Innovation Workshops

Held every one to two years, the iRAP Innovation Workshop brings together policy and technical leaders along with investment experts and those with the capacity to implement change and eliminate high-risk roads.

It includes global leaders who, together, will play a significant role in ensuring that safer infrastructure and safer vehicles deliver their potential in creating a safe road and transport system.

Now in its 13th year, previous Innovation Workshops have been held in Czech Republic, Sweden, USA, Australia, The Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and online.

Innovation Workshop 2026

iRAP’s 2026 Innovation Workshop will be held on 20 May in association with TRA2026 at Hungexpo in Budapest, Hungary.

The Transport Research Arena (TRA) is Europe’s biggest transport conference attracting 3,000 participants and 100-150 exhibitors from across the world drawn from industry, government, public administrations, transport operators, financing institutions, research and civil society. With the theme “ReGeneration in Transport”, TRA2026 from 18-21 May, will showcase new ideas, technological solutions and business models, explore challenges facing the global transport sector, and discuss the latest research and future developments in mobility and transport.

iRAP’s 2026 Innovation Workshop will bring together leaders and experts with a specific focus on building “Future Ready Roads for Safe, Sustainable Mobility”. Innovation and collaboration will be key to promoting safe, inclusive, green and efficient roads and transportation systems globally in this UN Decade of Sustainable Transport 2026-2035, building on and continuing the momentum of the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030. The one-day workshop will mobilise the world’s best minds and showcase the latest in road safety innovation, policy, technologies and investment helping to create a world free of high-risk roads. In addition, attendees will have access to TRA’s jam-packed four-day programme of plenary and scientific sessions, technical tours, interactive demonstrations and exhibition.

iRAP’s 2026 Innovation Workshop is free to attend for TRA2026 delegates and capacity is limited. For more information, click here.

Innovation Workshop 2023

iRAP was proud to host our 10th iRAP Innovation Workshop in Prague from 2-6 October 2023 in association with the XXVIIth World Road Congress, organised by PIARC World Road Association. What a busy week it was! From the 2-day Innovation Workshop, to presentations in stimulating Congress Foresight Sessions, the inaugural presentation of the iRAP Gary Liddle Memorial Trophy, the iRAP Innovation Dinner, and bilateral meetings with key partners and delegations – it was a pleasure to see old and new faces and share the amazing work of our partners and program across the world. The Innovation Workshop brought together 200 leaders and experts from 68 countries, as part of the World Roads Congress which included more than 60 Technical Sessions, Workshops and Foresight Sessions, and networking opportunities with 40+ Ministers, 3,500+ delegates and 300 exhibitors from 120 countries.

Read the Event Summary here.

Innovation Workshop 2021

The 2021 iRAP Innovation Workshop was held on 7 and 14 October 2021 and attracted 1,314 registrations from 124 countries. The 2-part online event with the theme “Data-Driven Innovation to Halve Road Fatalities and Injuries by 2030” brought together global innovation, AI, policy, technical and road safety leaders, along with investment experts, with the capacity to implement change and eliminate high-risk roads.

Big data and artificial intelligence can play a lead role in building the social and economic business case for safer roads and creating the scale of change needed to save millions of lives.

The event was co-hosted by Regional Road Safety Observatories (RRSO) in Africa (ARSO), Asia-Pacific (APRSO), Ibero-America (OISEVI), Europe (ERSO), Western Balkans (WBRSO) and Eastern Partnership Road Safety Observatory (EaP).

For a summary on this event please click here

Innovation Workshop 2020

The 2020 Innovation Workshop was held on 17 – 18 February 2020, as an official pre-event of the 3rd Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety. It was co-hosted by iRAP, the International Transport Forum and World Bank Global Road Safety Facility, with the support of UK Aid and the FIA Foundation. The Workshop brought together 140 road safety advocates, experts and stakeholders from 32 countries around the world.

