Dear readers,

The 2020 - 2023 Strategic Plan, which will guide PIARC's activities over the next four years, was approved by our Council at the end of last year. Its implementation has already started actively, with kick-off meetings of our new Committees held at the Gustave Eiffel University (Grand Paris, France) in January and February. More than 1,000 experts from over 50 countries were invited to gather to take ownership of their objectives and define their work plans.

Some lessons have already emerged, which I share hereinafter:

- The decision to appoint the Chairmen and Secretaries of the Committees six months in advance is bearing fruit. The detailed terms of reference that were drawn up have thus been adopted without difficulty by the experts in charge of their implementation, and the activities of identifying good practices, organizing surveys, etc. have begun.

- Our experts have also embraced the broader range of deliverables proposed to them. In this way, in addition to the technical reports for which our Association is renowned, we will be able to produce and disseminate case studies, briefing notes, webinars, seminars, position papers, and so on.

- The delivery schedule for these productions now spans over the entire four-year cycle, with the first PIARC products of the cycle expected by the end of 2020.

- The cross-cutting themes of innovation, road safety, resilience and climate change are to be found in many Committees.

We are therefore already in good order to best meet the expectations of our members and of the road community: more diverse knowledge-sharing products that address a variety of needs, and that will be delivered in a shorter timeframe.

Best regards,

Patrick Malléjacq