FUNDING OPPORTUNITY
This opportunity offers funding to European teams interested in developing sustainable space-based services and applications for intermodal transport, covering both freight and passenger transportation. The Call will accept proposals for Feasibility Studies and Demonstration Projects. Proposed services must utilise satellite data or space-based technologies. Refer to the ‘Authorisation of Funding’ section below to determine if your team is eligible for funding.
THE CHALLENGE
Intermodal transport involves transferring passengers or goods using multiple transportation modes without handling goods during transfers. Urban areas face issues with congestion, parking, and pollution. Integrating intermodal transport with Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) can improve transport efficiency by coordinating various modes into accessible solutions. Cities are moving from car dependency to public transport and cycling, and well-designed intermodal systems can provide efficient, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly options.
Success in intermodal solutions requires well-designed nodes that facilitate smooth passenger transfers, ensuring comfort and safety. MaaS platforms offer real-time transport options and integrated billing, which can decrease car usage. Developing robust intermodal systems necessitates collaboration among industry stakeholders, new business models, and improved data processing.
For freight, intermodal transport can enhance the safe and efficient movement of goods over long distances. The EU's freight market is considerable, with significant contributions from road, rail, and maritime transport. Effective intermodal freight relies on regulatory measures such as the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T), aiming to improve transport infrastructure by 2030 and support the EU’s Green Deal goals.
Intermodal transport offers opportunities for urban mobility and freight but faces challenges such as route planning, data integration, and varied regulations across transport modes. Addressing these challenges requires coordination, standardisation, and collaboration among stakeholders. Advanced technologies, including AI and blockchain, combined with space-based capabilities, can innovate processes and enhance the efficiency of intermodal systems, contributing to the decarbonisation of freight transport and overall supply chain effectiveness.
The following topics are relevant to this fixed call for proposals, along with examples of potential applications that could be proposed. However, these topics are not exhaustive.
TOPICS OF RELEVANCE
Environmental Sustainability
Intermodal transport integrates multiple modes of transportation in a coordinated way, enhancing efficiency and reducing environmental impacts:
- Reduction of Road Congestion: Intermodal systems reduce road congestion, which is a significant contributor to environmental degradation. Fewer cars and lorries on the road lead to lower emissions and improved air quality in urban areas.
- Optimised Transport Choices: Selecting the most efficient mode for each leg of a journey helps to minimise emissions. For example, using trains for long-distance goods transport reduces the need for multiple lorry trips, thus lowering the overall carbon footprint. Additionally, integrating rail and maritime transport in port operations decreases lorry traffic and emissions in surrounding urban areas.
Efficiency and Flexibility
Flexibility in intermodal transport is crucial for ensuring efficient and seamless journeys for passengers and goods. By integrating advanced digital solutions, we can reduce delays, optimise resource utilisation, and create smoother, more cost-effective operations.
According to the UK Urban Transport Group, “Greater digital connectivity and the growth of ‘on-demand’ transport have led to increased expectations for public transport to adapt to customer convenience rather than requiring customers to conform to rigid timetables and routes. In the next decade, people will likely demand more flexibility and seamless integration in their transport options.
Key use cases include:
- Advanced Tracking Systems: Utilising GNSS and IoT devices for real-time updates on the location of passengers and goods can propose alternative transport combinations. Continuous journey monitoring, compliant with GDPR and privacy regulations, enables timely solutions to minimise disruptions.
- Demand-Responsive Transport (DRT): DRT is a shared public transport model where vehicles adjust their routes based on user needs, without fixed schedules. This flexibility allows for better connections among various transport modes. DRT trials in several UK urban areas have shown significant benefits, especially in small and medium-sized towns during off-peak times or for large workplaces with irregular hours, such as hospitals.
