Smart guide on regional transport innovation strategy : transport innovation roadmaps.
Date: 2015-10-30
Institutions: Institute for Prospective Technological Studies
Subjects: clean technology, competitiveness, innovation, regional development, regional policy, regional transport, research and development, research report, transport policy

Smart guide on regional transport 
innovation strategy 

Transport innovation roadmaps 

Ana Condeço-Melhorado, Aris Christodoulou, Panayotis Christidis  

2 0 1 5  

Report EUR 27502 EN 

 
 
 
 
  
European Commission 
Joint Research Centre 
Institute for Prospective Technological Studies  

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Panayotis Christidis 
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EUR 27502 EN 

ISBN 978-92-79-52294-9 (PDF) 

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Abstract 

This guide provides regions with information and guidelines useful for the development of smart specialisation strategies (RIS3) in transport. 
The guide follows the six steps for Smart Specialization with a special focus in transport. The six steps include the analysis of the regional 
context  and  potential  for  innovation,  the discussion  of  governance  structure,  the  development  of  a  shared vision  about  the  future  of the 
region, approaches for the selection of transport related priorities for regional development, policy mixes and options for the integration of 
monitoring and evaluation mechanisms. The recommended process consists of a bottom-up analysis of regional capabilities of the industry 
and  scientific  community  that  needs  to  be aligned  with  national  and  European  objectives.  At  the European  level,  the Strategic  Transport 
Technological Plan (STTP) identifies ten innovation areas that will be extremely important for the future competitiveness of  the transport 
sector. The guide also analyses different innovation area in the context of RIS3 methodology, showing specific examples and roadmaps on 
how  these  could  be  implemented  in  the  regional  innovation  strategies.  Finally  tools  are  offered  to  analyse  the  innovation  potential, 
performance  and  priorities  in  the  transport  sector,  such  as  data  and  indicators  regarding  regional  transport  innovation,  as  well  as 
methodologies to analyse innovation capabilities of European regions.  

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Acknowledgements  

This guide is one of the main outcomes of METRIC1, an FP7 project that focused on mapping the regional 
transport innovation capacity and competitive advantages of European regions.  It is the result of work 
package  5  which  focused  on  'Regional  Strategy  Plans  and  Recommendations'.  The  authors  would  like 
thank  all  partners  of  this  project  for  inputs  provided  in  this  work  package  both  regarding  data  and 
suggestions.  

1 http://metricfp7.eu/ 

1 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                        
2 

 
 
 
 
 
 
Executive Summary 

Under  the  current  Cohesion  Policy  funding  period  (2014-2020),  EU  regions  are  expected  to  define 
national and regional innovation strategies for smart specialisation (RIS3) as ex-ante conditionality for 
European  Structural  and  Investment  Funds  (ESIF).  These  strategies  should  be  integrated,  location-
dependent economic transformation agendas that focus policy support and investments on key national 
and regional priorities, based on existing strengths and competitive advantages. 

Many regions have identified  the transport sector as  a priority in their regional innovation strategies2, 
given  its  economic  weight  in  terms  of  value  added  and  employment  levels.  This  sector  is  also  highly 
innovative, especially in the aeronautic and automotive sub-sectors. 

Regional  and  national  authorities  wishing  to  use  EISF  in  research  and  innovation  in  the  transport  will 
need  to  include  this  sector  into  national/regional  Research  and  Innovation  Strategies  for  smart 
specialization. 

This  guide  provides  regions  with  information  and  guidelines  useful  for  the  development  of  Smart 
Specialisation Strategies in transport. Furthermore, it presents a set of recommendations and tools for 
the development of regional transport innovation plans.  

The first part of this guide follows the six steps for Smart Specialization developed in more detail in the 
original Guide to Research and Innovation Strategies (European Commission, 2012) which was already 
adopted for the ICT sector (Sörvik, J. and Kleibrink, A., 2014). The current guide provides a special focus 
in transport. The six steps include: 

1.  Analysis of the regional context and potential for innovation;  
2.  Set up a sound and inclusive governance structure;  
3.  Production of a shared vision about the future of the region;  
4.  Selection of a limited number of priorities for regional development;  
5.  Establishing of suitable policy mixes;  
6. 

Integration of monitoring and evaluation mechanisms. 

For the selection of priorities, the recommended process  consists of a bottom-up analysis  of regional 
capabilities  of  the  industry  and  scientific  community  that  needs  to  be  aligned  with  national  and 
European objectives (top-down). At the European level, the Strategic Transport Technological Plan (STTP) 
identifies  ten  innovation  areas  that  will  be  extremely important for  the  future  competitiveness  of  the 
transport sector.  

The current guide analyses each innovation area in the context of RIS3 methodology, showing specific 
examples and roadmaps on how these could be implemented in the regional innovation strategies. 

Additionally,  tools  are  offered  to  help  regional  stakeholders  to  analyse  the  innovation  potential, 
performance  and  priorities  in  the  transport  sector,  such  as  data  and  indicators  regarding  regional 
transport innovation, as well as methodologies to analyse innovation capabilities of European regions.  

2 Around 6% of priorities defined by regions in their smart specialisation strategies, see transport as a target market (Sörvik, 
J. and Kleibrink, A., 2015) 

3 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                        
Contents 

Acknowledgements .............................................................................................................................................. 1 

Executive Summary.............................................................................................................................................. 3 

Introduction ........................................................................................................................................................... 7 

Part 1 - Six steps for a successful smart specialization strategy ................................................................. 10 

Step 1 – Analysis of the regional context and potential for innovation ........................................................ 12 

Step 2 – Set up a sound and inclusive governance structure ...................................................................... 18 

Step 3 – Elaboration of an overall vision for the future of the region .......................................................... 19 

Sept 4 – Identification of priorities .......................................................................................................... 20 

Step 5 – Definition of coherent policy mix, roadmaps and action plan ......................................................... 24 

Step 6 – Integration of monitoring and evaluation mechanisms ................................................................. 27 

Part 2 - Developing transport innovation strategies ...................................................................................... 31 

Clean, efficient, safe and smart road vehicles .......................................................................................... 34 

Clean, efficient, safe, quiet and smart aircrafts ........................................................................................ 37 

Clean, efficient, safe, quiet and smart rail vehicles ................................................................................... 42 

Clean, efficient, safe, quiet and smart vessels .......................................................................................... 46 

Smart, green, low-maintenance and climate-resilient infrastructure ........................................................... 50 

Europe-wide alternative fuel distribution infrastructures ........................................................................... 55 

Efficient modal traffic-management systems .......................................................................................... 58 

Integrated cross-modal information and management services ................................................................. 62 

Seamless logistics ................................................................................................................................ 65 

Integrated and innovative urban mobility and transport ............................................................................ 69 

Part 3 - Tools and services for regional innovation strategies in transport ................................................. 74 

METRIC Project tools ............................................................................................................................. 76 

Support provided by the Commission services and other institutions........................................................... 79 

Conclusions ......................................................................................................................................................... 82 

References .......................................................................................................................................................... 83 

4 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
5 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
List of figures 

Figure 1 – Examples of regional assets involved in the regional innovation system ............................ 13 
Figure 2 - The EU transport scoreboard ................................................................................................ 14 
Figure 3 - The quadruple helix model of innovation ...................................................................................... 18 
Figure 4 – List of potential transport stakeholders ........................................................................................ 19 
Figure 5 – Interactive process for the identification of priorities ..................................................................... 20 
Figure 6 – Transport innovation fields presented by the STTP ........................................................................ 23 

List of tables 

Table 1 – SWOT analysis for the automotive sector in Turkey ............................................................. 15 
Table 2 – Opportunities for synergies between Horizon 2020 and Cohesion policy ........................................... 25 
Table 3 – Example of context indicators ...................................................................................................... 27 
Table 4 – Examples of result indicators ....................................................................................................... 28 
Table 5 – Examples of outcome indicators ................................................................................................... 29 
Table 6: Transport innovation indicators ...................................................................................................... 78 

List of boxes 

Box 1 - Regional collaboration on transport issues: The EU strategy for the Danube region (EUSDR) .................. 17 
Box 2 – J'innove in Nord-Pas de Calais ........................................................................................................ 17 
Box 3 - Poitou-Charentes vision .................................................................................................................. 20 
Box 4 – Successful projects funded by ERDF in the area of transport innovations ............................................ 26 
Box 5 - The regional innovation observatory of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region .......................................... 30 
Box 6 - Laboratory of reactivity and chemistry of solids (France) ................................................................... 37 
Box 7 - The Andalusian aerospace cluster (OECD, 2013) ............................................................................... 39 
Box 8 - RAILENIUM – Institute for technological research (Source: http://www.railenium.eu) ............................... 45 
Box 9 - LeaderSHIP 2020 .......................................................................................................................... 49 
Box 10 - Innovative Danube Vessel ............................................................................................................. 50 
Box 11 – Greenroad project ....................................................................................................................... 54 
Box 12 - Magnun Cap's New Park Charge Solution ....................................................................................... 58 
Box 13 - New Centre of Excellence in North-Western Slovakia ....................................................................... 61 
Box 14 - LOGICAL project .......................................................................................................................... 65 
Box 15 - Finland's multi-modal transport service package ............................................................................. 65 
Box 16 - Competence field logistics & transport, ecoplus .............................................................................. 68 
Box 17 - The Zurich transport system ......................................................................................................... 70 
Box 18 - Future Bristol .............................................................................................................................. 73 

6 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Introduction 

The  smart  specialisation  concept  builds  upon  the  idea  of  focusing  the  R&D  and  innovation  efforts  in 
programs  that  will  complement  the  regional  assets  while  creating  a  comparative  advantage  for  the 
region. One of the final objectives of smart specialization is the promotion of a structural change trough 
cross-innovation  between  sectors  and  the  use  of  technologies  to  bring  traditional  sectors  to  a  higher 
innovation level (Foray, D, 2015). This way, agglomeration externalities, economies of scale and scope, 
and spillovers can be fully realised in the process of knowledge production and distribution.  

This concept has been developed and put in practice by the Smart Specialisation Platform (S3P), which 
has  also  developed  a  method  to  implement  a  strategy  for  smart  specialisation  in  national/regional 
contexts (European Commission, 2012). Under the current Cohesion Policy funding period (2014-2020), 
EU regions are asked to draw up national/regional innovation strategies for smart specialization (RIS3) 
as  ex-ante  conditionality  for  European  Structural  and  investment  Funds  (ESIF).  These  strategies  are 
integrated, place-based economic transformation agendas that focus policy support and investments on 
key national/regional priorities, based on existing strengths and competitive advantages. 

The transport sector is pointed as a priority for many regions in their RIS3. This is a crucial economic 
sector  for  the  EU's  economy,  constituted  by  a  diverse  range  of  companies,  such  as  transport 
manufacturers, transport suppliers, infrastructure constructors, service providers or energy-related firms. 
The transport sector contributes with high employment levels in Europe, providing highly qualified jobs in 
sectors such as the automotive or civil aircraft manufacturing. The European transport sector is highly 
innovative, being responsible for 21% of total 2011 Business Enterprise R&D (BERD, Eurostat) in the EU 
28, but it differs largely on the transport subsector analysed. The aeronautic and automotive sectors are 
among  the  most  innovative  transport  subsectors,  while  service  providers  have  limited  innovation 
capacity (Condeço-Melhorado, A., 2014). 

The EU is  well aware of the importance of the transport sector for its internal market and worldwide 
economic competitiveness. The European Structural Investment Funds (ESIF) are one of the main policy 
instruments available for transport investments, which include five sources of funding:  

1)  European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) 
2)  European Social Fund (ESF) 
3)  Cohesion Fund (CF) 
4)  European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) 
5)  European Maritime & Fisheries Fund (EMFF) 

These funds support the Europe 2020 strategy and devote one of its Thematic Objectives (TO) directly to 
in  key  network 
'Promoting  sustainable  transport  and  removing  bottlenecks 
transport:  TO  7 
infrastructures'3. Other TOs can be used to transport policies, such as TO 4 'Shift towards a low carbon 
economy' or TO 1 'Strengthening research, technological development and innovation'. 

Regional and national authorities wishing to use ERDF in research and innovation in transport can apply 
for the R&D target of TO 1. However they will need to adopt national/regional Research and Innovation 
Strategies for Smart Specialization (RIS3), as ex-ante conditionality. 

3 Common Provisions Regulation (CPR) No1303/2013 

7 

 
 
 
 
                                                        
Main objective of the guide 

The  main  purpose  of  this  guide  is  to  provide  regions  with  information  and  guidelines  useful  for  the 
development  of  Smart  Specialisation  Strategies  in  transport.  This  is  one  of  the  main  outcomes  of 
METRIC4,  an  FP7  project  that  focused  on  mapping  the  regional  transport  innovation  capacity  and 
competitive advantages of European regions. This guide presents a set of recommendations and tools 
for the development of regional transport innovation plans.  

Furthermore technology-specific transport innovation roadmaps for ten transport fields  are developed. 
The  transport  innovation  roadmaps  are  structured  around  the  ten  technological  fields  that  have  been 
identified  in  the  Strategic  Transport  Technology  Plan  (European  Commission,  2012a)  and,  besides  the 
rationale, barriers and challenges regarding each sector, they follow an analytical process that highlights 
key issues relevant to the steps of the smart specialisation structure. 

The tools and recommendations provided in this guide can be useful for the development of innovation 
plans and the benchmarking of regions. Specific tools for the transport sector have been developed in 
METRIC for regional evaluation, including:  

a)  Regional transport innovation scoreboard that consists of a selection of indicators presented in 

Konings and Louw (2014a) 

b)  Innovation performance in terms of achievements (Konings et al., 2014b),  
c) 
Innovation potentials (Hoppe and Winter, 2014a) 
d)  Typology of regions (Hoppe and Winter, 2015b) 
e)  Tool-box for determining regional innovation potential (Hoppe and Winter, 2015c) 
f)  Benchmarking of regions (Christodoulou, A. et al., 2015) 

The Target Audience 

The  guide  is  targeted  at  Structural  Funds  managing  authorities,  policy-makers  and  transport 
stakeholders  that  could  be  involved  and  benefit  from  the  implementation  of  Smart  Specialization 
Strategies. 

RIS3 processes have already started/finalised in many EU regions. For those regions, the current guide 
offers the possibility to revise their innovation strategies with specific information that relates the RIS3 
methodology  with  the  transport  sector.  The  information  provided  in  this  guide  can  also  be  useful  for 
other  regions  that  plan  to  include  the  transport  sector  in  future  RIS3  revisions.  Other  transport 
stakeholders  (i.e.  industry,  universities)  may  use  this  guide  as  an  overview  of  the  RIS3  process  that 
regions are following in order to meet the ex-ante conditionality of ESIF. 

4 http://metricfp7.eu/ 

8 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                        
Structure of the guide 

Part 1 

Part  1  briefly  presents  the  six  steps  for  Smart  Specialization  developed  in  more  detail  in  the  original 
Guide to Research and Innovation Strategies (European Commission,  2012). This includes : 1) Analysis 
of  the  regional  context  and  potential  for  innovation;  2)  Set  up  a  sound  and  inclusive  governance 
structure;  3)  Production  of  a  shared  vision  about  the  future  of  the  region;  4)  Selection  of  a  limited 
number of priorities for regional development; 5) Establishing of suitable policy mixes; 6) Integration of 
monitoring and evaluation mechanisms. 

Part 2 

Part  2  associates  specific  technological  fields  with  Smart  Specialisation  Strategies  (RIS3).Ten  critical 
transport  areas  for  transport  were  selected  based  on  the  Strategic  Transport  Technology  Plan  (STTP) 
(European Commission, 2012a). Roadmaps for including the ten transport innovation fields into RIS3 are 
presented. 

Part 3 

Part 3 presents some tools that can be used by regions in order to analyse their innovation activity and 
to  compare  this  innovation  activity  with  other  European  regions.  The  first  section  includes  the  tools 
coming  out  from  the  analysis  that  was  conducted  during  the  METRIC  project.  The  second  section 
presents more general tools and services that can be used for regional innovation strategies. 

9 

 
 
 
 
 
Part 1 - Six steps for a successful smart 
specialization strategy 

10 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
11 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Part 1 - Six steps for a successful smart specialization strategy 

Part  1  -  Six  steps  for  a  successful  smart  specialization 
strategy 

Following the original Guide to Research and innovation Strategies for Smart Specialization5 (European 
Commission, 2012), this section is structured around six steps:  

1.  Analysis of the regional context and potential for innovation 
2.  Set up a sound and inclusive governance structure 
3.  Production of a shared vision about the future of the region 
4.  Selection of a limited number of priorities for regional development  
5.  Establishing of suitable policy mixes 
6. 

Integration of monitoring and evaluation mechanisms 

Step 1 – Analysis of the regional context and potential for innovation 

This step aims the analysis of existing assets and the prospects for future development within a region. 
The analysis should cover three main dimensions: 

  Regional assets, such as technological infrastructures 
  Links with the rest of the world and the position of the region within the European and global 

economy 

  Dynamics of the entrepreneurial environment 

The first dimension is the assessment  of  regional  assets focusing on strengths and weaknesses of 
the region, while identifying any bottleneck and key challenges that may exist for driving the innovation 
within the region. In this step it is important to look at companies' needs and barriers to innovation while 
assessing  the  support  to  innovation  provided  by  the  infrastructure  existing  in  the  region.  This  dual 
analysis will reveal the gap between companies' needs and demand for support and will evaluate the 
relevance  and  effectiveness  of  existing  infrastructures.  This  process  may  lead  to  proposals  for 
improvements of existing innovation infrastructure and better use of public funds. 

When identifying the regional assets it is important to look at potential ways of diversifying the existing 
know-how. However, this diversification should point to feasible and accessible objectives. At this stage 
it  is  important  to  look  at  any  existing  differentiation  patterns  that  may  emerge  from  the  interaction 
between well-established firms and new activities. 

Some  tools  are  especially  suited  for  this purpose  such  as  the  SWOT  analysis,  taking  into  account  the 
regional  assets  involved  in  the  regional  innovation  system  (Figure  1).  For  this  analysis,  all  relevant 
stakeholders  should  be  identified  and  consulted  about  the  importance  and  effectiveness  of  existing 
infrastructure. Key transport indicators such as the ones in the EU Transport Scoreboard  

5 http://s3platform.jrc.ec.europa.eu/documents/10157/267027/RIS3%20Guide.pdf 

12 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                        
Part 1 - Six steps for a successful smart specialization strategy 

Figure  2) should also be considered, together with other general economic performance indicators such 
as  GVA,  turnover,  production  and  employment,  to  assess  the  transport  sector  in  the  regional  context. 
Table 1 shows an example of SWOT analysis for automotive sector in Turkey. 

