IRF Adds Expertise to Discussions on Resilient Road Infrastructure at ASECAP Days 2026
27 - 29 May | Bratislava, Solvakia - The International Road Federation (IRF) participated at the 53rd ASECAP Days in Bratislava, Slovakia, with IRF President Dimitrios Mandalozis and Project Manager Iona Kirkpatrick contributing to discussions on the future of Europe’s road infrastructure and mobility systems.
Hosted by Slovakia’s national motorway company, Národná Diaľničná Spoločnosť, ASECAP Days 2026 brought together leaders from across the transport ecosystem to examine how Europe can strengthen the resilience of its road infrastructure in the face of climate change, geopolitical pressures and rising mobility demands. This year’s discussions place particular emphasis on targeted investments, sustainable financing mechanisms and strategies to modernise transport networks while advancing the European Union’s objectives of secure mobility and decarbonisation.
Set against the backdrop of Bratislava, the conference provided an important platform for collaboration among toll road operators, concessionaires, policymakers, technology providers and infrastructure experts.
Speaking during the opening plenary, President Mandalozis underscored the strategic importance of roads to Europe’s economic competitiveness and territorial cohesion. Highlighting that road transport continues to account for a significant share of inland freight movement across the European Union, he emphasised the importance of long-term investment frameworks, resilient infrastructure management and sustained partnerships to future-proof Europe’s transport systems. He also stressed the role of toll road operators and concessionaires in supporting innovation, maintaining strategic corridors and delivering customer-oriented infrastructure capable of meeting future mobility needs.
President Mandalozis further highlighted the need for smarter asset management, interoperable digital systems and stronger cooperation across the infrastructure lifecycle to ensure that Europe’s road networks remain resilient, sustainable and responsive to evolving challenges. His intervention also extended an invitation to participants to continue these conversations at the IRF 2026 Annual Conference in Geneva, where international stakeholders will gather to advance implementation pathways for the transport sector.
Meanwhile, Project Manager Iona Kirkpatrick is presenting IRF’s work under the iEXODDUS project, showcasing how cooperative infrastructure can support the extension of Operational Design Domains (ODDs) for automated vehicles through digital twins, secure vehicle-to-everything (V2X) data and real-time decision support systems.
Her presentation explores how iEXODDUS is addressing one of the central constraints to large-scale deployment of Cooperative, Connected and Automated Mobility (CCAM) which is the limited ability of automated vehicles to operate safely in complex and changing traffic environments. Through a combination of roadside sensing technologies, connected vehicle data, digital twin modelling and real-time decision support, the project aims to improve situational awareness, enhance road safety and enable more resilient and efficient traffic operations.
Kirkpatrick also highlighted how infrastructure-assisted perception and sensor fusion can support automated driving in challenging environments such as tunnels, road works zones and accident sites, while improving detection of vulnerable road users and enabling more proactive traffic management. With a strong focus on interoperability, cybersecurity and cross-border scalability, iEXODDUS contributes to shaping the next generation of connected and automated mobility systems across Europe.
IRF’s participation at ASECAP Days 2026 reflects its continued commitment to advancing dialogue on resilient, innovative and future-ready road infrastructure. By contributing perspectives on long-term investment, digital transformation and cooperative mobility systems, the Federation is helping ensure that Europe’s transport networks remain safe, interoperable and prepared for the challenges ahead.
DG Gonzalo Alcaraz Appointed as Newest IATR Advisory Board Member
IATR is pleased to welcome Gonzalo Alcaraz, Director General of the International Road Federation (IRF), as its newest advisory board member. IRF is the world’s leading organisation dedicated to promoting safer, greener and more sustainable road systems worldwide.
On joining the IATR Advisory Board, Gonzalo said, “It is a privilege to join the IATR Advisory Board at a time when transportation regulators are navigating unprecedented complexity, from new mobility modes to automation and decarbonisation. Headquartered in Geneva and active on every continent, IRF has long believed that safer, more sustainable mobility depends on bringing together regulators, industry and civil society across borders. I look forward to contributing an international perspective, sharing best practices from IRF’s global membership and working with fellow board members to advance regulatory frameworks that place road safety and sustainability outcomes at the centre of innovation.”
