The ISSUE Project’s East Midlands’ Triple Helix Cluster of Leicester City Council, the universities of Leicester, De Montfort and Nottingham, and Leicester firm Infoterra Ltd (part of GEO-Information Division of Astrium Services) held a one-day workshop in December 2012 at De Montfort University.
The workshop brought together representatives from some of the region's most innovative technology-based companies with local and regional authority policy makers and key researchers from regional universities. The workshop explored how, through more cross sector collaborative working, new technology could be used to ease urban traffic congestion, help reduce carbon emissions, and improve the impact of transport on the local economy, air quality and public health.
Launching a new directory of East Midlands-based companies that have research and technology expertise in the transport innovation sector, Professor Alan Wells, scientific lead on THE ISSUE project at The University of Leicester's Space Research Centre, said: "THE ISSUE was set up to help connect research, businesses and local authorities at a regional level and encourage the sharing of research findings into important new fields such as smart, green and integrated transport." "The new directory shows the tremendous range of expertise we have in the region in the transport innovation and space technology and IT sectors. We hope this directory and the wider project will help stimulate new collaborations between our regional and European partners."
Dr Eric Goodyer, from De Montfort University’s Inter-Disciplinary Group in Intelligent Transport Systems said: "We were delighted to host this regional conference on behalf of THE ISSUE. By bringing together policy makers, local industry, and university researchers we have started the process of developing highly relevant supply chains. At a time of European wide austerity this joined up approach to research and development will provide properly focused and cost effective solutions to urban and regional transport problems."