Suppor&ngResearchonClimateFriendlyTransport

Coordina&onAc&on233984
REACTprojectispar&allyfundedbytheEuropeanCommission

Interna&onalConferenceShapingClimateFriendlyTransportinEurope,KeyFindings&Future Direc<onsBelgrade,1617May2011

 Challengesinensuringsustainabilityandclimatechangepoliciesaresupportedby robust,coordinatedandpolicyrelevantresearch:e.g.,

Lessisknownabouthowfundingdecisionsaremade,includingwhatresearchareas arepriori&sed,andhowprojectsareevaluatedandmonitored Focusingontheareaoflowcarbontransportresearch,weaddresstheques&ons:

(a)WhatfundingschemesexistatEuropeanandna&onallevels? (b)What(social,economic,environmental)objec&vesarepriori&sedintransportfundingin dierentEUcountries? (c)Whattypeofresearch(e.g.,technological,social)isthefocusoflowcarbontransport research,andhowdoesthisvaryacrossEurope? (d)Howarepriori&esandfundingcriteriaiden&ed? (e)TowhatextentislowcarbontransportresearchacrossEuropecoordinated(i.e.,where aresynergies,overlaps,andgaps)? (f)Whatproceduresexisttoensurethequalityandu&lityofresearch,howmightthesebe benchmarked,andwhatexamplesofbestprac&ceexist?

SustainabilitypolicymakingoQenhamperedbylackofcoordina&onandcompe&ng priori&es(e.g.,Gibsonetal.,2005) Energyandclimatechangeresearchfocusesmoreontechnologicalthansocialsolu&ons, despiteevidenceofcri&calneedforbehavioural/ins&tu&onalchange(Grubler&Riahi,2010)

MajorreviewofEuropeanfundingschemes,usingmixedmethodsapproach,in2010 1.Documentaryanddatasources Policydocumentsonlowcarbontransport&researchfunding(internet/lit.search) Basicsta&s&csonfunding&R&D(e.g.,TRKC,ERAWATCH,Cordis,na&onal websites) 2.Interviewsandemailcontact toelicitdetailsofextantfundingschemesandhowtheseschemesaredeveloped Telephoneinterviews&emailinforma&onrequestswithrepresenta&ves(N=31)of:

academiaandR&D; industry; policy,governmentalandnongovernmentalins&tu&onsincludingNCPs,Na&onalagencies forenvironmentalprotec&on,Na&onalMinistries(Science,Transport,Environment,etc.); Na&onalsta&s&caloces;Na&onalresearchfunders/councils.

3.Surveyandfocusgroups toexploreexperiencesandaktudestofundinglowcarbontransportresearch. Surveyoftransportexperts(N=42)andci&zens(N=40);alsoci&zenfocusgroups ndingshighlightsupportacrossexpertandnonexpertgroupsforlowcarbon transport,andesp.modalshiQandreduceddemandmeasures(seeseparatetalk)3

Dataavailabilityandscopeofreview Informa&onaboutmanyna&onalfundingschemeswasdiculttoobtain,and someMSandASappearnottofundlowcarbonortransportresearchperse. Informa&onabouthowdecisionsweremadeaboutfundingpriori&esand procedureswereevenhardertoobtain,andoQennonexistent. Nevertheless,wegainedsomequalita&veinsightsintoprocessesandprocedures, andwereabletodevelopauniquedatabaseoffundingschemes,whichrevealed trends,synergiesandgapsintransportresearchfunding. Here,wepresentkeyndingsbasedonanalysisofthisdatabaseandqualita&ve analysisofdocumentsandinterviews: 1.WhatfundingschemesexistatEUandMS/ASlevels? GreatvarietyacrossEuropeinrespectofavailabilityandfocusoffundingforlow carbonresearch.Insomecountries,suchasGermany,Sweden,Austria, SwitzerlandandtheUK,therearemanyavailableschemeswhichcoverarangeof dierentpriori&esandapproaches/disciplines. ThisdisparitycannotbeaccountedforbyGDPalone.
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1.WhatfundingschemesexistatEUandMS/ASlevels?
Totalno.offundingschemesonlowcarbontransportresearch

!
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2.WhatobjecIvesareprioriIsedintransportfundingindierentEUcountries? AnalysisofEuropean,MSandASresearchagendassuggeststherearebroadly consistentpriori&esintransportfunding,namelyreducingenvironmentalimpact, fosteringeconomicgrowthandcompe&&veness,andimprovingsafety. Environment,includingcarbonemissions,isarela&velyimportantconcernfor mostcountries,beingpriori&sedbyaround30%ofschemes

PrioriIesofnaIonalandEUlevelfundingschemesfortransportandenergyresearch.Note: Basedonanalysisof69fundingschemes(forwhichinforma:ononobjec:veswasavailable).

