ECTRI is an international non-profit association registered in France. Founded in 2003 by 15 national transport research institutes, ECTRI today includes 27 institutes (or universities) from 20 different countries.
Following a pan-European approach, ECTRI gives a particular emphasis and priority for integrating transport research institutes or universities from the New Member States in its activities.
For a short overview of ECTRI and its activities, you can download the following documents:
ECTRI's Strategic Paper – September 2008
ECTRI Members' traffic sector activities
ECTRI Members' fields of expertise
The 3 levels of membership (management executives, senior and young researchers -graduates, post graduates-) are involved in ECTRI activities according to the content. Process-oriented as well as Thematic Working Groups have been set up.
Besides, some Task Forces have been created, among them a task force engaged in launching an open access European journal dedicated to transport.
ECTRI also supports or participates in some European Projects and some of its members are involved in a number of International activities.
ECTRI's first Thematic Working Group (TWG), the Thematic Working Group on Urban Mobility (also including passenger intermodality) was created in 2004. Representatives of 19 ECTRI members are actively participating in this group which, in the meantime, has produced tangible results.
Following the successful experience with the TWG on Urban Mobility, ECTRI pursues the working group approach to deepen the cooperation between its members and increase ECTRI's clout by establishing additional thematic working groups. Currently, 7 Thematic Working Groups have been set up:
- TWG Traffic Safety and Security
- TWG Energy and Climate change
- TWG Freight transport (including logistics, technology)
- TWG Intelligent Transport Systems and Intelligent Infrastructures
- TWG Mobility (socio-economic, demographic i.e. elderly and disabled people, policy aspects)
- TWG Transport Economics and Policy
- TWG Transport, Urban Environment, and Health