From September 26 to 28, 2024, in the beautiful setting of Sveti Martin na Muri, the 2nd International Conference on Sustainable Transport – SuTra 2024 – was held.
The event, organized by the Department for Logistics and Sustainable Mobility at the University North and the Faculty of Maritime Studies at the University of Rijeka, brought together more than 150 domestic and international experts in the fields of transport, logistics, urban planning, and related disciplines. Over three days of intense discussions, presentations, and panel sessions, key aspects of sustainable mobility were explored.

Opening Ceremony: Shared Goals of Education and the Profession

The conference was officially opened with welcome speeches by the Vice-Rector for Teaching and Student Affairs at the University North, Assoc. Prof. Vlado Tropša, Ph.D., and the Dean of the Faculty of Maritime Studies at the University of Rijeka, Prof. Ana Perić Hadžić, Ph.D. Representing the Rector of University North, Prof. Marin Milković, Ph.D., Vice-Rector Tropša emphasized that active participation in such events is essential for University North.
“Tracking innovations and changes in the profession, as showcased in conferences like this, allows us to implement these developments into our teaching process, thereby raising the quality of education for our students and advancing the profession regionally and internationally,” stated Vice-Rector Tropša.

Dean Perić Hadžić stressed the importance of connecting industry and educational institutions to find sustainable solutions that contribute to the development of transport and infrastructure. She highlighted that events like this not only create a platform for knowledge exchange but also foster networking among experts, encouraging collaborative efforts to address modern transportation challenges.

The attendees were also greeted by Rudi Grula, Director of the Tourist Board of Međimurje County, and Josip Grivec, Deputy Prefect of Međimurje County, both of whom played a significant role in supporting the organization of this event.

Diverse Program: Discussions, Presentations, and Panel Sessions

Building on the success of the first edition held in 2022 in Opatija, SuTra 2024 offered a rich and diverse program that included eight thematic sessions, four panel discussions, and two keynote presentations. Topics ranged from the collaboration between local authorities and institutions on improving traffic safety and sustainable infrastructure development to the role of rural mobility in supporting rural tourism, and the impact of generative artificial intelligence on transportation systems.

Key themes such as sustainable transport, smart cities, maritime and land transport, as well as air, rail, and road transportation, were at the heart of engaging discussions throughout the conference. Of particular interest was a panel on the opportunities for collaboration between higher education institutions through the Civitas program, which brings together educational institutions and professionals to improve knowledge and practices in the field of sustainable mobility.

As part of the conference, renowned international experts Sergio A. Useche and Stephanie E. Trpkov delivered two keynote speeches. Additionally, there was a book launch for “Energy Transition – The Hydrogen Paradigm”, authored by Darko Pavlović and Melita Srpak. In the context of European policies and global efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, this book provides a valuable contribution to understanding the potential of hydrogen technologies as solutions for the future.

Global Perspective, Local Solutions: The Importance of Multidisciplinary Collaboration

One of the key messages of the SuTra 2024 conference was the importance of collaboration between different disciplines and sectors in order to develop and implement sustainable transportation solutions successfully. Experts agreed that solutions in the transport sector must be integrated with urban planning, environmental protection, and social development. Only through joint efforts, experience-sharing, and continuous research can strategies be created that meet current needs while ensuring sustainable development for future generations.

The SuTra conference has already become a recognized platform for discussing transport issues and exchanging ideas among professionals. Through this conference, University North and the Faculty of Maritime Studies at the University of Rijeka continue their commitment to advancing the profession and strengthening cooperation between the academic community, industry, and public institutions.

Additionally, the conference was attended by University North’s Vice-Rectors, Prof. Anica Hunjet, Ph.D., and Prof. Goran Kozina, Ph.D., as well as the Faculty of Maritime Studies’ Vice-Deans, Assoc. Prof. David Brčić, Ph.D., Assoc. Prof. Srđan Žuškin, Ph.D., and Prof. Edvard Tijan, Ph.D. Heads of departments and divisions at University North also attended, including Prof. Krešimir Buntak, Ph.D., Assoc. Prof. Predrag Brlek, Ph.D., Prof. Dinko Primorac, Ph.D., and Assoc. Prof. Tomislav Veliki, Ph.D.

We are excited to announce that the official program for the SuTra 2024 International Conference on Sustainable Transport is now available! Taking place from September 26-28, 2024 at Terme Sveti Martin, Croatia, this prestigious event will bring together leading experts, researchers, and professionals from around the world to explore innovative solutions in sustainable mobility.

Organized by University North and Faculty of Maritime Studies, University of Rijeka, the conference will feature a range of keynote presentations, panel discussions, and interactive sessions focusing on the latest trends and challenges in the field of transport sustainability. Participants will also have the opportunity to network and exchange ideas on how to drive the future of sustainable transportation.

We look forward to welcoming you to this inspiring event!

Registration for the SuTra2024 is open until September 10, 2024. Organizers are encouraging all interested participants to seize this opportunity and register via the official conference website at this link.

Authors are also reminded to confirm their preferred article publication type and presentation format. These details were previously sent to corresponding authors in earlier notifications, so anyone who hasn’t yet responded is encouraged to do so as soon as possible.

Regarding accommodation, reservations can be made directly with the hotel after August 20. Detailed information on accommodation and travel is available at this link.

The organizers thank everyone who has already completed these steps and look forward to your participation in the conference.

Don’t Miss Out – Join Us at SuTra2024!

