Serve the Public Good
The spirit of the Volvo Research and Education Foundations’ mission is to serve the public good. A cornerstone of VREF policy is that our funding of research and education shall contribute to the development of sustainable and equitable mobility systems.
Consequently, all research findings under VREF programs should be made public and accessible for all. Publications in peer-reviewed journals and communication at scientific events is a basic requirement for all VREF supported projects, but equally important is communication with stakeholders in each local environment, as well as with policymakers at all levels. Research teams in the Future Urban Transport program have outreach beyond scientific circles embedded in their work, and they are frequently consulted both locally and globally.
The VREF has also developed a program of selected communication activities, which is complementary to the work of the research teams. In implementing such activities we often work with partners to extend our own networks and reach out to broader audiences.
Promoting Communities of Learning (CoL)
What we call Communities of Learning (CoL) is a pillar in VREF:s mode of operation within the VREF research programs and educational and other activities. The CoL aim is to promote and strengthen collaboration and networking, between researchers, and researchers and other experts, in order to establish and extend global urban transport research communities and strengthen urban transport research impact.
CoL-activities are led by the VREF Secretariat and provide opportunities to:
- Disseminate and communicate research findings
- Exchange knowledge and ideas with VREF connected and/or external researchers/practitioners/experts
- Connect and network with transport- and mobility researchers from around the globe
Examples of CoL Activities:
- Online Research Forums for exchange of knowledge and ideas, and network building
- Online/physical workshops and conferences hosted and organized by VREF or, alternatively, events carried out in partnership with other institutions/organisations
- Production of different materials, from academic to other, in order to target practitioners and decision-makers
Research summaries & newsletter
VREF complements full research reports with VREF Research Briefs and Research Synthesis Reports can be downloaded at www.vref.se, where we also post news from VREF supported projects. Researchers and key findings from the Future Urban Transport program are frequently presented in our newsletters.