Taking a significant step towards strengthening AI-driven transport solutions, ERTICO – ITS Europe and ITS Germany e.V. have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to foster collaboration and knowledge exchange on AI policy developments, research and deployment, laying the foundations for the use of AI in mobility management systems. The partnership will aim to expand existing applications and support the development of new solutions aligned with European regulatory frameworks.
Bridging Policy and Technical Expertise
AI is transforming transport and mobility by enhancing efficiency, sustainability, and safety but to unlock its full potential, it requires alignment between policy frameworks and technical implementation. ERTICO will bring its institutional knowledge and thought leadership role to this newly minted collaboration as a public-private partnership representing the broader European ITS community across eight sectors. This includes exclusive insights on the opportunities, challenges and future outlook from the recently launched White Paper on ‘Perspectives on Artificial Intelligence in the Domain of Transport & Mobility’.
For Joost Vantomme, CEO of ERTICO – ITS Europe, this agreement is a key step in shaping the future of intelligent transport. “By joining forces, we will bridge the institutional expertise with technical leadership and strengthen our cooperation with the ITS National associations. Following our White Paper, and the European AI Act now adopted, implementation steps are underway. With special attention to high-risk traffic management use cases, we will provide expertise through the ERTICO TM2.0 Innovation Platform and its Position Paper, which provides guidelines to facilitate the integration of AI in an innovation-driven and practical manner while enhancing road safety and the competitiveness of the EU the traffic management sector.”
ITS Germany will contribute with its extensive expertise in technical solutions and AI applications in mobility and environmental management. A focal point of this cooperation will be the research and development project AIAMO, a German Federal Ministry of Digital and Transport-funded initiative that explores AI-driven environmental and mobility management solutions.
Markus Wartha, President of ITS Germany, also emphasised the importance of cross-border cooperation, “ITS Germany, together with its members and partners, supports ERTICO – ITS Europe in its activities at the political, legal, and regulatory levels as a technical cooperation partner for AI. This partnership allows us to bridge these elements, ensuring that AI applications in mobility are both effective and widely adopted. We are not, and will not be, a competitor to ITS solution providers. Instead, AIAMOnexus is designed to provide high-quality AI data as a foundation for ITS applications, enabling solution providers to enhance their existing offerings and develop new, innovative mobility solutions without impacting their business models.”
By bridging expertise and knowledge between European-level decision-making and national-level implementation, this collaboration will address key challenges in AI-driven mobility. It will aim to ensure that new solutions are not only innovative but also scalable, standardised, and aligned with regulatory developments such as the European AI Act. The collaboration also paves the way for mutual participation in working groups, allowing experts from both organisations to contribute to discussions on AI in transport.
The MoU outlines several areas of cooperation, including:
- Policy & Stakeholder Engagement: Sharing insights on policy trends, regulations, and stakeholder interests at both the European and national levels, including the establishment of a platform for collaboration to bridge policy and technical expertise.
- Knowledge Sharing & Thought Leadership: Developing joint outreach publications and speaking opportunities, while amplifying the role of the ERTICO Academy and ITS Congresses as key platforms for knowledge exchange.
- Strategic AI Projects: Exploring AI use cases, piloting AI solutions in transport and mobility, and identifying funding opportunities for joint initiatives.
With AI and emerging technologies playing an increasingly central role in mobility innovation, this partnership between ERTICO and ITS Germany will help shape a more intelligent, connected, and sustainable transport ecosystem across Europe.