Flying colours for young talent in transport
Ambitious students and young researchers often have surprisingly innovative ideas that surpass those of official research establishments. With this in mind, the EU-funded competition 'Young European arena of research - 2010' (YEAR-2010) attracted top ideas from students across Europe to the EU's TRA conference. Held in Belgium, the TRA-2010 conference highlighted the participation at a dedicated exhibition space of 50 young finalists out of 338 competition entries. All 338 entrants, however, had the opportunity to feature their ideas on the competition website, exchanging ideas with peers and opening opportunities for collaboration with industry or other stakeholders. Around 1 200 delegates at TRA-2010 visited the dedicated exhibition stand, many of whom actively networked with the students, providing them with important exposure to the European TRA. As key delegates embraced the new ideas and innovations, the students had a chance to benefit from the know-how and strategies of established researchers at the conference. The media was also strongly present at the event, attracting journalists to the stands to interview finalists. In the meantime, judges from the industry awarded gold, silver and bronze medals in different themes to the top finalists among the 50, an initiative supported by an award ceremony. All the finalists' entries and ideas were highlighted on the conference website and can be easily downloaded by interested parties. This is meant to attract researchers and stakeholders from across Europe who may wish to advance these innovative ideas. Furthermore, employers or head hunters could also review these ideas and possibly recruit the bright new talent behind them. The project achieved its aim of garnering strong participation among young transportation researchers at the TRA-2010 conference and identifying top performers. Lastly, it strengthened the TRA conference as the worldwide leader in its field, building a dynamic community of young transport researchers across Europe.