Matt Daus, IATR President, said, “We are honoured to welcome Gonzalo Alcaraz and the IRF to the IATR Advisory Board. Gonzalo brings an impressive background and a strong commitment to improving road safety and sustainable infrastructure worldwide. IRF has played a vital role in advancing collaboration between governments, industry leaders and transportation stakeholders across the world and its global perspective will be an important asset to IATR as regulators continue adapting to evolving mobility technologies and transportation models. We look forward to working closely with Gonzalo and IRF to help advance practical, forward-looking regulatory approaches that prioritise safety, innovation and public benefit.”
In this role, Gonzalo leads IRF’s international programs, policy advocacy, and member engagement by working with governments, multilateral institutions and industry leaders to advance road safety, sustainable infrastructure and connected and automated mobility.
Over a 15-year career spanning IoT engineering, intelligent transportation systems, autonomous fleet management and transport policy, he has worked in the European private sector before moving into international institutional leadership. He has represented the road sector at major events and forums around the world and mentors early-stage ventures through Techstars accelerator programs. He holds degrees from Universidad Blas Pascal (Argentina), Politecnico di Torino (Italy) and Blekinge Institute of Technology (Sweden) and works in four languages.
Active since 1948, the IRF is an international, membership-based organisation headquartered in Geneva that shapes the future of road and transport infrastructure systems for people and the planet. Mobilising the world’s road transport ecosystem through a trusted platform for collaboration, we provide practical knowledge, policy engagement and capacity building to support countries and industry leaders deliver road systems that are inclusive, safe, green and efficient.
As transportation regulation and technology evolve, more government entities and stakeholders are taking on roles in overseeing, coordinating and regulating both emerging and established industry participants. IATR members now regulate not only taxicabs and limousines, but also pedicabs, Transportation Network Companies (TNCs), liveries, black cars, app-based firms, jitneys, shuttles, microtransit services and public and private paratransit. In many regions, they also collect transportation data from licensees and work with technology vendors, automakers and other businesses connected to for-hire ground transportation providers, drivers, and vehicle owners through permitting, authorisation, franchising and regulation.
This expanding regulatory landscape includes airport authorities, multimodal public transit agencies, local transportation and traffic departments, state highway and transportation agencies, public utilities commissions, consumer affairs agencies, taxi and limousine or for-hire departments, police departments, state agriculture departments and weights and measures agencies or divisions. It also now includes state Departments of Motor Vehicles, certain federal agencies, international ministries, land transport authorities and social service regulators responsible for Non-Emergency Medical Transportation. IATR’s diverse membership of government agencies helps the organisation collaborate with peer nonprofits that support education and advocacy, reinforcing the mission and objectives of IATR.
In response to this fast-changing landscape of new mobility, oversight, decarbonisation and road safety, IATR includes a range of organisations on its advisory board to ensure that strong guidance, practical insight and leading practices are shared through conferences, subcommittees, joint projects and industry hackathons. Advisory board members include Together for Safer Roads, the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), the University Transportation Research Center (UTRC) and the Non-Emergency Medical Transportation Accreditation Commission.
Article originally published by IATR
Nea Odos S.A. Deploys AI-Powered Traffic Management Across Ionia Odos Motorway (A5) in Partnership with Valerann
Athens, Greece & London, UK | 26th of May 2026
Nea Odos SA, a leading motorway concessionaire in Greece, and Valerann, a global pioneer in AI-based traffic operations and analytics, today announced the full deployment of Valerann’s flagship platform, Lanternn, across the 196 km Ionia Odos motorway (A5).
With this rollout, Nea Odos becomes the first motorway operator in Greece to implement an AI-driven system for real-time traffic management and incident response. The commercial deployment follows the successful completion of a pilot on a 40 km section of the A1 (A.Th.E.) motorway.
