Polis – the Experience of the Tuscan Innovation Cluster in the Field of Sustainable Mobility

AbstractTuscany Region, in order to promote innovation and technology transfer according to the communication n° 323/2006 of the EU commission, constituted twelve clusters since July of 2011 within which POLIS – Pole of innovation on the technologies for the sustainable city – is the one focused on:•Mobility, flow management and organization of transport processes.•Cultural heritage, conservation, management and fruition.•Sustainable construction, new building materials, energy consumption reduction systems.Foundation for Research and Innovation (proponent and key-manager partner of POLIS) is highly active in the field of urban logistics, as a key sector where innovative solutions and policies could significantly ease traffic impacts and environmental implications.Research and technological innovation can play a significant role in the improvement of competitiveness of the sector, for example by means of interventions on:•Traffic and logistic flows reorganization and optimizing daily supplies to urban areas.•Spreading of networks of supply for low-emission vehicles and fleets.•Systems and services for mobile information, organization and integration of public transport services, land use planning and traffic management (infomobility).POLIS, born as grouping of 200 Tuscan SMEs, research centers, start-ups and associations, is now made of more than 600 partners (52% of them belonging to mobility sector) and it represents an Italian good practice, presently mentoring the start-up of other clusters in Spain, Portugal and Romania within the “Dorothy” (Development Of RegiOnal clusTers for researcH and implementation of environmental friendlY urban logistics) project, funded under the 7th framework Programme – Regions of Knowledge