7 July | Riga, Latvia – IRF Project Manager Iona Kirkpatrick joined project partners in Riga for the EvoRoads General Assembly, contributing to discussions aimed at advancing innovative, data-driven solutions for safer road infrastructure across Europe.

Hosted by the Riga City Council, the General Assembly brought together consortium partners to review project progress, exchange expertise and coordinate the next phases of implementation. The meeting provided an important opportunity to strengthen collaboration and accelerate efforts toward achieving the European Union’s Vision Zero goal of eliminating road deaths and serious injuries.

During the General Assembly, Kirkpatrick delivered a presentation on the development of the EvoRoads Multiplier Group, a network of external experts from Europe and beyond who will support the project’s activities through knowledge sharing, validation of outputs and stakeholder engagement.

The Multiplier Group is designed to bring together specialists in road infrastructure management, digital ecosystems, road safety performance indicators and policy development to ensure the project’s results are relevant, practical and aligned with international best practices.

Funded by the European Union, EvoRoads is developing a holistic framework of innovative models, tools, and services to enable the evolution of road safety assessment systems through data-driven decision-making. The project aims to facilitate dynamic monitoring of cyber-physical transport infrastructure while promoting proactive warnings for safety risks in increasingly complex transport environments.

At the core of the project is the development of a digital connectivity platform where transport infrastructure assets are digitalised and connected to safety assessment services.

Through advanced AI-driven analytics, EvoRoads integrates infrastructure monitoring data across multiple geospatial levels, enabling proactive risk detection and supporting more effective maintenance and safety management for road operators.

EvoRoads’ solutions are being tested and validated through four Living Labs in Spain, Italy, Latvia and Romania, addressing the needs of different road users in both urban and rural environments. Insights gathered through these demonstrations will help ensure that the project’s innovations can be effectively replicated and scaled across Europe.

During the Assembly, partners highlighted the productive pilot discussions and the strong collaborative spirit that continues to drive the project forward. Significant progress was made in aligning data-driven strategies to improve road safety and better protect vulnerable road users, providing valuable momentum for the next stages of implementation.