SCUDO Project Kicks Off: Building Resilient, Safe, and

Project news

Friday 20/06/2025

The SCUDO [Safe and Comprehensive Urban Development and Transport Management for Disruption-Resilient Operations]Project, funded under the Horizon Europe research and innovation project that aims to transform how transport systems are designed, planned, and operated in the face of increasing disruptions, held its kick-off meeting on 6 June 2025 at the ERTICO offices in Brussels, where consortium members will gather to exchange views and set their expectations for the project.

Funded by the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA) and coordinated by ERTICO-ITS Europe, SCUDO brings together 13 partners from across Europe to develop cutting-edge methodologies and digital tools that make transport systems more resilient, safer, and energy efficient. The project focuses on identifying and classifying disruptive scenarios, analysing their socio-economic impacts, and improving real-time monitoring and forecasting using artificial intelligence.

A key innovation of SCUDO is the development of a Pan-European Digital Platform that integrates data and digital solutions to evaluate the effects of disruptions across different regions and user groups. The platform will support decision-makers in designing and managing transport systems that are robust, inclusive, and future-ready.

“SCUDO’s VISION is to identify and classify scenarios of disruptive changes, assess their impact on different socio-economic groups, improve the monitoring of disruptions and the quantification of uncertainties, and develop methods for designing & managing transport systems based on the Safe System Approach. This will increase the resilience and safety of transport systems. Additionally, SCUDO aims to establish a Pan European Platform that integrates digital solutions and data in order to support a comprehensive evaluation of the impact of different types of disruptions to different geographical areas and user groups,” said Dr Eusebiu Catana, Head of Transport for Logistics at ERTICO and Project Coordinator.

Towards this vision, SCUDO will treat safety as an integral part of resilient systems and will innovate through the following actions:

Develop AI models for system monitoring and testing, aiming for the quantification of uncertainties and the detection of disruptions.
Develop AI-based predictive models and traffic forecasting approaches, aiming to use existing and opportunistic data sources to identify disruptions, classify them, and forecast their potential impact on different socio-economic groups.
Develop strategic/tactical planning and real-time decision models following a Safe System Approach, aiming to design resilient transport infrastructure and transport systems which are safe and energy efficient.
Combine the developed models into a Pan European Platform and test them in 4 Use Cases, related to resilient public transport management, resilient traffic management, resilient strategic planning of transport infrastructure networks in case of future housing developments, and resilient network management, continued Dr Eusebiu Catana.

Real-World Testing Across Four European Cities

To ensure practical relevance and scalability, SCUDO will be validated through four diverse and strategically selected use cases:

Athens, Greece – Resilient Public Transport Management

Athens will focus on enhancing the resilience of public transport in a dense urban environment. The use case will explore real-time monitoring, disruption detection, and adaptive service planning to ensure continuity and safety, especially during extreme weather events or infrastructure failures.

Bavaria, Germany – Resilient Traffic Management

In Bavaria, SCUDO will address the challenges of managing road traffic under disruptive conditions such as accidents, construction, or environmental hazards. The region’s complex road network and high mobility demand make it ideal for testing AI-based traffic forecasting and real-time decision-making tools.

Amsterdam, Netherlands – Strategic Planning for Future Infrastructure

Amsterdam will explore how SCUDO’s methodologies can support long-term transport infrastructure planning in the context of climate change and urban expansion. The use case will integrate housing development forecasts, environmental data, and socio-economic trends to design transport networks that are both future-proof and inclusive.

Venice, Italy – Resilient Network Management in Complex Environments

Venice presents a unique challenge due to its historic layout, reliance on water-based transport, and vulnerability to flooding. SCUDO will test how its integrated platform can support resilient network management in such a complex and sensitive environment, ensuring mobility while preserving cultural and environmental heritage.