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Wuppertal Institute


"The planning and provision of transport infrastucture today is related to a broad range of societal demands from beyond its traditional realm. These comprise its potential for mittigating GHG emissions and air pollution, accessibility and affordability, human health and well-being, or its enabling role in urban and rural transition. Before this background, large-scale infrastructure projects are increasingly faced with resistance from civil society. The governance challenge for sustainable infrastrucutres is to assess and integrate demands from different stakeholder groups to ensure its acceptance and coherence with other policy domains."

Stefan Werland, Wuppertal Institute

Sustainable development requires an integrated approach to policy and science because many of the issues it raises cannot be addressed within a single department or using the tools of individual scientific disciplines. This is where the Wuppertal Institute’s research programme begins – by taking an interdisciplinary approach and working towards systems understanding. Applied sustainability research is the Wuppertal Institute’s stated mission. The Wuppertal Institute collaborates with a multitude of universities and institutes around the world. A scientific International Advisory Board supports the Institute in defining fundamental research strategies as well as ensuring the quality and independence of its research. The Wuppertal Institute has longstanding experience with a multitude of national, European and international projects on sustainable transport. It currently leads an international project (SOLUTIONS) on sustainable mobility around the world funded under the 7th framework programme. The Wuppertal Institute has a long record of experience with ex-ante and the ex-post evaluation of transport, energy and climate policies – as well as the design and evaluation of carbon reduction and energy efficiency strategies, programmes and services carried out by companies, public policy and other actors, in projects such as FLOW and EMPOWER (H2020), TIDE (FP7), EVIDENCE (IEE), and SHAPE-IT (ERA-NET). WI also worked on several projects at the national and local level in Germany that assessed the potential of sustainable transport polices.

To the website of WI

Uniresearch


Since 1994, Uniresearch, an independent grant-consultancy company, has specialised in the startup and management of technology innovations. The company provides high-quality services helping clients find funding opportunities and prepare applications for regional, national, and pan-European grants like the European Commission’s Seventh Framework Program (FP7) and Horizon2020. Uniresearch’s full services support customers throughout each stage of a research and innovation project: from project definition, through consortium-building and proposal writing, to contract negotiation, project execution, and dissemination of results. In fact, Uniresearch customers enjoy a success rate for European grants that is three times higher than the average.

Website: www.uniresearch.com
Country: Netherlands

Fehrl


"Maintaining more than 5 trillion kms of road is a real challenge. Adding to this, responding to the needs for seamless mobility of passengers and freight requires introducing innovation into the management of transport assets. Finally, the industry needs to make a mental shift from “spending” to “investing” in transport assets. Therefore, FEHRL and its members are dedicated to supporting the development of innovative technological and horizontal solutions leading to a new paradigm for Asset Management based on innovation, efficiency and cross-modal criteria."

Thierry Goger, FEHRL

Formed in 1989 as the Forum of European National Highway Research Laboratories, FEHRL provides a structure for the coordination of road and transport infrastructure research. Comprising members from over thirty European nations and international affiliates from USA, Australia, Israel and South Africa, FEHRL’s aim is to encourage collaborative research and knowledge transfer as well as to provide relevant knowledge and advice to governments, the European Commission, the road industry and road users on related technologies and policies. Through the national groups established in many countries, the national research centres are complemented by a dozen universities and RTOs. FEHRL will lead WP4 (Replication, Dissemination, and Communication). Dissemination and communication being among its core activities, FEHRL has served as dissemination and communication manager in a large number of projects where it disseminated project results to a wide range of stakeholders, including national road authorities (about a third of FEHRL’s members are national road authorities).

To the website of FEHRL

Third parties:

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ZAG is the leading Slovenian Institute in the field of building and civil engineering. Its research and testing sector is divided up into four departments: materials, building physics, structures, and geotechnics and infrastructure, it also has its own department for metrology. Through high-quality work it successfully promotes the progress-orientated Slovenian applied science and technical expertise on a global scale. Our research is focused on the development of new materials and technologies that will help ensure sustainable development in Slovenia, as well as being of importance for the worldwide community. Participation in international projects (EU Framework Programs, Horizon 2020, EUREKA, LIFE, COST, CEDR) makes it possible for ZAG’s researchers to be in contact and share knowledge with top research groups from around the world.

ZAG’s main activities include: fundamental and applied research in the fields of building materials and structures; development of new methods of testing and measurement; certification and attestation of conformity of products, materials and executed works; training of research and technical staff in particular technical fields; participation in the preparation of technical codes and standards. ZAG is involved in the international co-operation in science and technology with institutions from the EU, the USA and other countries. It is also active in several international associations including FEHRL (National Road Research Centres in Partnership), CEDR (Conference of European Directors of Roads), PIARC (World Road Association), UIC (International Union of Railways) and EURNEX (European rail research network of excellence).

