EIT Urban Mobility, a leading organisation dedicated to promoting sustainable mobility in urban spaces, has unveiled its ambitious plans for the 2023-2025 Innovation Programme. With a strong focus on accelerating change towards a sustainable mobility model and combatting climate change, EIT Urban Mobility aims to support innovators in developing commercially viable solutions that enhance the quality of life in cities while creating job opportunities and strengthening the European mobility sector.
Since its inception in 2020, EIT Urban Mobility has been actively fostering collaboration and agility in mobility projects across Europe. By partnering with city administrations, research organisations, and businesses, the organisation aims to build a robust urban mobility ecosystem. Now, with the launch of the 2024 Call from their Innovation Programme for 2023-25, EIT Urban Mobility is seeking proposals in three key challenge areas:
- Sustainable City Logistics,
- Energy and Mobility, and
- Future Mobility.
The primary goal is to address pressing issues faced by public, private, and hybrid mass transit providers while promoting innovation in the urban mobility domain.
Importantly, this Call aligns with the objectives of the Mission on Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities, an initiative that urges cities to accelerate their digital, energy, and mobility transformations in order to achieve net-zero emissions. EIT Urban Mobility supports the mission’s aim of experimenting with urban mobility solutions for a sustainable future. In addition, the organisation actively collaborates with the European Technology Platform – ALICE in relation to the Sustainable City Logistics challenge area, emphasising its commitment to addressing logistics-related challenges and achieving sustainable urban freight solutions.
The Innovation Programme seeks projects that are close to market readiness and capable of testing new solutions through real-life city demonstrations. By the end of the project, these initiatives should demonstrate commercial viability, making a tangible impact on improving citizens’ lives. EIT Urban Mobility’s Business Plan for 2023-2025 outlines nine Challenge Areas that have been identified based on over 250 urban mobility challenges raised by cities across Europe.
In the current call, three areas—Sustainable City Logistics, Mobility & Energy, and Future Mobility—are prioritised, inviting the participation of public, private, and hybrid mass transit providers to drive pan-European innovation and enhance transport services and operations.
In line with the EU Mission on Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities, EIT Urban Mobility encourages applications from the 112 cities committed to achieving net-zero climate neutrality by 2030. Recognising that the transport and mobility sector plays a pivotal role in cities’ efforts to reach climate neutrality, the organisation actively supports cities in fulfilling their commitments and action plans outlined in their Climate City Contracts. By fostering a cross-sectoral and demand-led approach, EIT Urban Mobility aims to facilitate the transformation of cities into sustainable, climate-neutral hubs.
With the announcement of this new call for proposals, EIT Urban Mobility is eager to expand its partnership network and portfolio of entrepreneurial innovation projects. By harnessing the collective expertise and creative potential of innovators, businesses, and city administrations, the organisation envisions a future where sustainable mobility solutions become the norm, contributing to the well-being of citizens, environmental preservation, and economic growth.
Interested parties are encouraged to visit the EIT Urban Mobility website for more information on the 2024 Call and how to submit proposals. The deadline for submission is [insert deadline date]. Together, let us pave the way for a sustainable and inclusive urban mobility revolution.
Interested? Do you have queries?
- For legal, financial and administrative procedures, including questions about PLAZA submission tool: pmo@eiturbanmobility.eu (Programme Management Office (PMO))
- For content, topic-related related questions: innovationcall2024@eiturbanmobility.eu (Innovation Team)
You can also watch all of the recorded webinars that covered the Call’s topics, difficulties, and requirements as well as general procedures including the submission and review process and the PLAZA submission platform. These webinars were held from April 17 through April 20, 2023.
- General info session
- Meet the cities
- Sustainable City Logistics
- Mobility & Energy
- Future Mobility
- Commercialisation and Financial Sustainability
- Guidance to applicants
- Proposal writing
You can find a summary of the above webinars at the end of the call webpage.
You can submit your proposal through the PLAZA Platform until 7 June 2023 at 17:00 CET.
This article was originally published on CCAM. The original blog post can be found here.