Exploitable results The European Intermodal Research Advisory Council Freight transport in Europe has been growing over the last 10 years more rapidly than the EU-15 gross domestic product (GDP), and even more than the mobility of persons. This has many causes, but certainly one is the opening up of the transport market, which occured over the same time frame. Major drawbacks to the European transport system are the growth of congestion, and the harmful effects to the environment and public health. In addition, the challenges of the enlargement are compelling us to make new choices in order to promote transport policy with a more balanced, smarter, and an environmentally lower impact to mobility systems. A radical shift in the mentality and behaviour of actors in transport is needed. Intermodal aspects must be brought in at all phases of transport policy and planning, based on cost-effective, implementable research and technological development. Efficient logistics and transport operations require a harmonious flow of goods and traffic throughout both the transport and logistics chains. While in the past, infrastructure investment programmes were developed from a single mode approach, global logistics operations today favour the integration of modes and impose new priorities in the decision-making process. The logistics shifts towards global sourcing and centralised inventories demand larger geographic coverage and smooth international transport, without counterproductive delays in the network and at nodes. Substantial research has been developed in the last five years in the area of emerging logistical requirements and their impact in freight transport and intermodality. It is therefore necessary to bring together authoritative individuals with decision-making capabilities to contribute significant advice, and to influence the stakeholders in their planning of research and technology programmes, i.e., the European Intermodal Research Advisory Council (EIRAC). Caesar was a coordination action aiming at fostering the creation of a new and common vision of intermodal research in Europe, by achieving the following objectives: - to establish the EIRAC; - to support the EIRAC to define its terms of reference; - to support the EIRAC to draw its strategic research agenda for intermodal transport and logistics, in conjunction with business scenarios; - to set-up and run the EIRAC communication strategy, to liaise with mode-specific advisory councils; - to facilitate the EIRAC to define the implementation plan of their strategic research agenda. The establishment of EIRAC was the main result of this initiative, with the aim of bringing together the stakeholders of the intermodal freight sector. The EIRAC was established in accordance with the scheme provided in the description of the strategic research agenda of intermodal transport sector. The Caesar project managed the creation of EIRAC after the CA completion. The details are specified in the terms of reference signed at the establishment of the EIRAC; however, EIRAC is composed of the following entities: - the plenary; - the support group; - the mirror group; - the secretariat. Supported by Caesar, EIRAC prepared a vision of intermodal transport in 2020, and issued the strategic documents preparing the achievement of the vision: the 'Strategic intermodal research agenda 2020' (SIRA), and the implementation plan. The SIRA contains the drivers for change (i.e., research and innovation accompanied by proper policies, codes of conducts and supporting instruments), whereas the implementation plan translates the SIRA elements into practical topics to materialise the 'Vision of intermodal transport 2020'. The SIRA has been set in the context of the current economic, societal and environmental challenges Europe was facing. Therefore, it cannot be a rigid long-term agenda; updates and new releases are needed, taking into account the evolving context. Moreover, some selected aspects may need to be analysed more in depth, by considering factors having strong influences on the chosen priorities. Caesar was a coordination action to support the creation and works of an advisory council. Therefore, the project was more policy than technically oriented. The SIRA and the implementation plan have been handed over to the European Commission (i.e., DG TREN, DG RTD, and DG Infoso), to promote the adoption of their content into the workprogrammes of Seventh Framework Programme, and they have been delivered to the Member States through the 'mirror group' representatives, for national research and public/private investement programmes. Other important implications of the results are the close contacts created between the EIRAC members and the EC for policy development. One can mention e.g. the participation of EIRAC members on the preparation of the new release of the directive for the European Intermodal Loading Unit, or the preparation of the logistics action plan of DG TREN. As a result of its ongoing work, EIRAC will provide further support to policy development by cooperating with the governmental institutions in order to prepare directives/regulations/laws, or by proposing common codes of conduct suitable for the improvement of the effectiveness of logistics through co-modality and sustainable (intermodal) transport solutions. Searching for OpenAIRE data... There was an error trying to search data from OpenAIRE No results available