Figure 1 – Examples of regional assets involved in the regional innovation system 

Source: Own elaboration 

13 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Part 1 - Six steps for a successful smart specialization strategy 

Figure 2 - The EU transport scoreboard 

Source: http://ec.europa.eu/transport/facts-fundings/scoreboard/index_en.htm 

14 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Part 1 - Six steps for a successful smart specialization strategy 

Table 1 – SWOT analysis for the automotive sector in Turkey 

Opportunities 
Increase in domestic demand 
Newly emerging opportunities within the global 
markets and neighbouring countries (New Export 
Markets) 
Relatively low costs compared to the EU 
Joint projects that suppliers are involved at the 
very beginning; in design processes within the 
production chain 
The on-going studies dedicated to ensure the 
compatibility with the EU Legislation 

Threats 
Second hand vehicle imports from the EU 
Uncertainties in studies conducted in energy 
efficiency and environment legislation 
Enormous increases in raw materials 
Negative Impacts of Revaluation of TL on Exports 
The rise of China, India and East-Europe countries 
in terms of low costs 
Delay in capacity building and technological 
investment decisions 

- 
- 

- 
- 

- 

- 
- 

- 
- 
- 

- 

Strengths 
-  Unsaturated Domestic Market 
-  Compatibility with the EU Customs Union and the 

technical compliance 

-  Geographical location (proximity to the EU markets and 

largest domestic markets) 
-  High Innovation Capacity 
-  Flexible production with competitive costs and risk 

sharing value chain 

-  Sophisticated demand structure 
-  Strong Position in International Trade 
-  Competitive sub-contractors and suppliers 
-  High standards of quality in production 
-  Well-educated, young, dynamic and highly motivated 

qualified workforce 

-  Flexible and long working hours 
-  The high level of technical and commercial skills 
-  Ability to adapt to changes, standards, production and 

- 

global conjecture 
• The high level of “Know-How” of the suppliers due to 
foreign partnerships 

Weaknesses 
-  The lack/minority of firms with Co-Design capability 

and the low rates of domestic value added 

-  The lack/minority of test centres 
-  The high levels of motor vehicle taxes and also the 

high level of taxes on fuel products 

-  The incompatibility of the legislation on motor vehicle 

- 

taxes with the EU Legislation 
Inconsistency of demand due to sudden and high 
increases in taxes rates 

-  Non-competitive support legislation compared to 

competitor countries 

-  Bureaucracy in foreign trade procedures 
-  High costs of energy 
-  Low quality in fuel products 
- 
-  The insufficient integration and synergy between OEMs 

Insufficient transportation infrastructure 

and suppliers 
- 
Insufficient export support schemes 
-  High interest rates and high input costs 
- 
- 

Increase in costs that are not reflected to retail prices 
• Inadequacy of industrial design capabilities 

Source: (TUBITAK, in OECD, 2013) 

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Part 1 - Six steps for a successful smart specialization strategy 

The region should look beyond its regional boundaries and compare itself with other similar regions, 
in  order  to  identify  competitive  advantages  both  in  the  national  and  international  context.  It  is  also 
important that the region identifies relevant links of flows of goods, services and knowledge with other 
regions  in  order  to  show  possible  patterns  of  integration  with  partner  regions  and  the  position  of 
regional firms in international value chains. Collaboration between regions is considered one important 
aspect in the RIS3 because it will: i) minimize the risk of duplication of investments in other European 
regions; ii) promote complementarities between regions and; iii) achieve critical mass to solve common 
challenges.  In  the  EU  there  are  some  examples  of  good  practices  regarding  regional  collaboration  in 
transport issues, as in the case of Danube region or the Baltic Sea region (See Box 1). 

Proposed tools for this kind of analysis are comparative studies, rounds of interviews with other regions 
and interregional work groups. General statistics from official data sources that compare the region with 
the  country, other similar regions and the EU, in terms of economic performance; innovation capacity; 
educational levels; sectorial specialization; scientific specialization, will be useful to position the region in 
the  national  and  European  context.  Other  useful  tools  are  the  European  Cluster  Observatory6,  the 
Eye@RIS37 and the Benchmarking Regional Structure8 (See Part 3 of this report). 

The smart specialization requires the participation of entrepreneurs which have a good knowledge of 
areas with the greatest potential to evolve. To evaluate the dynamics of entrepreneurs it could be useful 
to  look  at  statistics  on  entrepreneurial  activities,  and  promote  rounds  of  consultations  with  cluster 
management  and  firms,  working  groups  and  observatories  as  well  as  monitoring  organization.  These 
consultations  should  provide  additional  information  about  their  innovation  capacity,  their  main 
competitiveness  advantages  as  well  as  the  main  barriers  encountered  in  the  innovation  process. 
Furthermore it is also important to understand the links between entrepreneurs and their main clients 
and suppliers. A questionnaire similar to the Community Innovation Survey (CIS) could serve as a basis to 
gather this information. Some regions have developed interesting tools to map the innovation potential 
of regional entrepreneurs. This is the case of J'innove in Nord-Pas de Calais (seeBox 2) 

6 http://www.clusterobservatory.eu/index.html#!view=aboutobservatory;url=/about-observatory/ 
7 http://s3platform.jrc.ec.europa.eu/eye-ris3 
8 http://s3platform.jrc.ec.europa.eu/regional-benchmarking 

16 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                        
Part 1 - Six steps for a successful smart specialization strategy 

Box 1 - Regional collaboration on transport issues: The EU strategy for the Danube region 
(EUSDR) 

In 2010, the European Commission proposed a strategy to boost the development of the Danube Region 
that was finally endorsed by Member States in 2011. This region includes both EU and non-EU countries, 
with different levels of innovation capacity (http://www.danube-region.eu/). 

The strategy provides a framework to address challenges that require transnational cooperation in the field 
of environmental threats, transnational transport corridors, energy, socio-economic development, education, 
research and innovation and safety and security issues.  

The  strategy  is  organized  around  four  pillars:  (1)  Connecting  the  Danube  region;  (2)  Protecting  the 
environment  in  the  Danube  region;  (3)  Building  prosperity  in  the  Danube  region;  (4)  Strengthening  the 
Danube region; and 11 functional Priority Areas, from which two are directly related with transport (Inland 
waterways,  and  Rail,  road  and  air  transport).  Several  transport-related  projects  have been  started  in  the 
fields of infrastructure construction and management, sustainability, fleet modernization, and information 
services. 

Smart Specialization strategies are especially useful to deal with interregional/international challenges such 
as  in  the  case  of  the  EUSDR,  due  to  the  exploitation  of  regional  diversity  while  avoiding  duplication  of 
resources, as well as achieving a critical mass needed to tackle major common challenges. 

Box 2 – J'innove in Nord-Pas de Calais 

J'innove is a partnership group that supports and 
promotes  innovation  throughout  the  region.  In 
collaboration  with  other  structures,  such  as 
universities,  clusters,  Chamber  of  commerce,  it 
provides  specialized  services  for  SMEs  in  the 
fields of training, research commercialization and 
innovative company creation. 

Furthermore, the network has developed several tools and initiatives such as: 

- 

- 
- 

Astride  online  platform:  for  mapping  regional  innovation  actors,  communication  and  decision-
making among its members 
Innoscope methodology: for assessing innovative potential of SMEs by a range of indicators 
Summer University networking event: for regional and cross-regional stakeholders. 

17 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Part 1 - Six steps for a successful smart specialization strategy 

Step 2 – Set up a sound and inclusive governance structure 

During  the  design  and  implementation  of  Smart  Specialisation  Strategies  it  is  recommended  the 
participation of industry, education and research institutes, government (at different levels) and groups 
representing  demand-size  perspectives,  such  as  organizations  representing  consumers,  citizens  and/or 
workers  (Figure  3).  This  structure  follows  the  logic  of  the  quadruple  helix  model  of  innovation  which 
recognizes the important contribution of society in the innovation process. 

Figure 3 - The quadruple helix model of innovation 

Source: Own elaboration 

However  this  structure  may  be  challenging  for  managing  authorities,  because  such  diverse  group  of 
actors  may  raise  potential  conflicts  that  could  slow  down  the  entire  process.  For  that  reason  it  is 
recommended that experts with interdisciplinary knowledge and experience in interaction with different 
actors, moderate the design phase of the strategy. The RIS3 guide recommends the use of collaborative 
leadership, which means that different stakeholders should collaborate and every actor is given the lead 
in a certain stage of the strategy definition process. Special attention should also be paid to powerful 
groups (i.e. lobbies), preventing their interests prevailing in the setting of priorities. 

Participants  of  the  strategy  should  represent  different  levels  of  governance,  from  global  to  local 
perspectives,  which  might  add  coordination  difficulties  to  consensus  building  towards  a  shared  vision. 
However, the co-existence of different governance levels guarantee that regional priorities are aligned 
with more global objectives (see step 4) while matching regional with national strategies for research 
and innovation, which in turn will constitute the backbone of operational programmes. 

For transport, a list of potential stakeholders is presented in Figure 4, however the exact structure will 
vary from region to region, depending on the regional context (i.e. the level of regional autonomy). 

18 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Part 1 - Six steps for a successful smart specialization strategy 

Figure 4 – List of potential transport stakeholders 

Source: Own elaboration 

Step 3 – Elaboration of an overall vision for the future of the region 

Achieving  a  shared  vision requires  the  attraction  of  regional  stakeholders  around a  common  strategic 
direction  towards  boosting  the  economic  development  of  the  region  and  positioning  it  on  the 
international context. This solid and realistic project should be ambitious but still credible. 

All  stakeholders  should  agree  on  a  comprehensive  scenario  for  the  development  of  the  regional 
economy, society and environment. This scenario constitutes the first step to define a share vision on the 
regional future prospects, defining what the main goals are and why they are important. In this sense it 
is  important  that  the  vision  meets  societal  challenges  such  as  those  identified  in  the  Europe  2020 
strategy9. Regional scenarios will include different measures to develop the regional assets and this will 
depend on the type of region (see an example in Box 3). 

9 http://ec.europa.eu/europe2020/index_en.htm 

19 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                               
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                        
 
Part 1 - Six steps for a successful smart specialization strategy 

Box 3 - Poitou-Charentes vision 

The region developed a joint vision for Eco-mobility, as an industry with strong 

potential to reduce the environmental impact of transport and empowering regional 

key actors (world players and SMEs) related with energy storage, batteries and 

electrical vehicles. 

One of the main contributions from the regional government was the establishment 

of a local public enterprise 'Poitou-Charentes Auto-Partage' providing a service called 

Régionlib, which is a public system of car-sharing for electric vehicles. 

Sept 4 – Identification of priorities 

For the identification of priorities a mix of two approaches are suggested: a top-down approach and a 
bottom-up approach (Figure  5). A top-down approach means that priorities should be aligned with EU 
and national policy objectives, while a bottom-up approach ensures that priorities  are set through the 
interaction with entrepreneurs, the business community (including SMEs), leading academics and groups 
of citizens that will help in the definition of existing areas of specialisation and future prospects.  

Figure 5 – Interactive process for the identification of priorities 

Aligned with EU and 
national policy 
objectives 

Interaction with the 
industry, academic 
leaders and society  

Source: Own elaboration 

A limited number of priorities need to be selected according to regional capabilities and their potential 
for smart specialization. Priorities can be focused on specific technological or sectorial developments but 
also at the horizontal level, as well as social and organizational innovations. Finally priorities should be 
steered towards the achievement of societal challenges. 

20 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Part 1 - Six steps for a successful smart specialization strategy 

21 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Part 1 - Six steps for a successful smart specialization strategy 

Figure  6  presents  the  transport  innovation  fields  proposed  in  the  Strategic  Transport  Technology  Plan 
(STTP), a document jointly elaborated by the European Commission and experts from academia and the 
industry  side.  These  technology  fields  are  regarded  as  crucial  for  the  future  competitiveness  of  the 
European transport sector and for the achievement of the White Paper's10 goals. 

The STTP provides for each technological field, important information about key relevant technologies, 
stakeholders, barriers, regulation, governance, policies and other pressing issues, as well as about tools 
such as cooperation platforms, partnerships, initiatives, legislation and directives relevant to each field. 

10 The White Paper (European Commission, 2011a) is the main policy document in transport elaborated by the European 
Commission. 

22 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                        
Part 1 - Six steps for a successful smart specialization strategy 

Figure 6 – Transport innovation fields presented by the STTP 

Source: European Commission (2012a) 

23 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Part 1 - Six steps for a successful smart specialization strategy 

Step 5 – Definition of coherent policy mix, roadmaps and action plan 

An action plan needs to be prepared for the implementation of the strategy. This would detail the rules 
and  tools  regions  will  need,  to  reach  the  defined  priorities.  It  will  also  provide  information  about  the 
strategic  objectives,  timeframes  for  implementation,  identification  of  funding  sources  and  tentative 
budget allocation. The RIS3 guide recommends that a multi-annual Action Plan should include: 

  Definition  of  the  broad  action  lines  corresponding  to  the  prioritised  areas  and  the  challenges 

faced within these areas 

  Definition of delivery mechanisms and projects 
  Definition of target groups 
  Definition of actors involved and their responsibilities 
  Definition of measurable targets to assess both results and impacts of actions 
  Definition of timeframes 
 

Indication of funding sources, targeted to several groups and projects 

Each region needs to evaluate funding sources that might be available for developing the strategy and 
this includes, European, national, regional and/or private funds. Synergies between funds are essential to 
increase  regional  competitiveness  and  maximise  the  impact  and  efficiency  of  public  funding.  The 
European  Commission  (European  Commission,  2014c)  has  recently  launched  a  guide  on  synergies 
between  ESIF,  Horizon  2020  and  other  research,  innovation  and  competitiveness-related  Union 
programmes, such as COSME, Erasmus+, Creative Europe, European Union Programme for Employment 
and Social Innovation and digital services part of the Connecting Europe Facility. 

The RIS3 offers the possibility to combine Horizon 2020 and the ESIF in the same project for the first 
time. For transport synergies between EISF and Horizon 2020 can be explored, within activities funded 
under the "Smart, Green and Integrated transport" Challenge of Horizon 2020.  Table 2 below presents 
some  opportunities  for  synergies  in  the  transport  field  between  Horizon2020  and  Cohesion  policy 
thematic priorities. 

Box 4 presents some examples of successful ERDF funded projects supporting transport innovations. 

24 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Part 1 - Six steps for a successful smart specialization strategy 

Table 2 – Opportunities for synergies between Horizon 2020 and Cohesion policy 

Cohesion policy thematic  priorities 

Opportunities for synergies with Horizon 2020 

Strengthening 

1. 
development and innovation  

research, 

technological 

2.  Enhancing  access  to,  and  use  and  quality  of, 
information and communication technologies (ICT) 

3.  Enhancing  the  competitiveness  of  small  and 
medium-sized  enterprises,  the  agricultural  sector 
and the fisheries and aquaculture sector 
4.  Supporting  the  shift  towards  a  low-carbon 
economy in all sectors  

5.  Promoting  climate  change  adaptation,  risk 
prevention and management  

6.  Protecting  the  environment  and  promoting 
resource efficiency  

7.  Promoting  sustainable  transport  and  removing 
bottlenecks in key network infrastructure   

Regional  projects  (funded  with  Cohesion  Policy 
funds)  that  help  building  research  and  innovation 
capacity.  
Transport  research  and  innovation  infrastructure 
that  facilitates  participation  in  Horizon  2020  and 
crystallises economic growth, e.g. technology parks, 
incubators, firm cooperation, excellence centres, etc. 

ICT tools for better mobility and transport schemes 
-  deployment  of  EU  funded  research  projects 
results 
into  market  applications  at  European, 
national and local levels  
Use of ICT infrastructure for transport simulation  
Support to SME in the area of transport    

Regional  deployment  of  production  centres  for 
alternative fuels for transport  
Regional demonstration of low-carbon vehicles  
Regional  deployment  of  recharging  infrastructure 
for low-carbon vehicles  
Regional  actions  for  the  promotion  of  low-carbon 
mobility patterns - social marketing  
Specific  research  activities  exploring  or  deploying 
solutions  for  climate  change  adaptation  and 
resilience of transport infrastructure  
Large 
technologies that reduce resource consumption  
Transport  products 
activities  
intermodal 
Solutions 
transportation  of  persons  and  freight,  from  one 
case project to European deployment  
Transport infrastructure  
level,  of  emerging 
Deployment,  at 
transport  technologies,  for  instance,  advanced  ITS 

recyclability  projects  and 

for  multimodal 

testing  of 

transport 

regional 

regional 

scale 

and 

8.  Promoting  employment  and  supporting  labour 
mobility  
9.  Promoting  social  inclusion  and  combating 
poverty   

Activities  for  the  promotion  of  transport-related 
jobs, including training  
Regional  projects  increasing  transport  accessibility 
and  affordability  that  are  scalable  at  European 
level  or  that  are  continuation  of  previous  Horizon 
2020 actions  

25 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Part 1 - Six steps for a successful smart specialization strategy 

10.  Investing  in  education,  skills  and  lifelong 
learning  

11.  Institutional  capacity  and  efficient  public 
administration    

Activities  for  the  promotion  of  all  types  of 
education  and  training  in  the  field  of  transport.  In 
particular,  training/  educational  programmes  for 
sustainable mobility/behaviour  
Support to regional transport administrations 

Source: European Commission (2013a) 

Box 4 – Successful projects funded by ERDF in the area of transport innovations 

The National Renewable Energies Centre (Navarre, Spain) 

Built with the support of ERDF, the centre is equipped with ultra-modern technologies 
to  conduct  advanced  R&D  activities  related  with  renewable  energies  in  5  specific 
fields:  wind  power;  solar  energy  (thermal  and  photovoltaic);  biomass  energy; 
bioclimatic  architecture;  electronics  and  power  electronics  and  the  use  of  hydrogen 
for energy storage. 
It  has  generated  positive  impacts  in  the  local  community  and  has  acquired  a  solid 
reputation both nationally and internationally 

ROADEX network (FI, SE, UK, Faroe Islands, Greenland, Norway 

ROADEX  is  a  scientific  network  that  promotes  cooperation  between 
northernmost  regions  of  Finland,  Scotland,  Norway,  Sweden  and  also 
Greenland, Iceland and the Faroe Islands.  
Common  research  projects  are  conducted  by  engineers  of  these 
countries on the reliability and maintenance of roads in harsh climate 
and poor ground conditions. 

Results  were  disseminated  through  pilot  projects,  a  website,  practical  guides,  seminars  and  e-learning 
trainings.  Partners  have  seen  direct  benefits  in  improved  road  survey  systems,  drainage  analysis,  risk 
assessment, examination of health issues and socio-economic considerations 

Fuel Cell Test Platform (Belfort, France) 

The ERDF has jointly funded the installation of a platform in Belfort which 
makes it possible to test the integration of fuel cells in land transport. 
This centre is accessible for both industrial and academic customers in this 
field. With this centre the  region of Franche-Comté aims to play a major 
role in the fuel cells emerging sector. 

PSA, Faurecia and GEEPE (General Electric), as well as national and international players (Renault, Delphi, 
etc.) are working with the platform. Partners have seen direct benefits in improved road survey systems, 
drainage analysis, risk assessment, examination of health issues and socio-economic considerations. 

26 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Part 1 - Six steps for a successful smart specialization strategy 

Step 6 – Integration of monitoring and evaluation mechanisms 

Establishing monitoring and evaluation procedures  should be established at the very beginning of the 
strategy. While monitoring refers to following the implementation of the strategy, evaluation procedures 
will assess the outputs of the strategy and whether specific objectives have been met. For that purpose 
it  is  important  that  objectives  are  clearly  specified  and  measured  together  with  the  specific  target(s) 
attached  to  all  of  them.  The  European  Commission  promoted  a  guide  on  evaluation  of  innovation 
activities for different types of ERDF co-funded measures (TECHNOPOLIS GROUP & MIOIR, 2012). Also in 
this context the RIS3 guide refers to 3 types of indicators for the monitoring and evaluation system: 

  Context indicators, attached to the overall objectives of the strategy that will score the region 
against the average score of its Member States or other similar regions (see Table 3 for some 
examples). 

