Each company in the ÖBB Group is committed to innovation and fulfills this mandate with its own R&D resources. The coordination of activities and the consolidation of the R&D strategy (short for research and development) fall within the scope of ÖBB-Holding AG.
For the first time, the group-wide R&D strategy encompasses both asset/technology innovations and product/service innovations. The additional value of a joint strategy lies in the holistic view of innovation, which does not look at one aspect of mobility, such as customer orientation or the development of a technological solution, but rather at all phases – from concept to roll-out – and across all areas of application. These content priorities, known as fields of action, are also laid down in the ÖBB Group's R&D strategy. These key focus areas, referred to as fields of action, are also outlined in the ÖBB Group’s R&D strategy.
A group platform has been set up to jointly control and increase the visibility of research initiatives within the ÖBB Group. The platform is used to exchange information and process data for research projects, as well as to control cross-company projects. The aim of all projects is to quickly and efficiently introduce customer-oriented solutions, optimize production processes and make new technologies ready for use, under the motto “From problem to vision - from vision to reality”.
The research activities focus on technical, customer-oriented and logistical innovations, which are to be developed and tested with professional partners from business, industry and science.
The ÖBB Group's research projects cover a wide range of topics, including new technologies and materials in the infrastructure sector, mechanical engineering projects, telematics projects, and the development of special customer services and customer information systems. Issues arising from operational activities are addressed, for example, using use cases. Solutions are tested, with automation and digitalization offering a wide range of opportunities for increasing efficiency and quality, from process design to improved asset availability and planning. In this context, safety projects and the economic optimization of the railway system are of great importance.
The ÖBB Group is a founding member of “Europe's Rail Joint Undertaking” (ER JU), which was launched in December 2021 as the successor program to “Shift2Rail”. With a total volume of around 1.2 billion euros, it is the largest European R&D program for the railway system. The objectives of the ER JU are to increase capacity for passenger and freight transport, to promote digitalization and decarbonization, to achieve a modal shift to rail by increasing efficiency and reducing costs, and to ensure the competitiveness of the railway industry.
A total of 25 railway companies, rail-related industrial companies and research institutions, as well as the European Union, are working together in the ER JU to further develop the European rail system.
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