Study of the Impacts of the Transport RTD PROgramme

What is SITPRO seeking to achieve?

The Study of the Impacts of the Transport RTD Programme has the objective of identifying and assessing the impacts of the Fourth Framework Programme of Transport Research and Technological Development (RTD). As part of the project, a method is being developed to identify and assess research impacts.

The Transport RTD Programme commenced in 1994, and has contained of more than 300 transport projects, of which SITPRO is one. It spans strategic transport research, integrated transport chains, rail, air, urban, waterborne and road transport, as well as projects designed specifically to maximise the benefits of the Programme's research. The types of study also vary, for example they may provide policy or management advice, be technologically based or produce planning tools.

SITPRO is seeking to trace the links between the specific objectives of research projects, the Programme's research goals, and wider socio-economic impacts directly related to the Common Transport Policy, such as improvements in safety or the environment. Through the process of impact assessment, the study is seeking to shed light on methods by which positive impacts can be enhanced - for example through the type and extent of dissemination activity.

The assessment of research is demanding and complex, as the following points demonstrate.

• Most of the projects are not yet complete. Furthermore, wider research impacts can take years or even decades to be realised. Therefore the study is to consider potential as well as actual impacts.
• Shifts in policy and best practice can result from real world experience as well as research. It can therefore be very difficult to determine the causality of research and impacts: the difference between the "with research" and "without research" scenarios.
• As a consequence, links between individual projects and wider socio-economic impacts may in some cases be tenuous or untraceable; it is also apparent that the study will need to rely on qualitative assessment where meaningful quantitative assessment is not possible.

Project sampling

Central to the approach being adopted in SITPRO is sampling of projects for more detailed assessment. This method recognises that research studies need to be reviewed in some detail in order for robust identification of impacts to be possible. The projects will be selected to represent the diversity and emphases of the Programme as a whole.

Though the sample size of projects is still to be determined, it will certainly be a small minority of total projects within the Programme. For the projects concerned, the SITPRO consortium will wish to interview the researchers, the European Commission project officers who manage each project, and other interested parties. This part of the study will take place from March 1999 onwards; the study completion is scheduled for July 1999. The study team is conscious of the need for advanced planning and efficient use of interviews and questionnaires, to avoid disturbing other research studies and for the effective management of SITPRO itself.

In summary, the study is seeking

• to provide constructive insight into the Programme?s impacts, to the interest of the Commission, individual project officers and researchers;
• to recommend ways of optimising impacts; and
• to develop a framework for assessing similar research in the future.

Project Programme and Publications

The research study runs from December 1998 to July 1999. The project publication dates are scheduled as follows:

All deliverables are restricted, meaning that they can only be released with the consent of the Commission. However, a summary leaflet describing the study approach, assessment framework and key findings will be produced following the study�s completion.

Contact Points for Further Information

The project is coordinated by the Halcrow Fox, based in the UK.
In the first instance, please contact the Halcrow Fox project co-ordinator, (Miss) Emily Bulman (BulmanE@halcrow.com), for enquiries about project sampling, the Programme review, to supply information regarding your project, and for any other information. The full list of contact points is given below:

Who is funding SITPRO?

The initiative is 100% funded by the European Commission�s Transport Directorate, and has resources of approximately 200,000 Euro.