POLIS - ALICE Webinar Series 2024: Physical internet-led innovation

This year, POLIS will once again be joining the European Technology Platform ALICE to deliver a webinar series on the future of urban freight, bringing public and private actors together for another set of events exploring the ins and outs of logistics.

In 2024, five webinars (some public and some addressed to POLIS and ALICE members only) will focus on several much-debated topics by logistics professionals, such as physical-internet-led innovation, the role played by artificial intelligence, data space for urban logistics, e-commerce, and SULPs implementation, among others. Participating in any of these is a unique chance to learn how public-private partnerships are being deployed in novel ways to leverage cutting-edge digital technologies and innovative approaches. It does also provide an opportunity to hear about new concepts and opportunities between ongoing EU-funded projects and ongoing initiatives. Some of the webinars will be public, some of them addressed to POLIS and ALICE members only.

On the first webinar of the upcoming series

The first webinar is public and focuses on Physical-Internet (PI) innovation. Physical Internet is a concept for system-thinking of city infrastructures like computing assets that can be provisioned 'on-demand' through the cloud like 'Infrastructure as a Service' (IaaS) concepts. PI proposes pooling resources and assets in open, connected, synchro-modal and shared networks so that they can be used seamlessly by network users and partners.

In a PI environment, real-time freight data sharing and route optimisations become critical tools for operators, allowing swift response to delays, reducing dwell times, and realizing efficiency benefits. PI advocates for greater policy consistency in data-sharing ecosystems, urging city governments to adopt a collaborative, data-driven approach to policymaking and sustainable planning.

We will hear more from the ongoing EU-funded DISCO and URBANE projects and how they aim to embrace the PI concept, likening the last mile to data packet movement on the internet.

Context of the webinar

POLIS has had a long-standing partnership since 2019 with ALICE, working together to forge synergies between projects, initiatives, cities-regions and companies to accelerate innovation on urban freight.

At the POLIS Conference 2021, the first milestone of the strategic dialogue was achieved, with the release of the joint Guide 'Advancing together towards zero emissions urban logistics by 2030'. It aims to bring together the views of a wide range of stakeholders and experts to guide local and regional authorities, national and EU governments, companies, civil society, and citizens in their contribution to more sustainable and liveable cities.

The European Commission shows a clear interest in sustainable solutions for urban freight and logistics. The two networks play a key role in supporting EU Services in such a process, as the leading and influential voice for cooperation between cities, regions and companies. POLIS and ALICE – along with ACEA – are co-leading the subgroup on urban logistics within the Expert Group on Urban Mobility (EGUM), set up by the EU Commission at the end of 2022, to provide recommendations to implement the 2021 Urban Mobility Framework.