With the theme “Achieving the UN Road Safety Targets by 2030”, presentations explored how innovation in planning, design, financing, upgrading roads and sharing success can help to provide the global structure needed to deliver the UN Global Road Safety Targets 3 and 4, harness the power of big data to save lives, create safer cities and journeys for vulnerable road users, and secure investment for impact on scale.

For a summary on this event please click here

Vision Zero & Innovation Workshop 2018

The Vision Zero and Innovation Workshop 2018 was hosted by iRAP, Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the World Resources Institute (WRI) from 28-29 November 2018 at the IDB Bank Cultural Centre in Washington DC, USA. With the announcement of the UN Global Road Safety Targets and catalytic action and impact called for as part of the establishment of the UN Road Safety Trust Fund, partnerships and innovation in financing, planning, design and delivery of transport services worldwide will be essential to meet ‘Vision Zero’. The 2018 Workshop focussed on Safer Cities, Vision Zero and iRAP Innovation, Policy Leadership and the UN Targets, Global Case Studies of Success, Road Safety Metrics and the Road Safety Observatories, Innovation Partnerships for the Future (Cities, Big Data, Designs and Light Data), Safer Roads by Policy and Design, and Health, Insurance and Road Safety Investment Innovation.

For a summary on this event please click here

iRAP Innovation Workshop 2017

The iRAP Innovation Workshop 2017 was held 8-10 November at the Automotive Campus in Helmond, Netherlands. Hosted by EuroRAP and the Royal Dutch Automobile Club (ANWB), with support from the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA), the FIA Foundation and the Road Safety Fund, the theme of the event was Tackling the transition to automated vehicles.

iRAP Innovation Workshop 2016

The iRAP Innovation Workshop 2016 was held at the World Bank Headquarters in Washington DC, USA. The UN Sustainable Development Goals set the challenge to halve road deaths and injuries by 2020 (Goal 3.6) as well as the achievement of safe, affordable, accessible and sustainable transport systems for all (Goal 11.2) and connected people and products via infrastructure to support economic development and human well-being (Goal 9.1). With four years to go until 2020, the Workshop explored innovation in leadership, policy, technology, implementation and funding to meet the UN SDGs.

iRAP Innovation Workshop 2015

The iRAP Innovation Workshop 2015, held at the Royal Horseguards Hotel, London, UK, provided a platform for partners using iRAP tools and those involved in road infrastructure safety more broadly to transfer their know-how quickly to each other through mutual support and friendly competition. The Workshop aimed to be a catalyst for innovation, investment, scale and capacity building to make the target of reducing road deaths to less than 600,000 per year achievable.

iRAP Innovation Workshop 2014

iRAP’s third Innovation Workshop was held at ARRB’s headquarters in Melbourne, Australia. The Workshop was hosted by AusRAP leaders The Australian Automobile Association (AAA), Royal Automobile Club of Victoria (RACV), Australian Road Research Board (ARRB), Transport Accident Commission (TAC) and VicRoads. A collection of 32 presentations from the workshop covered topics such as Star Ratings of roads, before-and-after upgrades, targeted road maintenance to improve safety and mobile phone probe data for traffic speed measurements.

iRAP Innovation Workshop 2013

In 2013, the world’s best in road infrastructure safety gathered at the World Bank in Washington for iRAP’s second Innovation Workshop. The Workshop was hosted by usRAP partners The American Automobile Association (AAA) FTS and MRIGlobal. This Workshop captured the enormous scale of effort being made in policy development, technical application and research around the world to save lives and serious injuries on safer roads globally.

iRAP Innovation Workshop 2012

The first iRAP Innovation Workshop was held at TRL Headquarters in Berkshire, UK and brought together experts in road safety engineering from around the world. Participants discussed ways in which innovation in methodology, technology, policy and processes would help support the massive growth in road assessments and ensure that results translated into life-saving road improvements.

Download the summary notes from the event here