Horizon Europe, the European Union’s flagship research and innovation program, is set to open a new call from May to September 2024, focusing on Climate, Energy, and Mobility. One of the key topics within this call is “Effects of disruptive changes in transport: towards resilient, safe and energy-efficient mobility” (HORIZON-CL5-2024-D6-01-11). This initiative aims to address challenges posed by unexpected events such as pandemics, natural disasters, political decisions, and disruptions in energy and fuel supply, fostering the development of transport systems that are not only robust but also safe and energy-efficient.
Scope and Expected Outcomes:
The call emphasizes the need for research contributing to resilient transport systems, ensuring they are prepared for various disruptive changes. The research is expected to yield outcomes such as:
- Resilient Transport Systems: The focus is on identifying disruptive changes, including those induced by events like the COVID-19 pandemic, and developing solutions to maintain and enhance traffic safety.
- Incorporating Resilience in Design: Resilience to unexpected events is to be integrated into the design and development of future transport systems. This involves understanding the impact of sudden changes in the availability of transport means and their psychological effects on users.
- Multidisciplinary Approach: The research encourages a multidisciplinary approach, incorporating digital tools, new transport means (urban air mobility, micro-mobility), and innovative infrastructure usage for increased energy efficiency.
- Social and Economic Factors: The study should analyze how socio-economic differences may influence safety during disruptive changes, ensuring a comprehensive understanding of individual mobility options based on socio-economic status.
- Suburban Planning and Housing Developments: The call urges the evaluation of suburban planning and housing developments to improve transport safety and resilience, considering their effects on transport demand and infrastructure design.
- Safe System Approach: The research is to be grounded in the Safe System Approach, requiring collaboration with experts in social sciences and humanities, promoting international cooperation.
Application Details:
Consortiums with a minimum of three partners from three different countries, including at least one from the EU, are eligible to apply. Partners can be any legal entity, with or without profit motives, such as universities, companies, agencies, and organizations from 3 different countries.
Specific Topics:
The call encompasses various topics addressing electronic control architectures, safety scenarios, orchestration of heterogeneous actors in traffic, artificial intelligence for decision-making, knowledge transfer, multimodal network optimization, logistics innovation, digital tools for infrastructure management, and policies shaping future transport systems.
Financial Support:
Selected projects can receive funding ranging from 70% to 100%, with an additional 25% overhead. The total budget allocated for this call is €122.5 million.
