THIS IS SAFER
We are bringing people together, conducting research and leveraging knowledge to enable safe sustainable mobility.
SAFER Vehicle and Traffic Safety Centre at Chalmers is a collaborative platform for research and knowledge exchange where partners from society, academia and industry acquire and share knowledge to make significant contributions to a safer road transport environment for all.
SAFER was crafted to facilitate collaborative research and knowledge-building endeavours among the partners, all aimed at achieving Vision Zero and tackling the complex traffic safety challenges of today and tomorrow, far beyond what a single actor can accomplish.
The SAFER environment sparks research ideas through its diverse set of networking activities, usually resulting in national, bilateral or European funded research projects feeding back knowledge to the community. SAFER is the go-to hub in Sweden for being up to date on various aspects of road transport safety including research, and it is an excellent networking arena with participation from renowned road transport safety experts and researchers. Strong collaboration across different stakeholders is the required path towards zero fatalities and seriously injuries.
SHORT FACTS ABOUT SAFER
Working together to enable safe mobility for all
- A collaborative platform for research and knowledge exchange where partners from society, academia and industry acquire and share knowledge to make a significant contribution to a safer road transport environment for all.
- Research is conducted within 3 Impact areas: Human body and mind, Safety principles and Safety performance evaluation.
- Access - through projects - to SAFER's connected research resources: AstaZero real-world proving ground, Revere research lab for active safety and autonomous driving, SAFER Naturalistic Driving Data Platform and Data catalogue, the SAFER Human Body Model, Driving simulators, Stora Holm test track and the SAFER open research arena.
- Over 400 completed vehicle and traffic safety projects and more than 1000 publications since the start of SAFER in 2006.
- Around 600 active researchers.
- Venue for co-creation and knowledge transfer with a 300 sqm working area including workplaces, small meeting rooms, conference facilities and project areas.
- Located at Lindholmen Science Park in Gothenburg, Sweden's hub for future mobility and an internationally acclaimed science park for new technology and communication with 350 companies and academic institutions.
- Hosted by Chalmers University of Technology.
OUR VISION
A road transport safe for all.
OUR MISSION
We are bringing people together, conducting research and leveraging knowledge to enable safe sustainable mobility.
AGENDA 2030
Agenda 2030 is the most ambitious set of sustainability goals ever adopted by the UN member states, and road safety is included both directly and indirectly in several of the goals. The goals are absolute and indivisible, which means that the work with different goals such as road safety, gender equality, poverty and climate change must take place in parallel. How is SAFER approaching these targets and what are the main challenges and opportunities?
SAFER'S VALUE PROPOSITION
How we contribute to partners and the society
UNIQUE NETWORK
The SAFER network gathers all relevant stakeholders who interact through the diverse set of networking activities. Our community consists of a diverse mix of researchers and experts from industry, academia, research institutions, and government bodies. As a partner, you enjoy opportunities to: - Establish relationships with people across partner organisations. - Share insights and expertise with peers and visiting external experts. - Collaboratively initiate and lead research projects, inspire innovative solutions based on identified needs and concepts. - Identify suitable collaborators for ground-breaking projects. - Gain access to important national and international programs and platforms, e.g. Drive Sweden and ERTRAC. - Access experienced peers; who can help shape your research towards its most valuable impact, guide formative ideas or help build your network for the next project proposal.
JOINT RESOURCES
SAFER is a node for accumulated knowledge about road safety and has physical resources that the parties can use. Via SAFER, you as a partner get access to: - Proactive facilitation: a dedicated centre management team committed to initiating collaborative projects and sharing knowledge. - Expansive knowledge repository: A continually growing wealth of research findings and publications, databases, models, methods, and demonstrators for seamless integration into your organisation. - Dynamic working groups: Agile working groups treating different aspects of traffic safety from research to deployment perspectives, which cannot be addressed by partners on their own. - Collaboration facilities: Premises with co-creation areas and office workplaces and suitable AV equipment and collaboration tools, supporting centre collaboration and knowledge exchange. - Research resources: Associated research assets that facilitate and support the implementation of research projects, e.g. AstaZero, SAFER HBM, Revere and relevant datasets. - Dissemination channels: Well-established channels and tools that facilitate the dissemination of research outputs to the community.