3.Whattypeofresearchisthefocusoflowcarbontransportresearch,andhow doesthisvaryacrossEurope? Analysisoffundingschemepriori&esshowedaslightpreferencefortechnological oversocialresearch,butourprimaryresearchfoundbothtransportexpertsand ci&zensconsiderthemostimportantpriori&esforsustainabletransporttobe modalshiQandreduceddemandmeasures(seesep.talk).Thisappearsto reinforcetheimbalanceinfundingnotedpreviously(Grubler&Riahi,2010) Mostschemesalsosupportacombina&onofbasicandappliedresearch.

Researchapproachsupportedbyfundingschemesfortransportandenergyresearch.[Note: Basedonanalysisof47fundingschemes(forwhichinformaIononapproachwasavailable)]

4.HowareprioriIesandfundingcriteriaidenIed? Linleinforma&onpublicallyavailableabouthowfundingpriori&eshavebeen developed.Mostlyderivedfromna&onalandEUpolicypriori&es,butstakeholder andscien&cperspec&vesaresome&mesconsidered(e.g.intheUK). 5.TowhatextentislowcarbontransportresearchacrossEuropecoordinated? Dieringpreferencesforpar&culartransporttechnologiesandpoliciesacross Europeanna&ons,forcultural,poli&cal,geographicalreasons(Nykvist&Whitmarsh,2008) Yetbroadlyconsistentpriori&esintransportfunding,esp.reducingenvironmental impact,fosteringeconomicgrowth/compe&&veness,improvingsafety. Somena&onalagencies(e.g.,UK),havededicatedfunc&ontocoordinateresearch fundingwithEuropeanfundingac&vi&es.Elsewhere,morefocusonna&onalor sectorspecicpriori&esintransportfunding,leadingtoamorefragmentedpicture. NotableEUexamplesofcoordina&onexisttocoordinateresearch,developmentand dissemina&on(e.g.,TechnologyPlaporms,ERANET,SETIS,TRKC,StructuralFunds) butfurthereortsneededtoensurepolicyisjoinedupinordertoachieve(rather thanundermine)energyandclimatetargets(Russel&Jordan,2009;GreenAlliance,2007) Thiscoordina&onisallthemoreimportantgiventheimportancethattransport expertsplaceonEuropeanleadershiptoachievesustainabletransport(seesep.talk)
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6.WhatproceduresexisttoensurethequalityanduIlityofresearch,howmight thesebebenchmarked,andwhatexamplesofbestpracIceexist? Noexis&ngguidelinesonfundinglowcarbontransport,butsomecommon aspira&onsamongstfunders/researchcommunityonhowresearchshouldbe funded,includingsomeelementsuniquetofundingsustainabletransport: i. Priori&esforfundingshouldbecodevelopedbyscien&stsandsocietalstakeholders toensure(a)scien&cquality,and(b)socioeconomicimpact. ii. Fundingschemesshouldsupportadiverserangeofresearchac&vi&esand approachestoreachscien&candsocietalobjec&vesfortransport/sustainability. iii.Fundingschemesshoulddevelopandapplyclearlydenedmonitoringand evaluaIonprocedurestoensureaccountabilityandtransparency. iv. Fundingschemesshoulddevelopandapplytransparenteligibilitycriteriaand applica&onguidelines,incl.trainingand/orguidelinesforreviewersofproposals. v. Fundingschemesshouldaimtobuildcapacitywithintheresearchcommunity(i.e., peoplebasedac&vi&es),aswellasdevelopmentofideasandinven&ons. vi. Fundingschemesshouldbedevelopedinconsulta&onwithotherna&onaland EuropeanfunderstoensurestrategiccoordinaIonacrossthemes/programmes.[cf. systemsapproachmul&plesectors,modes,spa&alscales,methodsandtools]
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 MS/ASvarygreatlyinno.offundingschemesforlowcarbontransport. Focusoffundingforenergy/transportresearchalsovariedacrossMS/AS.Insome cases,priori&eswereonlyimplicit(e.g.,inSpain)andcanbeinferredfrom researchexpenditureindierentareas.Priori&esfortransportandenergy fundingnotonly(orprimarily)associatedwithreducingenvironmentalimpacts, butaimedtoachieveeconomicandsocialgoalsaswell(e.g.,eciency,safety) Consistentpreferencefortechnologicaloversocialresearch,butdisparitynotas greatasothershavesuggested.[However,expertsandci&zensconsiderpriori&es forsustainabletransporttobemodalshiQandreduceddemandmeasures] Despitenotableexamplesofcoordina&onatEUlevelexisttocoordinateresearch, furthereortsneededtoensurepolicyisjoineduptoachievetargets Challengesofndinginforma&onabouthowR&Dschemesaredeveloped. Wehavedevelopedauniquefundingdatabase(seewww.reacttransport.eu)= valuableresourceforresearchers,fundersandothersinsociety Furtherresearchshouldfocusonmoreindepthresearchintohowfunding priori&esaredecidedandthebarrierstoachievingthebestprac&ceaspira&ons
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Suppor&ngResearchonClimateFriendlyTransport
Coordina&onAc&on233984
REACTprojectispar&allyfundedbytheEuropeanCommission