SIRTI - SOCIETA PER AZIONI

Their core work

SIRTI is a large Italian telecommunications and systems integration company based in Milano, specializing in railway signalling, communication systems, and traffic management infrastructure. In H2020 projects, they contribute expertise in integrating communication platforms, developing operator workstations, and building application frameworks for rail traffic control. They also bring capabilities in safety-critical systems, including autonomous collision avoidance and worker safety technologies such as exoskeletons for railway maintenance crews.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

SIRTI's early H2020 work (2016–2018) was firmly rooted in traditional railway signalling and communication standards — ERTMS, ETCS, CCS, and energy harvesting for trackside equipment. From 2019 onward, their focus shifted toward higher-level system integration: traffic management platforms, operator workstations, and application frameworks, alongside a surprising move into robotics and worker safety (exoskeletons, autonomous collision avoidance). This evolution suggests a company moving up the value chain from component-level signalling work to full platform integration and human-machine interaction in railway environments.

SIRTI is broadening from pure telecom/signalling infrastructure into intelligent traffic management systems and human-centered safety technologies, positioning them for smart railway and Industry 4.0 convergence projects.

How they like to work

SIRTI participates exclusively as a consortium partner — they have never coordinated an H2020 project, which is typical for large industrial companies that contribute domain expertise and infrastructure rather than driving research agendas. With 32 unique partners across 11 countries in just 6 projects, they work in moderately large consortia and connect widely rather than repeating the same partnerships. Their strong Shift2Rail involvement (2 projects) indicates they are well-embedded in the European rail research community through the Joint Undertaking framework.

SIRTI has built a broad European network of 32 partners across 11 countries through 6 projects, with a strong anchor in the Shift2Rail Joint Undertaking ecosystem. Their partnerships span railway operators, signalling manufacturers, research institutes, and technology providers across Europe.

What sets them apart

SIRTI brings a rare combination of deep telecommunications infrastructure expertise and hands-on railway systems integration — they understand both the physical network layer and the application-level traffic management that runs on top of it. Unlike pure research organizations, they are an operational company that deploys real systems, making them a credible partner for projects that need to move from prototype to field demonstration. Their recent move into worker safety and robotics adds an unusual human-factors dimension that most rail signalling companies lack.

Highlights from their portfolio

• ASTRail
  Largest single EC contribution (EUR 346,495) — satellite-based signalling with formal methods, representing SIRTI's most substantial H2020 investment.
• STREAM
  Marks a strategic pivot into robotics and worker safety with exoskeletons and autonomous collision avoidance for railway maintenance — a departure from their traditional telecom focus.
• ETALON
  Addresses a fundamental infrastructure challenge — powering remote signalling equipment through energy harvesting — with direct commercial applicability to railway operators.