FONDAZIONE ISTITUTO SUI TRASPORTI E LA LOGISTICA

Their core work

ITL is a Bologna-based research foundation specializing in urban transport, city logistics, and mobility policy. They develop practical solutions for sustainable freight distribution in cities, inclusive digital mobility, and last-mile delivery optimization. More recently, they have expanded into critical infrastructure security and food supply chain sustainability, applying their logistics and data expertise to adjacent domains. Their work typically produces policy recommendations, operational models, and digital tools for public authorities and logistics operators.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

ITL's early H2020 work (2015-2018) was firmly rooted in traditional urban transport and city logistics — consolidation centres, freight models, and cooperative business approaches for sustainable delivery. From 2020 onward, their focus shifted markedly toward digital tools (digital twins, data spaces, serious games) and cross-sector applications, moving from pure transport into security and food systems. This evolution suggests a deliberate pivot from physical logistics research toward data-driven policy and systemic transformation across multiple supply chains.

ITL is repositioning from a transport-only research institute toward a cross-sector data and policy advisory role, making them increasingly relevant for projects that need supply chain digitalization expertise beyond traditional transport.

How they like to work

ITL has participated exclusively as a partner — never as coordinator — across all five projects, suggesting they contribute specialized knowledge within larger teams rather than leading consortia. With 135 unique partners across 25 countries in just 5 projects, they consistently join large, diverse consortia. This makes them a low-friction partner: experienced in multi-country collaboration, comfortable in supporting roles, and likely easy to integrate into new consortia.

ITL has built a broad network of 135 distinct partners across 25 countries through just 5 projects, indicating they consistently participate in large pan-European consortia. Their base in Bologna and their transport focus suggest strong ties with Southern and Western European transport authorities and logistics research groups.

What sets them apart

ITL brings a rare combination: deep roots in urban logistics paired with a growing capacity in digital tools like data spaces and digital twins applied to policy. Unlike pure transport labs, they have demonstrated the ability to transfer their supply chain and logistics thinking into food systems and security — making them a versatile partner for cross-sector projects. Their foundation status and Italian public-research context means they can bridge academic rigour with practical policy recommendations for city and regional authorities.

Highlights from their portfolio

• NOVELOG
  Their largest H2020 contribution (EUR 393K), focused on new cooperative business models for city logistics — their core domain and strongest credential.
• ZeroW
  Represents their clearest sector pivot: applying logistics and data-space expertise to food waste reduction, signalling cross-sector ambition.
• PRECINCT
  An unusual move into security, using digital twins and serious games for critical infrastructure resilience — demonstrates adaptability beyond transport.