Transport bosses in west Yorkshire have signed a three-year research deal with Leeds University that could help the region unlock further funding.
The West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s (WYCA) transport committee agreed to provide around £100,000 towards research into how best to spend money on transport services.
Studies undertaken by the university’s Institute for Transport Studies will examine societal and technological developments that can improve local investment decisions.
The WYCA said that ‘refinement’ of techniques to assess the economic impact of transport spending would be ‘of great relevance’ to securing future Local Growth Deal funding and could win financial backing from the EU’s flagship Horizon 2020 project.
Analysis will be jointly directed, managed and evaluated by WYCA and the Institute.
WYCA chair and Wakefield Council leader, Cllr Peter Box said: ‘This agreement is in line with WYCA’s policy of working closely with West Yorkshire’s wide range of academic institutions and will help us develop a knowledge economy that helps us maximise the impact and value of our initiatives and policies.
‘We will use this programme agreed with the University of Leeds today to explore further opportunities for collaboration with other academic institutions in our City Region.’
WYCA transport committee chair, Cllr Keith Wakefield, said: ‘Developing a transport network for the Leeds City Region that supports strong economic growth, the creation of new jobs and widespread house building means us making decisions based on robust information.
'Working with the excellent Institute for Transport Studies through this programme will help us to develop a world class approach to planning for the future.’
Dr Karen Lucas, director of research at the institute said: ‘This is an important and exciting opportunity to translate the best evidence from our extensive scientific research into successful practical delivery on the ground.’
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