  Result indicators, analyse contribution to the overall strategic goals by each component of the 

strategy (some examples can be found in Table 4. 

  Output/Outcome indicators, measure the progress of the action undertaken in order to achieve 

the expected results (see Table 5) 

Table 3 – Example of context indicators 

CONTEXT INDICATORS 

R&D Intensity ( % of total internal costs in R&D compared with regional GDP) 

Ratio between private and public  funded R&D 

Share of employment in R&D activities in total employment (%) 

Scientific publications from public funded projects which are in the 1st most cited quartile of their own 

scientific area (%) 

Scientific publications with international collaboration (%) 

Innovation intensity of firms 

Innovative firms (%) 

Share of firms with technological innovations (%) 

Share of firms with non-technological innovations (%) 

Increase in the number of patents 

Index of regional competitiveness  

Increase of risk capital invested  

Source: Own elaboration 

Thus  monitoring  aims  at  verifying  that  activities  are  planned,  funds  are  correctly  delivered  and  that 
result indicators evolve in the desired direction. Evaluation on the other hand, aims to assess the impacts 
of  the  actions  undertaken  (i.e.  their  contribution  to  the  observed  change  as  measured  by  the  result 
indicators)  and  to  understand  why  and  how  the  impacts  are  being  achieved.  For  that  purpose  it  is 

27 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Part 1 - Six steps for a successful smart specialization strategy 

important that objectives are clearly specified and measurable together with specific target(s) attached 
to all of them - targets can be short, medium or long-term.  

In order to assess change, indicators should have a baseline (the situation before the intervention) and 
their  values  will  need  to  be  monitored  all  along  the  process.  Result  indicators  should  measure  their 
change towards higher competitiveness and greater added value.  

Table 4 – Examples of result indicators 

Initiative 

Improve the knowledge base 

Support new innovative firms 

Support the internationalization of firms 

Integration of local firms in global value chains 

Result indicator 

•  Scientific publications 
•  Patents  
•  Prototypes developed 
• 
•  Attraction and retention of scientific 

Industrial PhD awarded 

personal 

•  New innovative firms created 
•  New products or services launched 
•  New or up-graded production lines 
• 
•  Growth in turnover and employment of 

Funding agreements 

supported firms 
Increase of employed scientists/engineers 
Increased of on-line sales 
Increase of exports 

• 
• 
• 
•  Number of international R&D projects  
• 
Increase in exports and exporting 
companies 
Increased collaboration between (regional, 
national, international) firms and research 
institutions 

• 

Support scientific and technological networks  

•  Number of firms engaged in such 

Support innovation on green transport means 

networks 

•  Enhanced capacity to jointly develop 

• 

products and services 
Increased R&D cooperation between 
enterprises and research institutions 
•  Newly established and extended networks 

and centres 

•  GHG emissions reduced 
•  CO2 emissions reduced 
•  Change in the share of renewables 

consumed by transport  

•  Change in the share of green vehicles 

Source: Own elaboration 

The sources of information for these indicators would ideally come from the monitoring process, official 
databases,  ad  hoc  surveys,  peer  reviews  and  more  rarely  from  regional  or  national  statistics.  Some 
regions have implemented innovative tools to provide fact-driven decision-making (see Box 5).  

28 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Part 1 - Six steps for a successful smart specialization strategy 

This  process  should  also  be  understood  as  dynamic,  in  the  sense  that  certain  characteristics  of  the 
strategy can be modified, if particular changes are identified in the economic conditions or due to new 
evidences during the implementation phase. One important source of information while validating the 
monitoring and evaluation process is peer review meetings, made available by the RIS3 platform. Other 
regions, already engaged in RIS3, provide their comments on the region under review while sharing their 
experience on the implementation of their own strategies. This way, regions learn from each other and 
find potential partners for collaboration. 

Table 5 – Examples of output indicators 

Action 

Output indicator 

Grants and financial instruments 

Investment in research infrastructure 

Support to incubators, start-us, spin offs, seed 
capital, business angels, etc. 

Matching the graduate skills with business needs  

Support for the employment of scientist , 
engineers and innovation administrators  

Support services for accessing to international 
R&D funding 

•  Number of funded projects 
•  Number of participant entities 
• 

Increased R&D investment leveraged by 
funded projects 

•  Acquisition of new technology 
•  Number of funded infrastructure 
• 
Installed equipment and instruments 
•  Doctoral and post-graduate training 

delivered 

•  Newly built or renovated buildings and 

equipped labs 
• 
Fully equipped incubators 
•  Services delivered to tenants 
•  Number of new technological initiatives 
• 
Innovative firms supported 
•  Number of degrees designed in 
collaboration with firms or other 
institutions 

•  Number of scientists and engineers 

working on joint projects 

•  Number scientist , engineers and 
innovation administrators hired  

•  Number of dissemination actions 

undertaken 

•  Number of counselling  services provided 

Source: Own elaboration 

29 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Part 1 - Six steps for a successful smart specialization strategy 

Box 5 - The regional innovation observatory of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region 

This observatory was created in the context of the Regional 
Innovation Strategy to support fact-driven decision-making 
process.  It  collects,  organizes  and  analyses  innovation 
related data. 

The  observatory  has  proved  its  usefulness  for  the  RIS3 
design  and  implementation,  mainly  through  four  kinds  of 
publications: 

- 

- 

- 

The regional innovation index: gives an overall picture of the regional innovation context, 
with t a benchmark to other French and European comparable regions. 
The regional SME innovation barometer: survey among regional SMEs to understand SME 
profiles and support service needs in carrying on their innovation activities. 
The  RIS  monitoring:  a  scoreboard  that  monitors  the  strategy  implementation  and  the 
results produced in the middle-long term. 

-  One  shot  studies:  focusing  on  specific  innovation  policy  issues  (i.e.  incubators;  industrial 

spin off). 

30 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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31 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
32 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Part 2 - Developing transport innovation strategies 

Part 2 - Developing transport innovation strategies  

The  main  aim  of  this  chapter  is  to  associate  specific  technological  fields  with  Smart  Specialisation 
Strategies (RIS3) following the example of the Digital Agenda Toolbox (European Commission, 2014a). 
Ten critical transport areas for transport were selected based on the Strategic Transport Technology Plan 
(STTP) (European Commission, 2012a). 

The STTP can be considered as the research and innovation complement of the transport White Paper. 
Aiming to assist in directing funding and financing, it identifies the main priority fields and addresses 
issues such as innovation efficiency and deployment limitations.  

In  

33 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Part 2 - Developing transport innovation strategies 

Figure 6 we have presented the ten transport technological fields,  which can be aggregated into three 
broad innovation areas: clean, efficient, safe quiet and smart transport means; infrastructure and smart 
systems; and transport services and operations for passenger and freight. These fields are expected to 
have  a  great  contribution  to  the  future  competitiveness  of  the  European  transport  sector  as  well  as 
being determinant for the achievement of the White Paper goals. 

In  the  following  sections  roadmaps  for  including  the  ten  transport  innovation  fields  into  RIS3  are 
presented. 

Clean, efficient, safe and smart road vehicles 

Why invest in Clean, efficient, safe, quiet, smart road vehicles? 

Innovation in the field of road transport will be crucial for the achievement of objectives laid down in the 
Europe2020  Strategy,  particularly  regarding  climate  change  and  energy  sustainability.  Road  transport 
accounts  for  the  largest  share  of  transport  related  GHG  emissions  (71.9%  in  2012,  according  to  the 
Statistical  pocketbook  (European  Commission,  2014b)).  Innovation  will  also  be  needed  to  comply  with 
tighter  emission  standards  that  are  expected  in  the  future.  According  to  the  White  Paper  (European 
Commission, 2011a) CO2 emission standards are expected to become equal to 20g CO2/km for cars and 
55g CO2/km for light commercial vehicles by 2050. 

On  the  other  hand,  fuel  efficiency  has  a  high  potential  to  improve  in  road  transport.  Experts  point 
towards  a  40%  efficiency  improvement  in  long-distance  freight  transport  and  80%  efficiency 
improvement  in  urban  passenger  transport  by  2030  (ERTRAC,  2010).  Overall  vehicle  efficiency  is 
expected from further improvements in engine design, alternative fuel propulsion systems, lightweight 
materials,  wasted  energy  recovery,  system  optimisation,  future  drive  train  concepts  and  new 
infrastructure systems. 

Furthermore, fatalities and severe injuries are expected to be reduced by 60% by 2030 (ERTRAC, 2010), 
mostly from the use of Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) such as communication technologies that will 
enable exchange of information between vehicles and road infrastructure. These exchanges may be of 
three  kinds:  infrastructure-to-infrastructure  (I2I),  vehicle-to-infrastructure  (V2I)  and  vehicle-to-vehicle 
(V2V). 

Barriers and challenges 

Some barriers refer to the implementation of the strategy itself, for example regarding the identification 
of economic niches and competitive advantages during the development and definition of deployment 
activities to be carried out. Further challenges include the mobilization of all necessary actors involved in 
the regional innovation system and promotion of cooperation in terms of R&I, particularly by attracting 
investment, encouraging entrepreneurship and attracting new users. 

34 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Part 2 - Developing transport innovation strategies 

Other barriers have to do with the technical aspects of this particular innovation field. Electromobility is 
a big bet in the automotive sector, but it requires further developments in order to improve performance 
and economic efficiency, hence to be able to compete with internal combustion engines. The availability 
of infrastructure for electric vehicle  (EV) is also  seen as a bottleneck for its widespread diffusion. But 
uncertainty  about  winning  technologies  is  high,  in  this  sense  standards  are  needed  for  recharging 
infrastructure,  vehicle-to-grid  communication  and  billing.  Furthermore  standards  for  health and  safety 
related aspects, such as electromagnetic interference, user protection and emergency handling need  to 
be revised (European Commission, 2012b). 

The main barriers and challenges for ITS applications on safety systems are related with the deployment 
of  already  existing  innovations  in  this  area.  The  deployment  of  ITS  technologies  would  require  new 
standards,  a  more  robust  understanding  of  driver  behaviour,  raising  user  awareness  to  stimulate 
demand,  appropriate  policy  frameworks  and  incentives  for  more  investment  in  road-safety  –related 
systems and services. 

Competition  from  developing  countries  is  exerting  cost-cutting  pressures  in  the  automotive  industry. 
Furthermore, the shift towards a low  carbon  economy and the increasing safety concerns, have given 
place to more legislation that has a strong influence on the number and type of vehicles to be produced. 
The industry is challenged to comply with those pressures while remaining competitive globally. 

How to act? 

Analysis 

The region should analyse its innovation capabilities in the field of 'Clean, efficient, safe, quiet and smart 
road  vehicles'.  This  includes  identifying  the  main  stakeholders  in  the  region,  such  as  companies, 
universities,  research  institutes,  end-user  groups,  competence  centres  and  examining  their  innovation 
activities.  Then  completion  of  a  SWOT  analysis  of  their  capabilities,  skills  and  their  competitive 
advantages  should  highlight  the  innovation  potential  of  this  innovation  field  in  the  region  as  well  as 
regional stakeholder needs for policy support (i.e. services, infrastructure, financing instruments, etc.) 

Governance/Stakeholder involvement 

The development of RIS3 should engage different stakeholders involved in this innovation field. Some 
examples are: 

  Public sector, such as national/regional ministries in charge of road transport, energy and health. 

Public authorities could engage with specialized boards such as: 

o  European Council for Automotive Research and Development (EUCAR) representing the 

main European passenger car and commercial vehicle manufacturers 

- 

o  European  Automotive  Research  Partners  Association  (EARPA);  an  association  of 
independent  R&D  companies,  research  institutes  and  universities  in  the  automotive 
sector. 
IMobility  Forum:  this  is  a  3-year  support  action  that  fosters  the  deployment  of 
intelligent  mobility  in  Europe  by  organizing  the  iMobility  Forum  activities,  including 
stakeholder  networking,  deployment  support,  awareness  raising  and  dissemination  of 
results of ICT for smart, safe and clean mobility. 
The  European  Technology  Platform  on  European  Road  Transport  Research  Advisory 
Council (ERTRAC): a technology platform which brings together relevant stakeholders in 
the field of road transport 

- 

35 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Part 2 - Developing transport innovation strategies 

- 

- 

ERTICO  –ITS  European  Commission:  a  partnership  of  companies  and  institutions 
involved in the production of Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS)  
Fuel  cells  and  hydrogen  joint  undertaking  (FCH)  is  a  public  private  partnership  (PPP) 
between  the  European  Commission,  European  industry  and  research  organisations  to 
accelerate the development and deployment of fuel cell and hydrogen technologies/ 

 

Industry, such as automotive manufacturers and suppliers, firms working in the field of energy, 
ICT, smart grids and road infrastructure 

  Centres  of  knowledge  creation  and  diffusion,  such  as  universities  (i.e.  transport  departments), 

research centres, technological centres, other institutions (i.e. economic clusters) 
Investors 

 
  NGOs  

Priority setting 

Selecting the priority areas where to focus innovation efforts is a controversial task that includes sorting 
out the dominant innovation capabilities existent in the region, both in terms of critical mass and future 
competitiveness. Common applications relevant to the field 'Clean, efficient, safe, quiet and smart road 
vehicles'  include  the  following:  ICE,  biofuels,  electromobility,  multifuel  engines,  lightweight  materials, 
aerodynamic designs, new vehicle concepts (autonomous vehicles), V2X. 

Priorities  should  be  set  with  the  endorsement  of  regional  stakeholders  and  be  aligned  with  broader 
policy objectives laid down by national and European governments. Regarding the goals in the transport 
White  Paper  (European  Commission,  2011a)  the  following  objectives  are  relevant  for  this  innovation 
field:  low-emission  city  transport  and  logistics  and  close  to  zero  fatalities  in  road.  Prioritized  actions 
should  have  the  highest  possible  potential  impact  in  terms  of  these  policy  goals.  On  the  other  hand, 
priorities should meet the innovation needs of regional stakeholders in terms of infrastructure, services, 
financing or skills. 

Policy mix 

Possible action lines may include:  

- 

Financing  of  research  infrastructure  devoted  to  'Clean,  efficient,  safe,  quiet  and  smart  road 
vehicles'. 

-  Promoting interregional networks of stakeholders working in this innovation field. 
-  Supporting regional clusters that will promote R&I investments in this field. 
-  Services for innovative SMEs working in this field. 
-  Promoting  manufacturing  platforms  and  pilot  production  lines  for  'Clean,  efficient,  safe,  quiet 

- 

- 

- 

and smart road vehicles'.  
Funding infrastructure for testing and certification of important components and systems of this 
innovation field. 
Funding of large scale deployment actions and public procurement schemes (i.e. infrastructure 
for EV; low carbon transportation systems).  
Enhancing  the  cooperation  between  universities,  research  institutes  and  industry  in  order  to 
improve labour skills in the field of 'Clean, efficient, safe, quiet and smart road vehicles' 

In the context of RIS3, potential funding synergies between EISF and other sources of funds need to be 
explored. At the European level, possible funding lines for the 'Clean, efficient, safe, quiet and smart road 
vehicles' innovation field include the following: 

36 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Part 2 - Developing transport innovation strategies 

  Horizon  2020:  which  funds  research  in  the  automotive  sector,  mainly  focusing  on  clean, 

efficient, safe and smart vehicles, including a specific call for 'Green Vehicles'. 

  European Green Vehicles Initiative: a PPP dedicated to the promotion of research, development 
and demonstration of green vehicles and mobility system solutions. It funds projects particularly 
in the fields of energy efficiency of vehicles and alternative powertrains.  

  CIVITAS, and initiative that supports the implementation and test of innovative and integrated 
strategies in energy, transport and environmental issues. Over 60 European metropolitan areas 
have  benefited  from  this  support,  in  different  technological  fields  such  as  ticketing  systems, 
clean bus fleet or waterborne goods transport. 

  Factories  of  the  Future:  a  PPP  that  aims  to  help  EU  companies  to  achieve  global 
competitiveness,  focusing  on  increasing  the  technological  basis  through  the  development  and 
integration of Key Enabling Technologies (KET). The PPP is co-financed by Horizon 2020, but it 
has its own R&D objectives and launches its own annual calls 

  Connecting  Europe  Facility:  especially  under  the  objectives  of  'Supporting  sustainable  and 

efficient transport systems'. 

  COSME: is an EU programme for the Competitiveness of Enterprises and Small and Medium-size 

Enterprises. Support is offered through the following schemes: 

o  Financing SMEs  through loan guarantees and counter-guarantees, venture capital and 

mezzanine finance to expansion and growth-stage SMEs. 

o  Access to markets offering different services such as information on EU legislation and 
programmes,  assistance  to  find  a  business  partner  abroad,  advice  on  access  to  EU 
finance, innovation and technological transfer support. 

o  Supporting  entrepreneurs  through  education,  improving  the  business  environment, 
special  support  is  given  to  specific  groups  such  as  young  people,  women  or  senior 
entrepreneurs. 

o  Promoting better conditions for business creation and growth through the reduction of 
administrative  and  regulatory  burden  and  the  exchange  of  best  practices  on  SMEs 
policy. 

Box 6 - Laboratory of reactivity and chemistry of solids (France) 

The laboratory hosts a project related to transport of the future. It looks for innovative solutions to provide 
electricity for "onboard energy" vehicles. 

ERDF supported the purchase of high-tech equipment for studying batteries and nanomaterials. Important 
advances have been made in the field of new generation of lithium-ion batteries that will improve the 
storing electricity of vehicles, which has become a crucial matter for the competitiveness of European car 
manufacturers. 

Clean, efficient, safe, quiet and smart aircrafts 

Why invest in Clean, efficient, safe, quiet, smart air vehicles? 

37 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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In 2012, air transport represented the second transport mode in terms of passenger modal share in the 
EU 28 and also the second in terms of energy consumption (12%). Considering emissions, civil aviation 
represents  the  third  largest  mode,  with  a  share  of  12.8%  of  the  total  GHG  emissions  from  transport. 
(European Commission, 2014b) 

The aeronautics sector has an important economic weight for the EU. According to the Aerospace and 
Defence Industries Association of Europe (ASD, 2014), the aeronautics sector had €138.4 billion turnover 
in  2013  and  invested  €16  billion  in  R&D,  which  represents  an  R&D  intensity  of  11.6%.  The  sector 
generates high levels of employment in Europe and especially of skilled labour, as 38% of the labour 
force possesses a university degree. 

Aeronautical innovations have a high potential for diversification, since they involve other economic and 
technological sectors, thus contributing to the growth of the whole economy. Furthermore innovation in 
this sector will be determinant for dealing with the challenges marked in the Europe 2020 agenda and 
transport White Paper (European Commission, 2011a).  Big efforts have been made by  the industry to 
reduce  fuel  consumption  and  emissions,  while  fuel  consumption  in  the  aviation  sector  is  expected  to 
decrease  substantially  in  the  future.  According  to  the  STTP  (European  Commission,  2012b),  fuel 
consumption in this sector has the potential to be reduced by 50% in 2020, compared with 2000 levels, 
while  aviation  emissions  can  be  reduced  by  50%  in  2050.  Furthermore,  the  share  of  low-carbon 
sustainable fuels in aviation could reach 40% in 2050 (European Commission, 2011a). 

