Chalmers partners Sino-Swedish research centre on traffic safety

Chalmers University of Technology is one of five partners behind a new centre for research on traffic safety, which opened today in Beijing. The China Sweden Research Centre for Traffic Safety signals closer cooperation between Sweden and China in the field of transportation.

In China, which is the world's largest market for passenger cars and heavy trucks, traffic safety has emerged as an increasingly important issue for both the Chinese government and the general public. When Sweden’s Minister for Enterprise Annie Lööf visited China in May 2012, the Swedish and Chinese governments signed a letter of intent regarding a joint research facility for traffic safety.

The China Sweden Research Center for Traffic Safety was inaugurated today, December 18, 2012. It will conduct research projects with the aim of improving traffic safety both in Sweden and China. Pilot projects are already under way, including some whose focus is on studying accidents in China involving trucks and buses. The research centre also aims to boost the exchange of technology and know-how between the two countries and to support the two governments' decisions on issues relating to traffic safety.

“Traffic safety is a strong field of research at Chalmers and a key priority for the university. Establishing a research centre in China enhances our possibilities to understand the transportation and traffic situation in the country. We will gain knowledge that we can use in other international contexts,” says Anna Dubois, Head of transport research at Chalmers University of Technology, and board member of the centre. She continues:

“It is important for both research and education to forge strong ties with international research environments. In Sweden we have established a vehicle and traffic safety center called Safer together with 25 Swedish parties over the last six years. We see Safer as a model and sister of this new center.”

The other four partners are Volvo Cars, Volvo Group, the Chinese Ministry of Transport's Research Institute of Highways and Tongji University. The Swedish and Chinese governments contribute to the funding of the research centre.

More on Safer
Safer is a vehicle and traffic safety center at Chalmers placed in Lindholmen Science Park in Gothenburg. The research spans from avoiding accidents, to reduce injuries in a collision, as well as streamlining the rescue work after an accident. Many projects related to human behavior in vehicles and in real traffic.
www.chalmers.se/safer

For more information, contact:
Anna Dubois, Area of Advance Director Transportation, Chalmers, +46-31-772 11 96, anna.dubois@chalmers.se
 Anna Nilsson-Ehle, Director of Safer, +46-31-772 36 55, anna.nilsson-ehle@chalmers.se

For images, please contact:
Lisa Knutsson, Communication Officer at Safer, +46-31-772 21 11/+46-761-191426, lisa.knutsson@chalmers.se
www.chalmers.se/safer "Image Archive"