About – SMARTA-NET

SMARTA-NET was managed under DG MOVE of the European Commission.

Mobility enables people to access essential aspects of daily life. When mobility is limited, so are opportunities. Across Europe, many rural residents have few options beyond personal cars, while others have no viable transport choices at all.

SMARTA-NET aimed to break this cycle by demonstrating solutions and building capacity among local authorities and other implementers. Its three main strands included:

Establishing the European Rural Mobility Network (ERMN) as a forum and voice for rural mobility stakeholders.
Develop Tools & Guidelines on key topics such as rural mobility best practices, mobility for rural tourism, integrating rural aspects into SUMPs, and financing rural mobility.
Delivering training on the Guidelines in local languages for ERMN members and other stakeholders.

Although the project has ended, you can still learn more about ERMN activities here: https://www.smarta-net.eu/ermn/

We remain committed to supporting rural mobility by sharing know-how and experience. For any questions or requests, please reach out via the form below or contact us at info@smarta-net.eu.

Initially, the ERMN consisted of rural municipalities and other local authorities, networks and associations of rural local authorities, as well as rural development agencies such as LEADER Action Groups from across Europe. The aim was for the ERMN to have a future beyond the project, to be shaped by its Members during 2024.

There were three ERMN events held in both 2023 and 2024—one in-person and two online—along with a Final Conference. These provided ERMN Members with numerous opportunities to meet in person, share experiences, and discuss issues of common interests.

The SMARTA-NET project

The SMARTA-NET Consortium partners

SMARTA-NET is led by MemEx (Italy), partnering with TIS (Portugal), E40 (Hungary), NIT (Germany) and Panteia (Netherlands).

Established in 1994 in Livorno, Italy, MemEx is a leading independent engineering consultancy with nearly 30 years of expertise in Intelligent Transport Systems, Rural and Shared Mobility, Traffic Management, and more. Actively engaged in European programs, MemEx has a rich history of leading and participating in international projects focused on rural mobility. In SMARTA-NET, MemEx serves as the Project Leader, overseeing all project activities, conducting assessments of over 30 mobility practices, managing financing options, contributing to guidance documents, and acting as the liaison partner for sites in Italy, Ireland, and Austria. Your contact persons are Brendan Finn and Andrea Lorenzini (Project coordinators) and Eleonora Ercoli and Elena Bargagna.

TIS is a Portuguese independent consultancy, with 30 years in the market, that provides knowledge and support to decision-makers on relevant EU policies, planning, economic evaluations and operations on all transport fields. The company brings to SMARTA-NET vast experience involving evaluations and impact assessments of relevant EU policies, and also expertise in capacity and knowledge building, training and development of guidance tools. The main contact points in the company include André Freitas, Daniela Carvalho, Luciana Pereira and Tiago Pina

E40 Europe is based in Hungary and the main focus of its work is supporting networking and empowering the local level through EU-wide projects & initiatives, especially in the field of rural development and Smart Villages. We are providing networking, communication, evaluation and technical support. Your contact persons are Edina Ocsko and Anita Balogh

NIT The Institute for Tourism Research in Northern Europe (NIT) is a German research and consultancy institution specialised in tourism issues and related subjects such as mobility and sustainability. As part of the SMARTA-NET project, the NIT is responsible for the integration of the tourism perspective on rural mobility. Your contact persons are Bente Grimm and Rieka Oldsen.

Panteia B.V., based in the Netherlands, is one of the largest organisations specialised in policy-applied research in Europe. Their core business includes policy research, market research, and consultancy for various clients, particularly in the transportation sector. As part of the SMARTA-NET project, Panteia is responsible for evaluations and recommendations on rural transport policies. Your contact persons are Geert Koops and Daniela Mattiuz.

SMARTA-NET builds on the legacy of the:

SMARTA project that focused on rural mobility and rural shared mobility, including exploiting existing mobility policies and solutions in European rural areas (examples of mobility initiatives, rural mobility schemes and policy recommendations)
SMARTA 2 project that aimed to design, pilot and assess smart, shared mobility solutions interconnected with public transport in four rural areas of Europe.

The knowledge from SMARTA project (2018-2020) also remains available on its website. It is a real Aladdin’s cave for anyone interested in rural mobility! Start with the 5-minute video and the SMARTA Final Brochure.

You will find a set of 32 individual Good Practice cases from around Europe; a consolidated Good Practice report; a set of Insight Papers that describe the framework for rural mobility in each of 35 countries; an introduction to the demonstrator sites, and the SMARTA Evaluation Framework.

The SMARTA Policy Recommendations provide key messages for European and National leaders. Recordings of the two SMARTA webinar series and the Final Conference complete the set. Happy viewing!

Previous SMARTA projects

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The SMARTA-NET project

The SMARTA-NET Consortium partners

Previous SMARTA projects

You can also find us on social media!

This project has received funding from the European Commission

This project has received funding from the European Commission

You can also find us on social media!