ADEME is supporting scientific research aimed at creating the right conditions for sustainable development in France. For example, it has been actively involved since 1990 in the Predit land transport research and innovation programme in France.

Since 2002, Predit 3 has been supporting around 1,600 research and innovation projects aimed at ensuring sustainable mobility for people and freight, increasing transport system safety, and reducing environmental impact and greenhouse gas emissions. ADEME is highly involved in defining the directions and the structure of the Predit 3 programme, as well as steering research projects dealing with energy and environmental issues for which it is also the main financial sponsor. The Agency’s Air, Noise and Energy Efficiency Department (DABEE) is one of the leading stakeholders. As the programme’s main financial backer, the Agency has supported 339 research projects through a total financial contribution of 77.61 million euros, based around five topics: Mobility, regions and sustainable development; Logistics and freight transport; Energy and the environmental impact of transport; Clean and economic vehicles; and Transport policies.
ADEME’s support does not stop there. In order to encourage sharing Predit 3’s results as widely as possible, the results of fifty of these research projects financed by ADEME have been made available online in the form of “example to follow” sheets on the Transport page of the www.ademe.fr/eas website.

FROM PREDIT 3 TO PREDIT 4
Predit 3 ended in 2007, giving way to Predit 4 (2008-2012), which will incorporate the priorities established at the “Grenelle environment” roundtable (energy efficiency, development of non-road transport, conservation of biodiversity, etc.). With a budget of 400million euros (33% more than Predit 3), this 4th round will be more international in scope, and will in particular focus on improved coordination with European programmes.