The 1st Stakeholder Conference of i4Df initiative was successfully organised at the Stanhope Hotel in Brussels on 11th December 2018. This was the first in a series of four Stakeholder Conferences that will culminate in the launch of the coordination mechanism at the TRA 2020 Conference in Helsinki on 26-30 April 2020. The 1st Stakeholder Conference was preceded by an i4Df Welcoming Reception for a wide stakeholder group on the evening of 10th December.
The setting of the 1st Stakeholder Conference itself was “demand side” focused. The Conference brought together High Level representatives from the infrastructure manager partners of the project consortium, and their peers from the wider European setting of national road and rail infrastructure managers, as well as their peers from the European Commission (DG MOVE, DG R&I, INEA) in their capacity as European programme owners.
The Conference commenced with an opening speech by the Managing Director of i4Df Coordinator Rijkswaterstaat, Mr. Cees Brandsen. Subsequent presentations were made by Conference participants (EC-DG MOVE, EC-INEA, CEDR and EIM).
The Conference continued with an introduction to i4Df by Coordinator RWS as well as a presentation of the objectives of the event and explanation of the discussion sessions. Four roundtables offered the opportunity to the participants to engage in lively discussions about the needed capabilities for future demand driven transport infrastructure innovation and implementation (with horizon 2040) and about the demarcation of transport infrastructure that i4Df should cover. The Conference concluded with a presentation of the next steps.
The objective of this first Stakeholder Conference was to achieve high level understanding and support for a common vision on infrastructure innovation and implementation needs until 2040 (road, rail), on related capabilities and initial innovation focus areas and on the demarcation of transport infrastructure. The outcomes of the 1st i4Df Stakeholder Conference will serve as input for the 1st Expert Workshop which is scheduled for 25th and 26th February at the BASt premises in Bergisch Gladbach, Germany.
For following Stakeholder Conferences and Expert Workshops a wider group of stakeholders will be invited, including Industrial Lead Suppliers and Research Providers.
