to take on board evolving contexts. 

16 

The research and innovation areas and priority fields are presented in greater detail in the staff working 
document Preliminary Descriptions of Research and Innovation Areas and Fields, SEC….. 

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Particular  emphasis  will  be  put  on  fields  where  market  failures  exist  or  where  joint  or 
coordinated efforts can accelerate the uptake of new technologies. 

This  road-mapping,  based  on  the  current  Communication  and  accompanying  staff  working 
document, will be a consultative process involving stakeholders in identifying where action at 
European level can yield the biggest impact. For each priority area, a consensus will be sought 
on the requirements arising from policy objectives and the European technological state of the 
art.  Wherever  possible,  roadmaps  prepared  by  stakeholders  will  be  the  starting  point.  This 
process will be underpinned by a scientific approach, challenging the roadmaps from the point 
of view of overcoming fragmentation, so as to be able to adopt more ambitious goals and to 
achieve a critical mass when deploying solutions. In certain areas, especially those addressing 
cross-modal issues where sound roadmaps are lacking, the task will require a greater effort. 

The  resulting  set  of  roadmaps  will  be  at  the  heart  of  the  European  strategic  transport 
technology plan. They will serve as a basis for future work within the Commission, e.g. the 
preparation  of  work  programmes  for  Horizon  2020,  identification  of  funding  requirements, 
legislative proposals that have the potential to stimulate deployment, etc. 

5.2. 

Better aligning efforts 

The  Commission  proposes  to  progress  on  partnerships  and  improve  governance  of  the 
innovation  chain.  The  existing  transport-related  public-private  partnerships  and  European 
Technology  Platforms  have  already  developed  useful  roadmaps  and  strategic  research 
agendas,  in  particular  for  modal  issues.  Additional  or  improved  public-private  coordination 
mechanisms  might  be  explored.  Joint  Programming,  in  the  form  of  partnerships  among 
Member States facilitated by the Commission, or European Innovation Partnerships, may also 
offer  further  potential  to  be  explored.  Links  with  other  strategic  research  and  innovation 
strategies such as the SET-Plan17 will be ensured. 

Regular  and  reliable  information  provision  to  policy-makers  and  private-sector  stakeholders 
can  facilitate  the  monitoring  and  steering  of the development and  deployment  of  innovative 
solutions.  For  this  purpose,  the  Commission  intends  to  establish  a  Transport  Research  and 
Innovation Monitoring and Information System (TRIMIS). Using funds from Horizon 2020, 
TRIMIS  will  become  the  Commission’s  instrument  for  mapping  technology  trends  and 
research  and  innovation  capacities.  It  may  be  linked  with  the  Commission’s  Transport 
Research & Innovation Portal, an additional information source. 

Finally,  global  environmental  challenges  need  a  coordinated  global  response.  The  race  to 
achieve  sustainable  mobility  is  a  global  one.  This  means  that  integrating  an  international 
dimension in European transport research and innovation is important for Europe’s success. In 
particular, working towards global agreements and greenhouse-gas reduction targets (e.g. on 
ICAO and IMO level) can ensure global development, commercialisation, and deployment of 
innovative solutions that can help achieve sustainable mobility. Europe will need to establish 
strong international partnerships that serve its regulatory and commercial interests. 

5.3. 

Beyond the comfort zone: breaking through technology lock-in 

Stimulating  innovation  in  mobility  and  transport  will  require  mobilising  not  only  mature 
segments  of  the  transport  market  but  also  blending  them  with  existing  or  new  emerging 
players from such fields as telecommunications, content-generation, financial services and the 

17 

A European strategic energy technology plan (SET Plan) - Towards a low carbon future, COM(2007) 
723 final. 

