Shift2Rail Joint Undertaking has launched the 2021 call for proposals within the framework of the S2R Annual Work Plan 2021.
The projects resulting from two topics worth EUR 1.6 million and EUR 0.2 million will be funded. The application period is open, and submissions will be accepted until 18 May 2021.
Digital Automated Coupler innovation for the European Delivery Programme (S2R-IP5-01-2021) and R&I impact and benefits to make rail attractive for stakeholders (S2R-CCA-01-2021) are the two topics of the call which is fully open to S2R Members and non-JU Members.
The proposals may be edited and re-submitted multiple times until the call deadline / cut-off date, using the same proposal number. The system will only keep the most recent version that is submitted. After the call deadline, the proposal may normally no longer be changed nor supplemented, unless it is to correct an obvious clerical error.
The indicative H2020 co-funding made available by the S2R JU for the 2021 call for proposals is EUR 1.8 million.
The Innovation Programme 5 (IP5) covers the technologies for sustainable and attractive European rail freight transport. Within the scope and objectives of IP5, rail freight is expected to take advantage of digitalisation and automation of technological solutions and processes, to improve the performance of operations and offer competitive and sustainable services to the clients in a logistic value chain approach. This meets the objectives of the Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy proposing a rail freight increase of 50% by 2030, doubling by 2050. IP5 Programme has been working to deliver a demonstrator for a Digital Automatic Coupler (DAC) that, in addition to the automatic coupling, integrates digital communications and energy. The DAC, one of the key enablers of the rail freight transformation, is expected to revolutionise the sector’s competitiveness by increasing productivity of operations and the capacity of the EU rail network. The DAC is part of a series of enablers that will deliver the digital rail freight, including ATO, digital break tests, etc.
For a sustainable and smart transport sector, the Shift2Rail research and innovation will pave the way for the development of a green transport and the digital transformation within the sector. The specific challenge is to ensure that the technological and operational innovations resulting from the work of Shift2Rail and its future successor respond to a clear societal case and produce benefits to the final users in the scope of the sustainable and smart multi-modal door to door services and integrated logistic value chain.
The proposals of the R&I impact and benefits to make rail attractive for stakeholders should perform a top-down analysis by defining the most important stakeholders for both the passenger and the freight transport and their main conditions for seamless and optimised journeys/logistic with railways as the backbone. This analysis will have to be matched against the outcome of S2R and expected impact of Europe’s Rail R&I, and also to determine the obstacles and key success factors of the railway system to attract more freight and passenger customers as part of a multi-modal transport and mobility network. The project proposals shall demonstrate the benefits of using the new rail transport capabilities for the final users, passengers or freight customers.
Share on:
