STA Work Plan 2025 to Focus on Digitisation and AI in Transport Infrastructures

On 31 January 2025, STA Members united for the first General Meeting of the year.

The Smart Transportation Alliance (STA) held its first General Meeting of the year on 31 January 2025. The meeting brought together STA Members to review key achievements, discuss future plans, and approve the 2025 work and financial strategy.

Dr José F. Papí, STA’s President, highlighted the growing impact of the organisation, including its role in EU-funded projects, SCALE-UP and KEYSTONE, as well as updates on the Safety+ Excellence Labelling for Road Restraint Systems (RRS).

Looking ahead, members are committed to an ambitious agenda for 2025, including four new publications on AI in transport, the digitisation of local roads, research priorities shaping European policies, and a cross-country indexon a topic to be announced soon.

Finally, the 2025 STA Annual Conference and Innovation Awards is set to return to its headquarters in Belgium in Q3 or Q4.

STA Releases New Technical Report on the Digital Adaptation of Local Roads

The report aligns with the with the European Commission’s Digital Strategy, which aims to accelerate the digitisation of transport and mobility in Europe.

The Smart Transportation Alliance (STA) is pleased to announce the release of a new Technical Report titled “Roadmap for the Digital Adaptation of Local Roads”.

Authored by Dr Elena de la Peña, Deputy Director for Technical Affairs at the Spanish Road Association (AEC) and Vice-President & Chair at Smart Mobility (TC1) of STA, the report outlines a three-phase approach: digitising data, processes, and full infrastructure adaptation.

Key focus areas include improving internal road management with digital tools like geo-referenced maps and digital twins, while externally, technologies like IoT and 5G will support connected and autonomous vehicles.

Collaboration between the public and private sectors, training, and continuous evaluation will be crucial to this transformation. STA emphasises that digitalising local roads is key to smarter, more sustainable mobility in Europe.

STA to Co-Host the SCALE-UP & MOVE21 Final Event in Brussels

Participants will explore the results, challenges, and lessons learned from the two EU-funded projects on urban mobility.

STA, a partner of the SCALE-UP project, will co-host the Final Event of two Horizon Europe initiatives - SCALE-UP and its sister project MOVE21, which have now reached their final phase.

The event titled “Next Steps Towards Cities as Green and Connected Nodes for Urban Mobility” will be held at Comet Louise in Brussels, Belgium, on 1–2 April 2025.

It will feature panel discussions, networking sessions, and interactive workshops covering topics such as multi-level governance, multimodal hubs, and digitalisation, with insights from pilot projects in over 10 European cities.

Visit the link for more information.

NEWS OF INTEREST

EU Launches InvestAI Initiative to Mobilise €200 billion of Investment in Artificial Intelligence

On 11 February 2025, the President of the European Commission unveiled InvestAI at the Paris Summit, including €200 billion for AI gigafactories.

On 11 February 2025, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, launched InvestAI, an initiative to mobilise €200 billion for investment in AI, including a new European fund of €20 billion for AI gigafactories.

The EU's InvestAI fund will finance four future AI gigafactories across the EU. Additionally, the Commission announced the initial seven AI factories in December and will soon announce the next five.

The World Bank Releases Report for Transport Decarbonisation to Meet 2050 Climate Goals

The report outlines key policy actions and investment needs to accelerate the transition to sustainable transport.

The European Union is advancing efforts to achieve climate neutrality by 2050, aiming to cut transport emissions by 90% from 1990 levels. Despite strong policies, transport emissions continue to rise, with road transport accounting for 73% of the total.

The report titled “Enhancing Transport Decarbonization in the European Union” calls for greater private sector engagement, innovative financing, and better use of EU funds to accelerate zero-emission transport, sustainable mobility, and rail expansion. It also highlights the need to support EU accession countries in aligning with the European Green Deal.

Bureau Veritas Recognised for Leading Effort Against Climate Change

The company has been included in the CDP ‘A’ List for Climate Reporting in 2024.

Bureau Veritas, one of the world leaders in laboratory testing, inspection and certification services has been included in the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) ‘A’ List for Climate reporting in 2024, ranking among the top global performers. In a record year with over 24,800 corporations assessed, this recognition highlights the company’s strong commitment to sustainability and climate action.

Beyond its internal initiatives, Bureau Veritas supports clients with cutting-edge solutions, including its AI-powered platform, AiTrack, which helps organisations optimise their carbon footprint and sustainability performance.