During the pilot phase, Lanternn in close cooperation with Nea Odos, demonstrated significant operational improvements, including a increase in detected incidents compared to existing methods, earlier detection of incidents by more than 15 minutes, alert accuracy, and a reduction in operational noise, transforming tens of thousands of daily data points into a limited number of actionable alerts.
Building on these results, Nea Odos move to a second level of extended deployment and now Lanternn is live along the full length of Ionia Odos, from the Rio–Antirrio Bridge in the south to the Egnatia Odos interchange near Ioannina. The platform fuses data from multiple sources—such as roadside sensors and cameras, navigation applications, and weather feeds—into a unified, AI-powered operational view. This enables enhanced
situational awareness, automated incident detection in the open motorway, and continuous risk profiling across one of Greece’s most strategically important motorways, which forms part of the European E65 route.
The deployment positions Nea Odos, as well as the wider GEK TERNA Group motorway concessions portfolio, at the forefront of intelligent road operations in Southeastern Europe, establishing a scalable reference model for future AI-enabled motorway management.
Rodianos Antonakopoulos, CEO of Nea Odos, said: “Since 2020, Nea Odos has strategically invested in innovative technologies and AI, driven by our vision to transform motorway operations through smarter, safer, and more proactive infrastructure management, always with road safety as our highest priority.
In close collaboration with Valerann, we were able to combine this vision with their advanced technological expertise and platform capabilities, creating a tailor-made solution fully aligned with our operational needs and ambitions. This partnership enabled us to transform a strategic vision into a practical and highly effective operational tool.
The pilot results exceeded our expectations, clearly demonstrating the value of AI, data fusion, and predictive analytics in enhancing incident detection and response capabilities.
This expansion further strengthens our ability to deliver safer, smarter, and more efficient motorways for our users.”
““Deploying Lanternn across the entire Ionia Odos is a landmark moment for Greece. Every kilometre of this corridor now benefits from AI-driven insights that help operators detect incidents sooner, cut through operational noise, and act decisively. We see this as a blueprint for the future of motorway operations across Europe.”
About Nea Odos
Nea Odos is the company that has undertaken the design, planning, construction, exploitation, operation, and maintenance of the ‘Ionia Odos’ Concession project. This revitalisation projectincludes the following main motorways:
- The A5 motorway motorway known by the name ‘Ionia Odos’, which is 196 km long, from Antirrio to Ioannina (Interchange with Egnatia Odos). This motorway is incredibly
important from a social and development perspective, since:
- It connects all of Western Greece, significantly upgrading urban and rural centres,
such as Ioannina, Arta, and Agrinio
- It crosses two regions and four prefectures, and which comes to cover a demand
that has existed for many years and provide a new development boost.
- It contributes to the more adequate connection of the ports of Patras, Astakos, and Igoumenitsa, significant ports of Greece
Its technical characteristics include 24 bridges with a total length of 7 km, 4 tunnels with a total length of 11.2 km, 77 underpasses and 24 overpasses.
Having undertaken a revitalisation project with a total budget of 1.1 billion €, the strategic goal of Nea Odos is to construct, operate, maintain, and manage modern European standard motorways that will contribute to the growth of the national economy, ensure the protection of the environment, and enhance the quality of life of society at large.
About Valerann
Valerann is a global leader in advanced road traffic management solutions (ATMS), redefining modern mobility through enhanced roadway safety and operational efficiency. Leveraging proprietary AI and computer vision algorithms, Valerann in real time processes vast volumes of traffic data in real time to enable accurate, timely, and actionable decision-making.
Its industry-leading cloud platform, Lanternn, empowers road traffic authorities with real-time situational awareness, risk profiling, and significantly faster incident detection. The multi-award-winning solution is trusted by public and private operators across the United States, United Kingdom, Europe, and Central and Latin America, delivering double-digit
reductions in accident rates through more proactive traffic management.
For additional information, visit www.valerann.com and follow us on our official LinkedIn channel. For press enquiries, please contact us at press@valerann.com.
