Filter Search for grants
Call Navigation
Call key data
Support to the coordination of ITS National Access Points
Funding Program
Connecting Europe Facility for Transport
Call number
CEF-T-2025-TAGENDG-NAPCORE
deadlines
Opening
05.11.2024
Deadline
04.02.2025 17:00
Funding rate
85%
Call budget
€ 9,500,000.00
Estimated EU contribution per project
€ 9,500,000.00
Link to the call
Link to the submission
Call content
short description
Building on and integrating the outcomes of the CEF Programme Support Actions NAPCORE (https://napcore.eu) and Data4PT project (https://data4pt-project.eu), the objective of this action is to further support the harmonised implementation of Delegated Regulations adopted under Directive 2010/40/EU.
Call objectives
This action should support implementation of the requirements to make infrastructure, safety, traffic and travel data accurate and accessible to users (such as transport authorities or service providers) via the NAPs, i.e. all NAPs and associated data stemming from the implementation of Delegated Regulations (EU) No 885/2013, No 886/2013, 2015/962, 2017/1926 and 2022/670, including their possible revision during the lifetime of this action in the framework of the implementation of the working programme of the ITS Directive. This action should also support implementation of the requirements to make data available to users as mandated by the revised ITS Directive.
Based on the work already achieved within the CEF programme support actions NAPCORE and Data4PT, this action is expected to further support the coordination and harmonisation of a standardised NAP data distribution ecosystem throughout the EU, contributing to the creation of a digital twin of the physical transport infrastructure and its operations, providing for a data layer supporting transport services.
The scope is the ITS Directive, and the Delegated Regulations relating to access to transport data, which have been adopted to define European specifications for priority actions of the ITS Directive:
- the provision of EU-wide multimodal travel information services: Delegated Regulation (EU) 2017/1926, amended by Delegated Regulation (EU) 2024/490;
- the provision of EU-wide real-time traffic information services: Delegated Regulation (EU) 2015/962, repealed and replaced by Delegated Regulation (EU) 2022/670;
- data and procedures for the provision, where possible, of road safety related minimum universal traffic information free of charge to users: Delegated Regulation (EU) No 886/2013;
- the provision of information service for safe and secure parking places for trucks and commercial vehicles: Delegated Regulation (EU) No 885/2013.
These Delegated Regulations mandate the setting up of NAPs and specify the access to related ITS data to data users to foster the development of ITS services re-using this data.
Work on improving the NAPs coherence and functionality is essential for efficient implementation of both the ITS Directive and its Delegated Regulations and of Regulation (EU) 2023/1804 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 September 2023 on the deployment of alternative fuels infrastructure (AFIR). This goes in particular through the definition of a deployment roadmap for NAP architecture (in line with the common European mobility data space) including for EU access points, the development and maintenance of tools for the management of data, the development, maintenance and use of interoperable data standards for multimodal data with EU reference profiles, the definition of a data and service quality framework, the monitoring of data availability, the harmonisation of compliance assessments and enforcement strategies, training, documentation and deployment support, etc. This also includes a specific work on access nodes identifiers for multimodal passenger transport, including possible definition of unique EU identifiers, in the framework of the implementation of the working programme of the ITS Directive.
read more
Expected effects and impacts
- enable the interoperable exchange of travel and traffic data in accordance with the requirements outlined in ITS Directive and its Delegated Regulations and other relevant EU legislation, such as AFIR as listed above,
- stimulate and accelerate the coordinated provision of road, traffic, and transport data to enhance the quality of services based on these data,
- reflect the continuous development of ITS services, and include user-oriented activities to ensure support, training, outreach and promotion,
- enhance multi-stakeholder cooperation and partnerships amongst public authorities and ITS information service providers.
It is expected to accompany and facilitate the Member State's implementation of Delegated Regulations under Directive 2010/40/EU and of the Directive itself, and efficiently contribute to the harmonised development and evolution of NAPs in the long term.
Expected results
Activities to be supported under this action shall consist of technical and organisational activities to facilitate the development and deployment of the coordination mechanism to harmonise the NAPs under the ITS Directive.
Activity 1- Governance and strategy
- Project management
- Management of the action: establishment of a Steering Committee with all participating Member States at appropriate level (i.e. with representatives able to cover all aspects and all data types, including multimodal topics), establishment of an Advisory Board grouping relevant stakeholders, appointment of leaders and teams of experts for each work package, appointment of Ambassadors for horizontal or strategic topics (e.g. UVARs, MaaS, cycling, alternative fuels), annual work plans, annual activity reports, quality and risk management, organisation of internal communication and exchange (e.g. on best practices or national legislations related to the implementation of the Delegated Regulations), administrative and financial management, daily project management / secretariat, reporting to EC and liaison with CEF ITS deployment projects etc.
- Regular coordination with the Commission services, the European ITS Committee and the European ITS Advisory Group, the Sustainable Transport Forum, Member States expert groups, other relevant CEF-funded ITS deployment projects and industry stakeholders. Liaison with similar initiatives, in the transport and other sectors, in particular the common European (mobility) data space(s), the European Alternative Fuels Observatory (EAFO) and the Single Digital Gateway.
