May 18th-21st 2026 | Budapest
The Transport Research Arena (TRA) 2026 brought together over 4,000 participants from across the European transport research community — policymakers, researchers, innovators, and industry leaders united around a common goal: shaping the future of sustainable mobility. For FLEETfor55, the event was a significant milestone in the project’s dissemination journey.
FLEETfor55 at the Waterborne Booth
FLEETfor55 was present throughout the four days under the Waterborne booth, offering delegates direct access to the project’s work on energy efficiency technologies (EETs) for the European fleet. The booth served as an active hub for dialogue, allowing the team to present the project’s technical progress, engage with fellow researchers, and explore potential synergies with complementary initiatives across the transport sector.
High-Level Engagement
The project’s presence attracted notable attention from senior figures within the European transport policy landscape. The booth was visited by a representative of the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport (BMDV) of Germany, as well as Director-General for Mobility and Transport Magda KopczyÅ„ska and Director for Clean Planet Krzysztof Kuik — a clear signal of the growing policy relevance of the project’s work as the EU accelerates its Fit for 55 agenda.
Key Takeaways
TRA 2026 reinforced several important themes that resonate directly with FLEETfor55’s mission:
- The energy transition in waterborne transport requires coordinated action across technology, regulation, and finance
- Regulatory gaps remain a significant barrier to the broad deployment of EETs across the European fleet
- Cross-sector collaboration and knowledge-sharing between Horizon Europe projects is essential to accelerating impact
- Policymakers are increasingly engaged with the technical realities of maritime decarbonisation