IRF Brings Road Sector Perspective to UN Decade Discussions at Asia and the Pacific Transport Forum 2026
19 - 22 May | Manila, Philippines - The International Road Federation (IRF) participated in discussions on the future of sustainable mobility in the Asia-Pacific region during the Asia and the Pacific Transport Forum 2026, convened by the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
Held under the theme "From Priorities to Action", the Forum brought together ministers, senior government officials, development partners, transport practitioners and international organisations to examine how countries can translate the objectives of the newly launched United Nations Decade of Sustainable Transport (2026–2035) into practical and measurable outcomes.
The event forms part of ADB's long-standing commitment to supporting transport policy dialogue, knowledge exchange and capacity development across the region.
Representing IRF, Head of Advocacy and Outreach Alice Yiu joined the plenary session "Delivering on the UN Decade of Sustainable Transport," alongside leaders from the Asian Development Bank, the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA), the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), the International Association of Public Transport (UITP) and the Partnership on Sustainable, Low Carbon Transport (SLOCAT).
During the discussion, Yiu highlighted the scale of the challenges facing transport systems across Asia and the Pacific. While the region continues to invest heavily in road infrastructure and is expected to add millions of kilometres of new roads by 2035, significant gaps remain in road maintenance, safety, resilience and accessibility.
She noted that hundreds of millions of people across the region still lack access to reliable all-weather roads, while road crashes and climate-related disruptions continue to impose substantial social and economic costs.
Yiu emphasised that the success of the UN Decade will depend not only on expanding infrastructure networks but also on improving the outcomes those networks deliver. She outlined four key priorities for the road sector: shifting from measuring infrastructure quantity to infrastructure performance, strengthening maintenance and asset management, embedding resilience and safety into transport planning, and transforming institutional approaches to decision-making and project delivery.
She also presented IRF's contribution to the Decade through the development of implementation roadmaps focused on inclusive, safe, green and efficient roads. These roadmaps aim to help road agencies translate high-level sustainability objectives into practical actions by providing guidance on planning, procurement, performance indicators, resilience and institutional capacity building.
Addressing the importance of capacity development and peer learning, Yiu highlighted IRF's Road Safety Auditors training and accreditation programmes as an example of how international cooperation can help strengthen technical competencies while supporting local expertise. She noted that structured knowledge-sharing mechanisms can enable countries to exchange practical implementation experience while adapting solutions to their own national contexts.
The discussion also examined how countries can better monitor progress during the Decade. Yiu advocated for moving beyond traditional infrastructure metrics and adopting people-centred indicators that measure accessibility, connectivity, safety and service delivery outcomes. She stressed that stronger data systems and emerging technologies can help transport agencies better understand infrastructure performance and support more informed decision-making.
Looking ahead, Yiu called for greater integration of sustainability, resilience, accessibility and safety considerations into the core operating systems of road agencies. She also underscored the importance of regional collaboration, peer learning and institutional reform in ensuring that the ambitions of the UN Decade translate into measurable improvements on the ground.
As countries across Asia and the Pacific enter the first phase of implementing the UN Decade of Sustainable Transport, IRF remains committed to supporting governments, road agencies and development partners in advancing transport systems that deliver lasting economic, social and environmental benefits.
Accelerating European Urban Mobility Collaboration at Mobilities for EU General Assembly
21 May | Dresden, Germany - The International Road Federation (IRF) reinforced its commitment to advancing sustainable and connected urban transport solutions through its active participation in the Mobilities for EU General Assembly represented by IRF Project Managers Ilona Cieslik and Iona Kirkpatrick.
Bringing together project partners to exchange progress and showcase emerging innovations, the General Assembly provided an important platform for collaboration toward climate-neutral urban mobility systems across Europe.