Carbon  emissions  as  well  as  noise  and  other  emissions  (e.g.  NOx)  have  an  adverse  effect  on  the 
environment  and  health.  The  High  level  Group  on  Aviation  Research,  in  the  'Flightpath  2050'  report 
(European Commission, 2011d) assumes that new technologies should allow  a 75%  reduction of CO2 
emissions per passenger km and a 90% reduction in NOx emissions by 2050. Noise emissions are also 
expected to be reduced by 65% (all relative to 2000). 

Regarding safety, the 'Flightpath 2050' report assumes that accidents will be less than 1 to ten million 
commercial  aircraft  flights  in  2050,  while  natural  hazards  will  be  properly  predicted  and  mitigated. 
Innovation will also allow air transport systems to accommodate manned and unmanned air vehicles in 
a  seamless  and  secure  way,  as  well  as  the  provision  of  seamless  and  high  security  in  boarding  and 
security checks, ensuring the resilience of air vehicles and transport system. 

Although  incremental  innovations  have  dominated  recent  aeronautical  research,  a  next  generation  of 
aircraft  is  being  developed  thanks  to  automation  and  high  technology.  ICT  technologies  will  play  an 
important role  in  improving  the  information  channels of  air  services  and  operations  and  will  promote 
seamless mobility by improving the resilience of transport system operations by means of advanced air 
traffic management systems. 

Barriers and challenges 

Innovation  in  aircraft  manufacture  is  very  expensive  due  to  long  life  cycle  in  aeronautics  (aircrafts 
operate  around  30  years).  Therefore  public  support  to  innovation  is  very  important  for  the 
competitiveness of the European aviation industry. For this reason this sector receives a share of public 
R&D above all other transport sectors. According to ASD (2014) one third of total R&D in aeronautics 
was financed by governments. 

On the other hand, certification is extremely costly in the aeronautic sector. The whole process should be 
reviewed  in  order  to  decrease  costs,  increase  efficiencies  thereby  allowing  a  better  uptake  of  new 
technologies. According to the 'Flightpath 2050' report (European Commission, 2011d), a 50% reduction 

38 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Part 2 - Developing transport innovation strategies 

in  the  cost  of  certification  should  be  possible  and  new  generation  standards  should  be  created  to 
improve the competitiveness of the sector. 

European players are facing fierce competition from rivals in the US, but also from emerging countries 
such as Brazil, China or Russia. Increasing the level of technology investment will be needed, in order to 
maintain the competitiveness of European companies. Examples relevant to the facilitation of the uptake 
of innovations that take place in this sector may come from the field of low-carbon fuels for aviation, 
noise reduction of air traffic operations and safety. 

How to act? 

Analysis 

During the analysis of regional innovation potential actors involved in the innovation system for clean, 
efficient, safe, quiet and smart aircrafts need to be identified, while their innovation dynamics inside the 
region and in the global supply chain need to be analysed.  

The final aim of this analytical stage should be to understand the needs of regional entrepreneurs in 
terms of services and infrastructure. For this reason it is necessary to investigate the sources of public 
and private financing of innovation and determine the skills to push regional innovation forward. 

Interaction  with  entrepreneurs  will  be  determinant  to  obtain  the  above  mentioned  information.  Tools 
such  as  rounds  of  interviews  with  entrepreneurs,  clusters  associations  and  academia  could  be  most 
useful.  

Box 7 - The Andalusian aerospace cluster (OECD, 2013) 

- 
- 

- 

- 

- 

The cluster includes 80 SMEs and 40 non SMEs employing approximately 11 000 people. 
It has a turnover of 2 billion euros amount that represents around 35% of the industrial GDP of the 
provinces of Seville and Cadiz. 
The cluster benefits from the knowledge base of several universities and research institutes located 
in the region of Andalusia and has many international linkages. 
The cluster is organised by the Hélice foundation (http://www.helicecluster.com/), member of the 
European Aerospace Clusters Partnership.  
Important aircraft programmes include: A400M, A380 and A350 

Governance/Stakeholder involvement 

Several stakeholders may be involved in the innovation system of aeronautics, such as the following:  

39 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Part 2 - Developing transport innovation strategies 

-  Air navigation service providers or air traffic control 
-  Air passengers 
-  Airspace users, such as airlines, charter companies, air freight providers 
-  Human resources working in the air transport services, such as controllers, pilots, engineers 
-  Airport operators 
-  Regulators  and  public  administration  from  all  geographical  scales  (regional,  national  and 

European) 

-  Scientific community 
-  Suppliers,  such  as  ground  and  aerospace  manufacturing;  aircraft  manufacturers;  airborne 

equipment manufacturers. 

-  Stakeholders from other transport modes and relevant technology sectors (i.e. energy) 

It is also important that pubic authorities engage with supranational institutions that are active in the 
field of aeronautical innovation, such as  

-  Advisory  Council  for  Aeronautics  Research  in  Europe  (ACARE),  is  an  European  technology 
platform  in  the  in  the  aeronautic  and  air  transport  fields,  which  develops  and  maintains  a 
Strategic Research Agenda (SRA) which support the establishment of new research programmes 
in Europe and at national/regional levels. 

-  Aerospace  and  Defence  Industry  Association  for  Europe  (ASD  Europe),  represents  the 
aeronautics,  space,  defence  and  security  industries  in  Europe  by  raising  awareness  and 
promoting the values and positions of its members to EU institutions 

-  Clean Sky  -  2 Joint Technology Initiative is  a PPP between the  European Commission and the 

industry. It delivers demonstrators in all segments of civil air transport.  

-  SESAR  -  Joint  Undertaking  was  created  by  the  European  Union  and  Eurocontrol  in  order  to 

ensure the modernisation of the European air traffic management system.  

Priority setting 

Priority setting for promoting innovation in the field of clean, efficient, safe, quiet and smart aircrafts 
should be aligned with the broader objectives set in the main policy documents proposed by national and 
European bodies. Particularly at the European level, the following goals have been 'set by the European 
Commission: 

-  Reduction  of  air  fuel  consumption  by  50%  in  2020,  compared  with  2000  levels  (European 

Commission, 2012b) 

-  A  general  reduction  of  air  transport  emissions  by  50%  in  2050  (STTP  European  Commission, 
2012b). In the 'Flight path 2050' report (European Commission, 2011d), the High level Group on 
Aviation Research sets ambitious targets for a reduction of CO2 (-75%), NOx (-90%) and noise 
emission (-65%, all relative to 2000). 

-  40%  increase  of  low-carbon  sustainable  fuels  used  in  air  transport  by  2050  (European 

Commission, 2011a) 

Other goals relevant to the competitiveness of the sector that are indicated in 'Flightpath 2050' are the 
following:  

-  Better prediction of and reaction to extreme weather events and other hazards. 
-  New modern design and testing techniques for cost-effective certification in aeronautics. 
-  New automation technologies that improve safety levels. 

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Part 2 - Developing transport innovation strategies 

Policy mix 

Achieving  the  selected  priorities  requires  that  simple  and  effective  mechanisms  are  accepted  by  all 
stakeholders, in order to enable co-ordination of shared objectives for innovative projects. Furthermore, 
selected actions should reduce the time it takes from initial research to commercialization, as well as the 
promotion of careers that closely match the needs of the aviation industry.  

Regions should seek innovation-related funding and financing instruments. Synergies between ESIF and 
other sources of funds should be explored. Relevant opportunities could be found in: 

  Horizon 2020, under the call 'Mobility for Growth' there is a specific section devoted to research 

activities in 'Aviation' 

  SESAR  Joint  Undertaking.  This  initiative  coordinates  and  concentrates  all  relevant  European 
research and development efforts in the field of ATM, funding important exploratory research 
and demonstration projects. 

  Clean  Sky  2  Joint  Undertaking:  It  is  responsible  of  coordinating  and  funding  research  and 

innovation in green aeronautical technologies, through regular call for proposals. 

  Connecting Europe Facility: especially under the objectives defined for the transport sector. 

41 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Part 2 - Developing transport innovation strategies 

Clean, efficient, safe, quiet and smart rail vehicles 

Why invest in Clean, efficient, safe, quiet, smart rail vehicles? 

As a passenger transport mode, rail is the fourth mode in preferences – 6.5% of modal share in 2012 – 
after air, buses and cars. As a freight transport mode, rail is the third largest mode (10.8% of tonne/km 
in 2012), after road and sea. In 2011, rail companies  in Europe had a turnover of around €78 billion 
(European Commission, 2014b). 

Despite  these  rather  modest  figures,  the  rail  sector  has  received  great  political  attention  from  the 
European  Commission.  According  to  the  White  Paper  (European  Commission,  2011a),  by  2050  a  50% 
shift of medium distance intercity passenger and freight journeys should be achieved from road to rail 
and  waterborne  transport.  In  the  same  document,  the  European  Commission  states  that  a  complete 
European  high-speed  rail  network  should  be  in  place  by  2050,  which  together  with  a  dense  railway 
network in all Member States will enable the majority of medium-distance passengers to commute by 
rail. Achieving these goals in the rail sector is essential for reaching the 60% GHG emission reduction 
target and improving the mobility of European citizens. In fact, the rail sector is one of the least polluting 
modes of transport and the only one that is largely independent of oil as a primary source of energy, as 
railways run 80% on electricity in Europe (Wiebe, E. et al., 2011). In the EU-28, for 2012, the railways 
represented  2%  of  the  energy  consumption  of  the  transport  sector  and  0.6%  of  GHG  emissions 
(European Commission, 2014b). 

Current  European  policies  for  the  rail  sector  include  its  integration  into  seamless  transport  chains  for 
both passenger and freight services, the development of high speed trains and efficient urban transport 
systems, and the deployment of several innovations in the field of ICT such as the European Rail Traffic 
Management System (ERTMS). 

Barriers and challenges 

Regional innovation strategies in the field of clean, efficient, safe, quiet and smart rail vehicles need to 
consider  the  global  barriers  and  challenges  of  the  rail  sector  so  that  the  region  can  increase  its 
competitive position globally. 

According  to  the  White  Paper's  aspirations,  the  European  rail  system,  together  with  the  waterborne 
sector, will attract the majority share of medium to long distance traffic by 2050, which represents a 
close  to  80%  increase  of  freight  volumes  (European  Commission,  2011b).  This  will  be  a  great 
opportunity for the competitiveness of the sector, but will also require specific measures to be taken for 
managing the increased demand and reduce environmental impacts of the rail sector. 

On  the  technological  side,  noise  and  vibrations  are  considered  as  major  challenges  for  the  European 
railway system, especially in the most congested networks  in Western and Northern Europe and main 
freight  corridors  (UIC  and  UNIFE,  2011).  These  externalities  are  expected  to  increase  with  traffic.  The 
sector will need to find solutions to mitigate noise and vibrations, at the level of both rail infrastructure 
and  rolling  stock.  Otherwise,  governments  may  face  strong  opposition  to  the  expansion  of  the  rail 
network or to increased levels of rail traffic. 

Innovation in the rail sector is associated with big uncertainties that are partly due to the long life cycle 
of trains (in the range of 30-50 years). During this long term planning innovation process, several trends 
need to be considered: 

42 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Part 2 - Developing transport innovation strategies 

- 
- 

The rise of energy costs, especially in oil prices, may hinder the competitiveness of the sector 
Energy security and independency is a priority linked to the resilience of the railway system. It 
can be achieved by reducing energy demand and improving efficiency. According to the White 
Paper it will be possible to improve energy efficiency of trains by 40% in 2050 (compared to 
2005 levels) 

-  Climate change will probably have an impact on emissions standards, challenging the innovation 

capacity of the rail sector.  

-  Network  disruptions,  related  with  extreme  weather  events  or  congestion,  may  increase  in  the 

future due to climate change or increased demand. 

-  Changing  passenger  needs  and  aspirations  may  force  the  industry  to  plan  for  adaptation  of 

passenger vehicles in order to meet future demand  

Furthermore,  authorisation  and  certification  in  the  railway  system  could  be  improved,  especially 
regarding efficiency and  costs. There is  a need for common standards  for interoperability, particularly 
regarding safety certification and equipment authorisations. 

Other barriers relate to reaching the target of extending high speed train services, which will require a 
substantial amount of investment in rail infrastructure. In the context of low economic growth, financing 
rail  infrastructure  will  be  extremely  difficult.  Additionally,  increasing  the  use  of  rail  will  require  the 
creation of a level playing field between modes by supporting new infrastructure connections and new 
complementarities between modes. 

How to act? 

Analysis 

The  current  state  of  the  sector  needs  to  be  analysed  by  evaluating  industrial  players  in  the  region 
considering  characteristics  such  as  employment,  value  added,  turnover,  foreign  investment,  exports, 
production,  innovation  capacity,  geographical  distribution  and  interaction  dynamics  (i.e.  existence  of 
clusters,  cooperation  within  and  between  different  sectors  and  institutions).The  analysis  should  also 
focus on the role of regional industrial players in the global supply chain. 

Once  the  industrial  players  have  been  identified,  the  analysis  should  focus  on  existing  infrastructure 
supporting innovation in this sector (i.e. technological parks), as well as the knowledge base existing in 
the region (i.e. universities, research institutes, technological centres). This evaluation of existing assets 
should  reveal  the  barriers  for  innovation  faced  by  regional  entrepreneurs  and  launch  a  thorough 
reflection on the entrepreneurs' needs in terms of funding, infrastructure, human resources and skills.  

Better  industry-public  strategy  support  should  be  based  on  this  analytical  step,  aligning  public 
administration policies with industrial technological needs. 

Governance/Stakeholder involvement 

The success of RIS3 will largely depend on the involvement of stakeholders relevant to clean, efficient, 
safe, quiet and smart rail vehicles. A list of relevant stakeholders could include: 

 

 

Rail operators 
Infrastructure managers 
Freight companies 

 
  Manufacturers and suppliers of railway products 
 
  National, regional and local governments 

Research institutes  

43 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Part 2 - Developing transport innovation strategies 

 

Passenger's associations 

The  RIS3  should  be  aligned  with  the  international  rail  community  in  order  to  minimise,  as  much  as 
possible,  administrative and technical barriers to  interoperability. The following are some examples of 
international organizations linked to the railway sector: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Advancing  Public  Transport  (UITP),  represents  the  interest  of  worldwide  public  transport 
companies, from the fields of urban, local, regional and national mobility. 
Association of the European Rail Industry (UNIFE),  represents the European rail manufacturing 
industry  gathering over 80 of Europe's leading large and SMEs companies 
European Rail Infrastructure Managers (EIM), represents the interests of independent European 
Rain Infrastructure Managers. 
POLIS,  is an network  of European cities  and regions working together to develop technologies 
and policies for local transport 
European  Rail  Research  Advisory  Council  (ERRAC),  is  a  technology  platform  that  focus  on 
increasing the innovation and guiding research efforts of the rail sector at the European level. It 
includes  the  major  European  rail  stakeholders,  which  enhance  collaborative  European  rail 
research and innovation 
International Union of Railways (UIC), aggregating railway companies, infrastructure managers, 
railway operators from around the world and promoting the rail transport at world level. 
Community  of  European  Railway  and  infrastructure  Companies  (CER),  formed  by  European 
railway  undertakings,  their  national  associations  and  infrastructure  companies,  with  the 
objective to contribute to a regulatory environment and increase business opportunities for its 
members. 

Priority setting 

This step comprises the identification of areas of existing regional strengths, weaknesses and potentials 
for future  development.  Surveys  and  workshops  with relevant  stakeholders are  suitable  to  obtain  this 
information.  

The STTP has identified the following key topics for research and innovation in the rail system: 

-  Braking technology: to facilitate the operations of longer and heavier trains and reduce noise 
- 

Innovative  electric  power  supply/management  and  propulsion  systems:  to  reduce  energy 
consumption and improve the use of regenerated energy in the rail system 

-  New high-strength and light-weight materials: to improve the payload-deadweight ratio in rail 

- 

traffic and enable new vehicle designs 
Train formation technologies/coupling: automatic central couplers will facilitate the operation of 
longer and heavier trains, rationalise the train formation process and improve on-board power 
supply of freight trains. 

-  Process innovation in servicing and maintaining complex rolling stock and infrastructure that will 

improve the reliability and productivity and reduce life cycle costs. 

-  Automation  in  terminal  handling  and  intermodal  loading  units.  Automated  operation  of 
metropolitan railway systems is already in place in many regions and further developments are 
expected in automated services for train operations. 

-  Development  and  better  use  of  information  technologies:  many  innovations  in  this  sector  will 
come  from  the  information  technology  (IT)  side,  which  is  expected  to  increase  traffic 
management, but also the performance and productivity of the rail sector. 

44 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Part 2 - Developing transport innovation strategies 

-  Security: the improvement of security standards will bring additional benefits for the rail freight 
(i.e.  increase  the  capacity  of  transporting  damage-sensitive  goods)  and  maintain  customer 
confidence. 
Transhipment technologies: crucial for improving the efficiency of intermodal terminals, also to 
cope  with  gauge  differences  between  countries  and  promote  new  production  methods  for 
intermodal traffic. 

- 

Policy mix 

Public  actions  should  complement  private  investments  in  the  field  of  clean,  efficient,  safe,  quiet  and 
smart rail vehicles. ESIF could be used to finance research in this field, ideally in combination with other 
sources, such as: 

  Horizon  2020.  This  framework  program  contains  a  specific  call  for  the  rail  sector,  under  the 
'Mobility  for  Growth'  chapter.  Particularly  importance  is  devoted  to  'New  generation  of  rail 
vehicles'. 

  Connecting Europe Facility 
  Marco  Polo,  co-funds  direct  modal  shift  of  traffic  avoidance  projects  and  projects  providing 
supporting  services  which  enable  freight  to  switch  from  road  to  other  modes  (rail,  sea  and 
inland waterways) 
'Shift2rail – Joint Undertaking'. This is the first European rail joint technology initiative, launched 
within the Horizon2020 that supports research and innovation and market-driven solutions to 
complete  in  the  Single  European  Railway  Area.  It  has  its  own  innovation  programmes  in  the 
fields of: 

 

o  Cost-efficient and reliable trains, including high capacity and high speed trains 
o  Advance traffic management and control systems 
o  Cost-efficient, sustainable and reliable high capacity infrastructure 
o 
o  Technologies for sustainable and attractive European freight  

IT solutions for attractive railway services  

Box 8 - RAILENIUM – Institute for technological research (Source: http://www.railenium.eu) 

Located in the French region of Nord-Pas-
Institute  develops  R&D 
de-Calais, 
and 
activities, 
certification in the railway system.  

the 
together  with 

tests 

R&D projects are undertaken in cooperation 
with the scientific community and industry, 
organized around key topics defined by the 
Institute.  

The  test  centre  develops  tests  under 
rigorous and controlled conditions. It can be 
used to validate technologies, systems and 
processes related with the management of 
infrastructure. 

45 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Part 2 - Developing transport innovation strategies 

Clean, efficient, safe, quiet and smart vessels 

Why invest in Clean, efficient, safe, quiet, smart vessels? 

