Shift2Rail Call for Proposals 2021 grants two projects funding

The Shift2Rail Joint Undertaking will fund two projects worth €2.34 million under its targeted Call for Proposals 2021.

The two grants will enable the projects to contribute to a major transformation of rail, as Shift2Rail promotes the competitiveness of the European rail industry.

The new projects will work on improving European railway under two major topics – ‘Digital automated coupler innovation for the European Delivery Programme’, related to Shift2Rail’s Innovation Programme 5 on rail freight, and ‘R&I impact and benefits to make rail attractive for stakeholders’, linked to Shift2Rail’s Cross Cutting Activities.

Following this fully open Call, Shift2Rail Members will be involved alongside non-Shift2Rail Members in one project worth €2.17 million, while the other project worth €0.17 million will be undertaken by non-Shift2Rail Members.

In total, 12 participants will develop new solutions for railway systems under the 2021 Call for Proposals. Shift2Rail’s co-funding will amount up to €1.77 million. 

“The rail sector has once again shown its dedication to deliver a major transformation of European rail by applying for our 2021 Call for Proposals, albeit limited in scope and within a short deadline,” commented Carlo Borghini, the Executive Director of the Shift2Rail Joint Undertaking.

“The new projects will contribute to improving rail freight automation – a much needed solution for rail freight in Europe. We are looking forward to successfully implementing the newly selected projects together with our Members and partners, and to demonstrating their potential to deliver a promising future for railways by paving the way to Shift2Rail’s successor programme, Europe’s Rail.”

With this Call for Proposals, and in only five years, Shift2Rail, the first European rail public private partnership, will have invested €0.8 billion cumulatively in Research and Innovation activities (including Lighthouse Projects), accomplishing its mandate to recover the initial delays and accelerate the delivery of the Programme’s innovative solutions.