The DISCO consortium met up in Cologne for an exciting two-day event. The goal? Discussing progress and the steps forward!
The DISCO project consortium convened in Cologne, Germany, on October 16–17, 2024, for a partner meeting hosted by Rupprecht Consult. This two-day event gathered leading stakeholders in sustainable urban logistics to assess progress, share insights, and strategize the next phases of the DISCO initiative. Wolfgang Backhaus, warmly welcomed the DISCO partners and highlighted crucial points and linkages between DISCO, the EU Cities Mission, and NetZeroCities.
The Cologne meeting featured keynote presentations from members of the Impact Creation Board for Transformation (ICBT), notably Anne Goodchild of the Urban Freight Lab and Thomas Osdoba from NetZeroCities EU. Andreas Nettsträter, Open Logistics Foundation, and Marianne Ryghaug, SINTEF.
Their discussions emphasised the importance of open-source innovation and collaborative strategies in advancing urban logistics.
The meeting also facilitated knowledge exchange between Starring and Twinning Living Labs, aiming to scale DISCO’s innovative solutions to additional cities. This collaborative effort is central to DISCO’s mission of fostering sustainable and efficient urban logistics across Europe. On Day 1 we organised interactive breakout sessions in the afternoon on the progress of Starring Living Labs and one where project partners had the opportunity to engage with the ICBT experts. Day 2 continued with a focus on Twinning Living Labs, DISCO Data Space open software repository, follower sites, Key Exploitable Results validation (KERs).
The discussions also included the DISCO Meta Model Suite (MMS), a key component of the DISCO project aimed at improving urban logistics. It is designed to address the challenges posed by increasing urbanization, e-commerce, and environmental concerns. The MMS promotes collaboration, interoperability, and resource sharing, aligning with the principles of the Physical Internet
A highlight of the event was the recognition of outstanding achievements by the DISCO Starring Living Labs teams. Awards were presented to Copenhagen, Ghent, Thessaloniki, and Helsinki for their exemplary contributions to sustainable urban logistics solutions.