2018-2020 Mobility for Growth

Call summary

Transport is changing at an accelerating pace as a result of several factors in many diverse but interconnected fields: cutting edge technological innovations such as for example the increasing penetration of digital and space-based technologies in automated, connected and cooperative vehicles, transport infrastructure, logistics operations, aeronautics and safety applications; major socio-economic trends such as ageing population, migration and urbanisation; global targets such as those set by the COP 21 Paris Agreement on the fight against climate change and by the UN in support of Sustainable Development Goals; increased international competition for the European transport industry across all modes; new operations and business models based on increased connectivity between infrastructure, transport means, travellers and goods which can contribute to seamless door-to-door mobility.

In order to address these new challenges, targeted efforts are needed to develop and validate new solutions that can be rapidly deployed. They will address in a systemic way transport means, infrastructure and operation models and integrate them into a user friendly European transport system of smart connected mobility for passengers and freight and with significantly reduced impact on climate and environment. A user-centred approach taking into account the evolving needs of transport users is necessary in order to assess the impact of transport solutions on society and economy, while it will also contribute to the competitiveness of European transport industry. Simultaneously a perspective is needed that acknowledges the broader impact of the transport system, not only on its users, but also on non-users in cities and regions.

A number of topics (particularly in section 4 "Accounting for the people") have been informed by European citizens' visions of the future and research and innovation priorities identified as part of the CIMULACT [[CIMULACT is funded under Horizon 2020's Science with and for Society programme]]project (http://www.cimulact.eu). As indicated in the Specific Programme, the “activities will be organised in such a way as to allow for an integrated and mode-specific approach as appropriate”. Therefore, the contents of the ‘Mobility for Growth’ call have been structured as follows:

1. 'Building a low-carbon, climate resilient future: Low-carbon and sustainable transport

2. Safe, integrated and resilient transport systems

3. Global leadership and competitiveness

4. Accounting for the people.

In addition to the topics of this Call, transport-related actions are also included in the other two Calls of this part of the Work Programme as well as in other parts of Horizon 2020 Work Programme 2018-2020, particularly in the LEIT/NMBP call 'Nanotechnologies, Advanced Materials, Biotechnology and Production'; LEIT/Space call 'Applications in Satellite Navigation – EGNOS/Galileo'; LEIT/ICT; and SC/Energy calls 'Competitive Low-Carbon Energy' and 'Smart Cities and Communities'.

1. BUILDING A LOW-CARBON, CLIMATE RESILIENT FUTURE: LOW-CARBON AND SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT         

Transport represents almost a quarter of Europe's greenhouse gas emissions and is the main cause of noise and air pollution in cities, many of which are often in breach of air pollution limits. Significant progress towards low-emission mobility is therefore an essential component of the broader shift to the low-carbon economy needed for Europe.

Research and innovation activities under this section will support the long-term transition towards zero-emission and quieter mobility across all transport modes. They will adopt a systemic approach which, in addition to technological innovations of vehicles, systems and infrastructure, places emphasis on socio-economic and regulatory aspects such as increased public awareness, sustainable spatial planning integrating new forms of mobility and improved control and detection mechanisms. International cooperation is an essential element in many of the research topics in this section. Proposed actions can take advantages of the current state of the art modelling activities in the field and of the wealth of Earth Observation data and information provided by the Copernicus programme, especially by the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service.

Research and innovation activities will support the transition towards zero-emission and quieter mobility across all transport modes. Grounded on a people's perspective, it will lead to improved tools and mechanisms for monitoring and detection of emissions and noise in road vehicles, ships and aircrafts and will provide cities, regional and national authorities and spatial planners with evidence of long term impacts of the current developments in transport technologies and business models on spatial planning to support decision making processes in policy and planning.

The topics included under this section are the following:

LC-MG-1-1-2018

LC-MG-1-2-2018

LC-MG-1-3-2018

LC-MG-1-4-2018

LC-MG-1-5-2019

LC-MG-1-6-2019

LC-MG-1-7-2019

LC-MG-1-8-2019

LC-MG-1-9-2019

LC-MG-1-10-2019

2. SAFE, INTEGRATED AND RESILIENT TRANSPORT SYSTEMS

The overall performance of the transport system depends on the performance of infrastructure, means of transport, traffic management systems and on user behaviour. This includes vehicles, aircraft and vessels and their respective infrastructures. Further knowledge is needed on safety in relation to accident response and to the new mobility environment (increased automation, drones applications, etc) as well as on door-to-door integration of different modes for short and long distance travel in both the passenger and the freight transport. The incorporation of economic, social and environmental dimensions is important in order to improve the current transport system, increase its robustness and support safety, security and quality of life. It is also essential to consider aspects of infrastructure construction and maintenance based on innovative solutions.

