ENT17: SURPRICE

Status and results


SE, CH, DK, FIN and FR have co-funded six projects under the theme of SURPRICE is “Road user Charging for passenger vehicles”

Facts about the cooperation:

  • Countries involved: Sweden, Finland, France, Denmark and Switzerland
  • Support countries: The UK, Norway, the Netherlands, Germany 
  • The following projects have been funded:
    • CoAccept: Political Coordination and the Acceptability of Road User Charges. A joint research initiative between the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), Sweden (lead), Ecole Normale Supérieure de Chacan (ENS-Chacan), France and National Centre for the Scientific Research (CNRS), France
    • CompRUC: Design, interoperability and regulation of  RUC systems. A joint research initiative between: VTI, Sweden (lead), ECOPLAN, Switzerland, Strafica Oy, Finland.
    • ExpAcc: Explanatory factors of road user charging acceptability. A joint research initiative between:  Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), Sweden (lead), Transport Economics Laboratory, University of Lyon, France and Sito, Finland
    • IIVar: Equity effects of congestion charges and intra-individual variation in preferences. A joint research initiative between:  Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), Sweden (lead), The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zürich, Switzerland and Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland
    • Scheduling: Trip timing and scheduling preferences. A joint research initiative between: The Technical University of Denmark (lead), Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Cachan, France and The Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden.
    • Silverpolis: Modelling Impacts of Road User Charging with Mesoscopic Models: Comparative Study. A joint research initiative between: The Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), Sweden (lead) and Ecole Normale Supérieure de Cachan (ENSC), France.
  • Total funding for all six projects: 1,215,000 Euro
  • Start of projects: summer 2010
  • Joint dissemination activities are planned

Please download the Initiates file downloadflyer and Initiates file downloadfull call text for more information on the trans-national call.

Latest information can be found in the SURPRICE Initiates file downloadnewsletter.

About 45 people attended the SURPRICE Midterm Conference on 14-15 Nov 2011. The agenda and presentations are available for download now. 

 


Background and contents
The partners of SURPRICE are aware that the problems with increasing CO2 emissions and congestion and other external effects within road transport are not in line with the objective of sustainable development. Internalising the external marginal costs can help solving the problems. The objectives for implementing road user charging may, nevertheless, be different for different member states, such as reducing external effects, creating more efficient use of infrastructure or raising revenues. 

SURPRICE has the following strategic objectives:

• To produce new and innovative scientific knowledge within the research field
• To improve the basis for policy making in the field of Road User Charging (mainly
   for passenger vehicles)
• To build on disciplinary strongholds of the various European research
   communities invited and thereby ensure knowledge development and sharing
• To create a strong interdisciplinary approach to research questions of Road User
   Charging
• To build on the elements of Road User Charging that are of common interest
   across Europe

R&D themes
The overall theme of the call is to promote trans-European research into new and innovative scientific knowledge in the research field of Road User Charging. The focus is on passenger vehicles, but relevant issues for freight transport may be incorporated.

The call is based on true cooperation across borders to build on shared European research competence. And proposals should draw on European research excellence and cooperation. The joint call covers both policy and technology oriented research and development (R&D). A number of pressing issues have been identified that can be addressed:

i.   Acceptance of Road User Charging systems by the public and by commercial
     road users
ii.  Interoperability of road user systems amongst the European countries
iii.  Legal framework conditions for road user charging systems that are non-
     country specific
iv. Impact analysis and methodology to create the basis for the political decision
     making process

The SURPRICE platform of knowledge
SURPRICE is a coordinated funding initiative involving European states and networks. The aim is to create new knowledge in Road User Charging and to ensure a vide dissemination of the knowledge and know-how created. For this the SURPRICE platform of knowledge is created.  Yearly seminars will be held with a start during 2010. The “headline” for the seminars will be “This is what researcher can offer for policy making “.

Participating countries

Denmark
Finland
France
Sweden (leader)
Switzerland
Germany (observer)
The Netherlands (observer)
United Kingdom (observer)
ERA-NET Road II (observer)
The Stockholm Group – A platform of national public authorities from AT, FI, DE, NL, SL, SE, CH and UK (observer)

Contact information

The SURPRICE initiative is lead by:
Christine Wallgren, VINNOVA, Sweden
christine.wallgren[at]vinnova.se

And supported by:
Anette Enemark, Tetraplan, Denmark
ae[at]tetraplan.dk