Consortium

TNO is a contract research organization based in the Netherlands, established by law in 1932. With a staff of over 3400, TNO is carrying out research in order to strengthen the industry and to boost the well-being of society in a sustainable way. We work in collaboration with partners and focus on nine domains, from Healthy living, Information & communication technology, Defence, safety & security,  The circular economy and the environment, Energy to Traffic & transport. TNO functions as an independent intermediary between fundamental research organizations and industry. By translating scientific knowledge into practical applications, TNO contributes to the innovation capacity of businesses and government.

BMW Group is a global manufacturer of premium class automobiles and motorcycles, covering the BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce brands. In Munich, BMW operates its own research and development center, called FIZ (Research and Innovation Centre), in which approximately 11.300 engineers are developing future cars and are conducting research and predevelopment on various fields of vehicle, systems and infrastructure design. In V4Safey, BMW participates with colleagues of the vehicle safety and IT department. BMW has a long tradition in the effectiveness assessment of in-vehicle solutions, developing simulation environment such as openPASS and simulation models (e.g. driver behaviour model SCM).

The Federal Highway Research Institute (BASt) is the practice-oriented, technical-scientific research institute of the German Government in the field of road engineering. It is dedicated to the diverse tasks resulting from the interactions between humans, transport, infrastructure and the environment. Its mission is the improvement of safety, environmental compatibility, efficiency and performance relating to roads. The BASt provides the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport (BMDV) with scientifically valid aids as decision support in technical and transport policy issues.

Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg conducts research and education in technology and natural sciences at a high international level. The university has 3100 employees and 10,000 students. The research in the division of Vehicle Safety at the department of Mechanics and Maritime Sciences has the primary goal of reducing or mitigating the risk of injury for all road users. The division has a strong focus on modelling road-users, both in terms of human-body-models (HBMs) and the modeling the behavior of different road-users (e.g., car drivers and vulnerable road users). The models are integrated and used in both in-crash and pre-crash virtual safety assessment methods.

The Fraunhofer IVI employs more than 120 scientists and cooperates closely with the TU Dresden, the TU Bergakademie Freiberg and the TH Ingolstadt. In addition to vehicle technology applications, topics like intelligent traffic systems and civil security are the focus of traffic-related research.

A separate research group is dedicated to vehicle and road safety, tackling accident analysis, simulation and variation of accident data as well as recording normal driving scenarios.

Applus IDIADA is a global partner to the automotive industry with over 30 years’ experience supporting its clients in product development activities by providing design, engineering, testing and homologation services.

IDIADA’s success in product development is built on a unique blend of highly experienced engineers, state-of-the-art test and development facilities and the constant drive towards innovation. The company has 2.700 professionals and an international network of 58 subsidiaries and branch offices in 22 countries, ensuring its clients receive fast, customized solutions.

The Institute for Automotive Engineering (ika) of RWTH Aachen University under the direction of Prof. Lutz Eckstein has been intensively researching the relevant topics of motor vehicles for over 100 years, which also includes connected and automated driving. From the initial idea to innovative component and system concepts to vehicle prototypes, the Institute’s staff actively design solutions for tomorrow’s mobility. ika works in public and bilateral projects with and for manufacturers and suppliers to ensure that future mobility will continue to be safe, efficient and attractive.

Created in 1969 by French carmakers Renault and Peugeot, LAB contributes to road safety by helping improve vehicular capabilities and design. LAB brings together a wide array of specialties: human behavior analysis, psychology, on-field accident investigation, accident reconstruction and simulation, injury biomechanics and data science. Instrumental in the 80% decrease in France’s road fatalities within the last 50 years, LAB regularly publishes its research results and participates to European projects.

SWOV is the national scientific institute for road safety research in The Netherlands. It is our mission to use our knowledge from scientific research to contribute to safer road traffic. SWOV helps answer questions policymakers and other road traffic professionals are confronted with. SWOV is a non-profit organization. Most of SWOV’s research is made possible by public funds. SWOV works for decentralised and semi-governments. But also consulting firms, companies and international clients use our research experience, such as the European Union.

TH Ingolstadt is a technical university of applied sciences with a strong research base. With CARISSMA, the leading scientific center for vehicle safety in Germany, it has state-of-the-art facilities for researching promising safety technologies. The CARISSMA Institute for Automated Driving focuses its research on the development, testing and validation of automated driving functions. The institute is intensively involved in virtual and real driving tests.

Toyota Motor Europe NV/SA (TME) oversees the wholesale sales and marketing of Toyota, GR (Gazoo Racing) and Lexus vehicles and parts and accessories, as well as Toyota’s European manufacturing and engineering operations. Toyota directly employs over 25,000 people and has invested over EUR 11 billion in Europe since 1990. Its eight European manufacturing plants are located in Portugal, the UK, France, Poland, Czech Republic and Turkey. Today, there are approximately 16.5 million Toyota, GR and Lexus vehicles on European roads, whose drivers are supported by a network of 28 National Marketing and Sales Companies and around 2,800 retail sales outlets in 53 countries (EU, UK, EFTA countries + Russia, Israel, Turkey and other Eastern European countries). In 2021, TME sold 1,076,300 vehicles in Europe for a 6.4% market share.

The UNIFI research team, coordinated by prof. Francesca La Torre has more than 20 years of experience in road safety. Research projects and more than 100 papers demonstrate the background of the team concerning road safety assessment.

Thanks to the experience gained both in the Finite Element Analysis and in Virtual Reality Simulation the UNIFI team will contribute to the V4Safety project with the aim of defining the requirement needed to model both the infrastructures and safety solutions according to the general objective of the V4Safety to conduct effectiveness assessment and projection regarding safety performance in future traffic scenarios.

The first Volvo car rolled off the Gothenburg production line in Sweden in 1927. Since then, Volvo Car Group has been a world-leader in safety technology and innovation. Today, Volvo is one of the most well-known and respected car brands in the world with sales in more than 100 countries.

The VIRTUAL VEHICLE Research Centre in Graz/Austria is an independent, international research centre which deals with application-oriented vehicle development and future vehicle concepts for road and rail. The group “Vehicle and Road Safety” has many years of experience in developing simulation methods for, amongst others, ATDs, HBMs, VRUs, restraint systems, full vehicle structures, component testing, and safety impact assessment of active, passive and integrated vehicle safety systems.

ZF is a global technology company supplying systems for passenger cars, commercial vehicles and industrial technology, enabling the next generation of mobility. ZF allows vehicles to see, think and act. In the four technology domains of Vehicle Motion Control, Integrated Safety, Automated Driving, and Electric Mobility, ZF offers comprehensive product and software solutions for established vehicle manufacturers and newly emerging transport and mobility service providers. ZF electrifies a wide range of vehicle types. With its products, the company contributes to reducing emissions, protecting the climate and enhancing safe mobility.

ERTICO - ITS Europe is a public-private partnership with close to 120 members that connects 8 different sectors in ITS, from service providers, suppliers and research organisations, to public authorities, user organisations and vehicle manufacturers. Together, we develop and promote Intelligent Mobility solutions through European co-funded projects, innovation platforms, advocacy and events such as the annual ITS Congresses.

As a thought leader, ERTICO engages with various stakeholders worldwide and plays a central role in public consultations and policymaking. Our activities focus on four areas of smart mobility: Cooperative, Connected and Automated Mobility, Clean & Eco-Mobility, Urban Mobility and Transport & Logistics.

W2Economics is a leading expert in the economic analysis of road safety. With its high-quality economic research, consultancy and education, W2Economics helps to prevent road crashes, improve the quality of life, and reduce costs.