Representing the IRF on site, Ilona Cieslik joined partners for a visit to the impressive Gläserne Manufaktur of Volkswagen Group, where participants explored technologies helping shape the future of sustainable transport. Following a welcome address by the Mayor of Dresden, attendees learned more about Volkswagen’s innovative charging robot, highlighting how automation and electrification are transforming urban mobility systems and supporting smarter transport operations.
The programme continued at Ostragehege, where Dresden, one of the project’s Lead Cities, showcased a series of pilot projects and live demonstrations designed to accelerate the transition to more connected and sustainable transport ecosystems. Demonstrations included bidirectional charging solutions, operating service robots and Dresden’s advanced 5G infrastructure, all illustrating how emerging technologies are being integrated into real-world mobility systems.
As part of IRF’s contribution to the General Assembly, Project Manager Iona Kirkpatrick delivered a presentation on project updates related to Mobilities for EU, with a particular focus on achievements under the project’s clustering activities between 2024 and mid-2026.
The presentation highlighted the creation of a continuously updated database of clustering project profiles and strengthening coordination through shared contacts and project information. Significant progress has also been made in fostering collaboration with CIVITAS New Mobility Services projects, including metaCCAZE, SUM, and GEMINI.
Iona also shared updates on future collaboration pathways, including advancing agreements with CIVITAS and NetZeroCities through CARTIF, while maintaining continuous engagement with key European mobility stakeholders through events, publications and knowledge exchange activities.
The Mobilities for EU project has maintained strong visibility across major international platforms, including the Smart City Expo World Congress (SCEWC), CIVITAS Forum, ITS European Congress, EUCAD Symposium and the IRF 2026 Annual Conference, strengthening opportunities for replication and cross-sector collaboration.
As a key project partner, IRF continues to support the broader objectives of MOBILITIES FOR EU, which aims to demonstrate that innovative passenger mobility and freight transport concepts, which designed through participative and user-centred principles, can offer cost-effective and feasible pathways toward climate neutrality.
Through electrification, automation, and connectivity, the project seeks to help cities accelerate emissions reductions and advance sustainable urban transport systems by 2030.
TRL Appointed by Department for Transport as PAS 2161 Approvals Auditor
TRL has been appointed by the Department for Transport (DfT) as the PAS 2161 approvals auditor, supporting the consistent and independent assessment of road condition monitoring (RCM) technologies across England through to 31st December 2030.
Under the contract, TRL will independently assess and approve technology providers to verify that their systems can deliver road condition data in accordance with PAS 2161 requirements. This will provide local highway authorities with greater confidence that the data used to inform highway maintenance and asset management decisions is accurate, compliant and nationally comparable, regardless of the technology platform used, supporting evidence-based asset management and long-term investment decisions across the highway network.
PAS 2161 establishes a consistent framework for collecting and reporting RCM data, enabling comparable network-level reporting regardless of the technology used. From 2026 onwards, local highway authorities will be required to submit classified road condition data to DfT in the PAS 2161 format, using technologies approved through the formal assessment process.
Mat Brough, Director of Asset Management for TRL, said: “TRL is delighted to have been appointed by the Department for Transport as the PAS 2161 approvals auditor, supporting the consistent assessment of road condition monitoring technologies across England.
“In this role, TRL will independently assess technology providers to ensure they can deliver road condition data in line with PAS 2161, the national standard for road condition assessment. This will enable local highway authorities to compare outputs with confidence, regardless of the technology used, helping to ensure that the data informing highway asset management decisions is accurate, compliant and suitable for national benchmarking.”
“Alongside the approvals process, TRL will work closely with local highway authorities and technology suppliers to raise awareness of PAS 2161, support supplier engagement, and ensure approved technologies continue to meet the required standard through the ongoing two-year re-approval cycle.”
Technology providers interested in achieving PAS 2161 approval and local highway authorities seeking further information on the approvals process will be able to access guidance and support through TRL over the duration of the contract.
TRL will be seeking/engaging local authority engineers to provide independent impartial assessment of benchmark sites.
