Railway transport research opportunities in Italy
The ANSALDO - C.R.I.S. Railway Transport Research Centre in Naples, Italy, is offering European researchers access to their experimental facilities within the framework of the TRAIN project - a European research project supported by the European Commission under the Training and Mobility of Researchers (TMR) programme. The ANSALDO Research Centre offers highly advanced facilities for the testing of railway equipment at many levels of complexity, including entire vehicles and railway systems. These facilities, which allow the study and testing of new technologies, components and systems in the many fields of railway traction, include: - Traction vehicle testing room, for testing vehicles and drive units; - Test track ring, devoted to testing both linear motor vehicles and conventional light rail ones and to experimenting signalling plants and complete urban transport systems (vehicles + signalling plant); - Wheel for testing of linear induction motors and simulation software are part of the installation, and complement its experimental capability; - Power Electronics Laboratory, for testing of new high efficiency motor drives and power converters; - Electromagnetic Anechoic Chamber, for testing electronic railway equipment and systems, in order to support the study of standards relating to EMC susceptibility and emission requirements for railway components and systems; - Computer Centre devoted to VAX 9000/210 mainframe, equipped with advanced design and calculation tools. The TRAIN project started in October 1996 and will end in September 1999. European researchers interested in carrying out collaborative research activities at the ANSALDO Research Centre are invited to submit applications under an open call for proposals. Interested parties are requested to submit the research proposals by means of the specially developed selection form. The selection of research proposals is carried out by a selection panel involving external experts so as to ensure an independent assessment of all the applications on the basis of scientific merit. The list of recommended projects will be approved by the European Commission. Visiting researchers must be citizens or residents (for at least the past 18 months) of a Member State or Associated State of the European Community, and must be working in a research institute of that country. Access to ANSALDO facilities will be provided free of charge and will include all infrastructural, logistical, technical and scientific support that is normally provided to external users of the facilities. Periods of research will normally be of a duration of three months. Visiting researchers will be granted the monthly amount of ECU 1,600 and, in addition, the costs of one return journey to Naples will be covered. Researchers will be expected to publish the scientific results of their work and must submit a technical report to the scientific panel of the project.