SYNERGIES Co-Creation Workshop

Helping to Shape the Future European Scenario Dataspace.

10th September 2026 - Alistair Gollop for ITS Now

The SYNERGIES Co-creation Workshop in Brussels offered a clear glimpse of how Europe intends to shape the next generation of scenario-based safety validation for connected and automated mobility. It was a focused, in-person gathering, deliberately limited in size to encourage genuine exchange between OEMs, suppliers, standardisation bodies, type-approval specialists and research organisations. What emerged was a shared recognition that Europe is moving from conceptual ambition to practical design, particularly in the way scenarios are generated, prioritised and governed across a federated landscape.

The workshop centred on two intertwined themes. The first was scenario generation for safety validation, a topic that has grown in urgency as automated driving systems mature and authorities seek dependable methods to assess them. The second was the governance of a future European Federated Platform, a structure intended to support trusted sharing of scenarios and data across the CCAM ecosystem. Both themes were treated not as abstract aspirations but as areas demanding concrete decisions, shaped by the needs of those who will rely on the resulting tools and frameworks.

Scenario generation has long been recognised as a cornerstone of safety validation. The Brussels discussions made it clear that Europe is now ready to define which scenarios matter most and how they should be produced. Participants explored the high-impact use cases that must be prioritised, reflecting the environments and behaviours where automated systems face the greatest safety-critical challenges. These ranged from complex urban interactions to motorway situations where subtle variations in traffic flow can expose weaknesses in perception, prediction or control. The workshop also examined the barriers that currently hinder the sharing and reuse of scenarios, including inconsistent formats, differing validation philosophies and the absence of a common governance model.

A live demonstration of scenario generation through the SYNERGIES Marketplace provided a practical anchor for these discussions. It showed how real and synthetic scenarios can be produced, refined and made available to stakeholders, offering a preview of how a future European Scenario Dataspace might operate. Participants were invited to critique the usability of the tools, identify gaps and suggest optimisation opportunities. This hands-on approach helped shift the conversation from theoretical alignment to operational readiness, highlighting the importance of intuitive interfaces, transparent metadata and clear provenance tracking.

The governance of the European Federated Platform formed the second major pillar of the workshop. Governance is often treated as a dry administrative layer, yet in Brussels it was framed as the mechanism that will determine whether Europe can build a trustworthy and sustainable scenario ecosystem. Stakeholders discussed roles and responsibilities, exploring how ownership, access rights and quality assurance should be structured. They also considered business model elements that could support long-term viability, recognising that a federated dataspace must balance openness with accountability.

One of the most striking aspects of the governance debate was the emphasis on trust. Automated mobility depends on confidence in the data and scenarios used to validate systems. Without clear rules on how scenarios are generated, shared and updated, trust erodes quickly. The workshop therefore examined governance options that could ensure transparency, maintain scenario integrity and support interoperability across national and organisational boundaries. These discussions acknowledged that Europe’s diversity is both a strength and a challenge, requiring a governance model that respects local needs while enabling continental coherence.

The event built on earlier conversations held the previous day during a co-creation workshop on software-defined vehicle standards, organised by SAE Europe and CLEPA. This continuity helped maintain momentum, allowing participants to carry forward insights on standardisation and apply them to the scenario-based validation landscape. It also reinforced the idea that scenario generation, validation frameworks and vehicle standards are not isolated domains but interdependent components of a broader CCAM ecosystem.

Throughout the day, the tone was one of purposeful collaboration. Europe’s CCAM community has reached a point where the complexity of automated mobility demands shared solutions. No single organisation can generate all necessary scenarios, or define governance rules that satisfy the entire ecosystem. The workshop therefore served as a microcosm of the federated approach Europe is striving to build, where contributions from diverse stakeholders combine to create a richer, more reliable validation environment.

The discussions also highlighted the importance of prioritisation. Europe cannot attempt to model every conceivable scenario, so the identification of high-impact cases becomes essential. Prioritisation ensures that resources are directed where they will deliver the greatest safety benefit, supporting authorities, developers and operators as they navigate the transition from assisted to automated mobility. The workshop’s structured approach to identifying these priorities demonstrated a maturity in thinking that will be vital as the federated platform evolves.

As the day concluded, it was clear that the SYNERGIES Co-creation Workshop had achieved more than a set of technical discussions. It provided a shared space where Europe’s CCAM community could align on the principles that will underpin scenario-based safety validation for years to come. It also reinforced the value of co-creation itself, showing that meaningful progress emerges when stakeholders are invited not only to comment but to shape the tools and frameworks that they will ultimately use.

The workshop’s outcomes will inform the ongoing development of the SYNERGIES project and the future European Scenario Dataspace. They will also influence how authorities, industry and researchers collaborate on safety validation, ensuring that Europe’s approach remains grounded in practical needs and guided by collective expertise. With automated mobility advancing rapidly, the decisions made in Brussels yesterday will help define how Europe ensures safety, builds trust and supports innovation across the CCAM landscape.