André Vits studied electromechanical engineering and holds a PhD in Applied Sciences from the University of Leuven, where he became a lecturer on Traffic Control and Transport Management. In 1988 he joined the European Commission for the launch of the DRIVE 1 and DRIVE 2 RTD programmes. Since the end of 2001, he has been Head of Unit and in charge of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) for Transport in Directorate-General Information Society and Media. Current activities focus on intelligent vehicle safety systems, The unit is also responsible for the Intelligent Car Initiative, which is an i2010 flagship project, and the eSafety Initiative.