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Introduction

The demands on Europe's transport systems continue to both increase and change as a result of a number of factors - economic decline and growth, social change, demographics and the need to become less unsustainable. Such change demands innovative, robust and affordable responses. Transport practitioners and researchers throughout Europe are responding to these challenges and the European Transport Conference, is the key annual event for sharing innovation, best practice and networking with colleagues from more than 30 countries.

The Conference is unique in Europe, attracting around 500 transport practitioners and researchers to a meeting place, where they can find in-depth presentations on policy issues, best practice and research findings across a broad spectrum of transport modes.

The European Transport Conference, now in its 38th year, moves to its new home of Glasgow in 2010 and the Association for European Transport is grateful for the financial support of Transport Scotland and staff for their assistance in compiling aspects of the technical and social programme.

Transferring Knowledge between Research and Practice

The range of topics and the multi-seminar approach makes the European Transport Conference unique among transport conferences held in Europe. The Conference programme covers supra-national issues, national and local policy, and the implementation of projects at a local level. Issues of key importance are picked out each year for special examination and will be introduced in daily plenary sessions.

The Conference positions itself at the interface between research and practice. Speakers are asked to draw out the policy implications of research - not to concentrate on the design and operation of a model, for example.

The Conference has built its reputation on the excellence of presentations and papers and the fact that all those involved in the dissemination of transport research, the formulation of policy and the implementation of those policies and practices. It presents a great opportunity for networking and forming career-spanning professional relationships. Although sessions at the Conference can be challenging in discussing matters of policy at the highest level, they can also provide good, basic education and training opportunities - it is truly a conference for all.

The Conference has up to 10 seminars running simultaneously each day allowing delegates access to a range of sessions - there is freedom to choose between all the sessions on offer. The chairman of each session is asked to make sure there is ample time for discussion of papers and questions and each day has time set aside for networking opportunities.