STRATEGIC INFLUENCE
SAFER's renowned brand and its role as a communication platform provide parties with a unified, highly credible communication channel. As a partner, you can utilize SAFER to connect and engage with: - Targeted audiences: effectively reaching specific target groups. - Communicate with research funders to shape forthcoming research programs. - Decision makers in politics and authorities, both nationally and internationally, to influence road safety agendas, policies, and legislation.
FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
As a partner in SAFER, you can get funding through our internal calls. These funds can finance exploratory pre-studies, investigating research questions before seeking external financing, as well as other idea exploration activities. The financial contribution to SAFER is multiplied in the project portfolio. Additionally, SAFER offers guidance and assistance in national and international project funding opportunities.
THE SAFER ORGANISATION
Traffic safety research organised around collaboration
At SAFER, collaboration is paramount - we build the platform for research together! Our board guides our strategic development, while the Research council propels our research agenda forward. SAFER’s working groups are where partners engage in focused discussions, fostering inspiration and cultivating ideas that lead to significant projects and activities. SAFER operational team is the backbone, providing essential support services including event management, meeting planning, and all the practicalities in between.
THE SAFER BOARD
Charting SAFER’s path into future research
- Autoliv: Cecilia Sunnevång
- Chalmers: Balázs Kulcsár and Mats Svensson
- Lund University: Aliaksei Laureshyn
- RISE: Anna Larsson
- Swedish Transport Administration: Maria Krafft
- Volvo Car Corporation: Åsa Haglund
- Volvo Group: Sofie Vennersten
- VTI: Astrid Linder
- Independent chairperson: Thomas Andersson, Volvo Cars
THE SAFER RESEARCH COUNCIL
Leading SAFER's scientific journey
- Anna Sjörs Dahlman, VTI
- Carmelo D'Agostino, Lund University
- Hanna Wennberg, The Swedish Transport Administation
- Ines Heinig, SAFER's Operational team
- Jonas Bärgman, Chalmers University
- Katrin Sjöberg, Volvo Group
- Magnus Granström, SAFER's Operational team
- Malin Levin, SAFER's Operational team
- Martin Sanfridson, RISE
- Mikael Ljung Aust, Volvo Cars
- Nils Lübbe, Autoliv
THE SAFER COMPETENCE NETWORKS
Cutting edge traffic safety knowledge without limits
Automotive safety assurance
Automotive safety assurance
Focus will preliminary be around how to design L3-L4 automated vehicles such that the accident risk is tolerable, and how to prove that the risk is tolerable with sufficient confidence, and how to design with explainability at all times.
Safety for alternative powertrains
Safety for alternative powertrains
In this network, we gather relevant societal actors and SAFER partners to discuss various safety aspects linked to alternative powertrains, such as electric vehicles.
System Safety
System Safety
For the Safety System network, we would like to broaden the view and learn from systems outside the automotive industry. Robotics, Health care and Medical Technology can be areas with which this type of thinking can be shared and new knowledge can be created. We also have the ambition to meet physically, since it is difficult to grow and maintain connections in a network only on distance.
Perception, Sensing & Communication
Perception, Sensing & Communication
Perception, sensing and communication enable technologies for a plethora of safety systems. The scope of this group is to create and share research ideas around vehicular communications, sensors systems, and signal processing.
Future proof methodologies for validation of CAVS
Future proof methodologies for validation of CAVS
The group discuss validation of automated and connected vehicles. including e.g. relevant test cases, virtual methods and their connection to physical tests, the role of Operational Design Domains (ODD) and relevant connectivity scenarios.
Vehicle Dynamics
Vehicle Dynamics
Vehicle dynamics is creating a collaborative arena connecting vehicle dynamics research carried out in academia/institutes and the corresponding advanced engineering activities in the automotive industry.
OUR ECOSYSTEM
The hub for traffic safety research, in Sweden and elsewhere
SAFER may be based in Sweden but has a truly global mindset. Our international commitment is wide, with vital partnerships with universities and traffic safety research communities all over the world. And by initiating and participating in global collaborative research structures, we strongly influence the political traffic safety agenda and contribute to the development of sustainable, safe mobility – in Sweden, and elsewhere.
INSTITUTES AND ACADEMY
Important partner in the area of child safety research. A large number of projects and activities have been carried out in cooperation during the years and the exchange and network is a great source for SAFER's researchers in this field.
Nagoya and SAFER have a long time partnership, with shared research resources and exchange such as guest researchers.
