In this edition of our Partner in the Spotlight series, we are pleased to feature Cefriel, one of Italy's leading digital innovation centres, connecting research, industry and public authorities to accelerate the digital transformation of society through applied innovation, education and technology transfer.
Founded in 1988 by universities, companies and local government bodies, Cefriel has built extensive expertise in data, artificial intelligence, digital ecosystems, cybersecurity and applied research. Within the intelligent transport and mobility sector, the organisation plays a key role in advancing data digitisation, interoperability, governance and trusted data sharing, helping to create more efficient, sustainable and connected mobility systems aligned with European standards and initiatives.
In this interview, Marco Comerio, Mobility Research Lead at Cefriel, discusses the growing importance of mobility data spaces, semantic interoperability and multimodal integration in shaping the future of transport. He explains how Cefriel's multidisciplinary approach supports transport authorities and mobility operators in transforming data into actionable insights, reflects on the value of joining the ERTICO Partnership, and shares his vision for stronger cross-sector collaboration to accelerate the deployment of intelligent, data-driven mobility solutions across Europe.
Could you briefly introduce your organisation and its role in the intelligent transport and mobility landscape?
Cefriel is a digital innovation centre founded in 1988 by universities, companies and local government bodies, with the mission of connecting research, business and society through applied innovation, education and technology transfer. Today, Cefriel supports organisations in turning digital technologies into measurable value, with strong expertise in data, artificial intelligence, digital ecosystems, cybersecurity and applied research.
In the intelligent transport and mobility landscape, Cefriel operates at the intersection of research, innovation, and real-world deployment. Our contribution focuses on enabling more efficient, sustainable and interoperable mobility systems by supporting data digitisation, data sharing, metadata modelling, data governance, and compliance with European standards and regulations. Cefriel is active in defining data-driven solutions to support innovative, efficient and sustainable mobility.
What motivated you to become part of the ERTICO Partnership, and looking back, which moments, opportunities or outcomes have brought the most value to your organisation so far?
Cefriel joined the ERTICO Partnership because we saw a strong alignment between ERTICO’s mission and our own ambition: to accelerate the digital transformation of mobility through collaboration, research and real-world innovation. ERTICO brings together public authorities, industry, research organisations, service providers and technology players, creating a unique environment where ideas can evolve into concrete intelligent transport solutions.
For Cefriel, the ERTICO Partnership offers a valuable platform to exchange knowledge with leading European mobility actors, contribute expertise on ITS and data-driven innovation, and develop collaborative research projects with a network of mobility pioneers.
The greatest value so far has been the possibility to connect our work on mobility data digitisation, sharing and governance with a broader European ecosystem. ERTICO’s focus areas provide a relevant framework for Cefriel to further mature and test its methodological and software solutions.
How does Cefriel’s multidisciplinary approach to digital innovation and research shape your work in mobility, particularly in areas such as data digitisation and multimodal integration?
Cefriel’s multidisciplinary approach integrates research, technology transfer, innovation, and education, allowing us to address mobility challenges from multiple perspectives: technological, organisational, regulatory and user-centred.
In mobility, this means supporting the full path from data digitisation to operational use. We work on conceptual models and digital solutions for interoperable data sharing that help mobility actors make data more findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable, in line with the FAIR principles and with standards required by European regulations.
This approach is particularly relevant for multimodal integration. The European smart mobility agenda highlights the need for seamless multimodal experiences and more efficient management of transport networks through digitalisation and ITS. Cefriel contributes to this vision by helping public and private actors harmonise and integrate multimodal data sources, and by defining governance processes and architecture to facilitate the development of multimodal mobility services.
Can you share an example of how Cefriel’s work on mobility data sharing and governance has influenced digital solutions for transport authorities or operators?
Cefriel is co-author of mobilityDCAT-AP, the metadata profile defined within the NAPCORE project to support the harmonised description and discovery of mobility datasets across National Access Points. This work directly contributes to improving the findability, interoperability, and reuse of mobility data for transport authorities, operators, and service providers.
In parallel, Cefriel is actively involved in developing key building blocks of the Common European Mobility Data Space and its Interlinking Layer, supporting the creation of trusted, governed, and interoperable data-sharing environments for the mobility sector. As part of this work in the deployEMDS project, Cefriel is also coordinating the establishment of a mobility data space in the city of Milan, bringing together governance, metadata modelling, data interoperability and stakeholder engagement to enable concrete use cases for local mobility actors.
These activities show how Cefriel combines methodological, technical and organisational expertise to help transport authorities and operators build more integrated digital ecosystems. By working on data harmonisation towards EU standards, metadata models and data-space architectures, Cefriel makes mobility data more usable, shareable and actionable, supporting better services while helping stakeholders recognise data sharing as a driver of interoperability and innovation rather than a regulatory obligation.
From your perspective, what makes the ERTICO Partnership truly distinctive within the ITS ecosystem, and where do you see the greatest potential for collaboration in the future?
What makes the ERTICO Partnership distinctive is its ability to connect the full ITS value chain. This integrated approach gives all ITS stakeholders a voice in strategic discussions with institutions and policymakers and helps bridge the gap between research real-world deployment.
For Cefriel, this cross-sector nature is particularly important because the challenges we address in mobility are rarely only technical and require collaboration across public and private actors.
Looking ahead, Cefriel sees the ERTICO Partnership as a strong opportunity to develop new collaborations in its key research areas, particularly in establishing mobility data spaces to enable trusted, governed, and interoperable data exchange across distributed mobility organizations and ecosystems. By combining Cefriel’s expertise in data spaces and semantic data interoperability with ERTICO’s broad network of mobility stakeholders, we see significant potential to co-develop solutions that support data sharing, reduce fragmentation and accelerate the deployment of interoperable mobility services.
If the ERTICO Partnership was a headline, a keyword, or a short phrase, how would you capture its essence, and why?
“Connecting expertise to turn mobility innovation into reality.”
This phrase captures what we see as the essence of the ERTICO Partnership. ERTICO brings together the right actors across the ITS ecosystem and creates the conditions for knowledge exchange, joint experimentation and collaborative deployment. Its value lies in connecting sectors that often need to work together but do not always share the same language, priorities or operational constraints.
Curious about our European foothold and initiatives? As ERTICO celebrates 35 years of collaboration and innovation in intelligent mobility this year, take a closer look at the ERTICO Partnership video and download our Partnership Brochure to learn more about the opportunities, offers and benefits of being part of the Partnership.
