Institute for Applied Transport and Tourism Research

The Institut für Angewandte Verkehrs- und Tourismusforschung (IVT) is an independent German research and consulting organisation focused on mobility, transport and traffic. Based in Heilbronn, it positions itself as a scientific partner for public authorities and other clients that need empirical evidence on how people and vehicles move. Its self-described guiding principle is to combine the best methods of modern statistics and empirical transport research with current insights from economics, engineering and behavioural science, applying them both to academic investigations and to concrete problem-solving for clients. IVT's work is heavily oriented towards commissioned research for German federal bodies. Its website lists projects for the Bundesanstalt für Straßenwesen (BASt, the Federal Highway Research Institute) and the Bundesministerium für Digitales und Verkehr (BMDV, the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport). Recurring themes include vehicle mileage surveys (Fahrleistungserhebung), road traffic counting, road safety and occupant protection, and the large national mobility study "Mobilität in Deutschland" (MiD). The firm also works on vehicle-technical safety performance indicators derived from Euro NCAP assessments. As a research institute and consultancy rather than a manufacturer or retailer, IVT does not sell consumer products. Its "offerings" are studies, surveys, evaluations, methodological designs and advisory services. It presents itself as independent, which matters in a field where clients are often government departments and agencies that need neutral measurement and analysis. The institute communicates its project pipeline and results through its website, including news items about project starts, completions and final events. Because IVT is a small, specialised organisation, public information about its ownership, founding date and management is limited. Wikidata records it simply as a company in Heilbronn, Germany. Its visibility comes mainly through the studies it conducts for federal transport bodies and through its participation in major recurring surveys such as "Mobilität in Deutschland 2023" and the "Fahrleistungserhebung 2026". For a brand knowledge base, IVT is best classified as a business-to-government research and consulting brand in the transport and mobility domain.

The Institut für Angewandte Verkehrs- und Tourismusforschung (IVT) is a German research and consulting organisation based in Heilbronn. Public information about its founding and early history is sparse; Wikidata records it only as a company in Heilbronn, Germany, and its own website presents it as an independent research and consulting firm in the field of mobility, transport and traffic. The institute's identity is therefore best understood through the work it has carried out for German federal transport bodies rather than through a long corporate narrative. IVT's guiding principle, as stated on its website, is to apply the best available methods of modern statistics and empirical transport research, combined with current economic, engineering and behavioural-science approaches, both in scientific investigations and in developing concrete solutions for clients. This positions the institute at the intersection of academic transport research and applied consulting. A large share of IVT's documented activity consists of projects commissioned by the Bundesanstalt für Straßenwesen (BASt), the German Federal Highway Research Institute, and by the Bundesministerium für Digitales und Verkehr (BMDV). Its project list shows a steady stream of work from at least the early 2020s onwards. In August 2022 the website references a statistics-related project. In November 2023 IVT completed a methodological study for the conception of the 2024 mileage survey (Fahrleistungserhebung 2024) on behalf of BASt. In April 2024 results were published from the project "Sicherung durch Gurte und andere Schutzsysteme 2023" (protection through seat belts and other safety systems), again for BASt. In November 2024 a project on determining vehicle-technical safety performance indicators (SPI) from the evaluation of Euro NCAP was completed for BASt. IVT has also been closely involved in "Mobilität in Deutschland" (MiD), the large national household mobility survey conducted on behalf of the federal transport ministry. The website notes that results of the study "Mobilität in Deutschland 2023 (MiD)" were published in September 2025, following a final event held on 25–26 March 2025 at the Bundesministerium für Digitales und Verkehr (BMDV) in Berlin. This places IVT among the organisations contributing to one of Germany's most important recurring sources of data on everyday mobility. More recently, IVT has been working on the "Fahrleistungserhebung 2026" (2026 mileage survey) for BASt. In January 2025 the project "Fahrleistungserhebung 2026 – Begleitung und Auswertung" (accompaniment and evaluation) started. In January 2026 the road traffic count (Straßenverkehrszählung) began on 1 January 2026, and in July 2026 the survey of vehicle owners (Kfz-Halterinnen und Kfz-Halter) was launched. These activities illustrate the institute's continuing role in producing empirical data on vehicle use and traffic volumes in Germany. Because IVT is a small, specialised organisation, details such as its exact founding year, ownership structure and management team are not widely published. Its brand identity rests on its independence, its methodological expertise and its long-running relationship with federal transport research clients.

• Website references a statistics-related project

• Methodological study for the conception of the 2024 mileage survey completed for BASt

• Results of "Sicherung durch Gurte und andere Schutzsysteme 2023" published for BASt

• Project on vehicle-technical SPI from Euro NCAP evaluation completed for BASt

• Project "Fahrleistungserhebung 2026 – Begleitung und Auswertung" started for BASt

• Final event for "Mobilität in Deutschland 2023 (MiD)" held at BMDV in Berlin (25–26 March 2025)

• Results of "Mobilität in Deutschland 2023 (MiD)" published

• Road traffic count for the "Fahrleistungserhebung 2026" project started

• Survey of vehicle owners for the "Fahrleistungserhebung 2026" project began

Independent, science-based research and consulting partner for public authorities and other clients in mobility, transport and tourism.

• Fahrleistungserhebung 2026

  Vehicle mileage survey for BASt, including road traffic counting and a survey of vehicle owners.

• Mobilität in Deutschland 2023 (MiD)

  National household mobility study for the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport; results published in 2025.

• Sicherung durch Gurte und andere Schutzsysteme 2023

  Road safety project on occupant protection for BASt.

• Euro NCAP vehicle safety SPI evaluation

  Project to determine vehicle-technical safety performance indicators from Euro NCAP assessments, for BASt.

1. 1IVT Verkehrsforschung – official websiteivt-verkehrsforschung.de
2. 2Wikidata – Institut für Angewandte Verkehrs- und Tourismusforschungwikidata.org