2025 STA ANNUAL CONFERENCE & INNOVATION AWARDS: FINAL PROGRAMME ANNOUNCED
As agreed at the first General Assembly of 2025, this year, Smart Transportation Alliance (STA), reflecting emerging priorities, focuses its work plan on the application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in transport infrastructures.
For this reason, we are excited to organise the 10th edition of the STA Annual Conference & Innovation Awards within the European Transport Conference 2025, in Antwerp, Belgium, on Wednesday, 17 September 2025, from 11:00 to 13:30 CET.
Under the title “Safer & Greener Transport Infrastructures in the Context of AI & Big Data Developments”, the conference offers a unique opportunity to engage with experts and explore the transformation of transport infrastructures in the age of artificial intelligence (AI) and Big Data.
The event begins with a keynote speech on the European Union’s continuous efforts towards more sustainable and efficient transport infrastructures and is rounded off by two distinct roundtables. The first roundtable focuses on AI applications to transport infrastructures, and the second on the activities of STA in the research field.
The event will conclude with the STA Annual Innovation Awards, this year the Person of the Year Award goes to Mr Erwin Verstraelen, Vice-President of Innovation at the Port of Antwerp-Bruges, and the award for the Best Innovation Solution , goes to RECORAIL, the innovative road barrier made from non-recyclable plastic, produced by Road Steel by Gonvarri. Both awards recognise outstanding contributions that are advancing digital innovation in transport infrastructures, spanning from port digitisation to “green” safety solutions.
Do not miss the opportunity to participate in the 2025 STA Annual Conference & Innovation Awards and be part of the conversation!
To secure your spot, please register early; seats are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. Register for free by clicking the registration button.
Please note: While registration for the STA Annual Conference is free, separate registration is required for the full attendance of the European Transport Conference.
Programme
10:30-11:00
Registration
11:00-11:10
Welcome Speech: Prof Thierry Vanelslander, Department of Transport and Regional Economics, University of Antwerp & Dr José F. Papí, CEO at Etelätär Innovation,STA President
11:20-11:40
11:40-12:00
Roundtable 1: AI Application to Transport Infrastructures
“AI Applications across the Transport Infrastructures Lifecycle” by Mr Jorge Alfonso, Researcher at the Visual Telecommunications Application Group (VTAG) Research Group of the Technical University of Madrid (UPM)
“AI-Powered Road Maintenance Inspections” by Dr Elena de la Peña, Deputy Director General for Technical Affairs at the Spanish Road Association (AEC), STA Vice-President & Chair of STA’s Technical Committee on Smart Mobility
"Digitalisation and AI in Logistic Services” by Mr Stephen Rakoma, Department of Transport and Regional Economics, University of Antwerp
Launch of STA’s Safety+ Excelence Labelling
Launch of STA’s Safety+ Excellence Labelling: Assessing the Safety Performance of CE-certified Road Restraint Systems (RRS) by Dr José F. Papí, CEO at Etelätär Innovation, STA President
12:00-12:10
Coffee break
12:10-12:40
12:40-13:00
Roundtable 2: STA Research in Action
“The STA Cross-Country Index on Mobility Decarbonisation” by Dr José F. Papí, CEO at Etelätär Innovation, STA President
“STA Position Paper on EU Transport Research Priorities” by Mr César Bartolomé, Director for Innovation at the Spanish Institute of Cement and its Applications (IECA), Chair of STA’s Technical Committee on Smart Sustainability
Latest Developments of the EU-funded KEYSTONE Project: Cross-border Compliance by Design for Logistics Operations & Enforcement by Ms Friederike L. Kühl, Programmes Coordinator at STA
Closing Session: Keynote Address: “EU’s R&D+i efforts towards more sustainable and efficient transport infrastructures” by Ms Isabelle Vandoorne, Acting Head of Unit, Innovation and Research, DG MOVE, European Commission
13:00-13:30
Award Ceremony of the 2023 Annual Innovation Awards & Working Lunch
Person of the Year, Mr Erwin Verstraelen, Vice-President of Innovation at Port of Antwerp-Bruges (Belgium)
Best Innovation Solution, RECORAIL by Road Steel by Gonvarri (Spain) Award collected by Antonio Amengual, Director, Road Steel by Gonvarri Industries