Transport plays a key role in reaching a global carbon-neutral economy, with climate change progressing faster than expected and countries struggling to meet the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals set by the United Nations.
In Europe, the implementation of sustainable and innovative means of transport plays an important role in the established energy and climate goals.
Innovation builds the path to this societal transformation by offering solutions capable of responding to faster, safer, and greener mobility. And this is where ANI’s mission comes in – the promotion of innovation, through engaging collaborative measures connecting different stakeholders, namely companies, research centers and associations.
On November 14-17, In Lisbon, Portugal on November with its iconic trams, which are one of the most useful means of transport to get around the city and one of the Portuguese capital’s most popular tourist attractions, became a focal point for international players to discuss the main global challenges with regard to transport io
Lisbon addresses transport challenges
The Transport Research Arena, or TRA Conference, the largest European event dedicated to research and development in transport and mobility, brought to Lisbon international heavy hitters from start-ups to large industrial companies, as well as scientists and researchers from universities and worldwide R&D institutions and other organizations to discuss and present innovative ideas, technological solutions and research results.
Starting in 2006 in Gothenburg, Paris, Athens and Vienna, the aim of the TRA Conference is to promote collaborative research and innovation.
Faced with the great transport challenges of the future, it is extremely important to find the best solutions through collaboration and to move forward.
More than 100 different sessions it will be possible to experience the future of transport and mobility, together with more than 2.000 participants coming from different transport modes (road, rail, maritime and aeronautical) and from all over the world. It will also be a showcase for the latest innovations in transport and mobility, with more than 7.000 m2 dedicated to the exhibition and demonstrations.
The discussions on November 14 will focus on smart solutions and society. Technology developments are strongly shaping transport and mobility, with advances in digitalisation creating the ground for more performant ITS solutions. Moreover, new behaviours and mobility patterns require research and innovation in user-centric and inclusive approaches. As such, topics such as “user-focus and inclusive mobility”, or “connected and automated multimodal mobility” will be at the core of this first day of the conference.
Portugal boosts electrification efforts, establishes battery industry
The second day will be dedicated to green mobility and decarbonization, as the path to carbon-neutral and sustainable mobility of people and goods requires multiple and integrated transport solutions, where research and innovation play an essential role, either in urban or interurban networks and through the land, waterborne or air transport, encompassing vehicles technology, infrastructures, operations, mobility services and regulatory tools. The discussions on this day will focus on “carbon- neutrality and zero-emission vehicles” and on “energy efficiency, electrification and alternative fuels”.
Batteries are a key technology when it comes to achieving climate change goals, including through the electrification of transport and decarbonisation of the energy sector, European Commission Vice President Maros Sefcovic told a raw materials conference in September.
With the help of the INL Institute, Portugal has made recent efforts towards establishing its own battery industry – spanning upstream activities, battery cell development and recycling – and integrating more closely into the European battery ecosystem.
The debate will continue on November 16 with innovative infrastructure for Europe 2030, as new approaches to designing flexible transport hubs, and allowing for more efficient integration of activities are key to reinforcing the wider single market for Europe, maintaining competitiveness, and enhancing cross-border integration and interoperability. This will include discussions on “intelligent, resilient and cooperative infrastructure systems”, “safety and security” and “innovative hubs”.
And finally, the focus will be on Policies and Economics for a Competitive Europe, as economic recovery and resilient transport require transformative policies, collaborative planning frameworks and enhanced financial tools for sustainable and smart mobility.
In, Lisbon, the future of transport and mobility will be shaped.
