During the SINFONICA project participatory engagement activities have been conducted within the four Groups of Interest (GOI) established in four research sites: Trikala (Greece), Noord-Brabant (Netherlands), West Midlands (United Kingdom), and Hamburg (Germany). These activities aimed to gather insights from citizens and stakeholders – particularly people with mobility challenges and people in vulnerable situations – regarding their mobility needs, perceptions, and expectations related to Connected, Cooperative, and Automated Mobility (CCAM) solutions. A report on these activities will be published as Deliverable D3.1 which will become publicly available soon.

Through three specific rounds of engagement – consisting of structured interviews, focus groups, and stakeholder workshops – the project involved over 280 citizens from diverse backgrounds and more than 100 stakeholder representatives. This participatory process was designed to ensure inclusivity and local relevance, and it was adapted to the specific socio-demographic characteristics of each GOI. These local activities were complemented by a broader EU-wide survey, which collected over 4,900 responses across multiple countries, further enriching the dataset with a wider range of user perspectives.

The report is going to document both the methodological approach and the practical implementation of these engagement activities, highlighting successful stories, challenges encountered, and lessons learned for each of the research sites involved. Key findings include the importance of accessibility, trust, affordability, and clear communication in shaping public attitudes toward CCAM. The work also underscored the value of tailored engagement strategies, cross-sectoral collaboration, and the early involvement of local stakeholders and communities of people with mobility challenges.

The qualitative and quantitative data collected through these activities contributed directly to several core components of the project:

  • Simulation Tool: GOI and survey data informed the construction of four context-specific simulation use cases, representing realistic travel demand patterns and user heterogeneity (including different types of people with mobility challenges). These simulations are key to assessing the performance and inclusiveness of CCAM scenarios in real urban contexts.
  • Knowledge Map Explorer (KME): The insights gathered through interviews, focus groups, workshops, and the EU survey were systematically analysed and integrated into the Research Results section of the KME. GOIs also played a key role in the design, testing, and iterative improvement of the tool, helping to define user requirements and thematic navigation pathways. Their feedback ensured that the KME reflects real-world needs and allows policymakers and practitioners to explore evidence in an accessible, user-driven way.
  • Recommendations and Guidance: The findings from the GOI activities were critically reviewed and synthesized into an initial set of strategic recommendations. These address systemic enablers and barriers to inclusive CCAM, such as data privacy concerns, the need for transparent governance frameworks, and the importance of aligning technological innovation with social equity and accessibility objectives.

Moreover, the deliverable will present site-specific success stories, demonstrating the added value of localized, human-centric engagement. Among these, the creation of durable stakeholder networks, early policy uptake of results, and test planning for CCAM pilots stand out as concrete impacts of the GOI activities.

Overall, the report is going to provide a comprehensive overview of how participatory research was operationalised across diverse European contexts and how it contributes to the societal readiness of CCAM technologies through inclusive, context-aware innovation.

Author: FHH (Stephanie Keßler)

Keywords: CCAM, mobility challenges, participatory engagement activities, workshops, interviews, focus groups, deliverable

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