Europe’s Rail Joint Undertaking publishes Call for Proposals 2022-1

Projects worth €390 million, against €234 million funding, are expected to be funded under the Europe’s Rail 2022-1 Call for Proposals for Research & Innovation activities, within the framework of the Europe’s Rail Annual Work Programme 2022-2024. The application period is now open, and submissions will be accepted until 23 June 2022.

This very first Call of the Europe’s Rail programme is expected to raise high interest in the transport community and beyond. The Call builds upon the results of the Shift2Rail Programme, paving the way to the deployment of innovative operational and technological solutions in the areas of European rail network management, automation and digitalisation of rail operations, sustainable and resilient systems, rail freight in the supply chain perspective and regional and capillary lines. It sets the basis for rail to accelerate its contribution to the European Green Deal, the Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy and the Fit for 55 Package, in a context of recovery from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The systemic approach introduced by the programme’s System Pillar will frame the works.

“Europe’s Rail and its partners play a key role in making rail travel future-proof,” Henrik Hololei, Director-General for Mobility and Transport at European Commission, said. “The Call for Proposals launched will fund projects driving digitalisation and automation within rail, and further improving environmental performance in line with the EU Green Deal and Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy objectives.”

“Within the framework established in the Single Basic Act, the Call is designed to attract applicants from the research and innovation value chain, while complying with the stringent legal requirements to materialise a leverage effect of the resources invested,” Carlo Borghini, Executive Director at Europe’s Rail Joint Undertaking, said. “The next five years will be critical to achieve large scale demonstrations of key solutions, in view of their deployment.”