A NEW FRAMEWORK FOR EUROPE'S INTELLIGENT TRANSPORT SYSTEMS

This article analyses the new policies of the European Commission (EC) Fifth Framework Programme (FP5) and their implications for the Intelligent Transport System (ITS) community. FP5 places great emphasis on fulfilling the economic and social needs of individual European Union (EU) citizens, by focusing research on key sectors and by finding more effective ways of translating research outputs into tangible benefits. The article considers: (1) which parts of FP5 relate to transport and especially to ITS; (2) how much funding, of what types, is available; (3) what types of project will be accepted in each part of FP5 devoted to transport; and (4) the timescale of FP5. FP5 has seven major programmes, of which four are thematic and three are 'horizontal'. There are Transport Telematics and Transport and Tourism elements and other transport topics under the second thematic programme, Information Society Technologies (IST). Transport elements in the third, Promoting Competitive and Sustainable Growth, include Sustainable Mobility and Intermobility and Land Transport and Marine Technologies, designed to produce an integrated approach to transport. The first calls for proposals were put out on 16 March 1999 with a closing date of 16 June 1999; the second calls and closing dates are nearly six months later.