Research under this section is expected to contribute significantly to transport safety across transport modes and more particularly to the goals set by the Transport White Paper on close to zero road fatalities by 2050, as well as to Sustainable Development Goals 3.6 and 11. It is also expected to contribute to the decongestion of road/city infrastructure by modernising and increasing the reliability and competitiveness of Intra-European Waterborne transport, as well as to the integration of the European network for logistics into the global one by supporting the sustainable development of new logistics routes and their links with national/regional markets.

The topics included under this section are the following:

MG-2-1-2018

MG-2-2-2018

MG-2-3-2018

MG-2-4-2018

MG-2-5-2018

MG-2-6-2019

MG-2-7-2019

MG-2-8-2019

MG-2-9-2019

3. GLOBAL LEADERSHIP AND COMPETITIVENESS

Global leadership and competitiveness are core objectives of the Transport work programme. They address directly the Commission's priority on "Jobs, growth and investment" and they are linked to export, trade and global markets. Europe is world leader in the design and manufacturing of transport vehicles despite the fierce competition, even from non-established new players. This work programme aims to maintain and extend the European industrial leadership worldwide, promoting the penetration of the latest developments in new materials, innovative processes, advanced automation and digital technologies into all transport sectors. It also aims to contribute to new transport business models that are changing the way innovation, research and technology is applied.

In addition to technological developments, competitiveness increasingly relies also on organizational framework conditions, including cooperation frameworks. Synergies on collaborative design and processes as well as manufacturing methods and supply chains in all transport modes should enable innovation breakthroughs that will keep the European industry, including SME, competitive in the decades to come.

Actions under these topics will contribute to the development of advanced technological capabilities in transport exploiting both evolutionary and disruptive technologies which will result in strengthened global leadership, environmental protection and enhanced travel comfort and safety. In particular, the research topics will reinforce and streamline European global leadership and competitiveness in advanced (both evolutionary and disruptive) technologies for the design and manufacturing of vehicles with the highest level of safety, comfort, connectivity, automation and life-cycle performance. Advanced multidisciplinary and collaborative capabilities for the design and manufacturing of vehicles along their life cycle as well as to the development of visualisation methods and big-data analytics tools. They will also investigate further passenger-centric business cases, spanning multiple transport stakeholders.

The topics included under this section are the following:

MG-3-1-2018

MG-3-2-2018

MG-3-3-2018

4. ACCOUNTING FOR THE PEOPLE

Social sciences and humanities are integrated in the Transport work programme at several layers. They are embedded both as an essential component of several topics and research questions as well as distinct topics of socio-economic relevance in other parts of the work programme, including in the "Other Actions" part, where a number of relevant public procurement actions are foreseen.

In addition, the present section addresses issues which are intended to complement and underpin the activities covered in the other sections of this work programme. It includes topics examining issues such as: an inclusive digitally interconnected transport system, regulatory frameworks to enable effective deployment of emerging technologies and business/operating models, demographic changes and women's participation, digitisation of the transport system, Open Science, Big data and updated frameworks to evaluate, monitor and assess the impact of new mobility solutions.

The overall objectives are to create an innovative and inclusive digital travel environment that improves accessibility and social inclusion, travel experience and citizen well-being. This environment should be created around accessible, protected and socially acceptable mobility solutions together with appropriate regulatory frameworks and policies for all.

In doing so, the research topics will contribute to a smooth adoption of new and emerging transport mobility solutions, ensuring equity and societal acceptance. They will aid decision-makers design, monitor and evaluate appropriate regulatory frameworks and policies that accommodate these new solutions for the benefit of society and economy taking into account the necessary levels of social and personal protection. They will contribute towards improving the competitiveness of European industry and SMEs and the attainment of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals.

The topics included under this section are the following:

MG-4-1-2018

MG-4-2-2018

MG-4-3-2018

MG-4-4-2018-2019

MG-4-5-2019

MG-4-6-2019