With only a couple of months lying ahead for the IN2CCAM project, we are turning our attention to a critical dimension for European research and innovation projects: exploitation and sustainability. Beyond the development of new technologies, our partners strive to ensure that the project results live on, contributing to the wider deployment of Connected, Cooperative and Automated Mobility (CCAM) in Europe. From the outset, IN2CCAM has been committed to engaging users, securing acceptance, and creating pathways for real-world adoption. To this end, the project organised two dedicated Exploitation Workshops, designed to gather and assess feedback from the Living Labs regarding stakeholders’ perceptions, achievements, barriers, and opportunities to build on the project’s outcomes.
One of IN2CCAM’s strongest contributions has been to raise awareness of CCAM. The Living Lab partners have stated a growth in users’ confidence towards autonomous mobility. While some reluctance remains, engagement activities such as the IN2CCAM Awareness Events and other testing experiences are proving to be a decisive factor in increasing such acceptance. All Living Labs actively promoted, deployed services and technologies, reached out to users and local stakeholders, and highlighted their advantages. By sharing results at local events and running information campaigns, IN2CCAM brings CCAM closer to people. Such engagement activities have also nurtured the project itself, favouring the exchange of lessons learned and cooperation among our six test cities.
Throughout the demonstration phases and beyond, the project has influenced local governance decisions on technological innovation, fostering the integration of autonomous mobility into existing services and infrastructures. Our goal now is to scale up the results so that they influence future urban policies and regulations.
The Exploitation Workshops also shed light on some of the remaining challenges that still need to be addressed. The seamless integration of CCAM services and technologies into traffic management requires the cooperation of stakeholders from both the public and private sectors in relevant aspects, such as data integration, facilitating the adequate regulatory framework for further testing at a major scale, and the real integration of the proposed use cases, particularly at the Follower Living Labs’ level which, although have provided valuable data, focused only on simulation and no real deployment has yet taken place.
With our findings, we seek to strengthen networks, improve governance capacity, and grow public awareness of the transformative potential of CCAM. These outcomes ensure that the project’s legacy will continue to shape Europe’s journey toward safer, smarter, and more inclusive mobility, while boosting the European automotive sector’s competitiveness.