The University of Iowa collaborates with different researchers at SAFER, from several departments, on different topics. The University of Iowa has also a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Chalmers on more enhanced collaboration on a general level including e.g. research activities, staff exchange, exchange of undergraduate and/or graduate students, exchange of academic material and participation in seminars.
Chalmers, SAFER's host university, has a strategic cooperation in place, e.g. on guest research programmes and research.
COLLABORATIVE ORGANISATIONS AND RESEARCH PROGRAMMES
The key thrust of the Australia Driverless Vehicle Initiative is to build momentum by rapidly exploring the impacts and requirements of this new technology and accelerate the safe and successful introduction of driverless vehicles onto Australian and New Zeeland roads. SAFER is a supporting ADVI partner.
The Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine (AAAM) is a global multi-disciplinary professional organization dedicated to saving lives and eliminating road traffic injuries through scientific research, authoritative educational programs, public policy recommendations, and the Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) coding, training and certification. SAFER’s host Chalmers is member of AAAM and this is an important knowledge base for the research area Care & Rescue.
CLEPA is the automotive suppliers’ organization in Europe and has, among other groups, a Research and Innovation Working Group in which potential areas for collaborative research is identified, together suitable actions to influence upcoming research programmes. Safety has bneen identified as one of the key areas for CLEPA activities.
CTS with Swedish founding partners Chalmers, Volvo Cars, Volvo Group and Autoliv and Chinese partners Tongji University, RIOH Institute for Highway Safety and Tsinghua University in Beijing gathers joint on-going projects as well as other activities to enhance traffic safety in China. SAFER constitutes the Swedish research platform in this collaboration.
Drive Sweden is a Strategic Innovation Program launched by the Swedish government that gathers the best in the area of automated transport systems – from all sectors of society. SAFER is a member of Drive Sweden's program office as safety is an important perspective for a sustainable transport system.
EARPA brings together Europe's most prominent independent R&D providers in the automotive sector, ranging from large and small commercial organisations to national institutes and universities. SAFER is a member of EARPA's Task Force Safety with a focus on crash structures, restraint systems, human-machine interaction, ICT based safety systems, automated driving and test & evaluation methods for safety systems.
ERTRAC is the European Technology Platform which brings together road transport stakeholders to develop a common vision for road transport research in Europe. SAFER participates directly in ERTRAC's working group for Road Transport Safety & Security and supports ERTRAC to update the European Roadmap for road safety research. In addition, we also participate in the following groups, either from the SAFER Secretariat or through different SAFER partners: Urban Mobility, Connectivity and Automated Driving, and Long Distance Freight Transport. Being present in ERTRAC opens up possibilities to participating in setting the European road safety research agenda as well as the roadmaps for related areas such as urban development from a mobility perspective.
EUCAR is the European automotive industry’s research and innovation collaboration organization in Brussels and has over the years facilitated the creation of numerous European research projects, leading to a number of innovative features as well as technology breakthroughs. Safety has always been a key focus area for EUCAR and is today part of the strategic pillar “Safe and Integrated Mobiility”. The SAFER partners Volvo Group and Volvo Cars are both active in the EUCAR activities, also connecting strongly to the European Technology Platform ERTRAC where SAFER is involved.
Led by the Swedish Traffic Administration, the Group for National Cooperation – Roads (GNS Väg) is an arena for the exchange of knowledge and coordination of activities within the area of road safety between important players with the aim of realising Sweden's Vision Zero. SAFER is a participant and is active in the GNS expert group on vulnerable road users. The overall purpose is to develop national strategies to improve road safety in Sweden.
HUMANIST is an International research network on human factors in transport driven as a European association. The research is organised within 4 areas; HMI – Human Machine Interaction, Human behaviour in traffic, ITS – Intelligent Transport Systems and Vehicle automation. SAFER’s access HUMANIST via the partner VTI and is a valuable source of expertise for the research community, industry and policy makers. It is also a great network to activate to reach out to European consortium and projects. HUMANIST organize a research conference every and a summer school which are great platforms for SAFER research projects and PhD students in particular to spread our results and a great opportunity for networking.
Japan Automobile Research Institute (JARI) is a general incorporated foundation dedicated to automotive testing and research activities. This is a neutral research institute focusing on research and testing activities pertaining to the “connectivity between vehicles and society”. This is an area which industry, government and academia are unable to address individually. SAFER Partners have through the years collaborated with JARI regarding experimental biomechanics and related research, accident research, development of methods for technical evaluation and naturalistic driving studies.
