As society develops, the relevance of Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) become more and more visible. ITS can make
transport safer, more efficient, and more sustainable by applying information and communication technologies to all
transportation modes. Moreover, the integration of existing technologies can create new services.
The full potential of ITS will be more visible if deployed worldwide. To achieve this goal, research poses as a major player
in developing and deploying key ITS technologies, and contributing to standardization, interoperability between transport
modes and countries, cross-border continuity of services, among other uses.

To achieve its full potential, ITS still needs to overcome barriers, some of which of technological nature. Deployment costs,
funding restrictions that prevent investment facilitation, investments, privacy and liability concerns, uncertain demand,
and lack of legislation are just some of the constraints limiting the rolling-out of ITS implementation in several situations.
Limited communication or too ‘technical’ communication on the benefits of new technologies to those who make
decisions about whether to invest in new technology development (policymakers), can also be an obstacle for faster
deployment of ITS. Policymakers need a clear description of the benefits of new technologies including cost-benefit
analyses that would enable them to compare traditional solutions with the new ones.

Lack of or limited cooperation between research and industrial sectors is another aspect that is slowing down the uptake
of research results by the market. It is not often that research results are likely to be developed in the short- or even
medium-term, but this is not always understood by the industry that wants to obtain quick results from their investments
in ITS. A space for interaction and joint reflection about ITS between researchers, policymakers, and the industry is
paramount to promote ITS solutions and pursue its benefits.