Thursday, July 23rd, 2026
Together with ALICE and nine other European research, industry and mobility organisations, ERTRAC has published a new position paper calling for a dedicated place for road transport research (RTR) and innovation within the next Horizon Europe Framework Programme (2028-2034) and the European Competitiveness Fund (ECF).
The paper argues that while the proposed future Automotive Joint Undertaking will play an important role in strengthening the competitiveness of the automotive sector, Europe must also continue investing in collaborative research that addresses the wider road transport and mobility system. This includes logistics, infrastructure, urban mobility, road safety, energy systems and digital technologies, all of which are essential for achieving Europe’s competitiveness, resilience and climate objectives. The paper calls for a Horizon Europe Framework Programme that will run in parallel with the Automotive Joint Undertaking, both tackling complementary RTR research needs.
ERTRAC emphasises that the future of road transport cannot be addressed through vehicle innovation alone. The mobility system depends on the interaction between road users, vehicles, physical and digital infrastructure, energy systems and logistics operations. Research must therefore adopt a system approach capable of addressing these interconnected elements together.
The position paper calls on the European Commission, the European Parliament and Member States to ensure that the future Automotive Joint Undertaking is complemented by dedicated funding within the standard Horizon Europe Work Programmes for broader road transport research needs that fall outside the automotive sector.
ALICE contributed actively to the position paper, and approves that the paper reinforces an important message: logistics is a strategic component of Europe’s competitiveness and must remain central to future European research and innovation programmes.
The position paper highlights that road freight transport is undergoing a profound transformation driven by decarbonisation, digitalisation and automation. Future research should therefore continue supporting topics such as:
These priorities closely align with ALICE’s work on the Physical Internet, multimodal logistics, digital freight transport and zero-emission supply chains.
The position paper also underlines the need for stronger coordination between Horizon Europe and the future European Competitiveness Fund.
While Horizon Europe should continue supporting collaborative research and innovation, the European Competitiveness Fund should provide the instruments needed to accelerate the deployment and large-scale implementation of innovative transport solutions. According to ERTRAC, transport should be recognised as one of the strategic sectors supported by the Fund, with coherent governance linking research, demonstration and market uptake.
For ALICE, this reflects the growing need to bridge the gap between research results and real-world deployment. Europe has developed many promising logistics innovations, but greater emphasis is needed on demonstration environments, interoperability, market adoption and collaboration across the logistics ecosystem to maximise their impact.
By supporting this joint position paper, ALICE joins ERTRAC, EARPA, ECTRI, ERTICO, EUPAVE, FEHRL, FIA Region I, IRU, POLIS and UITP in calling for a strong, system-oriented approach to road transport research under FP10.
Maintaining collaborative research while strengthening pathways towards deployment will be essential to develop more efficient, resilient and sustainable transport and logistics systems that contribute to Europe’s long-term competitiveness.