Waterborne transport is of very high importance for Europe, especially for freight. It is estimated that 
around 90% of the EU external freight trade is made over sea while in 2008, 15% of goods' loads and 
25% of unloads, globally, took place in Europe (European Commission, 2011c). Furthermore, shifting to 
waterborne  transport  is  among  the  main  goals  of  the  transport  White  Paper  (European  Commission, 
2011a); more specifically, a target of 50% shift of road freight over 300 km to other modes including 
waterborne  has  been  set  in  order  to  optimise  the  performance  of  multimodal  logistic  chains  and 
increase  the  use  of more  energy-efficient  modes.  To  obtain  a  better  idea  of  the expected  benefits  of 
such  a  shift,  a  45%  improvement  in  energy  efficiency  for  ships  by  2050  in  comparison  to  2005  is 
assumed in the preferred scenario of the Impact Assessment accompanying the White Paper (European 
Commission, 2011c), as a result of emission standards.  

Although the European shipbuilding industry does not include any of the few very large shipyards that 
dominate  the global market,  it  has  a  strong  market  position  in  building  special naval  vessels  such  as 
military  ships,  submarines,  cruise  ships,  yachts  etc.  Focused  specialisation  and  advanced  technology 
capabilities  define  the  leading  position  of  Europe  in  specific  areas  of  shipbuilding,  and  investment  to 
enhance these competitive advantages is critical for maintaining this position (Wiesenthal et al, 2011). 

Another  area  where  Europe  has  a  very  strong  position  is  the  development  and  supply  of  marine 
equipment and systems such as electronics, cargo handling, propulsion systems, safety systems etc. In 
contrast to the shipbuilding sector that is dominated by large shipyards, the marine system suppliers are 
mainly small companies. 

Finally, in the case of inland waterways, the vessels are smaller and so are the shipbuilding sites, while 
the demand can be served locally instead of by a few global very big shipyards. Hence, there is potential 
for local development and innovation. A relevant example is the case of the Innovative Danube Vessel 
(see Box 10). 

Barriers and challenges 

Ships  have  a  relatively  long  lifespan,  minimum  20  to  30  years.  Therefore,  the  adoption  of  new 
technologies needs to have a long-term perspective and be well planned. Furthermore, the modification 
of  existing  ships  in  order  to  retro-fit  new  technologies  can  be  costly.  Developing more  efficient  retro-
fitting techniques is one important challenge for the next two decades, and so is modular building as it 
can increase the efficiency of assembling, repairing and disassembling/ recycling of the ship. 

One of the major challenges in the area of shipbuilding is the competition with non-European countries 
such as Japan, China and South Korea, where the majority of the biggest shipyards are located. In order 
for Europe to maintain its dominant position and grow its market share, sufficient targeted investments 
need to be made.  

46 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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How to act? 

Analysis 

The first steps of the analysis should be to assess the relevant activity in the region especially in terms 
of ship constructing and equipment manufacturing/supplying, and to identify all relevant actors such as 
companies, research centres, organisations etc. 

Furthermore,  competitive  advantages  in  terms  of  human  resources  capital,  skills  etc.  need  to  be 
evaluated. An indication of the current state of regions can be found in the outputs of the METRIC work 
packages  3  (Konings  et  al.,  2014a,  b,  c)  and  4  (Hoppe  and  Winter,  2014  a,  b)  –  some  of  them  are 
presented  later  in  the  present  document  –  while  relevant  data  can  be  found  in  the  METRIC  database 
(http://fp7metric.sf.bg.ac.rs/). 

The potentials of economic differentiation need to be explored in order to understand how to make the 
best out of existing resources, capacities and experience in the region. Finally, it needs to be explored 
how the interactions between actors can be enhanced and stimulated and how local companies can be 
supported. 

Governance/Stakeholder involvement 

The number of regions involved in waterborne transport in Europe is smaller than in other modes such 
as  land  or  air  transport,  while  the  maritime  sector  is  predominately  international  and  has  particular 
dynamics considering the roles of and relationships between owners, shippers, charterers and insurers. 
The main stakeholders to be considered in the context of a RIS3 development include the following: 

  Shipbuilders/ shipyards 
  Marine equipment suppliers and manufacturers 
  Ship owners  
  Research institutes 
  Regulating authorities 
  Freight companies or charterers 
  Ship passengers 
  Port operators and relevant human resources 
  Shipping consultancies 

International  organisations  or  other  associations  that  can  have  significant  impact,  hence  need  to  be 
involved include the following: 

 

International Maritime Organisation, is the United Nations specialized agency for safety 
and security of shipping and prevention of marine pollutions by ships. Its major work is 
to set standards and create regulatory framework for the shipping industry. 

  European Community Shipowner's Association, is the trade association representing the 
national shipowners ' associations of the EU and Norway. They promote the interest of 
the  European  shipping  industry  and  help  formulate  EU  policy  on  critical  maritime 
transport-related issues.  

  Community  of  European  Shipyards'  Associations  represents  the  shipbuilding  industry 

from 17 Member States. 

47 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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  SEA Europe – European maritime technology industry, supporting European companies 
involved in the building, construction, maintenance and repair of all types of ships and 
other relevant maritime structures. 

  European Marine Equipment Council, representing European trade associations related 

with the marine equipment. 

  European  Council  for  Maritime  Applied  R&D,  focusing  on  a  common  strategy  for 
European  Research  in  the  maritime  industry  and  the  set-up  of  relevant  research 
priorities for EU funded R&D. 

  ERA-Net  MARTEC  II:  this  initiative  aims  to  strengthen  the  European  Research  area  in 
waterborne  research  by  coordinating  and  developing  synergies  between  national  and 
regional maritime research programmes and policies. 

  Confederation  of  European  Maritime  Technology  Societies 

independent 
confederation of professional institutions and learned societies  in the field of maritime 
technologies. 

is  an 

  European Barge Union, represents the inland navigation interest towards the European 

and international institutions. 

  EU  Technology  Platform  for  the  waterborne  sector  (WATERBORNE-TP)  represents 
stakeholders  from  the  waterborne  sector  and  is  responsible  for  setting  up  a  shared 
Vision and a Strategic Research Agenda about innovation efforts in this sector. 

Priority setting 

Regions  may  define  their  priorities  based  on  existing  skills,  resources  and  competitive  advantages. 
Furthermore,  the  potentials  of  diversification  of  regional  capacities  need  to  be  closely  considered  in 
order to rationally define a plan of innovation priorities. Relevant issues identified in the context of the 
Strategic Transport Technology Plan include the following (European Commission, 2012b):    

 

 

 

 

Two broad areas are pointed out of major interest for the maritime which are efficiency and safety. For 
efficiency  and  particularly  energy  efficiency,  the  use  of  Liquefied  Natural  Gas  in  waterborne  transport 
will  reduce  the emissions  significantly.  Other  propulsion-related  issues  such  as  fuel  cells, hybrid  ships, 
superconductors and electricity storage need to be further investigated as they may have good potentials 
to be implemented in waterborne transport. 
Another area worth investigating is the increase of efficiency of shore-side electricity by using conversion 
devices such as fuel cells. 
In the area of materials, steel plates can be substituted by hybrid materials and carbon fibre in order to 
reduce the weight of vessels. Other attributes that can improve the efficiency of vessels include the use 
of environmental-friendly hull coatings, optimised propellers and hull shapes, air bubble lubrication, air 
cavity systems and turbulence control systems. 
Furthermore, innovation should address the development of sophisticated stowage systems, automatic 
ballasting  systems  and  further  automation  of  on-board  processes  while  safety  and  efficiency  can  be 
increased with the use of new information and communication technologies. 

Policy mix 

Structural funds could primarily maintain and foster the knowledge base of regions with proved assets 
in the maritime technology industry. Regional policy-makers should be focusing on creating a supportive 
environment for the development of the sector, including actions such as: 

  Subsidising research and development of naval equipment and technologies 

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  Creating clusters to promote knowledge exchange between maritime technology SMEs 
  Supporting intra-regional and inter-regional communication channels (i.e. trans regional 
projects) between different players (yards, engineering companies, specialized suppliers, 
etc.). 

  Supporting  PPPs  for  i.e.  demonstrators,  prototyping  or  participation  in  research  and 

innovation projects 
Incentivising the adoption of new equipment and technologies 

 

There have been several European-wide initiatives to support the sector, including the following: 

  Horizon2020,  which  includes  funding  for  the  waterborne  sector,  under  its  call  of 

'Mobility for growth'. 
  Connecting Europe Facility 
  The  initiative  LeaderSHIP  2020  by  the  European  Maritime  Technology  Industry 

originating from the LeaderSHIP 2015 initiative 

  The European Action Programme for Inland Waterway Transport (NAIADES II) 
  The  ERA-NET  coordination  action  MARTEC  launches  calls  for  collaborative  research  in 

different areas of maritime technologies. 

  Marco Polo, see section 2.4. 
  Danube Strategy, for riparian countries of the Danube river. 

Box 9 - LeaderSHIP 2020 

In 2002 the European shipbuilding industry developed a vision and a robust strategy for 2015 to ensure its “long 
term prosperity in a dynamic growth market”. The LeaderSHIP 2015 strategy was subsequently developed with 
the European Commission in close collaboration with the industry. It was successful at becoming a role model 
for a modern industrial policy. 
The  LeaderSHIP  2020  initiative,  adopted  in  2013,  enlarges  the  previous  strategy  offering  a  vision  for  the 
industry (innovative, green, specialised in high tech markets, energy efficient, diversifying into new markets etc.) 
based on 4 pillars:  

- 
- 
- 
- 

Employment and skills 
Improving market access and fair market conditions 
Access to finance 
Research, development and innovation 

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Box 10 - Innovative Danube Vessel  

(taken from http://www.danube-navigation.eu/) 

The main objective of the project was to offer recommendations for modernising the Danube fleet, considering: 

- 
- 
- 
- 

Requirements of the transport market in the Danube region 
Specific fairway and navigation conditions of the Danube river 
The state of the art in inland waterway vessel technology 
Innovative technical solutions derived from published research projects 

It  was  found  that  under  good  waterway  conditions  transportation  carried  out  with  Danube  vessels  can  reach 
excellent cost and energy efficiency. Innovative devices and optimised ship designs would further improve this 
situation. 

Regarding  new  constructions,  the  most  promising  options  to  achieve  energy  and  cost  savings  and  reduced 
environmental impact are the following: two new types of Danube pushers and an innovative version of a self-
propelled vessel. Quick wins can be realised by installing real-time voyage speed optimisation tools on existing 
Danube vessels. 

Smart  specialization  in  regions  involved  in  the  EU  Strategy  for  the  Danube  Region  has  been  successful  in 
achieving a critical mass to tackle major common challenges and avoiding duplication in regional investments. 

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

Why invest in smart, green, low-maintenance and climate-resilient infrastructure? 

Infrastructure  plays  a  critical  and  pivotal  role  in  achieving  most  of  the  environment  or  safety-related 
goals regarding transport that have been set regionally, nationally or at European level. In the transport 
White  Paper  (European  Commission,  2011a)  several  targets  imply  an  improvement  or  extension  of 
existing transport infrastructure. This is the case of the 50% shift of road freight over 300km to other 
modes by 2050, or those envisaging a shift to rail –such as the extension of high-speed rail by 2030 by 
tripling the length of the existing network, the construction/maintenance of a dense railway network and 
the aim to connect airports and seaports to the rail network. Moreover, a high quality, multimodal and 
fully  operational  network  to  cover  all  EU  Member  States  should  be  completed  by  2050,  the  TEN-T 
network, together with the relevant system for information services. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  use  of  ecological  materials  will  reduce  the  environmental  cost  of  new 
infrastructure construction, while investing on ways to increase the lifespan of the network and reduce 
the maintenance needs, substantial decreases the actual cost. In fact, maintenance of infrastructure is 
very costly and in most Member States it amounts to annual budgets comparable, in cases even larger, 
to  the  infrastructure  investment  budgets.  In  the  case  of  roads,  the  International  Transport  Forum 

50 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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estimated the share of maintenance costs in total road expenditure to be between 25% and 35% for 
European countries (International Transport Forum, 2012). 

infrastructure.  Relevant 

Research on impacts of climate change on transport infrastructure will be determinant to the promotion 
in  the  PESETA  project 
of  climate-resilient 
(http://peseta.jrc.ec.europa.eu/), including rail buckling and low water levels (to affect inland waterways) 
as results of increased summer temperatures, and reduced average precipitation, flooding and landslides 
as  results of extreme precipitation. Furthermore, sea level  rise and sea  storm surges  could put in risk 
coastal  highways  and  railways,  as  well  as  ports  and  low-altitude  airports.  Current  weather  induced 
annual costs for Europe were estimated to be 10.4 billion euros for wear and tear of infrastructure and 
629 million euros as costs from damages caused by extreme weather. 

impacts  were  considered 

Barriers and challenges 

The complexity of and competition in the transport infrastructures construction sector, together with the 
project-based  nature  of  the  construction  work,  have  an  adverse  effect  on  its  innovation  capacity 
(Wiesenthal et al, 2015). As innovation potential is directly linked to investment ability, focusing on cost 
minimisation cannot create favourable conditions for innovation. The situation is further complicated by 
the  fact  that  there  is  limited  competition  for  large  projects,  such  as  the  ones  for  the  construction  of 
transport infrastructure, as there are only a few large companies able to manage them. 

A big challenge in the sector of  transport infrastructure is to take  advantage of the fact that it is the 
technical specifications and regulations that, to a large extent, determine the processes of construction 
and  maintenance.  This  can  stimulate  innovation  and,  most  importantly,  guide  it  towards  a  desired 
direction  such  as  the  minimisation  of  environmental  impacts.  Green  public  procurement11 has  been 
successful  in  promoting  the  development  of  'green'  technologies  and  products,  as  well  as  their 
deployment in the market. This can be particularly important for small and medium size companies, as it 
offers an opportunity to find markets for their innovative solutions and products. 

How to act? 

Analysis 

The  analysis  should  start  by  identifying  the  key  regional  stakeholders  and  evaluating  their  innovation 
potentials in areas where they have proved research experience (through indicators sucha as R&D and 
patents), as in fields with potential cross-fertilization among other economic sectors. 

Work with local partners in the identification of challenges and needs for development of new/existing 
transport infrastructure to be addressed by the region, emphasizing the issues related with smart, green, 
low-maintenance and climate-resilient infrastructure. This process should also include a prioritisation of 
subjects and possible means of intervention; 

At this stage, determining the areas where new skills and professionals will be needed and estimating 
the costs of interventions and potential sources of funding, should also be considered. 

Governance/Stakeholder involvement 

The  construction  sector  in  Europe  includes  only  a  few  but  very  large  companies  with  national  and 
international  activity  and  a  large  number  of  small  companies  that  operate  locally  and  in  most  cases 

11 As defined in the Communication (COM(2008)400) "Public procurement for a better environment" 

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collaborate  with  the  companies  that  manage  the  projects  (Wiesenthal  et  al,  2011).  A  range  of 
stakeholders should be considered for the development of Smart Specialisation Strategies in this field, 
including: 

  Companies entirely or partly devoted to research in smart, green, low-maintenance and 

climate-resilient infrastructure. 

  National  authorities  including  ministries  relevant  to  public  works,  transport  and 

environment. 

  Public authorities such as local departments relevant to planning and maintenance of 

the transport network. 

  Transport authorities (road, rail, port, aviation and marine). 
  Research institutes and universities. 
  Companies of specialised equipment, e.g. manufacturers of signalling systems. 
 
  Transport or engineering consultancies. 

Infrastructure operators, e.g. highways and toll operators. 

In Europe there are several initiatives and platforms bringing together relevant stakeholders such as the 
following: 

  European  Construction  Technology  Platform,  representing  stakeholders  related  with 

construction of infrastructure, including transport infrastructure.  

  European Network of Construction Companies for Research and Development (Encord) a 

forum for industry-led innovation in the construction sector. 

  European  Construction  Industry  Federation  (FIEC),  represents  the  interests  of  the 
European  construction  industry  toward  the  European  Institutions  while  helping 
knowledge of the sector among policy makers and the general public. 

  European  Council  for  Construction  Research  Development  and  Innovation  (ECCREDI), 

focussing on research and innovation in the construction sector 

  Council  of  European  Producers  of  Materials  of  Construction  (CEPMC),  represents  the 
interests of its Members at a European level, improving networking among its Members 
and  monitoring  European legislative,  administrative  and  economic  measures  affecting 
construction. 

  European  Union  Road  Federation  (ERF),  representing  stakeholders  in  the  construction, 
equipment of Europe's road network, it coordinates the views of Europe's road sector, 
especially in the field of research. 

Furthermore, the following research initiatives take place in Europe: 

  The  Forum  of  European  National  Highways  Laboratories  (FEHRL)  brings  together 
national  road  research  and  technical  centres  in  Europe;  research  areas  of  interest 
include environment, economics, safety, materials and telematics. 

  The Forum of European Road Safety Research Institutes (FERSI) aims to bring together 

researchers working on safety. 

52 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Priority setting 

The regions have to identify the most appropriate ways to achieve smart, green, low-maintenance and 
climate-resilient  infrastructure.  Relevant  priorities  as  identified  by  the  European  Commission  (2012b) 
include the following: 

  Enhancing the interoperability and inter-modality of network systems, including issues 

 

regarding national borders and interaction between Member States. 
Integrating  information  and  communication  systems  and  ensuring  the  resiliency  of 
mechanisms and systems in order to be able to provide seamless services. 

  Establishing multimodal  centres  to  ensure  the  smooth  interaction  between modes  for 

both passenger and freight transport. 

  Using  more  eco-friendly  materials  and  investing  on  relevant  research  regarding  both 
manufacturing  and  adoption.  Focusing  on  reducing  waste  from  construction  and 
technologies for recycling and reusing construction materials. 

  Developing  and  implementing  innovative  technologies  and  infrastructures  that  will 

inform transport users and drivers about dangers. 

  Developing ways that will increase the endurance and lifespan of existing infrastructure. 

Policy mix 

Relevant funding opportunities can be found in Horizon2020, while regions should focus on policies to 
support smart, green, low-maintenance and climate-resilient infrastructure such as the following: 

 

 

Incentives  to  invest  in  and  adopt  innovative  methods  in  the  field  of  smart,  green,  low-
maintenance and climate-resilient infrastructure  
Support public private partnerships in this field 
Support R&D and deployment strategies in companies innovating in this research field. 

 
  Green public procurement 

Other funding sources include: 

  Horizon  2020,  which  includes  a  specific  call  for  research  related  with  smart,  green  and  more 

efficient infrastructure. 
  Connecting Europe Facility 
  MARTEC  II,  financing  research  related  with  increasing  the  security  and  efficiency  of  maritime 

infrastructures.  

