OptiPEx project at the SINFONICA Final Event
Press Release
- EU project OptiPEx presented at a milestone Connected, Cooperative and Automated Mobility (CCAM) event in Brussels.
- The event marked the successful conclusion of SINFONICA, another EU project focused on CCAM research.
- Over 70 stakeholders across Europe attended the event.
On 28th August 2025, OptiPEx project coordinator, Johanna Kallio, presented OptiPEx at the SINFONICA Project Final Event in Brussels. This event was an opportunity for experts in CCAM to discuss inclusive, user-centric mobility across Europe.
SINFONICA is a Horizon Europe funded project that aims to develop decision support tools for designers and decision makers, for the purposes of enhancing CCAM deployment in a seamless, sustainable and inclusive way. Particular attention is paid to understanding the needs of Vulnerable Road Users such as the elderly, immigrants and the disabled.
Similarly, OptiPEx co-creates ethical passenger-aware public transport service solutions with user groups and stakeholders, in order to improve passenger experience, promote inclusiveness and build public trust in CCAM systems. The project likewise works with diverse target passenger groups including wheelchair users, passengers with large objects, fragile passengers with limited mobility, tourists and students.
The event presented SINFONICA’s results and outcomes developed over the three years of the project, while participants also got the opportunity to gain insights on the new CCAM initiatives and research projects dedicated to the mobility of the future. OptiPEx was amongst these research projects, which Johanna presented as part of the event’s afternoon discussion panel. The panel was made up of four EU projects and aimed to generate knowledge sharing and collaboration within the broader European research ecosystem.
Complimenting SINFONICA’s work on operational practices, Johanna presented OptiPEx’s optimisation strategies for public transport systems. Johanna outlined OptiPEx’s main expected results, which include: passenger perspectives and service concepts for the future of autonomous transport services; privacy-preserving data analytics metrics for continuous passenger experience assessment and situational awareness; and advanced vehicle technologies for data-driven optimisation of on-board passenger experience in accordance with privacy and security standards.
Johanna then moved on to discuss the value of SINFONICA for OptiPEx, stating that the knowledge of passenger needs for inclusive and accessible CCAM will guide OptiPEx in the development of acceptable service solutions. Johanna also talked about SINFONICA’s engagement and participatory methods, such as its communication strategies and practical guidelines, which will be employed when evaluating OptiPEx mock-ups and demonstrations with stakeholders. She concluded by outlining how OptiPEx will develop data-driven vehicle technologies to ensure safe boarding, off-boarding and onboard situations that were identified in SINFONICA scenarios.
Johanna said of the event and the SINFONICA project:
“The event was a remarkable opportunity to celebrate the three years of ground breaking research by SINFONICA, as well as to explore how the OptiPEx project will be inspired by and build upon its innovative research in CCAM, which has transformed how we approach user-centric mobility solutions.“
Also in attendance were stakeholders and members of the SINFONICA Group of Followers, the European Commission, and the CCAM Partnership.
ENDS
To learn more about this project and keep track of its progress, follow us on:
- X: @OptiPEx_Project
- LinkedIn: OptiPEx
- BlueSky: @optipex-project.bsky.social
Technical enquiries:
Johanna Kallio, Senior Scientist, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland
Media enquiries:
Ivanna Katz, EU Project Manager, Carr Communications
