The European Union is promoting a comprehensive modernization drive for supply chain management with the IKIGAI project. The goal is to fundamentally transform logistics structures in Europe using the Physical Internet (PI) by 2040. The project began in May 2025 and will run until the end of 2028. According to the initiators, the EU is providing around 10 million euros through the Horizon Europe research framework program. The total budget amounts to 11 million euros.
Integration of Physical and Digital Processes
The Physical Internet aims to eliminate the separation between goods flow and data processing. As stated in the announcement by the project managers, the initiative seeks a closer coupling of goods, carriers, data, and algorithms. This is intended to reduce existing inefficiencies in European logistics.
The background is the growing competition from Asia and
North America, increasingly dominating the European market for digital logistics solutions. At the same time, European companies are under pressure because the shortage of driving personnel, insufficient handling and storage capacities, and infrastructure problems make the use of combined transport difficult.
Gruber Logistics as a Strategic Project Partner
The South Tyrol-based logistics company Gruber Logistics is one of the central partners of the initiative. According to the project management, the company takes responsibility for a central work package: the development of standardized procedures for emission accounting. The aim is to avoid double-counting and erroneous or manipulated data when using sustainable fuels.
"To achieve decarbonized logistics and thereby emission-free road freight transport by 2050, competitiveness and ecological sustainability must go hand in hand. IKIGAI helps Europe to pool competencies and merge the coordination of physical and
digital workflows for optimized resource use through the Physical Internet," explains Andrea Condotta, Director Public Affairs, Innovation & Sustainability at Gruber Logistics and Vice President of ALICE.
International Participation and Coordination
IKIGAI is coordinated by the Italian consulting company FIT Consulting. Project manager Paola Cossu emphasized the aim to "bring Europe to the forefront of this transformation process" while also building international bridges. This also applies with regard to initiatives in Japan, China, and the USA.
At the kick-off in Rome in July 2025, alongside European participants, experts from Japan and the United States were also present. Through the ALICE platform (Alliance for Logistics Innovation through Collaboration in Europe), there are also contacts with the Chinese delegation in the ISO Committee for innovative logistics.
Broad Project Partnership in Implementation
In addition to Gruber Logistics and
ALICE, several other organizations are involved in the project under the leadership of FIT Consulting. These include GS1, the Centre for Research & Technology Hellas (CERTH), the Smart Freight Centre, inlecom Innovation, PNO Innovation, and the Institute of Communication and Computer Systems (ICCS). The partners plan to collaborate continuously over the next three and a half years to develop global standards and sustainably improve Europe's logistics performance.
Goal: Decarbonized Logistics by 2050
The project aims for a far-reaching transformation of European logistics by mid-century. In the long term, emission-free road freight transport is to be realized. Gruber Logistics emphasizes in the project description that economic efficiency and environmental compatibility must be harmonized. This is to be achieved through the use of the Physical Internet, which enables seamless linking of transport processes and digital applications. (av)
