The Rees Jeffreys Road Fund is giving a grant to the hosts of the 2027 Intelligent Transport Systems World Congress in Birmingham to support their “Curiosity Box” they’ll showcase to Year 6 children in the run-up to, and at the event.
A Curiosity Box is an established curriculum-linked STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths) education resource, and one is being developed in time for the major global event in October next year. It will introduce children to concepts such as system thinking, transport safety, electrification, Net Zero, and a greener future in mobility, building excitement ahead of the Congress and leaving a long‑term legacy in schools across the West Midlands and beyond.
“Supporting education about roads and highways and how they can function effectively for all types of road users were key issues that William Rees Jeffreys was interested in, so I think this is the sort of project he would very much approve of us funding,” explained Rees Jefferys Road Fund trustee Neil Hoose. “The trustees are very keen to continue funding projects that will mean roads work better for everyone, so when we learned that the World Congress team wanted to inspire the next generation with a Curiosity Box, it made sense for us to step forward.”
The Rees Jeffreys Road Fund is a grant-making charity established in 1950 by highways campaigner William Rees Jeffreys to promote better, safer road design, engineering, and aesthetics. It supports research, innovative projects, education, and, historically, the creation of more than “Roadside Rests” to improve the experience for all road users.
Transport for West Midlands, who are hosting the World Congress, have held an initial meeting of industry professionals to plan the creation of a Congress-specific Curiosity Box component, aligned to the National Curriculum. Those interested in contributing ideas should contact Katie Miller-White at TfWM for more details.
The ITS World Congress takes place from 25-29 October 2027 at the NEC, Birmingham. It is organised by ERTICO – ITS Europe and hosted by Transport for West Midlands. This event is widely agreed to be an exciting opportunity for the West Midlands to showcase the city, its history and the strides being made in moving forward the region’s Transport Eco System.
(Picture – RJRF)
