A united logistics and transport vision for the EU
For the wheels of industry and trade to be well oiled, Europe must have a strong logistics network backed up by efficient transport. The EU-funded project 'Coordination action for the European strategic agenda of research on intermodalism and logistics' (Caesar) worked on a common vision regarding research related to intermodal transport. It outlined research requirements for the sector and supported implementation of research results, with a focus on implementing research programmes. The Caesar project was responsible for establishing the European Intermodal Research Advisory Council (EIRAC), a group of key industrial players working on the Strategic Research Agenda (SRA) for Intermodal Transport 2020. This was done in conjunction with a business scenario to ensure the sustainability of a powerful pan-European intermodal transport vision. The project outlined EIRAC's terms of references and contributed to developing the strategic intermodal research agenda (SIRA). Together, Caesar and the parties involved identified five key research areas: interoperability between modes, logistics, security, education/training and socioeconomic considerations. Intensive meetings and preparation of a research baseline for the EIRAC, including a survey of projects, studies and initiatives undertaken in the past 10 years, helped launched the EIRAC successfully. Caesar also established and updated the website for the project itself and for the EIRAC, disseminating information on the organisation's objectives and implementations plans. Many workshops were organised to this end and partnerships with several transport-oriented European technology platforms were established. Europe now has a clear, unified path for logistics and intermodal transport.
