In this edition of our Partner in the Spotlight series, we are pleased to feature IRT SystemX, a leading French technological research institute dedicated to advancing digital transformation across critical industries through artificial intelligence, digital twins and cybersecurity.
As a non-profit research foundation, SystemX brings together more than 65 major industrial partners to collaboratively develop and de-risk the digital technologies shaping the future of mobility, energy, manufacturing and defence. By pooling expertise, resources and data, the institute creates a unique environment where competitors work side by side to accelerate innovation and deployment.
In this interview, Lionel Scremin, Head of Development and International Affairs at IRT SystemX, shares how the institute is contributing to the advancement of intelligent mobility through trusted AI, cybersecurity and digital simulation tools. He also reflects on the value of the ERTICO Partnership as a platform for connecting research with industry, fostering cross-sector collaboration and scaling European innovation in areas such as connected and automated mobility.
Could you briefly introduce your organisation and its role in the intelligent transport and mobility landscape?
SystemX is a leading technological research institute (IRT) specializing in AI, digital twins and cyber security. As non-profit foundation, SystemX is the only place in France where 65 direct competitors - including Airbus, Alstom, EDF, Naval Group, Renault Group, Thales and Safran - come together to pool budgets, engineers, and confidential data for 3 to 5 years. Their shared mission: to co-develop and de-risk the critical digital technologies that will power the aircraft, cars, trains, boats, energy plants, and factories of tomorrow. What we actually deliver:
• Data & AI Methodology and Platform: The backbone for integrating AI into critical systems (aeronautics, defense, industry, etc.) - embodied by the creation of European Trustworthy AI association
• Scenario Management Platform: A cornerstone of France’s leadership in virtual validation for autonomous vehicles.
• Cybersecurity Evaluation Environment: developed in partnership with the French Security Agency to train national cyberdefense teams.
This expertise and its digital assets naturally support use cases in automated transport, logistics, multimodal mobility, and e-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?
In the European context, SystemX is dedicated to advancing innovative scientific and technological solutions through strategic partnerships, particularly within the framework of the Horizon Europe program. With its 30 years of activity in intelligent mobility in Europe, ERTICO is a natural partner to support our European momentum. Our goal is to benchmark our developments against key European industrial sectors, enabling us to scale and deploy the innovations we create. Additionally, participation in ERTICO’s ITS conferences serves as a vital platform for both promoting our work and fostering valuable industry connections.
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?
ERTICO's intrinsic value lies in the extensive coverage of the various mobility professions and technologies operated by its partners. High-potential collaborations are those that enable cross-cutting issues to be combined in order to produce highly replicable and therefore high-impact results. Cybersecurity is particularly relevant to this type of challenge
If the ERTICO Partnership was a headline, a keyword, or a short phrase, how would you capture its essence, and why?
Networking amongst expertise sounds a good mantra for an association that brings intelligence to transport systems right from the early ages.
As a research institute that bridges across sectors through joint projects, can you share an example of a collaborative initiative in transport or mobility where SystemX’s approach has enabled breakthrough results and what lessons this offers for partners across the ITS ecosystem?
SystemX has developed the CCAM Service Designer, an advanced tool for designing and evaluating automated and on-demand mobility services. This integrated solution leverages our expertise in agent-based modeling to simulate local mobility demand and assess the performance of CCAM services across diverse scenarios and key performance indicators (KPIs). Originally created as part of the SINFONICA project, the tool incorporates features specifically designed to address the needs of vulnerable populations.
The CCAM Service Designer is a comprehensive resource for operators and local authorities seeking to plan new CCAM services, evaluate their scalability, or forecast their economic viability.
From your work on hybrid and trustworthy AI and leading role within the European Trustworthy AI Association, what do you see as the key challenges and opportunities for deploying trusted AI in intelligent transport systems over the next three to five years?
Over the past decade, we have witnessed an acceleration of digital transformation in both the public and private sectors. Rapidly, this transformation has been accompanied by an increase in the frequency and complexity of cyberattacks with various objectives - financial gain, espionage, sabotage, and destabilization. The widespread adoption of artificial intelligence has amplified this trend, making computing even more ubiquitous while increasing the sophistication of threats, aided by AI technologies.
At the heart of these concerns, ITS require greater autonomy in the embedded decision-making capabilities of mobile systems with unreliable connectivity (absent or intermittent). In such systems, human intervention is sometimes neither possible nor desirable. This raises the critical issue of trust in embedded protection mechanisms and their ability to autonomously manage cybersecurity incidents.
In this context of high uncertainty, and beyond the strategic challenges of competitiveness and sovereignty, innovation in cybersecurity and digital technology is more necessary than ever. It is essential to enable European industries to maintain their operations, manage new threats, and equip themselves with effective tools to handle the crises of tomorrow.
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.