Catalyzing Sustainable Transport Innovation through Policy Support and Monitoring: The Case of TRIMIS and the European Green Deal

Abstract

Transport contributes significantly to economic growth and higher quality of life, but its associated externalities have an environmental, economic and social impact and are the main impetus to support innovation towards sustainable transport. The European Commission’s Communication on a European Green Deal sets out the objective of achieving climate neutrality by 2050, for which transport emissions will need to be further reduced. Innovation within the transport sector gains greater prominence, with some anticipating an innovation revolution that would completely transform the sector. In this paper, the barriers that impede such a transition from happening are examined and a tool that aids policymakers and researchers with shaping transport innovation actions is presented; The Transport Research and Innovation Monitoring and Information System (TRIMIS) is an integrated transport policy-support tool with a modular design serving as an open-access information and knowledge management system. This paper provides an overview of its main features and includes a case study on transport electrification and alternative fuels, showing how monitoring efforts can aid transport research and innovation (R&I) policymaking and governance. TRIMIS contributes to identifying evolutionary and revolutionary technologies, their funding and associated policy initiatives, so the anticipated transport revolution can be better monitored, evaluated and shaped.

Sustainable Production and Consumption of Food. Mise-en-Place Circular Economy Policies and Waste Management Practices in Tourism Cities

“…The European Green Deal provides an action plan to boost the efficient utilization of resources by moving to a clean circular economy to restore biodiversity and cut pollution [26][27][28]. The plan specifies that European economies ought to invest in environmentally friendly technologies to improve global environmental standards for sustainable cities [29,30]. Its Farm-to-Fork (F2F) Strategy is at the heart of the European Green Deal [31,32].…”

Modeling the Effect of COVID-19 Lockdown on Mobility and NO2 Concentration in the Lombardy Region

“…Overall, transport contributes some 30% of total nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions and 20% of total PM emissions near road networks in towns and cities, where the population density is often high [3]. Even though the European transport sector has achieved significant reductions in the emissions of certain major air pollutants [4], more work is needed to continue to reduce pollution levels and to achieve the "zero pollution" ambition set by the European Green Deal [5], which has targeted a 90% reduction in transport emissions by 2050.…”

TRIMIS: Modular Development of an Integrated Policy-Support Tool for Forward-Oriented Transport Research and Innovation Analysis

“…TRIMIS is an integrated transport policy-support tool with a modular design serving as a knowledge management system that offers open-access information, as well as an inventory of transport technologies and innovations. It monitors and assesses the implementation status of STRIA and at the same time supports transport governance, policymaking, and research by identifying innovations with the greatest future potential, thus assisting policymakers to focus on those areas where public intervention can provide the maximum benefits [49]. In addition, the TRIMIS online platform serves as the end-user interface, offering outputs by monitoring the effectiveness of EU/Member State-level funded research and assessing the level of contribution of transport research initiatives to a clean, connected, and competitive European transport system.…”