A team of PhD Students, conducting research at the Smart Connected Vehicles Innovation Center of University of Ottawa in Kanata North Campus, is organizing this event. This event aims to foster discussions on the current state of autonomous vehicles (AV) research and the key policy challenges with a focus on Canada. The planned activities will help the audience explore how government policies can support or hinder the development and deployment of autonomous vehicles, and how research can inform policy decision-making.

The draft event flow for this 2-hour and hybrid session is as follows:

Opening Speech (5 min): Professor Burak Kantarci, the founding director of the Smart Connected Vehicles Innovation Center (SCVIC) – Kanata, will kick off the event with opening remarks.

Talk 1 (20 min): PhD Candidate and researcher in SCVIC, Didem Cicek Simsek, will make a presentation on the impact of government policies on the deployment of autonomous vehicles.  Real-world case studies where government policies have impacted the development and adoption of autonomous vehicles will also be presented.

Case Study (10 min): PhD Student and researcher in SCVIC, Arda Onsu, will present a real-world case study where his research in safe driving systems can support policy making at the city level.

Talk 2 (15 min): A representative from Area X.O. (research complex in smart mobility solutions in Ottawa) will deliver a talk on their collaborations with the Province and their ongoing projects.

Coffee Break- 10 minutes

Group Exercise on Stakeholder Mapping (40 min): The participants will be divided into small groups and they will be assigned different roles or tasks. Details will be provided during the workshop. The group work will last 20 minutes and each group will present their ideas in the following 20 minutes. There will be an award for the best group presentation.

Networking with Pizza Served – 20 minutes: The attendees will enjoy pizza while networking with each other.