- Coordination of the participation of the NAPs in the common European mobility data space, e.g. regarding the participation in the interlinking layer.
- Internal coordination and communication, including via the action of thematic ambassadors overseeing the work of different working groups on a specific topic.
- Management of high-level relationship (such as through the signature of cooperation agreements) with major organisations.
- Define common strategies and responses towards challenges raised by global players.
- Long-term governance of the coordination mechanism
- Establishment of a long-lasting sustainable governance structure that allows for a continuation of the project activities beyond its planned timeframe, and with the following objectives:
- Strategic coordination between the NAPs and National Bodies/competent authorities.
- Definition of strategic objectives at mid (5 years) and longer (10 years) terms, in particular setting goals on data quality and availability, accessibility, and harmonisation of NAPs, while remaining compliant with EU legislation.
- Promotion of NAPs and dissemination of information on their benefits and their best practices in the field of ITS.
- Liaison with similar initiatives, in the transport and other sectors, in particular the common European (mobility) data space(s) and the European Alternative Fuels Observatory (EAFO).
Activity 2 – Monitoring of accessibility of data on NAPs
- Support to Member States reporting obligations stemming from the ITS Directive and its Delegated Regulations.
Activity 3 - Interoperability of NAP architectures
- Create a coherent operational deployment roadmap for NAP architecture (in accordance with the NAPCORE NAP reference architecture and Level of Service KPI frameworks) in order to enhance the convergence of compatibility and interoperability of the features (access, management, look & feel etc.), as well as the harmonisation of the levels of service of the NAPs, as far as possible, taking account of the existing architecture of the NAPs in the Member States and building upon existing investments.
- Continuous maintenance and update of the NAP reference architecture framework and periodical updates of the NAP Level of Service KPI framework, considering market developments and stakeholders needs. Monitoring of potential technical challenges, including data flow issues, compatibility between systems. This shall take into account future compatibility of the NAPs with the common European (mobility) data spaces, the common European access point for alternative fuels and the C-ITS data ecosystem.
- Carry out NAP Level of Service assessments to ensure monitoring and continuous development of NAP features and functionalities.
- Where appropriate, develop specifications and/or support/implement sustainable EU-wide data access solutions for specific needs (e.g. cross-border data for rail and aviation, common European access point for alternative fuels data, urban vehicle access regulations etc.).
Activity 4 - Data accessibility and data exchange
Design, develop and maintain common tools, and organise and maintain the necessary communities to support data accessibility and exchange (definitions, standards, EU harmonised profiles, metadata, quality requirements, training etc.).
- Maintain and further improve the data dictionary as interpretation guideline at EU level for all data types regulated under the ITS Directive, including consistency with related existing definitions from EU standards and legislation.
- Standards/profile maintenance and development: maintain Transmodel, SIRI, NeTEx, DATEX II and TN-ITS standards and their profiles (including common technical tools), ensuring alignment with one another and relevant EU legislation (e.g. ITS Directive, AFIR), AFIR & ITS data exchange standards (e.g. METR) or projects / outcome of projects (e.g. UVARBox). In agreement with the Commission, further develop standards where gaps are identified (e.g. cycling infrastructure, volumes and patterns, UVARs). Develop guidance on how to develop national profiles. Monitor the use of these standards and profiles in the NAPs.
- Standards use: where relevant organise training and set up help-desks for data holders to support the use of ITS data exchange standards.
- Metadata: definition and maintenance of common metadata catalogues, taking into account the need to contribute with harmonised metadata to the common European mobility data space. Monitor the use of metadata in the NAPs and their contribution to the common European mobility data space.
- Quality: definition and maintenance of a reference data and service quality framework (e.g. development and extension of Quality Frameworks), provide validation tools to support the implementation of the standards and the enrichment of datasets. Monitor the use of quality frameworks in the NAPs.
This task will ensure the coordination of relevant stakeholders and with relevant Standards Developing Organisations (SDOs), in particular through contributions to the annual updates of the Rolling plan for ICT standardisation and to the related work of the SDOs.
Activity 5 - Data collection and creation
- Support data collection/creation (in line with the obligation of the revised ITS Directive) with training activities (e.g. in particular for urban nodes).
- Where necessary and agreed with the Commission, maintain and develop data acquisition and validation tools (e.g. UVARbox tools), including by coordinating with the relevant communities.
- Identification of needs for data collection and creation (note: data collection activities themselves will not be funded through this action).
Activity 6 - Compliance assessment
Coordination of national bodies/competent authorities for the:
- Maintenance of compliance assessment and self-declaration forms (including possible changes stemming from the revisions of the Delegated Regulations).
- Continuous improvement of harmonised approaches, strategies and processes for compliance assessment, with focus on the assessment of international organisations, including the definition and organisation of possible approaches for compliance assessment and enforcement at multi-country or EU level.
- Communication with international stakeholders for multiple/all national bodies/competent authorities.
- Monitoring and evaluation of the compliance assessment processes (as specified in the Delegated Regulations).
- Definition of (common) evaluation and quality criteria to be used by national bodies/competent authorities. Test and implementation of (semi-)automated tools in the compliance assessment process.
