NTRO recently sent a delegation to the International Road Federation (IRF) World Congress in Istanbul, Turkey. This gathering of transport professionals was an excellent forum for NTRO to share Australian perspectives on innovative transport solutions and learn from international counterparts.

Our experts engaged in various technical and special sessions throughout the week and had the opportunity to connect with like-minded innovators from around the world.
NTRO’s Chief Executive Officer Michael Caltabiano, spoke at several sessions including a ministerial meeting with representatives from multiple nations. He shared Australia's approach to asset management, providing findings that other nations could adapt for their local contexts. He also addressed critical and scalable innovations driving transformative change in transport and sustainable financing plans.
Our NTRO experts made significant contributions in several gatherings throughout the week:
- Javad Yaghoubi presented on advances in new material science for road infrastructure, with a focus on recycled materials. He also shared insights on using locally available marginal materials for road pavement applications in rural development contexts.
- Petar Davcev discussed innovations in sustainable roads and extracting value from end-of-life tires, contributing to the dialogue on climate-resilient and decarbonised road infrastructure.
- Melissa Lyons shared expertise on next-generation technology and asset management, as well as strategies for incorporating sustainable materials in transport infrastructure.
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The congress's format of technical and special sessions provided an ideal environment for in-depth discussions and knowledge exchange. NTRO experts not only shared their insights but also gained valuable knowledge from international case studies and emerging technologies presented by researchers and industry experts from around the world.
The insights gained will inform NTRO's ongoing research and help shape innovative, sustainable transport solutions for Australia's future.