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energy-supply market. As a result, a clash between interests and entrepreneurial cultures may 
be  created  that  is  conducive  to  non-conventional  and  visionary  thinking.  The  strategic 
transport-technology plan will therefore also aim to: 

• 

• 

• 

Exploit  convergences  between  distinct  fields  such  as  transport,  energy,  information 
and  telecommunications  services,  territorial  development,  environment  that  can 
generate  added-value  for  the  mobility  of  businesses  and  consumers  and  for  broad 
policy purposes, such as growth and employment. These should be pursued through a 
fresh approach based on new system-based concepts and pioneering ideas; 

Design  a  set  of  ‘out  of  the  box’  operating  principles  and  instruments  as  well  as 
interdisciplinary approaches to stimulating entrepreneurship, e.g. prize competitions, 
new venture-capital schemes, smart public procurement, etc., that can provide timely 
and adequate public responses to the requirements of the users’ communities and the 
dynamics of the marketplace; 

Create a new dynamic of innovation in  transport that can promote  a  renaissance of 
the sector at large, making it attractive to a new generation of talents, innovators and 
entrepreneurs. Coordinated investments in training and education and rethinking the 
skills they deliver might be necessary. Competitiveness of SMEs in the sector can be 
supported  by  better  access  to  finance,  easier  access  to  European  and  international 
markets and less red-tape. 

5.4. 

Efficient deployment of innovative solutions 

The above measures will help to focus and align efforts, creating new dynamics. However, to 
ensure  a  fast,  large-scale  market  uptake  and  deployment  of  new  transport  technologies  and 
services, and without jeopardising the Single Market, public intervention may, if the market 
does  not  respond  sufficiently,  also  take  the  form  of  regulation,  standards  to  ensure 
interoperability  or  continuity  of  service,  intellectual  property  rights,  procurement  and 
financial incentives. The EU  can mitigate distortions caused by subsidies and by generating 
revenues. 

The  strategic  transport-technology  plan  will  support  the  implementation  of  the  funding 
programmes  proposed  by  the  Commission  for  the  next  multiannual  financial  framework, 
subject  to  the  adoption  by  the  legislative  authority.  This  includes  Horizon  2020,  the 
Connecting  Europe  Facility18,  the  ERDF  and  Cohesion  Fund19,  and  the  Programme  for  the 
Competitiveness of Enterprises and SMEs20. The European Investment Bank will be invited to 
intensify  the  provision  of  preferential  loans  via  the  Risk  Sharing  Finance  Facility  (RSFF), 
expand its lending to the transport sector under its new lending policy21
 and provide increased 
technical assistance to public and private stakeholders. Public financial support will need to 
be  provided  in  full  consistency  with  the  applicable  EU  state  aid  rules,  including  those 
governing  research,  development  and  innovation  activities,  financing  of  transport  activities 
and infrastructure investments.  

18 

19 
20 

21 

Proposal  for  a  Regulation  of  the  European  Parliament  and  the  Council  establishing  the  Connecting 
Europe Facility, COM(2011), 665 final. 
http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/what/future/proposals_2014_2020_en.cfm 
Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and the Council establishing a Programme for 
the Competitiveness of Enterprises and small and medium-sized enterprises (2014 – 2020), COM(2011) 
834 final. 
EIB transport lending policy: http://www.eib.org/projects/publications/eib-transport-lending-policy.htm 

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6. 

THE  OPPORTUNITIES  AND  CHALLENGES  OF 
DEPLOYMENT 

TRANSPORT-TECHNOLOGY 

Reaching our policy goals will require the replacement of many of today’s transport systems 
and solutions by new ones within a relatively short period of time. The additional investment 
needed  in  innovative  vehicles,  equipment  and  vehicle-charging  infrastructure  to  achieve  the 
emission-reduction  goals  for  the  European  transport  system  is  estimated  at  one  trillion  euro 
between 2010 and 203022. This seems a large sum but the amount is roughly the same as EU 
households spend on transport in one year23. 
The analysis carried out by the European Commission24 shows that although the investment 
costs are not negligible, the market introduction of new solutions is mainly prevented by the 
lack of economic incentives for changes at ‘systems-level’, both for users and suppliers. Yet, 
the  deployment  of  new  green,  smart,  safe,  and  efficient  transport  solutions  provides  a 
tremendous  opportunity  to  achieve  our  environmental  and  climate  objectives,  as  well  as  to 
increase European competitiveness. 

