What is this all about?
he South Transdanubian Regional Innovation Agency (STRIA) is cooperating as a consortium partner in the SMARTAUTO (Smart Policy Innovation for Enhanced Automation in European Transport) Interreg Europe project. This international collaboration, led by the University of Aveiro in Portugal, approaches autonomous driving in the context of individual and public transport solutions, as well as logistics. The SMARTAUTO experience exchange in this context is based on good practices available in the partner regions and aims to improve road safety, enhance the accessibility of the regions involved in the project, promote sustainability, and enable the deployment of more autonomous vehicles than are currently in circulation.
Project Kick-off Conference in Magdeburg
The project's official kick-off took place on September 23-24, 2025, in Magdeburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. The first day of the event was a major transport conference (Central German Conference on Intelligent Mobility), featuring speakers who are key provincial administration, university, research and development, and start-up players in the field.
The event offered many insights, as domestic transport plays a crucial role in rural areas. These regions need new services and added value chains. In Saxony-Anhalt, a so-called "digital twin" was introduced in 2020-2021 to establish a platform for automated transport and model it before practical implementation. In the Burgenland district, the provincial ministry launched two pilot projects: an autonomous shuttle service to serve industrial zones, and an intelligent mobility research project connecting the Otto von Guericke University and the so-called "science harbour" (where developments for practical implementation take place). Another key takeaway from the conference was that, after more than a decade of preparation, provincial stakeholders are keen to move beyond the experimental testing of their autonomous solutions and trial them in real-world environments and everyday traffic.
On the second day of the kick-off event, a meeting of the SMARTAUTO consortium members took place. In this session, all partner regions presented their own achievements in the field of autonomous driving, and the current tasks related to the project were reviewed.
In the afternoon, the hosts in Rackwitz demonstrated, using the example of a scheduled autonomous bus, how a railway station and a well-frequented tourist and holiday lake are connected. This was achieved through the use of a driverless vehicle, supported by sensors placed along the road and the appropriate programming of traffic lights.
We hereby extend our sincere gratitude to Mr. Csaba Kelemen, an employee of the Managing Authority of the Integrated Transport Development Operational Program (Hungary), for his active presence and valuable insights which supported the Agency's work during the Magdeburg event and the study trip.
Communication Training in Lille
Given that STRIA is also the partner responsible for the communication of the SMARTAUTO project, we participated in the Interreg Europe Program training on October 2, 2025, in Lille, Hauts-de-France region, France. The main topics of the one-day training included the use of the project's visual elements and website, project-level communication goals and expectations, the involvement and informing of stakeholders, and the use of social media. As on all such occasions, there was an opportunity to meet and network with Hungarian and foreign colleagues participating in the Interreg Europe Program, as well as with staff from the Program's Joint Secretariat.
The SMARTAUTO project is co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund and Hungary within the Interreg Europe Program.