Technology providers and Local authorities can contact TRL via RCMTrials@trl.co.uk or visit PAS 2161
IRF Contributes to Key Mobility and Road Safety Discussions at TRA 2026
18 - 21 May 2026 | Budapest, Hungary - The Transport Research Arena (TRA) 2026, Europe’s flagship conference for transport research and innovation, convened leading voices from academia, industry, policymaking and civil society to advance the future of mobility. This year’s edition showcased emerging technologies, collaborative research and next-generation solutions shaping safer, smarter and more resilient transport systems.
The International Road Federation (IRF) attended, contributing to key discussions around automated mobility, workforce development and cooperative transport systems. Representing IRF, Project Manager Iona Kirkpatrick presented work from the Horizon Europe-funded iEXODDUS EU Project, highlighting how resilient Operational Design Domain (ODD) extension can accelerate the safe deployment of automated mobility across Europe.
Her presentation, Enabling Resilient ODD Extension in Automated Mobility, examined one of the core barriers facing Automated Driving Systems (ADS): limited performance in complex urban environments, road work zones, tunnels and other GNSS-denied conditions where conventional localisation systems become unreliable.
Through the iEXODDUS EU Project framework, researchers are advancing a multi-sensor localisation approach that combines LiDAR-based mapping, landmark recognition, infrastructure-assisted positioning and Ultra-Wideband (UWB) technologies to strengthen vehicle awareness and positioning under degraded conditions. By fusing these systems, iEXODDUS aims to extend the operational boundaries of Level 3+ automated vehicles while improving safety, reliability and interoperability.
The presentation spotlighted three real-world use cases currently being explored through iEXODDUS:
- Navigating GNSS-denied environments, including tunnels and urban canyons, where alternative localisation methods can support safe transitions between GNSS and non-GNSS positioning systems.
- Navigating road works, addressing how roadside units, connectivity and real-time infrastructure data can help automated vehicles safely interpret temporary road configurations.
- Navigating accident and incident zones, enabling vehicles to better understand disruptions, lane closures and hazards through cooperative infrastructure and connected systems.
Together, these demonstrations underline the importance of resilient localisation, infrastructure-assisted perception and standardised governance frameworks in enabling Cooperative, Connected and Automated Mobility (CCAM) at scale.
Alongside Iona’s participation, IRF Senior Advisor Brendan Halleman engaged in several strategic discussions throughout TRA week. He joined IRF member PASS+CO at their stand and participate in the workshop Future Skills for Europe’s Road Infrastructure Sector, convened by the Conference of European Directors of Roads, contributing to discussions on workforce capacity, skills development and future readiness across the road sector.
He also attended the General Assembly of the Connected, Cooperative and Automated Mobility Association, where stakeholders will discuss the future direction of cooperative and automated mobility initiatives in Europe, before joining the International Road Assessment Programme (iRAP) Workshop focused on advancing road safety innovation.
As transport systems continue to evolve, TRA 2026 provides an important platform to strengthen collaboration across research, policy and practice.
Morocco: Advancing Safer and More Inclusive Road Design in North and West Africa
19 - 20 May 2026 | Rabat, Morocco - A productive week in Rabat, Morocco has concluded as part of the capacity building activities under the Safe and Inclusive Road Design in North and West Africa project. The International Road Federation (IRF) was represented by Project Manager Paul Karst.
Led by Ahmed Ksentini, the training brought together road safety practitioners and technical experts to strengthen regional capacity on Safe System-based road design, the protection of vulnerable road users, and practical tools that support safer infrastructure outcomes.
The Rabat session builds on earlier trainings delivered in Dakar, Senegal and Nouakchott, Mauritania, reinforcing a regional effort to improve road safety through stronger technical expertise and knowledge exchange. Participants explored approaches to embedding safer and more inclusive road design principles into transport planning, with particular attention to the needs of pedestrians, cyclists, older persons and other vulnerable road users.