We are pleased to release the draft program for the SuTra2024 Conference. This conference offers a unique opportunity to exchange knowledge and experiences on key topics related to traffic safety and sustainable infrastructure development.

The conference will commence with an opening ceremony, followed by a panel session dedicated to the cooperation between local authorities and institutions in enhancing traffic safety and sustainable infrastructure development. This will be followed by a panel session focusing on improving rural mobility and its impact on rural tourism development.

Throughout the day, you will have the opportunity to attend presentations of research abstracts and discussions on ongoing projects and innovations in the field of sustainable mobility and logistics.

In addition to the academic program, there will be an excursion featuring a hop-on hop-off winery tour through the vineyards of Međimurje, sponsored by the Tourist Association of Međimurje County. The evening will conclude with a relaxing dinner at Pub Potkova, accompanied by a DJ and for the other days, check the attached draft program.

Please note that the final version of the program will be released one week before the conference. We look forward to your participation and believe that this year’s conference will be exceptionally valuable and inspiring.

We are proud to announce our first keynote speaker Prof. Dr. Sergio A. Useche form University of Valencia, Spain with his lecture “Large-scale challenges require large-scale insights: Invigorating evidence-based active and sustainable transport solutions”

Abstract

While the current Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs 2030) provide a comprehensive framework to approach transport sustainability (the what), the avenues for translating it into practice (the how) remain undisclosed for many stakeholders. This entails key risks such as conducting ineffective, theoretically-weak, contextually unaware, or just redundant interventions targeted at promoting active/sustainable travel modes.

Apart from representing a frequent constraint in mobility decision-making, the current research gaps pose the challenge of invigorating, improving, and connecting evidence-based outcomes to benefit several strategic sectors, including policy, practice, planning, and advocacy.

Nevertheless, the past years –along with both successful and improvable experiences– have helped visibilizing the importance of increasing large-scale research on active/massive transportation affairs, especially regarding users’ attitudinal and behavioral factors, addressing strategic groups for sustainable mobility such as pedestrians, public transport users, and cyclists.

This keynote lecture aims to address key current trends in user-based sustainable travel research, and how it can contribute to conduct better interventions. It will append some interesting research drifts, translation-to-practice tips, and original large-scale research outcomes gathered through the past two editions of the “Bike-Barometer” study, which has so far constituted the largest cyclist-focused study conducted across the five continents.

Short bio-pic

Dr. Sergio A. Useche is a professor at the University of Valencia (Spain). His research focuses on sustainable and active transport from a human factors approach. His key interests include user-based transport decarbonization, behavioral constraints for sustainability, and safety issues in cycling, walking, and automated mobility. He has spoken at over 45 international conferences, contributed to more than 30 funded research projects, and published over 100 indexed scientific papers.

Ranked as one of the Top 2% most influential researchers worldwide (Stanford Ranking) and with more than 2000 Scopus citations, his work is highly regarded in several journals. He serves as an Associate Editor for publishing groups such as Elsevier, PLOS, SAGE, and Frontiers. He has also received two “Top 1% Peer Reviewer” awards from Web of Science and is part of the Research Institute on Traffic and Road Safety (INTRAS), which was recently awarded the Medal of Honor in Road Safety by the Spanish Government.

We are delighted to announce that registration for the SuTra2024 conference is now open. The conference will take place from September 26th to 28th, 2024, at Terme Sveti Martin, Croatia. This international event focuses on sustainable transport and brings together experts from academia, industry, and the public sector to discuss solutions for reducing the negative impact of transport systems on the environment.

Register now to secure your spot at this important conference!

The Second International Conference on SUstainable TRAnsport (SuTra), organised by the University North (Koprivnica, Croatia) and the Faculty of Maritime Studies (University of Rijeka, Croatia), invite you to join us this September. SuTra 2024 conference provides a unique platform for the exchange of knowledge, ideas and the latest research in the field of sustainable transport. Our goals are to encourage multidisciplinary discussions and improve understanding of key challenges and opportunities in this area. We invite authors to submit their abstracts and become part of this important event. In this call, we inform you that the deadline for abstract submition has been extended to June 15, and the deadline for notification of acceptance to June 30. Abstract submissions can made through the official website of the conference sutra-conference.com. Detailed instructions for submitting works are available on the website.

The second International Conference on SUstainable TRAnsport (SuTra), organised by the University North (Koprivnica, Croatia) and the Faculty of Maritime Studies (University of Rijeka, Croatia), invite you to join us this September. The conference is focused on multidisciplinary research, development, and operational experiences aiming to discuss optimal scientific and engineering solutions to reduce the negative environmental impact of transportation systems. This must essentially be conducted by interdisciplinary approach and considering different means of all transport modes: maritime and inland, rail, road and air services, together with inevitable information and telecommunication technologies.

You can find more information in the attachment below.

It is our pleasure to invite you to participate at the SuTra 2024 Conference – the second International Conference on SUstainable TRAnsport, proudly organised by the University North (Koprivnica, Croatia) and the Faculty of Maritime Studies (University of Rijeka, Croatia). The conference is focused on multidisciplinary research, development, and operational experiences aiming to discuss optimal scientific and engineering solutions to reduce the negative environmental impact of transportation systems. This must essentially be conducted by interdisciplinary approach and considering different means of all transport modes: maritime and inland, rail, road and air services, together with inevitable information and telecommunication technologies.

You can find more information in the attachment below.

Welcome to the SuTra 2024 Conference!