Collaboration Programme

Collaborative Research Benefits

Collaborative research offers significant benefits, providing access to large projects or specialist expertise for a relatively small financial contribution. It also facilitates effective knowledge transfer and access to high-quality research and cutting-edge science and technology. 

Collaboration

Effective engagement and collaboration with stakeholders are key to achieving TII's corporate objectives. Methods of collaboration include: 

  • Contact with national bodies in Ireland such as SFI (Science Foundation Ireland), IRC (Irish Research Council), RSA (Road Safety Authority), and NSAI (National Standards Authority of Ireland). 

  • Involvement in European working groups and committees like CEDR, FEHRL (Federation of European National Highway Research Laboratories), ERTRAC (European Road Transport Research Advisory Council), and PIARC (World Road Association). 

  • Participation in EU-funded research (e.g., Horizon2020). 

  • Participation in jointly funded research projects such as the CEDR Transnational Research Programme. 

TII maintains close contact with these organisations, and holds corporate memberships with several, including the European working groups listed above. This ensures awareness of international developments in road transport and opportunities for collaborative research projects.

Collaboration with these organisations ensures that TII applies international best practices, avoids duplication of research, achieves better value for money, improves the quality of research, maintains a wide network of research suppliers and engages in effective knowledge sharing with European partners.

Scope of TII Research

TII staff identify key research priorities based on their needs, develop topics for the annual research programme, and act as technical advisors. They are also responsible for the implementation of research conclusions and outputs.

Research Commissioned by TII

TII commissions research externally through open competitive calls, as it lacks in-house research capability. The research falls into three categories:

  • Academic Research: Conducted as Research Fellowship projects at Doctoral and PostDoctoral levels, publicised as the TII Fellowship Programme. PhD programmes typically last 3-4 years, while post-doctoral programmes range from one to three years.
  • Commercial Research: Short-term projects addressing specific TII business needs, commissioned either annually or on an ad-hoc basis.
  • Collaborative Research: Jointly-funded projects with national and European organisations, providing significant value by pooling resources and avoiding duplication.

CEDR Transnational Research Programme

The Conference of European Directors of Roads (CEDR) promotes collaboration through the Transnational Research Programme (TRP), addressing the needs of European road authorities. TII has been involved since 2008, participating in 18 of 29 programmes and managing three. The TRP aims to procure high-quality research to enhance road networks across Europe.

More information on the TRP and the research programme carried out to date can be found here.

Implementation of Research

Successful implementation of research outputs is a key element of our TII Research Programme, and is the main indicator used to measure the success of a research project. To ensure that research outputs can be implemented we ensure that a well-defined project specification with a clear description of project deliverables is provided. Projects must include a clear implementation plan to ensure results are usable by TII. 

TII Pilots and Trials System 

TII's Pilots and Trials system formalises the process of proposing, initiating, and monitoring innovative materials, products, or processes. It provides a structured approach for approval and maximises learning outcomes, informing the development of new standards and guidelines. The guideline document which details the management processes for Pilots and Trials projects can be found here.  

Technology Readiness Levels 

TII is developing Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) to assess the maturity of technologies before deployment. TRLs ensure transparency, efficiency, and risk management in deploying innovations on TII networks.