[picture above: MoU signature with ANSR, Mr Pedro Ladeira, director of ANSR and Mr Martí Massot, Head of Innovation Hub South; MoU signature with IMT, Mr Joao Caetano, president of IMT and Mr Martí Massot, Head of Innovation Hub South ]
Barcelona, Spain 6 November 2025 – EIT Urban Mobility, an initiative of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), a body of the European Union, has reinforced its commitment to Portugal by signing two memoranda of understanding at the Tomorrow.Mobility World Congress in Barcelona, involving two of the main key mobility and road-safety authorities in Portugal.
The renewed MoU with the Instituto da Mobilidade e dos Transportes (IMT) and the new MoU with the Autoridade Nacional da Segurança Rodoviária (ANSR) confirm an ambitious joint agenda, aimed at accelerating decarbonisation, improving accessibility, enhancing multimodal integration, and making cities more accessible.
The agreements formalise EIT Urban Mobility’s compromise with Portugal to implement innovations and solutions that are adaptable and suitable for policy-making and scaling up. EIT Urban Mobility, via its Innovation Hub South, will closely collaborate with IMT and ASNR. Together, they will disseminate innovation through events, reports, and other communications. This collaboration will also identify challenges and synergies among key players, cities, and metropolitan areas. It will support the dissemination of mobility opportunities for cities, as well as urban and rural areas.
The collaboration aims to boost relevant initiatives and pilot projects, supporting their subsequent implementation in the country. They will pursue opportunities for partnerships, joint ventures, or new areas of expansion, reinforcing both parties’ roles in the mobility ecosystem and increasing exposure to potential partners. “EIT Urban Mobility has been an active and enthusiastic partner of IMT on the promotion of state-of-the-art mobility innovations”, declared IMT during the signature of the agreement
“In line with the Safe System approach and the Vision Zero goal, this collaboration marks a significant step in our shared commitment to promoting sustainable, inclusive and, above all, safe urban mobility solutions across Portugal. By combining ANSR’s national expertise in road safety, anchored in these principles, with EIT Urban Mobility’s innovation capacity and network, we will accelerate the development and deployment of projects that enhance safety and improve the quality of urban life for all citizens” Pedro Ladeira, Director of the Road Safety and Prevention Unit at ANSR.
“Portugal is a strategic country for EIT Urban Mobility. We are delighted to reaffirm our partnership with IMT Portugal and to sign a new memorandum of understanding with ASNR. This renewal fortifies EIT Urban Mobility’s commitment by facilitating stronger collaboration through Innovation Hub South to scale adaptable mobility innovations and test pilots in real environments that will enable its future implementation in cities,” Martí Massot, Head of Innovation Hub South at EIT Urban Mobility.
Driving innovation across Portuguese cities
Since its creation in 2021, EIT Urban Mobility has supported and funded more than 50 different projects in Portugal. It has invested more than €3M in the country for innovation and education in sustainable mobility.
For example, the BICIFICATION project, in collaboration with the city of Braga, encouraged participants to take up cycling through a reward-based gamification scheme. Other initiatives include the Innov4Mobility Winter School in Aveiro and the MARKED project, which aimed to promote walking and cycling as primary modes of transport in Vilanova de Gaia.
EIT Urban Mobility has also developed pilots testing operational models and safety frameworks, zero-emission last-mile logistics trials combining cargo bikes and electric vans, designed training programmes for municipal officials, and organised specific initiatives for entrepreneurs.
BACKGROUND
About IMT
IMT, Portugal’s national agency for mobility and transport, plays an integral role in delivering mobility policy by issuing licences, ensuring safety and technical standards are adhered to across all transport modes, and coordinating investments across national, regional and municipal levels.
IMT is the national entity responsible for implementing public policies that improve mobility, transport, and infrastructure in Portugal, and acts upon all modes of transport
About ANSR
ANSR is a central body of the Portuguese State’s direct administration, endowed with administrative autonomy. Its mission is to plan and coordinate the implementation of the Government’s road safety policy, as well as to ensure compliance with road traffic legislation. ANSR is committed to the Vision Zero 2030 strategy, which aims to achieve a 50% reduction in fatalities and serious injuries by 2030 (compared to 2019 figures) and to reach zero by 2050.
Within the scope of its responsibilities, ANSR undertakes studies and analyses of the causes and contributing factors of road traffic accidents and recommends the adoption of corrective measures and solutions that foster the creation of a safe road system for all its users.