- Infrastructure Challenges: Seamless intermodal transport requires adequate infrastructure to facilitate smooth movement between different transport modes. Issues like insufficient rail connections to ports or a lack of intermodal terminals can hinder efficiency. Developing applications that utilise Digital Twins can help assess the feasibility of building or upgrading infrastructure, such as new rail lines and intermodal terminals, to support efficient intermodal operations.
Safety
Ensuring the safety of passengers and vehicles requires reliable communication, especially in remote areas with limited or no terrestrial coverage. Additionally, keeping goods in the same unit throughout the journey minimises the risks of theft or damage.
Key use cases include:
- Minimised Handling: Transporting goods without handling them during mode changes not only reduces damage and loss but also saves time and costs. For instance, intermodal transport using rail is generally safer than road transport, as railroads have fewer accidents and can more easily handle hazardous materials. Continuous connectivity for monitoring goods is essential to overcome safety challenges.
- Communication in Low-Connectivity Areas: In remote regions, prompt communication during critical situations is vital for passenger safety. Innovative solutions are needed to establish reliable communication, ensuring swift responses to rescheduling needs.
- Adverse Weather Adaptation: Moving in adverse weather conditions may necessitate route and mode adjustments. Providing advanced weather warnings is crucial for ensuring safety and security during transport.
VALUE OF SPACE
There are many opportunities to use space assets and to integrate them with other technologies for the above topics. A (non-exhaustive) list of examples can be found below:
Satellite Positioning and Timing
Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) enable innovative tracking and tracing of vehicles and goods through precise positioning, navigation, and timing. GNSS can provide positioning information ranging from coarse to high accuracy, depending on the use case. For example, it facilitates real-time location data and flow monitoring, enabling effective route optimisation and tracking for passengers, vehicles, and goods.
Satellite Communications
Satellite connectivity is vital for signalling critical situations in remote or low-connectivity areas. Integrating satellite and terrestrial networks can ensure reliable connectivity in these regions, supporting seamless data transfer and enhancing communication.
Satellite Earth Observation (SatEO)
SatEO data, combined with advancements in AI and machine learning, can offer insights into traffic flow, population movement, and activities along the supply chain. This data can also identify infrastructure needs and monitor the environmental impacts of traffic, such as emissions, while providing meteorological information relevant for route optimisation and planning.
WHAT WE LOOK FOR
We seek business ideas in Intermodal Transport that demonstrate:
- Market opportunities and customer needs
- Commercially viable service concepts
- Feasible technical solutions
- Value from space data or technology
- Teams with business, technical, and financial expertise
HOW TO APPLY
This Fixed Call for Proposals will be evaluated according to the following stepwise approach:
- Submit an activity pitch questionnaire (APQ or APQ+). Download the APQ here and upload it using the APQ Submission Form. In the APQ form, select Space for Intermodal Transport from the Call/Activity dropdown box.
- Tenderers with positively evaluated APQs will be invited to submit an outline proposal, addressing any issues raised during the APQ evaluation. Note that a positively evaluated APQ+ by ESA counts as an outline proposal and can proceed to the next step.
- Upon positive evaluation of the outline proposal, tenderers will be invited to submit a full proposal. Financial authorisations from the relevant ESA national delegations will be requested at full proposal stage (see below).
Proposals will be reviewed periodically. Therefore, tenderers are advised to submit their activity pitch questionnaires at their earliest convenience throughout 2025, rather than waiting until the final deadline.
AUTHORISATION OF FUNDING
To qualify for funding, your team must be located in one of the following countries: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Hungary, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Lithuania, or Slovakia.
If your company is based in Greece, Spain, or Canada, eligibility for funding requires that your idea is related to 5G technologies or includes a significant element concerning Safety and Security.
Teams based outside these Member States are not eligible for this funding call.
The funding level for your team depends on authorisation from the relevant national delegations. Therefore, bidding teams must obtain Letter(s) of Authorisation from the relevant national delegation(s) before submitting a Full Proposal. If a team includes companies from different Member States, each entity must request a Letter of Authorisation from their National Delegate.
Contact information for each national delegate is available here.