This season, EIT Urban Mobility reached another milestone in its education journey. Following a summer of entrepreneurship education across Europe with a record eight Summer Schools, EIT Urban Mobility celebrated the graduation of students and PhDs from the EIT Urban Mobility Doctoral Training Network (DTN) and the Master School – two EIT-Labelled flagship programmes empowering the next generation of mobility leaders. These milestones reflect the growing strength and European reach of EIT Urban Mobility’s education portfolio.

From Lisbon, where PhD candidates and graduates gathered for the DTN Annual Forum, to the historic city of Ghent, where Master’s students received their double-degree diplomas, this year’s ceremonies captured the ambition of learners and researchers dedicated to transforming how cities move. Together, they demonstrate EIT Urban Mobility’s commitment to creating more sustainable, liveable, and inclusive urban futures through entrepreneurship in education.

Bridging research and real-world change with the DTN

At the Doctoral Training Network (DTN) 6th Annual Forum, hosted by the University of Lisbon, the DTN celebrated three days of learning, exchange, reflection, and a sense of community between the PhD Candidates and graduates. The Forum concluded with the graduation of nine new DTN candidates, who now join the EIT Urban Mobility Alumni Community.

City representatives, industry experts, academics, and doctoral candidates explored how innovation and research can jointly shape the future of urban mobility. The discussions and research pitch presentations captured the DTN’s purpose: bridging academic research with real-world implementation through entrepreneurship and innovation.

A celebration of achievement and connection

Meanwhile, at the Master School Kick-Off and Graduation, hosted by Ghent University, 40 graduates from 20 countries celebrated the completion of their two-year journey – while 45 new students began theirs.

Graduates were congratulated by Giovanni Circella, Head of the Master School, and Martin Vendel, Director of the EIT Urban Mobility Academy, who awarded the EIT-Labelled certificates, recognising excellence in innovation, entrepreneurship, and academic achievement.

The three-day Kick-Off Business Challenge introduced new students to the Master School experience through real-life urban mobility cases from the City of Ghent. Guided by business coaches from UnternehmerTUM, they applied innovation and design thinking to propose solutions for managing urban space, reducing car dependency, and promoting sustainable mobility. The challenges set an inspiring tone for the academic year – hands-on, collaborative, and rooted in real-world impact.

The celebrations concluded with a Gala Dinner – a well-deserved moment of joy shared with families, professors, and university partners. The overlap between graduates and newcomers in this event creates a strong sense of continuity, strengthening the EIT Urban Mobility Alumni community. Each year, a different partner university hosts this event, ensuring every cohort begins and ends their journey in a unique European setting.

As with the DTN Annual Forum, each year a different partner university hosts the Master School Graduation and Kick-off, reinforcing both programmes’ international and collaborative dimensions. Special thanks go to the local organising teams in Lisbon and Ghent as well as the Doctoral Training Network Office at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and the Master School Office at KTH Sweden, whose coordination and dedication made these events a huge success.

Alumni community and what’s next

This November, the EIT Urban Mobility Alumni Community gathered in Barcelona alongside the Tomorrow.Mobility World Congress. The event brought together learners from different cohorts, building connections with the wider EIT Urban Mobility ecosystem of universities, cities, and industry partners and supporting mentoring, knowledge exchange, and collaboration between future generations of innovators.

At the same time, a new chapter begins for the next cohorts: applications opened on 15 November for the EIT Urban Mobility Master School and planned for January for the Doctoral Training Network´s 12th intake, welcoming future leaders eager to shape the future of sustainable urban mobility.

From Summer Schools to double degrees and doctoral research, their journeys show what the EIT Urban Mobility education mission is really about – learning that leads to leadership, and education that creates real change in cities.