  Marco Polo, for projects related with rail, sea and inland waterway infrastructure 
  SESAR, for projects related with the aviation sector. 
  Shift2Rail Joint Undertaking, for projects related with rail infrastructure. 
  ERA-Net Road, financing projects in the road sector 
  ERA-NET Transport, launches specific call for research in the transport field. For 2015 a new call 
on  'Sustainable  Logistics  and  Supply  Chains'  was  opened,  financing  projects  in  the  following 
research domains: 

Cross-border freight transport corridors 

 
  Hub development 
  Urban / last mile logistics 
  Organizational innovations and new business models in logistics 
 

Information infrastructure and services for logistics 

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Box 11 – Greenroad project 

http://www.greenroad-santander.com/en/ 

The  Greenroad  project  is  a  partnership  between  a  construction  company,  Santander  City  council  and  the 
University of Cantabria. It aims to improve the sustainability of road infrastructure, by testing the feasibility of 
using at least 90% recycle mixtures in asphalt road construction. It also aims the reduction of the temperature 
required in the production process of asphalt mixtures and thus minimizes the energy consumption. 
Greenroad  asphalt  will  be  tested  in  an  area  of  5.400m2  and  it  will  be  compared  with  another  similar  area 
using normal asphalt. Furthermore the project will demonstrate the environmental and economic benefits of 
the use of waste in the production of asphalt, analysing the life cycle of normal and Greenroad asphalt. 

Ultimately the project aims to significantly improve the application of the purchase green public construction 
contracts, so as to include a requirement for the use of green asphalt. 

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Europe-wide alternative fuel distribution infrastructures 

Why invest in Europe-wide alternative fuel distribution infrastructures? 

High  targets  regarding  changes  in  the  use  of  propulsion  systems  have  been  set  by  the  European 
Commission and appropriate infrastructures need to be in place in order to achieve these targets. Use of 
cars  with  conventional  fuels  in  urban  transport  is  expected  to  be  halved  by  2030  and  eliminated  by 
2050, while logistics in major urban centres is foreseen to become carbon-free by 2030. With reference 
to  other  modes,  by  2050  the  share  of  sustainable  fuels  in  aviation  needs  to  reach  40%  and  CO2 
emissions  from  maritime  bunker  fuels  need  to  be  reduced  by  at  least  40%  (European  Commission, 
2011a). 

The  potentials  for  the  adoption  of  alternative  fuel  vehicles  are  directly  related  to  the  availability  of 
alternative fuels, hence the production infrastructure and refuelling network. For some of the alternative 
fuels mentioned below, such as biofuels and synthetic fuels, refuelling issues can be addressed using the 
existing  distribution  infrastructure.  As  for  electricity-  and  hydrogen-  powered  vehicles,  which  are  the 
'cleanest'  propulsion  technologies,  the  limited  coverage  of  the  refuelling/recharging  network,  together 
with  the  relatively  low  speed  of  refuelling  and  mileage  that  can  be  covered  without  recharging,  have 
adverse effects on their attractiveness as competitive alternatives to conventional propulsion systems. 

Barriers and challenges 

One  of  the  major  barriers  to  invest  in  alternative  fuel  distribution  constructions  is  high  cost,  which 
combined  with  an  unsupportive  regulatory  framework  can  make  investments  risky.  In  order  to  give  a 
boost  to  the  sector  of  alternative  fuels,  besides  restructuring  the  legislative  framework,  direct 
investments by the regions on distribution infrastructure may be necessary. 

Regarding the challenges in the areas of production and R&D, the most important issues have to do with 
the cost of alternative fuels, distance to cover with a full tank or charge and refuelling/ recharging both 
in terms of infrastructure and time required; the latter refers mainly to recharging speed. 

How to act? 

Analysis 

The  analysis  of  regional  potential  in  the  sector  of  fuel  distribution  infrastructures  should  start  by 
assessing the regional approach towards the adoption of alternative fuels including the current state of 
relevant infrastructures.  

Also,  the  main  stakeholders  in  the  region  need  to  be  identified,  while  in  the  case  of  companies  or 
research  institutes  need  their  skills  and  abilities  to  be  evaluated  in  comparison  to  national  and 
international competition; this will help to identify competitive advantages and relative weaknesses. 

Furthermore, the regulatory framework needs to be assessed especially in terms of its ability to support 
and  offer  a  stable  environment  for  the  growth  of  relevant  initiatives.  The  necessary  policy-making 
actions  will  also  be  identified.  For  example,  the  creation  of  networking  platforms  can  be  stimulated 
through the organisation of relevant workshops or meetings.  

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Governance/Stakeholder involvement 

The stakeholders to be considered for the development of  Smart Specialisation Strategies need to be 
from both the supply and demand sides of fuels. Main actors to be considered by the region may include 
the following: 

  Major car manufacturers 
  Research institutes and Universities 
  Alternative fuel producers, as well as battery and fuel cell producers 
  Energy companies active in the field of electricity or other alternative fuels 
  Power-generation companies also involved in providing charging infrastructure 
  Local  and  regional  authorities  with  regulating  power,  which  can  help  to  create  a 

supportive environment for the adoption of alternative fuels 

  National authorities, ministries and relevant governmental departments 
  Standards organisation such as CEN (European Committee for Standardisation) 

Relevant associations and groups to be considered include the following: 

  European  Road  Transport  Research  Advisory  Council  (ERTRAC);  a  technology  platform 
which  brings  together  relevant  stakeholders  in  the  field  of  road  transport  research. 
Among others, they have published the document 'Electrification of Road Transport' and 
have set up the Electrification Task Force. 
  European Rail Research advisory council (ERRAC) 
  Waterborne TP; is a technology platform of main stakeholders, committed to update the 
R&D requirements for European competitiveness, innovation of the waterborne sector. 

  Advisory Council for Aeronautics Research in Europe (ACARE)  
  European  Biofuels  Technology  Platform  (EBTP),  responsible  for  establishing  R&D 

priorities on biofuels and building consensus among main stakholders. 

  Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking 
  European Construction Technology Platform (ECTP)  

Priority setting 

Priority setting cannot ignore existing skills and potentials but needs to take into account some of the 
pressing  issues  regarding  the  adoption  of  alternative  fuels  and  the  growth  of  relevant  distribution 
networks. Relevant issues are indicated by the European Commission (2012b) and include the following: 

  Research  and 

innovation  focusing  on  modifying  the  existing  petroleum-based 

 

infrastructure in order to be able to include higher-blend biofuels 
Investment on synthetic fuels both in terms of production and adoption. Regarding the 
former, production processes need to become more efficient and for synthetic fuels it 
should be possible to use the same infrastructures as for fossil fuels.  

  For  the  promotion  of  hydrogen,  innovative  solutions  are  needed  in  the  field  of 

transportation, storage, and refuelling network. 

  Additional efforts need to be made in order to take advantage of the full potential of 

Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG). 

  As for electricity, the focus should be on the development of recharging infrastructure, 

wireless charging and two-way charging, and the reduction of charging time.  

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Policy mix 

The European Commission has already set relevant targets that will increase the interest in research for 
alternative  fuels.  One  example  is  the  Renewable  Energies  Directive  (European  Commission,  2009b) 
according  to  which  by  2020  at  least  10%  of  the  transport  fuels  in  all  EU  countries  must  come  from 
renewable sources.  

Furthermore  it  has  launched  a  "Clean  Power  for  Transport"  package  that  aims  to  facilitate  de 
development of a single market of alternative fuels for transport in Europe. This has given place to a 
Directive  that  requires  Member  States  to  develop  national  policy  frameworks  for  the  market 
development  of  alternative  fuels  and  their  infrastructure;  foresees  the  use  of  common  technical 
specifications for recharging and refuelling stations and paves the way for setting appropriate consumer 
information on alternative fuels. 

Regional  development  in  this  area  should  consider  the  objectives  lay  down  by  European  and  national 
authorities.  It  should  also  refer  to  specific  actions  and  the  budget  allocation  and  to  the  source  of 
funding. 

Relevant funding schemes and relevant platforms and initiatives include the following: 

  Horizon 2020 
  Connecting Europe Facility 
  CIVITAS 
  ELENA,  is  a  European  Facility  aiming  through  technical  assistance,  at  supporting 
regional or local authorities in accelerating their investment programmes in the fields of 
energy efficiency and renewable energy sources. 

  The  European  Energy  Efficiency  Fund  (EEEF),  provides  market-based  financing  for 
commercially  viable  public  energy  efficiency,  renewable  energy  and  clean  urban 
transport projects. 

  ERA-NET Transport launches regular transnational calls for coordinate national/regional 
funding  for  RTI  projects,  called  Flagship  initiatives.  In  addition  to  these  Flagship 
initiatives, other calls for RTI projects may be launched from different Action Groups 
  MARTEC,  this  ERA-NET  for  maritime  technologies,  in  its  2015  call  defines  one  of  the 

priority areas as "offshore structure for renewable energy". 

  European  Green  Vehicles  Initiative  (EGVI);  a  contractual  public-private  partnership 

funding research in green vehicles and sustainable mobility systems. 

  Clean  Sky  JTI  (Joint  Technology  Initiative);  an  European  aeronautical  research 
programme,  focused  on  develop  breakthrough  technologies  that 
increase  the 
environmental performance of airplanes and air transport. Specific calls can be found in 
the field of alternative fuels. 

  Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Technology Initiative; is a public private partnership that 
supports research, technological development and demonstration activities in the field 
of  fuel  cells  and  hydrogen  technologies  in  Europe.  Partners  include  the  European 
Commission,  fuel  cells  and  hydrogen  industries  and  the  research  community.  Funding 
opportunities can be found in the field of refuelling infrastructure.  

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Box 12 - Magnun Cap's New Park Charge Solution 

Source: http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy 

The  project  was  co-financed  by  the  ERDF  and  has  developed  a  range  of  electric  charging  system 
prototypes for transport based on renewable energy, which contributes to wider deployment of electric 
vehicles. Four prototypes have been developed within the project: 1) a two-wheel charging system; 2) a 
normal charging system; 3) a home charging system; and a 4) quick charging system. 

Magnun  Cap  benefited  from  new  opportunities  regarding  the  supply  of  electronic  vehicle-charging 
products,  remote  charge  monitoring  and  management  tools  and  a  range  of  related  services.  The 
company now exports 50% of its products.  

Efficient modal traffic-management systems  

Why invest in efficient modal traffic-management systems? 

Traffic  management  systems  such  as  Intelligent  Transport  Systems  (ITS)  or  advanced  traffic 
management  systems  for  other  modes  can  play  –  in  fact  they  already  do  –  a  very  important  role  in 
achieving the emission reduction targets set in the transport White  Paper, as well as in improving the 
efficiency of roads in terms of reducing congestion and travel times.  

In  general,  Information  and  Communication  Technologies  (ICTs)  can  help  to  improve  safety  and 
information of transport users. Furthermore, they can offer relatively cheap solutions once the necessary 
infrastructure exists, and can increase the efficiency of the management of transport systems, the speed 
of  the  response  of  logistic  companies,  the  speed  of  data  collection  and  analysis,  and  in  general  the 
competitiveness of transport and logistics suppliers.   

To  achieve  the  best  possible  results,  in-parallel  development  of  the  technological,  organisational  and 
regulatory systems is necessary. The continuing development of technologies such as ICTs creates new 
opportunities  that  might  not  be  possible  to  be  covered  by  the  existing  regulatory  framework. 
Furthermore,  only  traffic  management  systems  by  themselves  could  not  sufficiently  address  pressing 
issues  such  as  congestion  because  users  tend  to  change  their  mode  choices  according  to  traffic 
conditions. As a result, besides manufacturing of traffic management tools the optimisation of services 
and  incorporation  of  management  systems  should  also  be  in  the  focus  of  regions  interested  in  this 
sector.  

At the moment there are several information and traffic management systems at the European scale 
including the following: 

  European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) 
  Vessel Traffic Monitoring and Information Systems (VTMIS) and SafeSeaNet 
  River Information Services (RIS) 

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  European Electronic Toll Service (EETS) 

Barriers and challenges 

There are several issues relevant to the increasing presence of technology in traffic-management such 
as the contrast between the rapid development of technology – in this case ITS or transport-related ICTs 
– and the long lifespan of transport infrastructures. Hence, ways for efficient and cost-effective update 
of  transport  infrastructures  need  to  be  identified  while  transport  planning  needs  to  take  as  much  as 
possible into account expected changes. 

One issue relevant to the technological sector is the uncertainty/risk of investing to new products. A key 
policy  step  for  road  transport  has  been  made  with  the  Directive  2010/40/EU  (European  Commission, 
2010)  which  indicates  the  requirement  for  adoption  of  specifications  to  ensure  compatibility, 
interoperability and continuity of Intelligent Transport Systems across the EU. 

Another issue, which becomes increasingly relevant as the type and amount of private data that can be 
collected  by  information  technology  systems  increases,  is  securing  privacy  while  benefiting  from 
available information. Regulation and standards need to be developed and updated in order to enable 
users to take the most out of new technologies while addressing issues such as privacy or data-sharing 
between companies and platforms. 

Furthermore, the policy framework for the protection of privacy and personal data also exists: Directive 
95/46/EC  (European  Commission,  1995)  refers  to  free  movement  of  data  and  Directive  2002/58/EC 
(European  Commission,  2002)  refers  to  the  protection  of  privacy  in  the  electronic  communications 
sector. 

How to act? 

Analysis 

Many  regions  are  expected  to  have,  as  users,  a  traffic  management  system  in  place  and  the  current 
state of the region needs to be assessed in order to identify advantages and gaps. The interest of the 
region in investing in traffic management systems is expected to be affected not only by existing skills 
but  also  by  the  region's  specific  needs,  hence  the  potential  of  the  region  may  depend  on  existing 
infrastructure such as roads, ports, logistic sites etc.  

Furthermore,  the  regulatory  and  institutional  framework  of  the  region  needs  to  be  analysed,  relevant 
actors from the side of both development and deployment need to be identified and the current state in 
terms of skills and resources needs to be evaluated. 

Finally, either in comparison to other regions or independently, the actions that need to be taken in order 
to  enhance  innovation  need  to  be  identified.  Among  them,  actions  to  stimulate  collaboration  and 
investments are included. 

Governance/Stakeholder involvement 

There is a range of stakeholders interested in the innovation potential of traffic management systems 
including  manufacturers,  operators  and  end-users.  Among  them  can  be  found  the  main  actors  to  be 
considered for the preparation of Smart Specialisation Strategies and they may include the following: 

  Automotive industry and other vehicle manufacturers 

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  Manufacturers of vehicle equipment 
  Developers of relevant software 
  Telecommunication companies 
  Operators as of highways, public transport, ports and airports 
  National, regional and local authorities 
  Passengers and drivers associations  
  Constructors of infrastructure  
  Research institutes and universities working on relevant areas 

Approaching associations and partnerships can be a very useful step for regions willing to specialise in 
the area of traffic management systems. Relevant initiatives include the following: 

  ERTICO – ITS Europe, providing a platform for international collaborative research and 

development in various ITS domains 

  European Council for Automotive Research and Development (EUCAR), specially interest 

in ITS applications to road vehicles 

  European  Automotive  Research  Association  (EARPA),  which  includes  a  task  force  on 

electronic and communication systems 

  European  Road  Transport  Research  Advisory  Council  (ERTRAC),  especially  the  working 

groups of 'Urban mobility' and 'Road safety and security' 

  Single European Sky (SES) and more specifically the part focusing on technology: SESAR 
(Single  European  Sky  Air  Traffic  Management  Research)  which  funds  exploratory 
research and demonstration projects. 

  European Rail Research Advisory Council (ERRAC) 
  Electronic Components and Systems for European Leadership (ECSEL Joint Undertaking). 
This is a PPP that supports the development and deployment of electronic components 
and systems, a key enabling technology essential for the smart mobility applications. 
  Polis,  which  includes  a  working  group  on  traffic  efficiency  and  mobility,  especially 

relevant for this transport field. 

Priority setting 

In order to maximise the benefits from the use of efficient traffic management systems it is important 
to  tackle  any  deployment-related  issues.  Deployment-related  priorities  as  identified  by  the  European 
Commission (2012b) include the following: 

  Smart fee collection system that will practically implement the 'user pays' approach as 

charges will depend on external costs, congestion levels etc. 

  Automated  vehicle 

identification  using  technologies  such  as  plate  recognition, 

navigation systems etc. 

  Automated  vehicle  classification  systems  using  image  capturing,  sensors  and  data 

storing technologies. 

Furthermore,  systems  that  need  to  be  further  developed  as  identified  by  the  European  Commission 
(2012b) include the following: 

  Open  standard  electronic  platforms  to  exchange  information  of  the  vehicle  such  as 
location,  speed,  safety  etc.  In  this  context,  privacy  issues  need  to  be  addressed. 
Furthermore, interoperability between different systems needs to be secured. 

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  Real time data collection and information systems on congestion, infrastructure-related 
issues  etc.  Interoperability  between  different  systems  is  an  issue  that  needs  to  be 
addressed also in this case. 

  Technical standards for exchanging information and data.  

Policy mix 

Given  the  complexity,  size  and  socio-economic  and  environmental  impact  of  projects  in  this  field, 
synergies with other actors and funds are essential. Funding opportunities can be found in: 

  Horizon 2020, under the specific call for 'Intelligent transport systems' 
  CIVITAS 
  SESAR Joint Undertaking; was created by the European Union and Eurocontrol in order to ensure 
the  modernisation  of  the  European  air  traffic  management  system.  This  initiative  coordinates 
and concentrates all relevant research and development efforts in the Union, funding important 
exploratory research and demonstration projects. 

  Electronic Components and Systems for European Leadership (ECSEL Joint Undertaking); is  an 
European  PPP  that  offers  funding  for  research,  development  and  innovation  projects  on 
electronic components and systems. Particularly for transport, it finances projects related with 
smart  mobility  that  can  be  combined  with  other  research  funds  such  as  Horizon2020  and 
structural funds via ESIF/ERDF. 

  MARTEC II, financing projects in the maritime sector 
 
'Shift2rail – Joint Undertaking'. (See section 2.4) 
  Connecting  Europe  Facility:  especially  under  the  objectives  of  supporting  sustainable  and 

efficient transport systems. 

Box 13 - New Centre of Excellence in North-Western Slovakia 

Source: http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/ 

The project was 85% co-funded by the EU, with national funds making up the rest of the total cost. 
It  integrated  four  research  facilities  for  the  development  and  production  of  intelligent  transport 
systems. It aimed to create a multidisciplinary institution, studying solutions to common transport 
and traffic challenges. 

Piloted by the University of Žilina, the project looked at everything from signal processing to user-
friendly data display.  

The project also developed promising solutions for designing evacuation plans for places that are 
threatened by a disaster of some kind. 

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Integrated cross-modal information and management services 

Why invest in Integrated cross-modal information and management services? 

Integrated  cross-modal  information  and  management  services  can  play  a  significant  role  in  changing 
mobility behaviour in the case of passenger transport and improving the efficiency of the logistic chain 
and  freight  transport.  Establishing  the  framework  for  European  multimodal  transport  information, 
management and payment services by  2020 is one of the main targets of the transport White Paper 
(European Commission, 2011a)  

Passenger  and  freight  transport  are  different  cases  as  regards  the  application  of  cross-modal 
information  and  management  services,  and  the  issues  and  solutions  to  be  considered.  In  the  case  of 
passenger  transport,  advantages  from  the  deployment  of  integrated  cross-modal  information  and 
management  services  include  the  following:  improvement  of  service  through  better  coordination, 
simplification  of  ticketing  systems  and  reduction  of  cost  by  reducing  administration.  Furthermore, 
monitoring of the system through ITS and provision of information with the help of ICTs is important for 
the optimisation of services. 