Given the urgency and diversity of the challenges that lie ahead, political debate is needed on 
how stakeholders, Member States and the Commission can commit to, and achieve, faster and 
more  efficient  emergence  and  deployment  of  innovative  solutions.  Taking  into  account  the 
pressure  that  the  current  economic  crisis  and  its  aftermath  will  put  on  public  budgets, 
priorities  will  need  to  be  set  and  the  appropriate  instruments  (such  as  financial  incentives, 
regulation,  standards,  politically-set 
targets,  voluntary  commitments  and 
industrial 
coordination actions) to be put in place to stimulate deployment in every priority field. 

Europe’s transport system needs to be adapted. Decision-makers need to declare where they 
stand  on  the  balance  between  the  different  instruments,  taking  into  account  the  urgency, 
acceptability and affordability of implementing the innovative solutions that are necessary to 
achieve  our  policy  goals.  Citizens’  awareness  should  be  increased  and  incentive  measures 
could help to stimulate changes in consumer behaviour that are coherent with technological 
innovation, thus facilitating market uptake and increasing demand for advanced products and 
services. In this context, any debate on costs has to be seen against the costs of inaction. 

7. 

TAKING THE WORK FORWARD 

This  communication  presents  the  Commission’s  views  on  how  transport  research  and 
innovation could contribute to the ambitious objectives of the White Paper on Transport and 
support  the  implementation  of  Horizon  2020  linking  also  up  with  strategies  for  smart 
specialisation. 

The Commission invites the Council and Parliament to: 

• 

22 
23 
24 

Confirm  the  objective  of  better  aligning  transport  research  and  innovation  with 
European  transport  policy  goals,  taking  into  account  the  current  economic  and 
political reality and the long-term sustainability objectives; 

Impact Assessment Accompanying the White Paper on Transport, SEC(2011) 358 final, p. 84. 
13.6 % of household expenditure. Source: Eurostat. 
Mapping  innovation  in  the  European  transport  sector,  EC  Joint  Research  Centre,  EUR  24771  EN, 
2011. 

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• 

• 

• 

Agree to focus efforts on delivering pioneering and sustainable transport solutions at 
a  European,  national  and  local  level  through  innovative  technologies,  new  service 
approaches and entrepreneurship; 

Consider  how  to  find  the  appropriate  balance  between  the  various  instruments 
necessary for market uptake and deployment; 

Endorse  the  approach  comprising  preparation  of  a  European  strategic  transport-
this 
technology  plan,  and 
communication. 

the  options  for  further  actions,  as  outlined 

in 

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This table presents how technological innovation in each priority field is expected to contribute to the White Paper’s goals. 

ANNEX: Research and innovation areas, priority fields, and their policy relevance 

Research and 
innovation area 

Field  

Clean, efficient, 
safe, quiet and 
smart transport 
means 

Infrastructure and 
smart systems 

Transport services 
and operations for 
passengers and 
freight 

Clean, efficient, safe, quiet and smart road vehicles 

Clean, efficient, safe, quiet and smart aircraft 

Clean, efficient, safe, quiet and smart vessels 

Clean, efficient, safe, quiet and smart rail vehicles 

Smart, green, low-maintenance and climate-resilient infrastructure 

Europe-wide alternative fuel distribution infrastructures 

Efficient modal traffic-management systems (incl. capacity and 
demand management) 

Integrated cross-modal information and management services 

Seamless logistics 

Integrated and innovative urban mobility and transport 

(cid:132) Major contribution anticipated from this priority field to reach the White Paper’s goal   

(cid:131) Some contribution anticipated from this priority field to reach the White Paper’s goal 

The ten White Paper goals (summarised for readability) 

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