REFINET is a Coordination Support Action (CSA) funded by the European Commission, started on May 1, 2015 and ended on April 30, 2017. Its objective was to create a sustainable network integrating relevant stakeholders’ representatives of all transport modes (road, railway, maritime, fluvial…) and transport infrastructure sectors in order to develop a shared European vision on how should be specified, designed, built or renovated, and maintained the multimodal European transport infrastructure network of the future (including, but not only, cross-modal aspects), in order to enhance the effectiveness of the sector, and to elaborate a Strategic Implementation Plan (SIP) that will define the innovation activities that are required to make this vision a reality.

REFINET fostered a systematic exchange of information, sought for sharing results across Europe and delivers elements needed to create a platform for common understanding and responding to common problems in a systematic and agreed way. As such, the REFINET coordinated activities led to increased dissemination of know-how and emerging innovation, to cross-fertilisation between communities’ members and their various disciplines (transport mode operators, infrastructures managers, contractors, etc.), while at the same time provided inceptive elements to build future knowledge spaces that will cross the boundaries between organisations and communities involved in future transport infrastructures: the REFINET network gathered together various stakeholders from quite different profiles and expertise involved in increasing complex infrastructures and services (and therefore processes) – sustaining the improvement and effectiveness of the sector.

The REFINET Network was open not only to European stakeholders, but also to non-European stakeholders.

In order to maximize synergies, a close interaction between three European CSAs in Transport Infrastructure (REFINET, FOX and USE-iT) took place.

The follow-up of REFINET results is now managed by the ECTP I&M Committee.