In the case of freight transport, cross-modal integration will reduce the cost and improve the efficiency 
of the system while it can make it greener. Moreover, the creation of  cross-modal logistic stations will 
increase the competitiveness of the region.  

Barriers and challenges 

The main barriers for establishing efficient cross-modal information and management services have to 
do  with  the  regulatory  framework,  the  development  of  systems  that  will  allow  effective  cross-modal 
management and exchange of information, and the distribution of costs and benefits.  

The development or adaptation of intermodal infrastructure can be very expensive and for the necessary 
investments to be made, appropriate incentives need to be given. Additionally, in order to secure that any 
profits from such investments will be fairly distributed, efficient pricing systems need to be in place.   

How to act? 

Analysis 

The  first  step  of  the  analysis  should  be  the  assessment  of  the  existing  governance  scheme  and  the 
evaluation  of  potentials  to  change  the  regulatory  structure  towards  one  that  will  be  favouring  the 
establishment of integrated management systems.  

Then,  existing  infrastructure  and  activity  need  to  be  evaluated  in  order  to  assess  cross-modal 
development potentials. It is expected that cross-modal management systems would be interesting for 
areas  with  multimodal  freight  and  logistics  activity,  e.g.  waterborne  and  rail  transport,  or  for  urban 
areas. 

In parallel, the main relevant stakeholders need to be identified while it is important to assess the level 
of  skills  and  the  availability  of  resources.  Finally,  the  policies  that  would  enhance  the  collaboration 
between different stakeholders and the regulatory changes that would incentivise the development of 
cross-modal management systems need to be explored.   

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Governance/Stakeholder involvement 

Stakeholders that need to be taken into account for the development of Smart Specialisation Strategies 
focusing on cross-modal information and management services in the area of freight transport include 
the following: 

  Port and airport authorities 
  Rail companies 
  Logistics service providers and distributing companies 
  Shipping companies 
  Road freight enterprises, e.g. trucking companies 
  Very big retailers with logistics facilities 
  Local and national authorities relevant to transport and infrastructure 
  Research institutes and universities 
  Specialised consultancies 
 

IT companies and software developers working in the field 

In the case of passengers transport the following are relevant stakeholders: 

  Transport authorities 
  Transport operators (rail, light rail, metro, buses, roads etc.) 
  Transport consultancies 
  Passenger associations 
 
  Local authorities 

IT companies and software developers working in the field 

Finally,  relevant  European  professional  associations  and  partnerships  that  can  be  of  interest  for  the 
region developing Smart Specialisation Strategies include the following: 

  European 

Intermodal  Association  (EIA),  provides  comprehensive 

information  on 
intermodal freight transport in the field of company profiles, best practise, legislation, 
news and events 

  European  Inter-modal  Research  Advisory  Council  (EIRAC)  that  has  developed  the 

Strategic Intermodal Research Agenda (SIRA) for the year 2020 

  European  Conference  of  Transport  Research  Institutes  (ECTRI),  with  specific  working 

groups on Mobility, freight and logistics and traffic management 
International Association of Public Transport (UITP) 

 
  European  Metropolitan  Transport  Authorities  (EMTA),  this  association  provides  a 
platform  for  exchanging  information  and  best  practices  between  public  authorities  in 
the field of planning, integrating and financing public transport services. 

  Polis 

Priority setting 

In order to define their main priorities, regions need to assess their regional advantages and skills. From 
the  technological  point  of  view,  areas  that  need  to  be  further  investigated  and  developed  in  order  to 
move towards the deployment of integrated cross-modal information and management services include 
the following (European Commission, 2012b): 

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  Ensuring  the  compatibility  of  management  and  interfaces  among  different  modal 

networks, between long-distance and local networks and across borders. 

  Offering  integrated,  cross-modal,  cross-border  and  real-time  information  to  all 

transport users in order to secure the smooth operation of inter-modality. 

  Structuring timetables taking into account all modes to minimise delays during cross-

modal interchanges. 

  Developing smart navigation and routing systems with multi-modal information able to 

offer a variety of alternatives based on different criteria, e.g. environmental etc. 

  Offering  simple  and  smart  integrated  reservation,  ticketing  and  charging  systems 

covering all public transport modes. 

  Establishing single ticket systems where relevant, e.g. urban transport. 

Policy mix 

Policies to boost innovation in inter-modality issues should focus on removing any barriers identified in 
the analytical process, enhancing the coordination among the multiple actors that by default need to be 
involved and incentivising private stakeholders to take action.  

Innovation efforts in this field may also benefit from the improvement of interoperability of standards 
and services, the enhancement of coordination between information services, the adoption of navigation 
systems and network management tools, the deployment of smart ticketing and charging systems, the 
implementation  of  systems  to  exploit  real-time  data,  either  in  terms  of  informing  users  or  improving 
network management. 

Especially  in  the  case  of  passenger  transport  integrated  governance  schemes,  such  as  metropolitan 
transport  authorities,  should  improve  the  coordination  between  different  stakeholders  and  modal 
authorities. 

Regarding complementary funding opportunities, specific calls can be explored in:  

  Horizon 2020 
  Connecting Europe facility 
 

INTERREG  EUROPE  programme  aims  to  improve  the  implementation  of  regional  development 
policies and programmes. Four themes were selected in order to make the best use of limited 
funds,  with  one  in  particular  relevant  to  transport  i.e.  low-carbon  economy  which  can  be 
achieved by promoting multimodal sustainable transport. 

  MARTEC II, for maritime services 
  ERA-Net Road 
  Marco Polo 
  Polis 

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Box 14 - LOGICAL project 

Source: http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/ 

The LOGICAL project, mainly financed by ERDF, develops an ICT tool that enhance logistics services 
across  Central  Europe,  by  integrating  cloud  competing  into  the  daily  routines  of  operators  and 
infrastructure providers.  

Beneficiaries  of  this  transnational  cloud  computing  tool  are  small  and  medium-size  logistic 
enterprises that have limited resources for licensing software systems. In general the tool reduces 
transaction  costs,  increases  intermodal  co-operation  in  a  common  cloud  computing  system  and 
provides an online learning tool for capacity building of logistics actors. 

Box 15 - Finland's multi-modal transport service package 

Source: Eltis 

Finland is developing and piloting the world's first door-to-door mobility service. Supported by 
Tekes,  the  Finnish  Funding  Agency  for  Innovation,  and  the  Ministry  of  Transport  and 
Communications the concept is based on several approaches, one of which allows people to buy 
packages similar to mobile bundles, which provide them with different transport options to get 
them seamlessly from one location to another. 

Seamless logistics 

Why invest in Seamless logistics? 

Seamless logistics  will contribute significantly in the achievement of the targets to create clean, safe, 
smart and efficient transport. By optimising freight transport, the service level will be improved while 
cost and environmental impacts will be reduced. To achieve seamless logistics different modes need to 
be smoothly combined, while delays and interruptions in the logistic chain need to be minimised.  

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Potentially positive  consequences  of  seamless  logistics  development  include  shifting  to  environmental 
friendly modes at any of the stages of the logistic chain (e.g. to rail for transportation from terminals or 
electric  vehicles  for  distribution  in  cities),  improving  fleet  management  to  optimise  truck  loads  and 
scheduling, and improving delivery management (e.g. avoiding single item deliveries, making quite night 
deliveries, assigning parking for loading and unloading). 

Relevant potential developments include creating appropriate logistic centres and terminals, optimising 
operations  and  increasing  the  fleet  of  environmental-friendly  vehicles.  Very  important  for  the 
optimisation of operations is close monitoring, data collection and data analysis; this is an area where 
research and innovation can contribute significantly.  

Barriers and challenges 

An important barrier for achieving seamless multimodal freight transport services in a region is the cost 
of infrastructure. In the case of regions with significant international logistics activity, such infrastructure 
might have to do with cargo transferring from mode to mode, e.g. from waterborne to land transport. On 
the  other  hand,  in  regions  with  predominately  urban  character,  the  issue  might  have  to  do  with  the 
efficient connection of urban and interurban freight and distribution services.  

The success of EU-wide seamless logistics depend on how different governments will address security 
issues,  the  promotion  of  minimum  disruptions  and  interoperability  between  different  systems  by 
addressing  both  technological  and  administrative  issues.  It  will  also  depend  on  the  combination  of 
effectively  navigation  systems  with  real  time  traffic  data  in  order  to  improve  route  and  congestion 
related provision of information.  

How to act? 

Analysis 

The analysis of the potentials of the region should start with the identification of the main stakeholders 
and continue with the evaluation of activity both in terms of freight transport and technology production. 
The  skills  in  relevant  sectors  such  as  navigation  software  development,  logistics  management  and 
freight operations need to be assessed, as well as the level of existing infrastructure and the potential 
benefits from innovation. Finally, the potentials in terms of support need to be examined in connection to 
forecasted benefits. 

Governance/Stakeholder involvement 

The achievement of seamless logistics can be benefited by the adoption of flexible and comprehensive – 
i.e. where all relevant stakeholders will be represented – governance structures. Stakeholders that need 
to be involved in the design of Smart Specialisation Strategies include the following: 

  Logistics centres 
  Shipping companies and ship-owners 
  Rail operators 
  Freight companies 
  Trucking companies and distributors 
  Port and airport operators 
  Specialised software and application developers 
  Research institutes and universities 

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  Specialised technology companies focusing on R&D such as university spin-offs  
  Consultancies in the area of logistics and transport 

Most  relevant  associations  and  partnerships  have  already  been  mentioned  in  the  previous  section 
(Integrated cross-modal information and management services) and include the following: 

  European Intermodal Association (EIA) 
  European Inter-modal Research Advisory Council (EIRAC) 
  Polis 

Priority setting 

The  European  Commission  (2012b)  has  identified  the  main  research  and  innovation  areas  for  the 
development of seamless logistics. They include the following: 

  Systems and technologies to improve the multimodal management of freight transport 
such  as  intelligent  fleet  management  systems,  real  time  information  in  navigation 
systems,  trip  planning  technologies  and  software.  Better  planning  and  use  of  more 
information will reduce travel times while it can limit the exposure of environmentally 
sensitive areas to freight traffic 
Intelligent cargo handling solutions in consolidation and distribution terminals that will 
make use of real-time data in order to enable multimodal freight and tracking of items, 
and to improve planning of deliveries 

 

  Optimisation  of  delivery  services  in  urban  areas  (e.g.  home  deliveries)  including 

reduction of environmental cost of urban logistics 

  Vehicle tracking systems to assist in the enforcement of restrictions 
  Cargo  tracking  and  tracing  systems  to  provide  information  during  all  parts  of  the 

logistic chain 
Interoperability of different tracking, tracing and monitoring systems  

 

Policy mix 

Policies  to  stimulate  innovation  in  multimodal  terminals  are  necessary  in  regions  with  significant 
international freight activity. Furthermore, investments by the region itself may need to be considered as 
a measure to boost freight transport activity.  

Creating  the  appropriate  environment  for  the  growth  of  innovative  technological  and  R&D  companies 
may  require  setting  up  a  supportive  regulatory  framework  that  will  drive  technology  adoption  and 
backing  innovation  either  through  direct  investments  or  with  the  provision  of  financial  incentives.  An 
important help for the latter can be the creation of support clusters such as the Logistics and Transport 
Cluster in Lower Austria (Box 16). 

Targeting  to  increase  energy  efficiency  and  reduce  environmental  impacts,  the  European  Commission 
supports the concept of Green Corridors where technology and multi-modality are important tools  for 
improving performance in terms of energy, emissions, costs and outputs.  

Furthermore,  the  European  Commission  in  the  transport  White  Paper  (European  Commission,  2011a) 
indicates  the  need  for  the  creation  and  deployment  of  an  'electronic  waybill'  and  the  adoption  of  an 
appropriate  framework  in  order  to  implement  concepts  such  as  'single  window'  and  'one-stop 
administrative shop'. 

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Box 16 - Competence field logistics & transport, ecoplus  

Source: http://www.ecoplus.at/en/ecoplus/cluster/logistics 

Ecoplus is the business agency of the state of 
Lower  Austria.  They  are  offering  services  for 
the  development  of  Lower  Austria  as  a 
business  location  and  are  focusing  on  several 
competence  fields 
including  Logistics  and 
Transport. 

"The competence field logistics & transport is a service centre and point of contact for all innovative companies 
that  consider  logistics  a  success  factor  and  recognise  potential  in  logistical  challenges.  Transport  logistics  and 
freight transport affect key work activities. Nestled in the business field cluster of Lower Austria, the competence 
field logistics & transport offers all companies an information and service centre for all their logistical issues." 

Complementary funding opportunities can be explored in specific calls, such as:  

  Horizon 2020 
  ERA-NET Transport launches regular transnational calls for coordinate national/regional funding 
for RTI projects. Currently a new call has been launched in the field of 'Sustainable logistics and 
Supply Chains' 

  MARTEC II, for maritime services 
  CIVITAS 

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Integrated and innovative urban mobility and transport 

Why invest in Integrated and innovative urban mobility and transport? 

Urbanisation in Europe has been more intensive than the world average; almost 73% of the population 
has been estimated to be residing in urban areas in 2010, while this percentage is expected to rise to 
82% by 2050 (United Nations, 2014). Furthermore, a significant part of economic activity takes place in 
cities  where  approximately  85%  of  the  EU's  GDP  is  generated  (European  Commission,  2009a).  The 
agglomeration  of  population  and  activities  in  urban  areas  creates  a  pressing  need  for  integrated  and 
innovative  urban  mobility  and  transport  in  order  to  address  environmental  issues  and  to  ensure 
sustainable growth. 

Although several of the issues relevant to integrated and innovative urban mobility and transport have 
been  covered  in  previous  sections,  it  is  important  to  dedicate  a  section  to  urban  mobility  not  only 
because  it is  one of the ten innovation fields presented in the STTP,  but also because of the scale of 
potential impacts. As stated by the European Commission (2009a): "Urban transport systems are integral 
elements  of  the  European  transport  system  and  as  such  an  integral  part  of  the  Common  Transport 
Policy  under  Articles  70  to  80  EC  Treaty".  In  addition,  other  EU  policies  (cohesion  policy,  environment 
policy, health policy, etc.) cannot achieve their objectives without taking into account urban specificities, 
including  urban  mobility."  Agglomeration  in  cities  can  drive  not  only  economic  but  also  environmental 
efficiency  of  urban  systems".  Furthermore,  most  of  the  cities  are  facing  common  problems  such  as 
congestion, air pollution, urban sprawl, noise, security. Another area of interest for both passenger and 
freight transport is the integration of urban with inter-urban and long-distance transport which has been 
covered in previous sections. 

Regarding  passenger  transport,  the  only  realistic  at  the  moment  solution  remains  public  transport. 
Hence,  the  focus  of  this  section  will  be  on  relevant  issues  such  service  improvement  and  passenger 
attraction and more specifically on quality, reliability, real time information, data collection and analysis, 
safety,  security  and  accessibility.  Obviously,  a  large  part  of  innovation  will  take  place  in  the  areas  of 
technology and ICTs, as relevant capabilities need to be explored and exploited. But governance forms 
can  play  a  very  important  role  in  the  efficiency  of  urban  transport  systems  and  having  a  single 
coordinating  authority  can  address  several  mismanagement  issues  and  direct  public  transport 
development  more  efficiently.  A  paradigmatic  case  in  terms  of  management  and  operation  is  the 
transport  system  of  Zurich  which  is  managed  by  a  single  transport  authority,  namely  ZVV  (Zürcher 
Verkehrsverbund). The regional perspective of integrated and innovative urban mobility and transport is 
obvious and several structures to support regions that wish to invest in this sector already exist (Box 17).   

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Box 17 - The Zurich transport system  

(http://www.zvv.ch/zvv/de/home.html)  

Part 2 - Developing transport innovation strategies 

The Zurich transport system is governed by 
the ZVV transport federation since 1990. ZVV 
is a public authority under the governance of 
the Canton of Zurich. It is operating as a 
holding company as it fully finances the 8 
transport companies (figure below) and the 
transport system in the area. Around 60% of 
the financing comes from revenues and the 
rest (i.e. the deficit) comes from the canton 
and the municipalities. The municipalities’ 
contribution is based 20% on the commune’s 
financial strength and 80% on the level of 
service offered. 
ZVV is the coordinator of the transport system 
and not actively involved in the 
implementation of policies. As ZVV fully 
finances the system, the operators are not 
driven by profit. The income of companies and 
operators is determined by contracts but 
companies have control on their revenues, e.g. 
when they sub-contract transport operators. 
(Christodoulou and Finger, 2012) 

(Figure taken from the 'Tickets und Preise' brochure: 
http://www.zvv.ch/zvv/de/service/publikationen.html) 

Barriers and challenges 

Besides other challenges mentioned in previous sections (especially those related with Integrated cross-
modal  information  and  management  services  and  Seamless  logistics),  an  important  challenge for  the 
achievement of integrated urban mobility, is the adaptation  of management systems and governance 
mechanisms  according  to  technological  developments.  Technology  offers  new  tools  for  ticketing  and 
information  and  even  more,  it  can  facilitate  the  participation  of  people  to  decision-making.  Inflexible 
management and governance systems may find difficulties to address such issues. 

Efficient data exploitation and information based on real data include technological challenges, although 
significant developments have taken place and there are several successful examples. 

Cost is a barrier also in this case, as urban public transport requires significant investments and there 
are very few examples in the world where it actually brings profits. Public investment is necessary but 
there are several support schemes for urban transportation within the European Union.  

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How to act? 

Analysis 

The analysis of regions with an interest in integrated and innovative urban mobility and transport should 
focus on three main axes: (a) evaluation of the barriers set by the existing regulatory framework  and 
identification  of  ways  to  overpass  them,  (b)  assessment  of  current  level  of  infrastructure  and 
identification of the immediate priorities for the integration of public transport and (c) assessment of the 
current level of deployment of ITS and ICTs, as well as of the capacity to develop technology-based tools 
and the potential for the tools to be adopted by users.   

Governance/Stakeholder involvement 

The main stakeholders to be considered in the design of Smart Specialisation Strategies for integrated 
and innovative urban mobility and transport include the following: 

  Metropolitan, urban and local authorities 
  Transport authorities 
  Public transport operators 
  Highway operators 
  Distribution and logistics companies 
  Taxi companies and associations 
  Passenger and drivers association 
  Software and application developers 
  Research centres and University 

Additionally  other  European  entities  are  producing  an  important  knowledge  base  in  the  field  of 
integrated and innovative urban mobility and transport, such as: 

  ELTIS,  the  Urban  mobility  observatory.  Provides  useful  information  on  funding  and  best 

practices. 

  European  Innovation  Partnership  on  Smart  Cities  and  Communities.  It  aims  to  help  cities, 
communities,  business  and  civil  society  to  apply  innovative  solutions  to  tackle  issues  such  as 
congestion and sustainable urban mobility. 

