DiVINE – Digitalisation Vision Inland Navigation Europe
The DiVINE (Digitalisation Vision Inland Navigation Europe) project officially kicked off at the start of October 2025 and will run for 36 months, with the project website expected to be launched in December 2025.
Coordinated by the European IWT Platform and co-funded through the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), the project will support the European Commission DG MOVE in implementing the Digitalisation Vision for Inland Waterway Transport as part of the European Green Deal.
The DiVINE consortium brings together a strong partnership of organisations with extensive expertise in the sector:
- European IWT Platform
- Ecorys
- Danube Commission
- EICB
- viadonau
- Circle Group
DiVINE aims to turn the shared vision for digitalising the inland waterway transport sector into a concrete implementation plan and roadmap, guiding action towards 2035. This involves fostering closer cooperation between public and private stakeholders across all navigable EU river basins to make inland navigation a competitive, resilient, innovative, and digitally integrated mode of transport.
The project also addresses the following specific objectives:
Phase 1: To compose a list of all relevant stakeholders that need to be involved in the implementation process of the objectives set out in the IWT Digitalisation Vision.
Phase 2: To conduct desk research and one-to-one interviews with the relevant actors to further elaborate and refine the objectives of the IWT Digitalisation Vision.
Phase 3: To set up a stakeholder consultation process with all relevant stakeholders to discuss the role and commitment of the different categories of actors in the implementation process of the objectives set out in the IWT Digitalisation Vision, to meet them by 2035.
The five tasks set out in the Tender Specifications formed the general structure of this project.
Task 1 – Shareholder Mapping
Objective: to identify and map all stakeholders relevant to the IWT Digitalization Vision. This process provides an understanding of the actors involved in or affected by digital transformation within the IWT sector and prioritizes effective strategies for their involvement in the digitalization process.
Outputs:
– Detailed stakeholder mapping report – a comprehensive analysis of stakeholders, including their categorization, influence-interest levels, and potential roles in the digital transformation process, as outlined in the implementation plan and roadmap;
– Comprehensive stakeholder list and database – an organized repository containing contact information, key attributes, and other relevant details of all identified stakeholders.
Task 2 – Elaboration of the Objectives
Objective: to elaborate and refine the objectives of the IWT Digitalization Vision, to describe how the operationalized objectives address the four categories of digitalization challenges for IWT.
Outputs:
– Initial results from desk research and one-to-one interviews;
– The full analysis for the operationalised objectives, describing how effectively and efficiently the objectives address the underlying challenges.
Task 3 – Stakeholder Consultation Process
Objectives:
– To set up a stakeholder consultation process regarding the implementation of the IWT Digitalization Vision objectives based on the outcomes of Task 1 and Task 2.
– To implement the stakeholder consultation process, more precisely, to bring together all relevant actors identified under Task 1, and to discuss with them how the operationalized objectives from Task 2 should be implemented by 2035. In this process, the role and commitment of each stakeholder category are considered during the implementation process.
Outputs:
Task 3 is the main task of the project. The output of Task 3 also delivers the final and most important deliverable of this project. It will deliver a detailed plan and roadmap for the implementation of the IWT Digitalization Vision objectives. The implementation plan will be integrated into the final report.
Task 4 – Outreach Activities
Objective: to develop and execute a comprehensive outreach strategy to effectively disseminate the progress, outcomes, and benefits of the DiVINE project to a broad audience. This task focuses on informing and educating diverse stakeholders as mapped and identified in Task 1, thereby raising awareness and fostering a supportive environment for the project’s implementation and long-term success.
Outputs:
– A website dedicated to the project for the stakeholder consultation process and dissemination of project results;
– Presentation of results in Commission Expert Groups, such as NAIADES, DINA, and DTLF, as well as other platforms, such as meetings of River Commissions and CESNI.
Task 5 – Unforeseen tasks
Tasks unforeseen at the time this proposal was written will be delivered during the project at the EC’s request. The consortium members will be available to provide support where it is most needed.
Outputs:
Outputs for Task 5 are defined by the results of the unforeseen tasks delivered during the project. The consortium will report on the unforeseen tasks delivered in the first and second intermediate reports, as well as in the (draft) final report.
The DC’s involvement:
The DC provides support for the delivery of Tasks 1, 2, 3, and 5. Together with other project partners, the DC will perform research, analysis, surveying, reporting, and text drafting activities. Among others, the DC is responsible for the “Smart Administration” component of the Digitalization Vision objectives, which focuses on the reduction of administrative burden, supports the development of smart vessels, infrastructure, and data. This component is one of the key pillars to reach a fully-fledged concept of smart shipping in 2035, as governance and legislation will need to enable and facilitate smart data and its exchange on infrastructure, crew, vessels, and all IWT actors; paperless logistics; paperless freight and passenger transport, covering the financial, technical and operational levels while advancing safety, resilience, sustainability and security.