It is the key objective of the project CRISTAL (40 months) to increase the share of freight transport on inland water transport (IWT) by a minimum of 20% and to demonstrate on its three pilot sites (Italy, Poland and France) strategies to improve reliability by 80%. CRISTAL project will assure IWT capacity at 50% even during extreme weather events. Towards that CRISTAL will co-create, test and implement integrated, cooperative and innovative solutions in its three pilot partners’ areas identified in Italy, France and Poland. The project will include the aspects of technological innovation/development and digitalization; further advancement towards the Physical Internet, governance solution and business models, will be proposed while targeting sustainability and infrastructure resilience requirements.

SEAMLESS aims at developing and adapting missing building blocks and enablers into a fully automated, economically viable, cost-effective, and resilient waterborne freight feeder loop service for Short Sea Shipping (SSS) and/or Inland Waterways Transport (IWT). Autonomous systems will be integrated to ensure safe, resilient, efficient, and environmentally friendly operation to shift road freight movements to hinterland waterways, while enhancing the performance of the TEN-T network. The service will be delivered 24/7 by a fleet of autonomous cargo shuttles, with humans-in-the-loop located in Remote Operation Centres (ROCs), which efficiently cooperate with automated and autonomous shore-side infrastructure and safely interact with conventional systems. The services will rely on a redesigned logistics system enabling seamless freight flows by minimising delays at intermodal nodes. A digital bird’s eye view of the supply chain allows the exploitation of real-time information for planning optimisation and reconfiguration to support resilient logistics, incl. digitalised administrative procedures. The SEAMLESS building blocks will be verified and validated by conducting full-scale demonstrations in selected real-world scenarios. Transferability will be fully demonstrated in selected use cases that cover a wide range of transport applications and geographical regions throughout Europe. Based on a structured methodological framework evaluating sustainability criteria, they will act as guidance for the replication of the project results beyond the project scope and timespan. Novel business models will be thus developed and provide a framework for implementing the SEAMLESS service to minimise investment risk for first movers. Regulatory gaps and challenges related to autonomous vessel operation (e.g. social aspects) will be identified, and recommendations for policy makers to allow the smooth and safe deployment of fully automated services will be provided.

In today’s rapidly evolving transport landscape, the need for more efficient, safer, and environmentally sustainable transport infrastructures and mobility services has never been greater. MOVEO proposes a scalable Intelligent Framework designed to overcome these challenges by fostering the integration of transport infrastructure and means through the use of cutting-edge digital technologies. This framework aims to optimize asset management, enhance multimodal capacity, and reduce emissions, all while prioritizing safety, accessibility, and inclusiveness. MOVEO's innovative approach is anchored in five key pillars: (1) Infrastructure assessment and redesign, (2) Inspection and monitoring, (3) Digitalized mobility, (4) Smart logistics, and (5) Inclusiveness and accessibility. These pillars are supported by Technology Innovation (TI) areas that collectively improve both transport infrastructures and modes. MOVEO will be validated through 5 demonstrators across various EU regions, encompassing different infrastructure types, climate conditions, and life cycle stages. The project's methodology is grounded in a co-creation approach, actively involving stakeholders throughout the project via an External Advisory Board (EAB). This approach fosters innovation by integrating diverse perspectives within the quintuple helix framework (academia, industry, government, civil society, and environment). Such collaboration ensures that MOVEO develops sustainable and competitive transport solutions that address the complex challenges of modern mobility. Bringing together expertise from 9 European countries, MOVEO unites the entire value chain in transport and digitalization, including specialists in inspection, monitoring, logistics, mobility, and inclusiveness, as well as end-users and transport infrastructure managers. MOVEO not only addresses today's pressing transport challenges but also lays the foundation for a more connected, sustainable, and safer transport future.