K2 is Sweden's national centre for research and education on public transport. This is where academia, the public sector and industry meet to discuss and develop the role of public transport in Sweden. K2 investigates how public transport can contribute to attractive and sustainable metropolitan areas of the future. Also, K2 educates members of the public transport sector and inform decision-makers to facilitate an educated debate on public transport.
French research cluster working with research and development related to sustainable mobility. SAFER has been working with MOV'EO in high-profile projects and this research cluster is an important partner on the European arena. Also, the partners within MOV’EO are important for the SAFER network.
Neuroscience Research Australia (NeuRA) is an independent, not-for-profit research institute based in Sydney, Australia. Several SAFER partners collaborate with researchers at the Injury Prevention Research Centre at NeuRA, specifically on children’s safety in cars and long-term disability from injuries attributable to road traffic crashes. NeuRA is affiliated with UNSW (University of New South Wales), which is ranked in the global top 100 universities.
The Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) Northern Europe is an action-oriented network focusing on mobilizing Nordic scientific and technological expertise to solve problems and create a more sustainable society. The network links knowledge to action in order for society to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals. As a member, SAFER aims to find further means of collaboration on research, solutions initiatives and policy work in support of traffic safety and sustainable development.
Swedish Electromobility Centre is a national Centre of Excellence for electric and hybrid vehicles and infrastructure. The centre unite Swedish e-mobility expertise and are a node for interaction between academia, industry and society.
The Swedish Cycling Research Centre (Cykelcentrum) is hosted by the Swedish National Road and Transport Research Institute (VTI). The administration of the national knowledge centre for research and education on cycling was commissioned to VTI by the Swedish government in 2018. In co-operation with other researchers, interest organisations and governmental bodies, VTI works on establishing long-term interdisciplinary research and co-operations as well as connecting research to the actual problems that the stakeholders (e.g. municipalities) struggle with to make cycling safer and more attractive.
The Swedish WASP individual research program addresses research on autonomous systems acting in collaboration with humans, adapting to their environment through sensors, information and knowledge, and forming intelligent systems-of-systems. WASP involves researchers connected to SAFER
WASP:s research arena Collaborative and Autonomous Transport aims at providing leading edge research facilities for highly automated driving and C-ITS (Collaborative Intelligent Transport Systems), with certain emphasis on city traffic. To ensure synergies, WARA has established contacts with SAFER's research lab Revere.
http://wasp-sweden.org/demonstrators/wara-cat-collaborative-and-autonomous-transport
POLIS is the leading network of European cities and regions working together to develop innovative technologies and policies for local transport. POLIS aim is to improve local transport through integrated strategies that address the economic, social and environmental dimensions of transport. To this end, the network supports the exchange of experiences and the transfer of knowledge between European local and regional authorities. POLIS also facilitate the dialogue between local and regional authorities and other mobility stakeholders such as industry, research centres and universities, and NGOs.
The CCAM partnership was established 2021 and has the goal to create a more user-centered and inclusive mobility system, increasing road safety while reducing congestion and environmental footprint. Also, the partnership aims to create more collaborative research, testing and demonstration projects in order to accelerate the innovation pace and implementation of automated mobility. Working together at European helps to remove barriers and contribute to the acceptance and efficient rollout of automation technologies and services.
SITIS (Sweden-India Transport Innovation and Safety Partnership) was launched in Stockholm in February 2020 at the third global conference on road safety within UN, with the vision to leverage the know-how of India and Sweden to accelerate progress and deployment of safe and sustainable transport solutions and actionable policies, contributing to significant progress of the Indian transport system. In the collaboration, Sweden also shares Vision Zero and how to build a successful structure for implementing traffic safety-enhancing measures at several different levels in society in a strategic and systematic way. Examples of research questions to be addressed within the partnership are related to data analysis of the traffic system, weather conditions, driver behaviour, overall logistics, deploying connectivity solutions for critical moments, emergency response systems and the ability to communicate with the infrastructure. SAFER partners currently include Autoliv, Volvo Group, Chalmers University of Technology, RISE Research Institutes of Sweden, Swedish National Road and Transport Research Institute (VTI) and the Swedish Transport Administration.