On October 1, 2022, the three-year Horizon Europe projects V4SAFETY and SUNRISE have started. The main objective of V4SAFETY is to provide a comprehensive procedure for conducting computer simulations to determine the long-term performance and impact of road safety solutions, from the
perspective of a motorized vehicle. The project deals with the complete assessment process, from the identification and collection of the relevant input data to the projection of the results to a region of interest (e.g., the EU) and a prediction of changes in performance and impact that might be expected in the coming years.

The predecessor project of SUNRISE called HEADSTART, has explored the state-of-the-art safety validation approaches and procedures to define a common standard methodology for testing, validation and certification, based on consensus building among all CCAM stakeholders. A first concept has been defined in the project using virtual testing, XiL, proving ground testing and field testing, and including Key Enabling Technologies.

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Evolving from the achievements obtained in HEADSTART and taking other initiatives as a baseline, it becomes necessary to move to the next level in the concrete specification and demonstration of a commonly accepted Safety Assurance Framework (SAF) for the safety validation of CCAM systems, including a broad portfolio of use cases and comprehensive test and validation tools. This will be done in SUNRISE, which stand for Safety assUraNce fRamework for connected, automated mobIlity SystEms. The Safety Assurance Framework is the main element to be developed in the SUNRISE project. It takes a central role, fulfilling the needs of different automotive stakeholders that all have their own interests in using it. The overall objective of the SUNRISE project is to accelerate the safe deployment of innovative CCAM technologies and systems for passengers and goods by creating demonstrable and positive impact towards safety, specifically the EU’s long-term goal of moving close to zero fatalities and serious injuries by 2050 (Vision Zero), and the resilience of (road) transport systems. The project aims to achieve this by creating and sharing a European federated database framework centralising detailed scenarios for testing of CCAM functions and systems in a multitude of relevant test cases based on a virtual harmonised simulation environment with standardised, open interfaces and quality-controlled data exchange.