Funded by the UN Road Safety Fund and implemented by the International Road Federation and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia, the Safe and Inclusive Road Design in North and West Africa project is being delivered in partnership with the Government of Mauritania, Morocco’s National Road Safety Agency and Senegal’s National Agency for Road Safety. The initiative aims to improve road safety in Morocco, Mauritania and Senegal by modernising outdated road design standards and strengthening protections for vulnerable road users.
Building on earlier initiatives, including road safety programmes in Tanzania and the EU-supported SaferAfrica project, the effort promotes regional collaboration to harmonise safety approaches across countries influenced by French road design standards, particularly along strategic corridors such as the Trans-African Highways.
Alongside technical training for engineers, policymakers and road safety auditors, the project seeks to establish a sustainable framework for continuously updating standards, helping ensure safer and more inclusive infrastructure remains a long-term priority across North and West Africa.
Through continued technical cooperation and regional knowledge exchange, IRF continues to support national stakeholders in advancing safer, more resilient and inclusive road networks across the region.
IRF Joins iEXODDUS Partners at General Assembly in San Sebastián
7 May | San Senastián, Spain - The International Road Federation (IRF) continued advancing its work on connected and automated mobility through participation in the 3rd General Assembly of the iEXODDUS EU Project. Representing IRF, Head of Data, Programmes and Knowledge, Julia Funk joined project partners and stakeholders at a key stage in the initiative’s development as the project enters its second year.
Hosted by Ceit Research Center, the General Assembly brought together the iEXODDUS consortium for two days of technical discussions, collaboration and strategic alignment. Following a productive first day, partners continued reviewing progress across Work Packages, with discussions centred on technical integration, implementation priorities and next steps for the project.
The Assembly highlighted significant technical progress achieved across the consortium, spanning technical requirements, dedicated traffic datasets, resilient Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and Automated Driving (AD) solutions, infrastructure digital twins, validation planning and standardisation activities. As iEXODDUS moves further into its second year, the focus is increasingly shifting toward integrating these technologies into future ADAS and automated driving systems, with particular attention to robustness in challenging real-world conditions and changing Operational Design Domains (ODDs).
At the core of iEXODDUS is a response to one of automated mobility’s most persistent barriers: the limitations of ODDs. Current automated systems remain constrained by sensor performance, behavioural prediction gaps and inconsistent reliability in complex environments. These limitations continue to restrict wider deployment and large-scale adoption.
To address these constraints, iEXODDUS is advancing infrastructure-enabled intelligence designed to extend ODD frameworks and strengthen automated driving systems. This includes improvements in perception algorithms and the development of digital twin technologies that provide real-time contextual awareness of road environments. The objective is to enable automated vehicles to operate more safely and effectively across a broader range of conditions.
The initiative brings together 14 partners, including Virtual Vehicle Research GmbH and Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa, alongside IRF in a collaborative effort to accelerate infrastructure-supported automation solutions through aligned research, policy and operational expertise.
IRF’s contribution to the project has also been reflected in recent international engagement. At the ITS European Congress 2026, Iona Kirkpatrick presented findings from iEXODDUS, highlighting how intelligent infrastructure, including roadside sensing systems, digital twins and real-time data services, can strengthen the operational capabilities of automated vehicles and address key reliability and safety gaps.
The General Assembly also provided an opportunity for partners to align ahead of the upcoming European Union review meeting in July, where the consortium will present recent technical achievements and collaborative progress to the European Commission and project stakeholders.
A sincere thank you to Ceit Research Center for hosting the meeting in San Sebastián and for the insightful laboratory tour, which gave consortium partners the opportunity to explore ongoing research activities and innovation facilities firsthand.
Enhancing Investments for Resilience Roads at ITF Summit 2026
Leipzig, Germany | May 2026 – The International Road Federation (IRF) played an active role at the ITF Summit 2026, contributing to global discussions on how transport systems can become more resilient, investable and responsive to growing disruption risks.
Representing IRF, Director General Gonzalo Alcaraz joined high-level discussions addressing one of the transport sector’s most pressing challenges: how to ensure transport infrastructure and supply chains remain operational amid rising climate risks, geopolitical instability, operational disruptions and increasing pressure on public financing.
