In a significant step toward strengthening collaboration among its Partners, ERTICO – ITS Europe recently conducted a Partnership Engagement Visit to its long-standing Partner, the University of Leeds. As part of our strategy to enhance Partner engagement, the visit brought together key stakeholders to explore future opportunities in intelligent transport systems and mobility innovation.
Representing ERTICO were Agne Vaitekenaite, Head of Partnership and Advocacy, and John Paddington, Head of the Project Management Office, Innovation & Deployment. They were warmly welcomed by a delegation of over 20 staff members from the University of Leeds, including the Research Director, several researchers and faculty from the Institute for Transport Studies (ITS).
"Engaging directly with our Partner is essential to building a strong and innovative transport ecosystem," said Agne Vaitekenaite, Head of Partnership and Advocacy. " The University of Leeds continues to be a valuable collaborator, and this visit reinforced our shared commitment to advancing smart mobility solutions through joint strategic initiatives."
Steve O’Hern, Associate Professor in Travel Behaviour & Analysis at ITS, expressed enthusiasm about the visit, "It was great to host ERTICO at the Institute for Transport Studies. We had productive discussions about future bids and collaboration opportunities, and it was a pleasure to showcase our research facilities at Virtuocity, including the HIKER lab and our upgraded driving simulator."
Virtuocity, the university’s cutting-edge simulation hub, was a highlight of the visit. The ERTICO team explored the newly refurbished Driving Simulator facility and the HIKER Lab, which supports advanced research in human interaction and transport systems.
Reflecting on the experience, John Paddington commented, "Visiting ITS Leeds was insightful, a really useful opportunity to engage directly with an ERTICO partner, understand more about their research. Being amongst the first to visit the newly refurbished Virtuocity simulator was an honour to see the potential capabilities for linked simulations involving people and cars."
The visit proves ERTICO's strong commitment to cultivating meaningful and sustainable partnerships that support their mission to drive innovation and collaboration across the European transport ecosystem. Both ERTICO and the University of Leeds expressed enthusiasm about future joint initiatives, highlighting a shared vision for advancing mobility solutions. This engagement represents another key milestone in ERTICO’s ongoing efforts to deepen connections with its public and private partners, harnessing collective expertise to shape the future of intelligent transport.
Discover all ERTICO Partners here and learn more about how to join the Partnership.