From Integration to Business

The aim of APSN is to mobilise the European scientific & business expertise in Vehicle Passive Safety to accelerate improvements in road safety in order to reduce the annual road victims for the European Union. APSN joint technical and scientific objective is to enhance the level of road safety at affordable costs for the individual user as well as for the European society.

Specific objectives of this Network are:

• To create a permanent organisation (virtual centre of excellence) in the field of passive safety including the link with pre-crash and post-crash issues for road transport at European level;
• To further integrate research activities at European, national and regional level to overcome duplication of research efforts and system (over)complexity, in the form of a virtual institute also investigating new ways for interactive working between research teams, i.e. enhanced electronic information & communication networks, new research platforms, sharing research facilities, etc.
• To facilitate technology transfer to accelerate dissemination of on-going research activities, including Community funded RTD projects;
• To provide a platform for “knowledge brokering” where users and providers are brought together for knowledge transfer;
• To cluster Community funded and national funded projects in the field of passive safety in which its members are involved;
• To establish links with initiatives in neighbouring fields of interests like active vehicle safety, road infrastructure, railway safety and aircraft safety;
• To identify ‘white spots’ and initiate new RTD projects in the areas of, among others, restraint systems, materials, biomechanics and computer simulation;
• To provide a platform for promoting the interests of the vehicle passive safety community with policy-makers and (inter)national legislative bodies;
• To accelerate the dissemination of results of passive safety research as well as the implementation and harmonisation of new and proven passive safety measures through-out Europe.