To the website of ZAG

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The AIT Austrian Institute of Technology takes a leading position in the Austrian innovation system and a key role in Europe as the RTO focusing on key infrastructure topics of the future. AIT’s Mobility Department covers those areas of research which are integral to a holistic view of the mobility system. This pool of expertise enables AIT to address a wide range of emerging topics. Within the Transportation Infrastructure Technologies Business Unit the focus lies on research on safe, efficient and environmentally sustainable structuring of transport infrastructure.

Transport Infrastructure Ireland


"Transport Infrastructure Ireland is delighted to be a member of the AM4Infra infrastructure project. It provides us with the opportunities to engage, contribute, assimilate and learn from and with our European colleagues and road agencies alike on the key principles of asset management. Asset management is a fundamental principle that predicates the successful management of any transport network. TII through its management of both the national road and light rail network will proactively engage and support the project partners to ensure that the key principles and deliverables can be achieved. The engagement in this project will ultimately assist TII in delivering on our mission to deliver transport infrastructure and services, which contribute to the quality of life for the people of Ireland."

Brendan Kennedy, TII

TII is a non commercial semi-State body which operates under the aegis of the Department of Transport, Tourism & Sport. Our mission is to provide high quality transport infrastructure and services, delivering a better quality of life and supporting economic growth. TII’s primary function is to provide an integrated approach to the development, maintenance and operation of the national road network and light rail infrastructure throughout Ireland.

Specifically, in relation to national roads, our key role is to secure the provision of a safe and efficient network of national roads. In relation to light rail, the core functions of TII include securing the provision of, or to provide, such light railway and metro railway infrastructure under assignment from the National Transport Authority (NTA) as directed in the Dublin Transportation Act of 2008;

TII has a broad range of professional expertise assisting with internal organisational needs and affording external stakeholder advice on a broad spectrum from national transport modelling development to archaeology. These capabilities assist TII in delivering on its mission.

Every day, TII has a direct role in the operation and maintenance of the Luas Light Rail Network and National Road Network – this forms the core of our daily operational responsibilities within the organisation. TII as an organisation works with a wide range of stakeholders from the general public to government agencies and elected officials. TII also engages daily with land owners, business owners, local authorities, Road Safety Authority (RSA), National Transport Authority (NTA), An Garda Síochána and Emergency Service all working collaboratively to deliver on the safe and efficient development and use of our Luas and National Roads Network.

CERTH


"Among the top 20 research centers in Europe, in terms of participation in EC sponsored research projects.”

Afroditi Anagnostopoulou, CERTH/HIT

CERTH is a leading research center in Greece conducting specialized basic and applied research and offering high quality services in several fields. It is a non-profit private status legal entity supervised by the General Secretariat for Research and Technology (GSRT) of the Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs. HIT is one of CERTH’s five (5) Institutes, devoted to the promotion and execution of transport research in Greece and beyond. Its main mission is to provide state-of-the-art research and create innovation in the field of transport at a national, European and international level covering issues relating to the operation, planning and development of infrastructure; standardization; economic analysis; vehicle technology; impact assessment of land, maritime, air, and multimodal transport services; training and education activities in related fields; dissemination of research activities; and representation of Greece in relevant scientific bodies. CERTH/HIT is located in new, state-of-the-art facilities and is equipped with laboratories and modern research equipment and infrastructure including mobile labs, high-tech equipped vehicles, simulators and data management portals. With the active support of its administrative, financial and legal units, CERTH/HIT has successfully participated over the last 13 years both as coordinator and as partner, in more than 200 research projects focusing, among other fields, on transport policy, transportation infrastructure management and operations, sustainable transport infrastructure and services. CERTH/HIT had 40 active transnational and national research activities in 2015 involving large consortia of multinational and multidisciplinary teams, as well as managing smaller teams of experts with diverse background working on research and development projects. Research team members have worked on projects funded by the European Commission, the European Regional Development Fund, Greek Ministries, as well as US and Latin American Organizations. Within its researchers and research associates, there exist strong emphasis, specialization and expertise in areas relevant to the project, such as: 1) Sustainability of transport systems, 2) Transport policy and planning, 3) Infrastructure management, 4) ICT applications in transportation, 5) Intelligent transport infrastructure, and 6) Energy and environment.

