About - HVT

We are updating vital transport research that reduces poverty and develops economies.

The High Volume Transport (HVT) Applied Research Programme, which is funded with UK Aid from the UK Government, is updating vital transport research that reduces poverty and develops economies. The aim of the programme is to make transport safer, greener, more affordable, accessible and inclusive in low-income countries.

Transport is key to economic development in low-income countries. It allows markets to move. It ensures economies move on and it helps people move up. It breathes life into the vital organs of society – local communities, workplaces, schools, hospitals, rural health centres and entrepreneurial opportunities.

So, how can we help make life better for the people living in low-income countries by developing better transport systems and make it better for all of us?

How do we do this when the global warming target is going down, infrastructure investments are going up and technical and operational disruption is manifest across the transport sector?

These are the complex, inter-related, challenging questions that the High Volume Transport Applied Research programme (HVT) will address.

Need for transport research in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia

There is a pressing need to transform transport in low-income countries. Yet, there is a lack of applicable evidence to inform important investments in a rapidly changing climate and transport environment. The evidence base for huge investment decisions is often out of date and inadequate.

The HVT programme will close this gap by providing a new ecosystem of knowledge about sustainable transport development in low-income countries.

HVT priority research areas

The HVT supports policy, engineering and technical research to improve transport for all and reduce its impact on the environment. This research will support African and Asian countries to develop strategic, cost effective, safe, and low carbon passenger and freight transport and transport services.

The priority research areas include:

The HVT research cycle

Stakeholder engagement is critical to the development of research projects and the uptake of research outcome. For every stage of the research cycle, the HVT PMU will identify specific stakeholders that will be involved and set out key objectives for each stage.

This will inform stakeholder ‘desired responses’ in terms of what key audiences need to know, think and do to drive success.

This guides the key messages we and our suppliers need to deliver. Working with the Research Suppliers, we will design tactics that will convey messages most effectively and creatively. This process will be repeated for each stage of the research cycle and is outlined in our Research Cycle model.