Across two dedicated sessions, IRF helped convene governments, multilateral development banks, insurers, infrastructure specialists, civil society organisations and private sector actors to explore practical pathways toward stronger, more resilient transport investment.
Unlocking Investment Through Insurance for Resilient Transport Corridors
As transport corridors face increasing disruption from extreme weather, conflict, pandemics, accidents and supply chain instability, ensuring resilience has become an investment imperative. Yet public financing alone is insufficient to meet infrastructure needs, while private capital often remains constrained by rising insurance costs, shrinking coverage and heightened uncertainty in high-risk markets.
Against this backdrop, DG Alcaraz joined the panel discussion “Insurance to Unlock Investment for Resilient Transport Corridors and Supply Chains,” organised by Life-Links, Kuehne Climate Center, Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transportation and Tourism (MLIT), IRF, CLECAT, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the World Bank Treasury.
Moderated by Life-Links CEO Sophie Punte, the session brought together experts from the insurance, logistics, finance and transport sectors to examine how insurance and reinsurance can support more resilient transport systems, not only by transferring risk, but by helping identify vulnerabilities, incentivise risk reduction and improve investment confidence.
Speaking from the perspective of IRF’s global membership, DG Alcaraz emphasised that insurance is already embedded throughout the transport ecosystem, affecting engineers, contractors, operators, freight providers, manufacturers and concessionaires at every stage of a project lifecycle. However, he argued that the growing challenge is not whether insurance exists, but whether infrastructure is resilient enough to remain insurable.
“Resilience is increasingly determining whether insurance remains available, affordable and useful,” - DG Alcaraz
A key message from IRF’s contribution was the need to integrate insurance-informed resilience considerations much earlier in project preparation. Too often, insurance enters discussions after designs are largely fixed and procurement decisions have already shaped risk exposure. DG Alcaraz argued that insurers or insurance-informed criteria should instead help inform planning, feasibility and design decisions from the outset.
Aligning Multi-Stakeholder Engagement for Resilient Transport Investment
As part of the Sumit, IRF also co-organised the side event “Aligning Multi-Stakeholder Engagement for Resilient Transport Investment,”alongside the Eastern Alliance for Safe and Sustainable Transport (EASST) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).
Held as part of the ITF Summit programme in Leipzig, the session explored how stronger collaboration between governments, multilateral development banks (MDBs), technical specialists, civil society and the private sector can improve both the resilience and long-term performance of transport investments.
With MDBs investing billions annually in transport infrastructure, the discussion focused on growing evidence that projects developed through meaningful stakeholder engagement achieve better outcomes including stronger safety performance, reduced implementation delays, greater community acceptance and improved sustainability.
DG Alcaraz moderated the session’s second panel, which brought together representatives from EBRD, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), ORIS Materials Intelligence and the International Road Assessment Programme (iRAP) to examine how multi-stakeholder collaboration can better translate resilience goals into practical transport outcomes.
Throughout the discussion, DG Alcaraz emphasised that stakeholder engagement should not be treated as a procedural requirement or a “soft” addition to infrastructure delivery. Instead, he framed engagement as a core component of project quality and risk management.
One of the central messages emerging from the session was the importance of moving engagement upstream. Waiting until projects are already designed often limits discussions to explaining decisions that have already been made, creating avoidable mistrust, redesign costs, delays, and overlooked risks.
Advancing Practical Solutions for Transport Resilience
IRF’s participation at the ITF Summit 2026 reinforced the organisation’s commitment to moving resilience discussions from high-level ambition to practical implementation.
Whether through insurance-informed investment decisions or stronger stakeholder engagement, a common message emerged across both sessions: resilient transport systems require earlier collaboration, clearer coordination and more integrated approaches to risk.
As infrastructure systems face mounting pressures from climate change, supply chain disruptions and evolving mobility demands, IRF continues to work with governments, development banks, industry leaders and international partners to help shape transport systems that are safer, more sustainable and better prepared for future challenges.