To the website of CERTH/HIT

Highways England


"Highways England is required to develop, maintain and implement an asset management policy and strategy, taking into account the best practice approach to managing the lifecycle of its assets. AM4INFRA supports our Asset Management Strategy and represents an exciting step towards harmonisation of asset management standards across Europe."

Alan Dunford, Highways England

Highways England was formed in March 2015.  It is a government owned company and took over responsibility from Highways Agency, charged with driving forward investment programmes for motorways and major roads in England. This includes modernising and maintaining the highways, as well as running the network and keeping traffic moving.

As a government company, Highways England is required to work within a governance framework that sets clear expectations for its performance, and for the safety and performance of the network, remaining accountable and transparent in the way the network is maintained and operated. Highways England’s programme is guided by the Government’s Road Investment Strategy, which sets out long term objectives and the requirement to set a five year investment strategy.

To the website of Highways England

ANAS S.p.A.


"ANAS is very proud to participate in the AM4INFRA project and to take part in the sharing, among valuable partners across Europe, of specific Asset Management skills and experiences. The scope of the partnership is the design of a common core-model for a European Life Cycle based Asset Management Approach for Transport Infrastructure Networks. In this context, ANAS is mainly involved in the topic “Information and Data Management” aiming at designing a common-core model for asset information management system, able to share and compare multiple and different information from several asset data sources. Thanks to AM4INFRA, ANAS will therefore further extend its know-how related to asset data acquisition, transformation and utilization. For these reasons, ANAS welcomes the EU Horizon 2020 contribution to the project as a very helpful step towards promoting both the EU relevance of the project and Transport Infrastructures Managers’ efforts related to asset management."

Barbara Rubino, ANAS

ANAS is the Italian National Road and Highway Authority. It is a joint-stock company with the Italian Ministry of Economy and Finance as its sole shareholder. It is also subject to the auditing and technical-operative supervision of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport as well as to audits by the Court of Accounts.
Thanks to the substantial experience accrued since 1928 Anas has expanded its range of services, providing support for public entities and spurring roadway design, construction and maintenance — both in Italy and abroad.
ANAS assures people’s mobility by directly managing about 25.631 km of state roads of which 940 km are motorways of national relevance. The company has an articulated structure and widespread presence throughout the national territory and its staff consists of about 6.000 employees. The company’s territorial management is structured in 8 Territorial Coordination Units which manage Anas’ core processes through 23 Regional Offices mainly in charge of the ordinary and extraordinary maintenance of the local road networks. Anas was granted BVQI certification stating its activities meet the UNI ISO9001/2008 quality standards.
ANAS has a key role in maintaining and improving the operational efficiency, safety and sustainability of its road network, and to this purpose it pays the utmost attention to monitoring road construction and maintenance costs, implementing smart and advanced technologies for infrastructures and reducing and mitigating the environmental impacts of its activities.
ANAS is also committed to research and development.  The company continues to promote various testing  initiatives at a European level and participates in technical and scientific projects financed by the EU and in several international panels (e.g. WRA, CEDR). Through its subsidiary company A.I.E. – Anas International Enterprise, it also manages international activities such as integrated services and  technical assistance for foreign Government Agencies.

To the website of ANAS

Rijkswaterstaat


"Rijkswaterstaat’mission is to cooperating to promote safety, mobility and the quality of life in the Netherlands. Managing and developing the main road network, the main waterway network and the main water systems and endeavouring to create a sustainable living environment, to cooperation with other infrastructure owners is essential to Rijkswaterstaat in order to optimize on the risk-cost-performance of the overall systems level. Hence it needs a common asset management framework, vocabulary, methods and data that is cross asset, cross network and cross border. AM4INFRA aims to deliver this."

Ruud Smit, Rijkswaterstaat

Rijkswaterstaat is the executive branch of the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment, responsible for the design, construction, management and maintenance of the (state owned) main infrastructure facilities in the Netherlands. This includes the main road network, the main waterway network and the main water systems. The main road network is of key importance to the Dutch economy in view of its gateway function to Europe. Rijkswaterstaat manages this network in line with the Dutch policy on mobility, striving for reliable journey times and better accessibility.

The second transportation network under responsibility of Rijkswaterstaat is The Dutch waterway network. This is the densest waterway network in Europe. About 6000 kilometers of rivers and canals, many of the latter serving drainage as well as navigation, form a complex system serving all parts of the country. The main commercial waterways (Class IV and higher), with a total length of 2200 kilometer, account for about 40% of international freight movements from the Netherlands whereas about 20% is concerned with domestic freight.

To the website of Rijkswaterstaat