VREF Commits 24 MSEK to New International Research Program on Walking January 7, 2026|WALKING, Walking as a Mode of Transport ”The Walking Cities Lab: making walking for transport a global priority” selected as VREF’s new flagship program. The Volvo Research and Educational Foundations (VREF) is proud to announce the establishment of a major new research initiative within its Walking as a … Read More
Applications are Open for Lee Schipper Memorial Scholarship 2026
Applications are Open for Lee Schipper Scholarship March 2, 2026|Future Urban Transport Applications are now open for the 2026 Lee Schipper Memorial Scholarship for Sustainable Transport and Energy Efficiency, and this year, the scholarship is expanding to provide US$12,500 to up to five extraordinary young scholars to advance transformative research in efficient and sustainable transport and energy, including: Two international … Read More
Call for Expression of Interest: NextGen Mentorship Hub
February 26, 2026|VREF NextGen InitiativeCall for Expression of Interest: NextGen Mentorship Hub Are you a young/early career scholar in transport/mobility research? Would you be interested in being part of our upcoming mentorship program? If so, please fill out this Expression of Interest form to be considered for the program. Background Access to good mentorship is an important resource with … Read More
New Call for Papers on Informal and Shared Mobility
New Call for Papers on Informal and Shared Mobility February 18, 2026|ISM, Informal and Shared Mobility, OtherAre you researching the intersection of technology, equity, and transport governance? We want to highlight an interesting opportunity for the mobility research community. A Special Issue is now open for submissions in Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives, titled: ”Informal and Shared Mobility: Charting opportunities and challenges … Read More
Call for Applications: VREF Grants for Urban Logistics Summer School in Antwerp
Call for Applications: VREF Grants for Urban Logistics Summer School in Antwerp February 16, 2026|UF, Urban FrieghtJoin the University of Antwerp this summer for an intensive week on the future of urban logistics. We are pleased to offer five travel and participation grants for selected candidates. From June 28 to July 3, 2026, the University of Antwerp will host the … Read More
Building Capacity for Just Transitions: New Training Materials to Support Labour Equity in African Transport
Building Capacity for Just Transitions: New Training Materials to Support Labour Equity in African Transport January 28, 2026|ISM, Informal and Shared Mobility To ensure African transport reforms are socially equitable, a new initiative is developing practical toolkits to help cities assess the potential impact of change on informal economy workers, and integrate the realities of their livelihoods into major transport … Read More
Strategies for Navigating Academic Writing and Publishing – a NextGen Tools of the Trade Workshop
If you missed our “Tools of the Trade” workshop on Strategies for Navigating Academic Writing and Publishing from December 4th, this is the recording! Led by Dr. Margot Rubin, the session provided invaluable practical guidance on key writing stages, fostering an interactive environment where common questions were addressed, and new ideas emerged for NextGen scholars to collaboratively support each other. The workshop covered: … Read More
New VREF Study Explores Transport Equity in Sub-Saharan African Cities
New VREF Study Explores Transport Equity in Sub-Saharan African Cities October 15, 2025|MAC, Mobility and Access in African CitiesIn cities across the globe, unequal access to economic, social, and cultural opportunities presents a major challenge. Transport systems often play a key role in either facilitating or weakening access among various groups. Disparities in access are often systematically linked to socioeconomic … Read More
New Project on Mexico City’s Popular Transport Modernization
New Project on Mexico City’s Popular Transport Modernization October 6, 2025|ISM, Informal and Shared MobilityVREF are pleased to share the launch of a new project supported by VREF and University College London (UCL). The project will document the ongoing modernization of Mexico City’s popular transport system, with a special focus on microbuses, an essential mode for millions of residents. The project is led by Daniel … Read More
Unlocking better work conditions in the informal transport sector through labour impact assessments
The Volvo Research and Educational Foundations (VREF) and the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) are proud to present a new research paper exploring the potential of labour impact assessments as a means to enhance workers’ conditions in Africa’s informal transport sector. The paper, which can be found at the bottom of this page, is available in four languages and will … Read More