Common solutions for European transport systems

On 1 June 2018 at the French Embassy in Berlin, the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) and the French Institute of Science and Technology for Transport, Development and Networks (l'Institut français des sciences et technologies des transports, de l'aménagement et des réseaux; IFSTTAR) signed a cooperation agreement for the joint development of solutions for European transport systems. As a goal, the partners  appointed the establishment of INNOMOB, a virtual institute that will focus on innovation in the areas of mobility and transport.

At the signing ceremony, Karsten Lemmer, DLR Executive Board Member for Energy and Transport, emphasised: "The mobility of people and goods does not stop at national borders. It is for this reason that in order to achieve a safe, efficient and environmentally friendly transport system, we seek strong international partners for our transport research. With IFSTTAR, DLR collaborates with one of the leading French transport research institutes. Together, we are working on the development of innovative mobility solutions and mutually expanding our horizons in line with our national perspectives."

"Transport issues go beyond national borders and there are many solutions. The creation of the INNOMOB Institute has several interests. The institute will make it possible to assess the use of mobility and solutions deployed in France and Germany and compare each other's research practices. These exchanges will facilitate the development of new solutions, in support of public policies, and the move towards harmonised solutions for users," says Serge Bossini, Director of Research and Innovation at the French Ministry of Environment, Energy and Sea. Hélène Jacquot-Guimbal, IFSTTAR General Director, explains that "this collaboration allows to join two forces with the aim of positioning European mobility research at the international level and bringing to the foreground innovative solutions to tackle societal challenges in the area of transport."

Acquiring a comprehensive understanding of tomorrow's mobility

The two research organisations worked together in 2013 to establish the international partner laboratory DISTRANS, where the work focussed on logistics and freight. They have also been cooperating for some time in rail research. In 2014, DLR and IFSTTAR signed the first ever, tight-first cooperation agreement. To this day, this agreement continues in a wide range of research topics. The virtual institute is strengthened with this collaboration. Its programme will address the socioscientific and economic, as well as the technical aspects of mobility research.

The virtual institute INNOMOB will expand this collaboration. Its programme will address the socioscientific and economic, as well as the technical aspects of mobility research. Key to the undertaking is an attempt to acquire a better understanding of mobility behaviour and transport development, as well as to develop new planning options to help shape future transport systems.

The first phase is already in preparation

IFSTTAR's Department of Planning, Mobility and Environment (Aménagement, mobilités et environnement; AME) is collaborating with the DLR Institutes ofTransport Research, Transportation Systems and Vehicle Concepts to prepare the initial phase of the INNOMOB programme. During this phase, experts will analyse changes in mobility behaviour and freight transport using new data sources and develop new data collection methods. In addition, scientists, engineers and social scientists will investigate innovative vehicle concepts and technological developments such as optimising the energy efficiency of vehicles. They will also examine the impact of vehicles on the environment and society, as well as the economic aspects of current developments and new mobility and logistics concepts. There are plans for the INNOMOB laboratory to address issues related to the user-oriented design of modes of transport and transport infrastructure – particularly multimodal transport hubs.