At the end of last academic year, a new European project was launched involving entities from nine countries to advance the design of transport and mobility infrastructures that are more efficient, safe, and environmentally sustainable. Moveo, Intelligent framework for inclusive and seamless transport infrastructure and mobility services, is coordinated by the Spanish company Centro de Estudios de Materiales y Control de Obra SA and includes among its partners the University of Vigo, specifically the Applied Geotechnologies TF1 group. Leading the Vigo team is Joaquín Martínez Sánchez, a researcher at Cintecx, the Research Center for Technologies, Energy and Industrial Processes at the University of Vigo, and a professor at the School of Mining and Energy Engineering.
As Martínez Sánchez explains, the transport sector today is marked by “rapid evolution” and growing demand for infrastructures and services that are increasingly efficient, safe, and sustainable. Among the main challenges are the lack of integration between infrastructures and transport modes, limited accessibility and safety, and their high environmental impact. In this context, Moveo aims to design a scalable intelligent framework “created to overcome these challenges by promoting the integration of transport infrastructure and modes through the use of cutting-edge digital technologies.” To make this possible, the project team works with multimodal infrastructures, including road elements (urban and interurban), railways, active mobility (cyclists or e-scooters), port transport, and inland waterways.
42 months, over €5M, and partners from nine countries
With a duration of 42 months, the project has a budget of €5.7 million, of which €594,375 corresponds to UVigo. Alongside the Vigo institution, the consortium includes partners from nine countries (Greece, Italy, Lithuania, Poland, Germany, Denmark, France, Switzerland, and Spain). Among them are several universities, such as Zurich University of Applied Sciences, Politecnico di Milano, and TU Denmark, as well as technology centers like the Institute of Communication and Computer Systems linked to the National Technical University of Athens, and several companies. From UVigo, the team includes, in addition to Professor Martínez, researchers Belén Riveiro, Pedro Arias, Henrique Lorenzo, Mercedes Solla, and Lucía Díaz Vilariño.
The goal is to optimize asset management, improve multimodal capacity, and reduce emissions, all while prioritizing safety, accessibility, and inclusion. Moveo is based on five pillars: infrastructure assessment and redesign; inspection and monitoring; digitalized mobility; smart logistics; and inclusion and accessibility. All of this is supported by areas of Technological Innovation (IT) that collectively enhance both infrastructures and transport modes. Furthermore, to validate the project, five demonstrators will be carried out in various regions of the European Union, covering different types of infrastructures, climatic conditions, and life cycle stages.
A project that brings all stakeholders together
The project methodology is based on a co-creation approach, actively involving stakeholders throughout the project via an External Advisory Board (EAB). This approach fosters innovation by integrating diverse perspectives within the quintuple helix framework (academia, industry, government, civil society, and environment). “By bringing together expertise from nine European countries, Moveo unites the entire value chain in transport and digitalization, including specialists in inspection, monitoring, logistics, mobility, and inclusion, as well as end users and transport infrastructure managers.” In this way, it not only addresses today’s urgent transport challenges but also lays the foundation for a more connected, sustainable, and safe future for transportation.