EUCAR aims to strengthen position
Under the theme of ‘connected to the future’, the European Council for Automotive Research and Development’s (EUCAR) annual conference was aimed at ensuring automotive research and innovation (R&I) continues to strengthen Europe’s competitiveness.
One year after the implementation of Horizon 2020 (the biggest EU Research and Innovation programme ever with nearly €80 billion of funding available over seven years) EUCAR felt it more important than ever to address the industry’s strategic priorities and societal challenges through common R&I initiatives.
EUCAR chairwoman, Anke Kleinschmit, vice president group research and chief environment officer of Daimler AG, stressed that the world of mobility and transport is transforming rapidly. She said, ‘The digital world is changing the needs of consumers and new modes of mobility are arising. In this context, hybrid innovations become more and more important. With products and services increasingly becoming more integrated, stakeholders have to work closely together to provide mobility services to a digitising society.’
As the position of the vehicle within a network becomes crucial, EUCAR members are ready to address future challenges by improving capacity and sharing knowledge through collaboration.
Manuela Soares, director for transport at DG research and innovation of the European Commission, took the opportunity to share her thoughts on the role of automated vehicles in a connected world. She emphasised that, ‘in Horizon 2020 we will be expanding funding for research on connected and automated driving. Automated road transport is seen as a key priority in the transport research programme.’
