Bart van Arem runs the knowledge centre AIDA since the beginning of this year; the centre is housed at Transport Studies in the faculty of Engineering Technology. Within five years the centre should be æinternationally leadingÆ in the field of ict-systems helping drivers and making traffic easier, safer and more environmentally friendly.
But how did the AIDA end up in Twente? In his as yet barely furnished room Van Arem explains his choice: 'Education and research at Transport Studies offers very good leads for the research we want to conduct in AIDA. And the UT recognises the importance of the relationship between research and application. But the most important aspect was the enthousiasm of the group here.'
Two days in the week Van Arem is in Twente, the rest of the week he serves his other master, TNO Inro in Delft. The AIDA budget is coughed up jointly by TNO and the UT. The starting capital is approximately 150,000 euros and in five years the turnover should be half a million, including external financing from indirect government funding and European funds.
And especially in Brussels a lot of money is available, according to Van Arem. Improving traffic safety is 'hot' in Europe. The EU has set up an 'E-safety Action Plan', aimed towards halving the number of traffic deaths in Europe by 2010.
The development of preventative safety systems, among them electronic systems supporting the driver, gets high priority in this action plan, according to Van Arem. AIDA has the firm intention to take part in the programme through TNO.
However, the TNO and UT knowledge centre will not be developing technology for driver-support systems in cars. The researchers in Twente - besides Van Arem two PhD-students at this moment - will be investigating the effects of the use of (future) systems on drivers and on traffic flows.
One of the aims of AIDA is promoting the knowledge it will collect. Van Arem: 'In a few years' time everyone in Europe with an interest in high-quality knowledge in this field should be able to find us, whether it is a university of the car industry.