Priority setting 

Most  of  the  relevant  priorities  have  already  been  mentioned  in  the  previous  fields.  In  general,  a  key 
priority should be the shift to public transport and many of the actions should be focusing on this target. 
The main targets as indicated in European Commission (2011b) include the following: 

 

Integrated packages of innovation and technology for clean transport, reduction of car use, shift 
to public transport, mobility management, safety and security, transport telematics and urban 
freight logistics 

  Development of integrated local strategies for sustainable urban mobility 
  Citizen participation and involvement of the society 
  Aligning  Urban  Mobility  Plans  with  Integrated  Urban  Development  Plans  as  defined  in  the 

transport White Paper 

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Part 2 - Developing transport innovation strategies 

Policy mix 

Regional policies should be focusing on creating flexible, comprehensive and independent regulatory and 
governance  structures,  as  well  as  incentivising  and  enabling  the  adoption  and  integration  of  new 
technological  tools.  As  has  already  been  mentioned,  considering  the  nature  of  public  transport,  public 
investments  may  be  necessary  but  an  efficient  pricing  system  can  improve  the  way  that  costs  are 
distributed. 

Relevant initiatives supported by the European Commission include the following:  

  The Covenant of Mayors is a European initiative against climate change including local 
and regional authorities. Participants have agreed to meet CO2 reduction objectives by 
increasing  energy  efficiency  and  using  renewable  energy  sources.  It  is  a  very  good 
example  of  promoting  multi-level  governance  because  of  the  direct  inclusion  of  local 
stakeholders for the achievement of EU objectives 

  CIVITAS is an initiative that has helped to introduce various innovations and measures 
in  order  to  reduce  the  environmental  impact  of  urban  transport  in  many  European 
metropolitan areas 

  European  Innovation  Partnership  for  Smart  Cities  and  Communities,  formed  by 
representatives  from  industry,  research  and  cities,  promoting  different  Smart  City 
concepts.  This  partnership  supports  actions  under  Horizon  2020,  Structural  Funds  and 
private  investments,  including  large  scale  projects  (Lighthouse  projects)  and  other 
projects and activities 
Innovative  actions  in  sustainable  urban  development,  a  new  call  will  be  launched  in 
2015.  The  idea  is  to  experiment  with  ideas  on  a  real  scale  (pilot  projects)  to  assess 
whether they can be transferred to other cities 

 

 

  LIFE is the EU's funding instrument for the environment. The main objective of LIFE is to 
contribute to the implementation, updating and development of EU environmental policy 
and  legislation  by  co-financing  pilot  or  demonstration  projects.  The  2014-2017  work 
programme  includes  a  thematic  priority  on  'air  quality  and  emissions,  including  the 
urban environment' 
Intelligent Energy Europe Programme (STEER). Activities funded are those promoting a 
more sustainable use of energy in transport, with a specific focus on alternative vehicle 
propulsion,  policy  measures  for  the  more  efficient  use  of  energy  in  transport,  and 
strengthening the knowledge of local management agencies in the transport field 
  URBACT III programme supports cities with the design and implementation of integrated 
urban  strategies,  building  on  mutual  learning  and  the  transfer  of  good  practices.  It 
develops three type of interventions: 

Transnational exchange 

- 
-  Capacity-building 
-  Capitalisation and dissemination. 

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Part 2 - Developing transport innovation strategies 

Box 18 - Future Bristol  

(http://www.futurebristol.co.uk/) 

Future  Bristol,  a  digital  project  conducted  in 
partnership with local university, provides a way to 
engage the local community into the discussion of 
different  options  that  might  bring  about  a  low-
carbon  future  for  Bristol.  Two  scenarios  were 
conceptualized following a four-year project, which 
include 
to 
on 
sustainability.  The  website  allows  visitors  to  read 
more  and  vote  on  whether  they  are  good  or  bad 
ideas. 

summaries 

related 

ideas 

Scenario X suggests measures such as more charging points for electric vehicles; low-emission buses; high-
speed electric rail connections to other parts of the UK; and increased air traffic at Bristol airport with low-
emission  aircraft.  Scenario  Y  suggests  making  car-sharing  more  common  to  reduce  private  car  trips; 
introducing  a  smart  card  that  integrates  bus  and  tram  travel;  promoting  walking  and  cycling;  expanding 
local  rail  networks  as  well  as  fast  train  connections  to  Europe;  and  using  sustainable  shipping  through 
Bristol’s port.  

The  website  was  promoted  in  a  variety  of  ways,  such  as  local  events,  networking  and  social  media, 
targeted school visits and student projects. Today it is a basis for a number of other activities aimed at 
engaging different groups of citizens across the city. 

73 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Part 3 - Tools and services for regional innovation 
strategies in transport 

74 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
75 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Part 3 - Tools and services for regional innovation strategies in transport 

Part 3 - Tools and services for regional innovation strategies in 
transport  

In this section, we present some tools that can be used by regions in order to analyse their innovation 
activity and to compare with other European regions. The first section includes the tools coming out from 
the  analysis  that  was  conducted  during  the  METRIC  project.  For  more  information  and  better 
understanding  of  the  results,  readers  are  encouraged  to  refer  to  the  METRIC  deliverables  which  are 
available here: http://metricfp7.eu/conference/objective. 

The second section presents more general tools and services that can be used for regional innovation 
strategies. 

METRIC Project tools  

SWOT analysis  

In METRIC deliverable 3.3 (Konings and Louw, 2014c) a SWOT analysis of selected regions of most EU 
countries is made. For each country a strong and weak performing innovation region were chosen and 
their  strengths,  weaknesses,  opportunities  and  threats  were  described.  The  analysis  suggests  some 
commonalities in terms of regional strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats that may be helpful 
in the process of developing policies to improve the transport innovation potential of regions. 

Regional innovation performance 

Konings  et  al.  (2014b)  analyse  the  regional  innovation  performance,  represented  by  innovation 
achievements, ranking regions in four categories according to their score in comparison to the European 
average  (far  above  average,  above  average,  below  average  and  far  below  average).  The  variables 
considered to measure innovation achievements refer to proportion of innovative enterprises, number of 
patents, innovation activity of enterprises in terms of new products introduction and innovation-related 
output in terms of turnover from innovations. In the above cited report, authors also analyse the factors 
explaining  regional  innovation  achievements,  such  as  innovation  milieu,  innovation  funding  and  the 
structure of the transport sector (each of these factors containing various indicators). 

Regional innovation potential 

Regional innovation potential is estimated in Hoppe and Winter (2014a). Following the Innovation Union 
Scoreboard  and  the  Regional  Innovation  Scoreboard,  NUTS-2  regions  are  analysed  using  different 
innovation-related variables, grouped in three categories, namely 'enablers', 'firm activities' and 'outputs'. 
The  regions  are  further  grouped  in  3  socio-economic  groups  and  comparisons  between  regions  are 
performed within their socio-economic group. Finally an indicator on innovation potential is calculated 
for  each  NUTS2  region,  by  summing  up  the  three  innovation-related  groups  which  allows  a  general 
ranking on transport innovation potentials. 

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Part 3 - Tools and services for regional innovation strategies in transport 

Typology of regions 

In  Hoppe  and  Winter  (2015b)  a  typology  of  European  regions  according  to  their  transport  innovation 
potential is presented. Ten type of regions are suggested which differ in economic situation, innovation 
in general and in the transport sector. These regional types are: New EU countries; Emerging economies; 
Recovering regions; South-mid Europe; French type; Smart and rising regions; Metropolitan regions; Old 
industrialized regions; Regions of economic structural change; Transport innovation regions.  

The proposed typology could be used by regions in their Smart Specialisation Strategies, specifically for 
identifying competitive advantages as well as possible collaborations with similar regions. 

Tool-box 

A 'tool-box' useful for regions to take the most out of the analysis of innovation potential is presented in 
the last deliverable of work package 4 (Hoppe and Winter, 2015c). Available ready-to-use material can 
help regions identify their innovation type – the typology follows the classification of Hoppe and Winter 
(2015b) – and compare their innovation potential with other European regions under the same typology 
group  or  with  the  European  average.  Based  on  the  information  provided,  specific  strengths  and 
weaknesses are identified and regions are advised about the main principles on which to focus during 
the strategic planning. 

Benchmarking of regions 

A  benchmarking  of  regions  was  performed  in  METRIC  deliverable  5.2  (Christodoulou,  A.  et  al.,  2015), 
using  the  indicators  generated  in  Konings  et  al.  (2014).  Results  show  the  highest  scoring  regions 
regarding innovation in the transport service sector and transport manufacturer sector. 

This benchmarking exercise can be useful for analysing the regional context and the regional potential 
for innovation.  

Regional innovation Scoreboard 

The regional transport innovation scoreboard has its roots in the Innovation Union Scoreboard and the 
Regional Innovation Scoreboard. However, the choice of indicators is to a large extent affected by the 
availability  of  data,  as  the  complete  lack  of  data  or  the  large  amount  of  missing  values  for  several 
variables did not allow their inclusion. The indicators considered (Table 6) are transport-specific, they are 
in  detail  described  in  Konings  and  Louw  (2014a)  and  the  majority  of  them  have  been  used  in  the 
analysis in Konings et al. (2014b). Furthermore, the categorisation of Konings et al. (2014b) is adopted 
and the following indicators have been taken into account.  

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Part 3 - Tools and services for regional innovation strategies in transport 

Categories 
Achievements 

Economic 
performing 

Sector structure 

Funding 

Innovation milieu 

Table 6: Transport innovation indicators 

Indicators 
Share of innovative enterprises 2010 
Share of highly innovative enterprises 2010 
Average number of patents per year (2006-2008) per 100.000 
employees (2008) 
Share of enterprises that have introduced new or significant 
improved products that were new to the market (2010) 
Share of enterprises that have introduced new or significant 
improved products that were only new to the firm (2010) 
Share of turnover from innovations 2010 
Growth (%) value added  transport sector 2008-2011 
Growth (%) employment transport sector 2008-2011 
Growth (%) labour productivity  transport sector 2008-2011 
Average firm size 2010 
Share transport sector employment in total transport 
employment 2008 
Level of transport specialisation 2008 
Share of product and/or process innovative enterprises that 
received any public funding 2008 
Public R&D as share of GDP 2008 
Business R&D as share of GDP 2008 
Share of government R&D spending on transport 2008 
Transport research as share of total FP7 EC funding 
Cluster quality 2008 
Share of product and/or process innovative enterprises engaged 
in any type of co-operation 2008 
Share of employment in technology and knowledge-intensive 
sectors in transport services 2008 (NACE H and N79) 

All  the  data  are  presented  in  the  'Scoreboard'  area  of  the  'Transport  Innovation  Repository'  which  is 
available  here:  http://fp7metric.sf.bg.ac.rs/index.html.  There,  the  user  can  select  the  countries/NUTS-2 
regions,  the  innovation  indicators  distinguish  between total  transport,  transport  services  and  transport 
manufacturing. Results can be visualized in form of maps, tables or graphs (columns and spider graphs). 
The  webpage  also  allows  for  simple  calculations  as  well  as  to  export  the  results  in  a  excel  shit  for 
further quantitative analysis.  

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Support provided by the Commission services and other institutions 

Smart Specialisation Platform (S3P) 

The  Smart  Specialization  Platform  is  managed  by  the  Joint  Research  Centre,  Institute  for  Prospective 
Technological  Studies.  It  provides  assistance  to  countries  and  regions  in  their  Smart  Specialization 
process.  The  Platform  provides  policy  support  and  information  about  EU  funding  programmes, 
methodological guidance, and expert advice. It also offers a set of useful tools such as:  

- 

- 

- 

Peer Reviews: these are workshops that bring together regions and countries for mutual learning, 
focusing on best practices for the development and implementation of RIS3. Regions meet their 
peers,  the  European  Commission  staff,  academic  experts  and  other  stakeholders  to  discuss 
common  issues  related  to  smart  specialization.  It  also  allows  regions  and  countries  to  peer-
review each other's work on RIS3.  
Thematic  Workshops:  The  S3  platform  supports  the  organization  of  thematic  workshops  on 
different  themes  that  are  of  interest  for  RIS3.  At  least  three  regions  should  be  part  of  or  be 
presenting at an event. Several workshops were organized in the transport-related field such as 
one for intermodal  transport, held in Las Palmas  de Gran Canaria (ES). More information and 
documentation can be found at: http://s3platform.jrc.ec.europa.eu/thematic-workshops  
Eye@RIS3: is an online database that shows a realistic map of the process of RIS3 development, 
providing  information on  the  priorities  selected  by  regions.  It  helps  other regions to  find  their 
unique 
at: 
potential 
http://s3platform.jrc.ec.europa.eu/eye-ris3  

partners.  More 

information 

niches 

seek 

and 

for 

-  Benchmarking Regional Structure: this is an interactive tool that helps regions identify reference 
regions  with  similar  structural  conditions  relevant  for  innovation-driven  development.  This 
information  offers  interesting  lessons  on  the  potential  effects  of  policies  and  practices 
implemented in peers regions: http://s3platform.jrc.ec.europa.eu/regional-benchmarking  
Stairway to Excellence (S2E): is a project that provides support to enhance the synergies between two 
key EU funding sources for research, development and innovation - ESIF and H2020. Special assistance 
is given to regions and countries that joined the EU since 2004, with the objective to close the innovation 
gap  and  increase  participation  of  those  regions  and  countries.  Furthermore,  it  supports  the 
implementation of national and regional RIS3. http://s3platform.jrc.ec.europa.eu/stairway-to-excellence 

- 

http://s3platform.jrc.ec.europa.eu/home 

Know Hub 

This Project collaborates with S3P by reviewing and improving the RIS3, built on experiences of 10 EU 
regions  in  designing  and  implementing  smart  and  effective  strategies  for  innovation.  The  website 
presents several tools that could be used, such as: smart encyclopaedia on regional innovation strategies 
and  instruments;  repository  of  good  practice  examples;  blog  and  newsletter  on  important  activities 
related  to  smart  strategies  and  policy  instruments  within  the  EU;  short  videos  lectures  on  regional 
innovation; and a library. 

http://www.know-hub.eu/ 

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Part 3 - Tools and services for regional innovation strategies in transport 

Regional Innovation Scoreboard 

The regional innovation scoreboard measures the innovation performance of 190 regions (NUTS2 level) 
from the EU, Norway and Switzerland. Regions are classified into four different innovation performance 
groups: innovation leaders; innovation followers; moderate innovators and modest innovators 

http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/policies/innovation/policy/regional-innovation/ 

ERAWATCH 

ERAWATCH  provides  information  on  European,  national  and  regional  research  systems,  policies  and 
programmes in the EU and beyond. 

http://erawatch.jrc.ec.europa.eu/ 

Regional Innovation monitor Plus (RIM Plus) 

The  Regional  Innovation  monitor  Plus  (RIM  Plus)  provides  detailed  information  on  regional  innovation 
policies for 20 EU Member States and some 200 regions. The information provided includes: 

-  An  online 

'inventory'  of  regional 

innovation  policy  measures,  policy  documents  and 

organizations. 

-  Good practice dissemination on regional innovation policy in Europe. 
-  A  network  of  regional  experts  with  thematic  specialisation  and  provision  of  Knowledge  hub 

services. 

-  Organization of policy events. 
-  Communication platform for innovation stakeholders. 

http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/policies/innovation/policy/regional-innovation/monitor/ 

European Cluster Observatory 

The  European  Cluster  Observatory  is  an  online  platform  that  provides  data  and  analysis  of  clusters, 
clusters  organizations  and  regional  microeconomic  framework  conditions  in  Europe.  Furthermore  it 
provides a cluster library and a classroom for cluster education. It also produces reports on clusters and 
regional competitiveness conditions. 

http://www.clusterobservatory.eu/index.html 

Transport Scoreboard 

The Transport Scoreboard compares Member State performance in 22 transport-relevant categories and 
highlights the five top and bottom performers. It can be consulted either by transport mode (road, rail, 
maritime, air), by transport category or by country. 

http://ec.europa.eu/transport/facts-fundings/scoreboard/index_en.htm 

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SME performance review 

The SME performance review consists of two parts: 1) annual report on the economic performance of 
European SMEs and 2) national factsheets that improve the understanding of recent trends and national 
policies affecting SMEs. It provides information for EU Member States and 9 other partner countries. 

http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/policies/sme/facts-figures-analysis/performance-review/index_en.htm 

OECD 

The  OECD  provides  data  and  studies  on  regional  development.  Some  examples  are  the  'Regional 
Outlook', the 'OECD Regional Well-being web tool', the 'Regional reviews  of regional innovation'  or the 
'OECD Regional Database'. 

http://www.oecd.org/  

JASPERS (Joint Assistance to Support Projects in European Regions) 

JASPERS provides advice to the 13 countries that joined the EU after 2004, as well as to Greece, the 
former  Yugoslav  Republic  of  Macedonia,  Montenegro  and  Serbia  during  project  preparation,  to  help 
improve the quality of major projects to be submitted for grant financing under the EU’s Structural and 
Cohesion Funds. 

http://www.jaspers-europa-info.org/ 

EURADA (European Association of Development Agencies) 

EURADA  runs  conferences  and  seminars  and  produces  several  publications  about  EU  policy 
developments on critical issues, such as  state aid rules, funding as  well as contract opportunities and 
partnerships. 

http://www.eurada.org/ 

ERRIN 

ERRIN  is  a  network  of  research  and  innovation  organizations  and  stakeholders  in  regions  that  aim  to 
strengthen regional innovation capabilities by exchanging information, sharing best practices, supporting 
European project development and policy shaping. It is organized in 13 Working Groups, one of which is 
devoted  to  transport.  The  transport  group  focuses  on  identifying  all  funding  and  cooperation 
opportunities in the field of innovation related to transport among European programmes. 

www.errin.eu 

81 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Conclusions 

For  EU  regions  and  countries,  the  development  of  Smart  Specialisation  Strategies  has  become  a 
prerequisite for applying for European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF). Considering the demand 
for focused innovation plans, the provision of sector-specific recommendations for key economic sectors, 
such as transport, can offer significant help to regions (or countries) and most importantly improve the 
quality  of  the  submitted  RIS3  documents.  The  outputs  of  the  METRIC  project  aim  to  help  regions 
interested  in  focusing  on  transport  innovation,  in  terms  of  providing  assessment  tools  and  planning 
guidelines. 

In  this  report,  the  six  steps  for  RIS3  are  reviewed  with  a  special  focus  on  the  transport  sector. 
Additionally, recommendations for the development of RIS3 are presented in the form of roadmaps for 
the ten innovation fields that have been identified in the Strategic Transport Technology Plan (European 
Commission, 2012a)  

Furthermore,  evaluation  tools  summarising  the  outputs  of  previous  METRIC  work  packages  and  other 
general tools and services are presented in section 3 and offer relevant information for the process of 
Smart Specialisation Strategies. 

In summary, this report can help regions or countries to a) define specific transport RIS3 priorities using 
a  six-step  strategy  guide,  b)  position  themselves  on  transport  innovation  maps  structured  around  ten 
innovation areas, c) evaluate their innovation status and potential using tools and services provided in 
this guide. 

82 

 
 
 
 
 
 
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EUR 27502 EN – Joint Research Centre – Institute for Prospective Technological Studies 

Title: Smart guide on regional transport innovation strategy 

Authors: Ana Condeço-Melhorado, Aris Christodoulou, Panayotis Christidis 
Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union 

2015 – 85 pp. – 21.0 x 29.7 cm 

EUR – Scientific and Technical Research series – ISSN 1831-9424 (online) 

ISBN 978-92-79-52294-9 (PDF) 

doi:10.2791/34368 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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doi:10.2791/34368 

ISBN 978-92-79-52294-9