Activity 7 - Creation of unique EU identifiers for access nodes
- Map existing frameworks in place to identify access nodes (for scheduled modes and transport on demand where relevant) in the different Member States. This includes the consultation of relevant stakeholders, in particular those already operating related national databases of identifiers or journey planners.
- Report and assess the efficiency of the governance frameworks that maintain identifiers in the different modes.
- Explore how to further harmonise identifiers and/or develop unique Union identifiers for access nodes.
- Propose a governance framework to maintain and support the use of those harmonised and/or common identifiers for access nodes, for further discussion between the Commission and Member State experts in the framework of the implementation of the working programme of the ITS Directive. To contribute efficiently to the implementation of the ITS working programme, this activity should start as soon as possible.
Activity 8 - Dissemination and outreach activities
- User support and training, knowledge dissemination (helpdesk, user forum, website, guidelines, webinars, workshops etc.) and promotion, including the organisation of own events such as the NAPCORE Mobility Data Days. Where necessary, these activities should be focused on support to the organisations in charge of the implementation of the revised ITS Directive, in particular cities and regions. The organisation of events within the EU shall take into account the practicability for all participants, in particular minimisation of travel times and emissions.
- Information and promotion of results, benefits and best practices on the activities of this action across ITS fora and congresses, stakeholder events and conferences, Member States, stakeholders/users, standardisation communities, web sites and any relevant communication mean. Participation in events outside the EU shall be subject to prior validation from the Commission.
read more
Eligibility Criteria
Regions / countries for funding
Moldova (Moldova), Ukraine (Україна)
eligible entities
Education and training institution, International organization, Non-Profit Organisation (NPO) / Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Other, Private institution, incl. private company (private for profit), Public Body (national, regional and local; incl. EGTCs), Research Institution incl. University, Small and medium-sized enterprise (SME)
Mandatory partnership
Yes
Project Partnership
In order to be eligible, a proposal must be submitted by a consortium composed of at least 17 Member States.
A coordinator must be designated. In order to achieve maximum coordination, the Commission invites that one Member State acts as coordinator for this action, with an objective of setting up one single grant with the European Commission. In the event that no Member State wishes to be the coordinator of the proposal, a designated coordinator that fulfils the eligibility criteria and can deliver the objective of the call may be proposed by the consortium if all partners agree.
Only those proposals submitted by one of the following types of applicants are eligible:
- EU Member States (including overseas countries and territories (OCTs)).
- countries associated to the CEF Programme (list of participating countries)
- where necessary in order to achieve the objectives of this action, and where their participation is duly justified, third countries and entities established in third countries may participate in a proposal under the approval of a Member State and without funding.
- international organisations, joint undertakings, non-profit associations, public and private undertakings, with the agreement of the Member States concerned.
- private undertakings providing services re-using data made available through the National Access Points can participate in proposals but cannot request any funding.
Specific cases:
- Natural persons are NOT eligible (with the exception of self-employed persons, i.e. sole traders, where the company does not have legalpersonality separate from that of the natural person).
- International organisations are eligible. The rules on eligible countries do not apply to them.
- Entities without legal personality under their national law may exceptionally participate, provided that their representatives have the capacity to undertake legal obligations on their behalf, and offer guaranteesfor the protection of the EU financial interests equivalent to that offered by legal persons.
- EU bodies can NOT be part of the consortium
- Countries currently negotiating association agreements — Beneficiaries from countries with ongoing negotiations for participating in the programme (see list of participating countries above) may participate in the call and can sign grants if the negotiations are concluded before grant signature and if the association covers the call (i.e. is retroactive and covers both the part of the programme and the year when the call was launched).
other eligibility criteria
Financial support to third parties is not allowed.
Projects should normally be up to 31.12.2027.
Additional information
Topics
Relevance for EU Macro-Region
EUSAIR - EU Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region, EUSALP - EU Strategy for the Alpine Space, EUSBSR - EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region, EUSDR - EU Strategy for the Danube Region
UN Sustainable Development Goals (UN-SDGs)
Additional Information
All proposals must be submitted electronically via the Funders & Tenders Portal electronic submission system (accessible via the topic page in the Search Funding & Tenders section). Paper submissions are NOT possible.
Proposals must be complete and contain all parts and mandatory annexes and supporting documents, e.g. plan for the exploitation and dissemination of the results including communication activities, etc.
The application form will have two parts:
- Part A (to be filled in directly online) contains administrative information about the participants (future coordinator and beneficiaries and affiliated entities), and the summarised budget for the project
- Part B (to be downloaded from the Portal submission system, completed and then assembled and re-uploaded as a PDF in the system) contains the technical description of the project.
- Mandatory annexes and supporting documents (templates available to be downloaded from the Portal Submission System, completed, assembled and re-uploaded):
- detailed budget table per WP
- list of previous projects (key projects for the last 4 years) (template available in Part B)
- timetable/Gantt chart
The limit for a full application (Part B) is 120 pages.
Call documents
Contact
To see more information about this call, you can register for free here
or log in with an existing account.
Log in
Register now