The Mobiliser project was completed after three years of development, with a total investment of approximately €8.4 million
The future of the railway is smart and sustainable. This was the motto of the closing public session of the Ferrovia 4.0 Mobiliser project, co-financed by the European Union under Portugal 2020 and developed by a vast consortium led by Efacec. The event took place on 20 July at ISEP – Instituto Superior de Engenharia do Porto, and had a wide scientific, technological, and industrial audience linked to the sector.
The initiative represented the culmination of the vast work developed by the consortium that brought together 22 entities from the Portuguese Railway Platform Cluster, within the scope of the Incentive System for Research and Technological Development – Mobilisers Programme, of Portugal 2020.
Focused on the modernisation of the railway sector, the project focused on the creation of innovative technological solutions, developed different components, tools and systems oriented towards the economic, social and ecological sustainability of the railway system, the reduction of operational and maintenance costs, the creation of more reliable information systems to support decision-making in asset management, and the creation of intrinsic safety systems capable of monitoring the infrastructure and triggering alerts and protection/intervention measures. In short, the creation of better technical solutions for safer, more inclusive, user-friendly, and greener rail mobility.
In addition to the thematic sessions and the presentation of the latest trends and technological advances in the railway sector by experts, several of the prototypes developed under the project were presented, offering a unique perspective of the smart and sustainable solutions created, providing an immersive and engaging experience to the participants in the event.
The results of the project were very positive, with the consortium promoting innovative industrial research activities, experimental development, and demonstration of new solutions, proving that it is possible, and necessary, to boost the acceleration of national railway industrial development, promote international recognition and cooperation opportunities. The broad cooperation of the Portuguese railway ecosystem and the investment in R&D+i was the engine of value creation, constituting a factor of differentiation from the competition, enhancing the growth of the sector in a sustained manner, as well as the creation of new jobs and wealth for the country. The future of the railway is 4.0.
The Ferrovia 4. 0 Mobiliser project represented a total investment of approximately 8.4 million euros and was developed between 2020 and 2023, by the consortium led by Efacec and composed of the co-promoters Almadesign, EVOLEO Technologies, INEGI (Institute of Science and Innovation in Mechanical Engineering and Industrial Engineering), Infraestruturas de Portugal (Portugal Infrastructures), INOVA+, IPP (Polytechnic Institute of Porto), ISEL (Higher Institute of Engineering of Lisbon), ISEP (Higher Institute of Engineering of Porto), Instituto Superior Técnico (Higher Institute of Engineering of Lisbon), ISQ (Institute of Welding and Quality), Itecons, IT(Institute of Telecommunications), LNEC (National Laboratory of Civil Engineering), MCG (Manuel da Conceição Graça), Mota-Engil, Nomad Tech, PFP(Portuguese Railway Platform), SOLVIT, Universidade de Coimbra (Coimbra University), Universidade do Minho (Minho University) and Universidade do Porto (Porto University), with CP (Comboios de Portugal) as a strategic partner.
