autoregion international - Edition 1/2020

14 Luxinnovation www.luxinnovation.lu Cross-border digital testbed One of the major projects currently under- way in the Luxembourg Greater Region is the cross-border digital testbed for au- tonomous and connected driving, which covers 220 km of public roads in France, Germany and Luxembourg. It is an innova- tion platform, created by German, French and Luxemburgish authorities, open to companies and researchers from all over the world working on automated driving and related services. A part of this unique testbed will get 5G coverage in 2020, and the three countries involved have synchronised permit proce- dures and related technical assessments to make it possible to conduct trials on the complete site with one single permit application. The site has generated a lot of interest from international players devel- oping mobility solutions for the European markets. Data analytics across borders International cooperation is, in fact, a mandatory way forward. As a follow-up to the cross-border digital testbed initia- tive, Luxembourg is, together with Finland, Germany, the Netherlands and Spain, one of the countries behind the creation of the European “Data for Road Safety” working group that aims to improve road safety by sharing data generated by vehicles and infrastructure between countries and manufacturers. Luxembourg will man- age, process and aggregate big data from Germany to be used for issuing safety-rel- evant traffic information to road users. The collaboration builds on Luxembourg’s strengths in high-quality data transmis- sion, hosting and valorisation services. The Luxembourg AutoMobility Cluster is also involved in the creation of the Pôle Automobile Européen (PAE), which brings together 12 partners fromBelgium, France, Germany and Luxembourg. The PAE ex- tends the excellent cross-border coop- eration already in place since 2013 within Autoregion, the automotive meta-cluster of the Greater Region. In particular, it cre- ates new opportunities for Luxembourg players by increasing their visibility and contributing to their international devel- opment. Optimal access point to the single European digital market Doing business on the European market means interacting with people in differ- ent countries and in various languages, all while respecting differing business cul- tures and habits. Luxembourg-based or- ganisations manage this without investing in an expensive pan-European customer support network. This is, to a large extent, due to the coun- try’s talented, multi-lingual and multi-cul- tural workforce that is acknowledged for its ability to tackle all kinds of challenges. Luxembourg is by far the most interna- tional country in the EU. Almost half of the population, and 75% of the work- force – which also includes a high number of cross-border workers – are foreigners. This cross-border cooperation and inter- national influence is key to the success of Luxembourg-based companies. Luxembourg’s central geographical loca- tion offers another advantage for mobil- ity innovation developers. It is a neutral location situated in-between two major automotive markets, namely France and Germany. The country works with large automotive manufacturers in Europe, but takes a neutral stand in its relations with them. Adding the strong focus on digital innovation and its easily accessible digital infrastructure, Luxembourg is an excellent base for successfully accessing the Euro- pean single market. Image: © Luxinnovation/YO studio Vision of the future Mobility Innovation Campus in Bissen, Luxembourg