Rapid applications for transport
An open innovation programme that connects European cities with innovative startups to solve real urban mobility challenges through rapid pilot projects. Awarded startups receive €60,000 in funding and six months to develop or adapt their product, service, or solution to address a city’s mobility challenge.
Why participate as a city?
FIND THE RIGHT SOLUTION
Identify innovative startups developing cutting-edge solutions tailored to your city’s mobility challenges.
TEST BEFORE YOU INVEST
Test innovative solutions in real urban environments before committing to large-scale deployment.
JOIN EUROPE'S LEADING MOBILITY NETWORK
Why participate as a startup?
SECURE €60,000 IN FUNDING
Receive lumpsum funding to develop or adapt your solution and pilot it with a European city with less administrative barriers.
VALIDATE YOUR SOLUTION
Test your innovation in a real urban environment, generating valuable evidence and customer feedback.
OPEN NEW MARKET OPPORTUNITIES
Build credibility, gain a reference customer, and unlock opportunities to scale across European cities.
Raptor Projects
How does it work?
From city challenge definition and startup selection to a six-month pilot supported by EIT Urban Mobility.
City challenge definition
Cities identify a pressing urban mobility challenge and work with EIT Urban Mobility to define the scope for the RAPTOR programme.
Open Call for startups
Startups from across Europe propose innovative solutions tailored to the selected city challenges through an open call for applications.
Selection and panel hearings
The strongest applicants are invited to present their solutions to a panel. One startup or SME is then selected for each city challenge.
Pilot development
The selected startup works closely with the city and EIT Urban Mobility to adapt, develop and prepare its solution for local implementation over six months.
Real-world pilot and validation
The solution is tested in a real urban environment for a minimum of two weeks, generating evidence, user feedback and insights to assess its impact and potential for further deployment.
An open call invites startups from across Europe to compete with innovative, feasible, and impactful solutions.
Selected startups receive €60,000 in funding and work closely with the city and EIT Urban Mobility to develop or adapt their solution over the course of 6 months.
The solution is tested for a minimum of 2 weeks in real urban environments, generating evidence, impact, and opportunities for future deployment.
For more information about RAPTOR
Why partner with EIT Urban Mobility?
ACCESS TO START-UPS
NETWORK OF PARTNERS
LEADING INNOVATION
AGILE
innovation approach
News
RAPTOR FAQs
How is RAPTOR different from an incubator or an accelerator programme?
A typical incubator and accelerator programmes offer some level of business training and/potential for investment.
RAPTOR awards a cash grant, with the end outcome being a minimum viable product (MVP) demonstrated in-situ for a minimum of 2 weeks.
Who can apply?
The RAPTOR Call is open to proposals submitted by a single startup/SME. The RAPTOR Call is a mono-beneficiary scheme, and consequently, there is no need to develop a consortium with additional entities.
Additionally:
- Startups/SMEs must have registered as legal entities before the official call deadline in either an European Union (EU) Member State or a Third Country Associated to Horizon Europe, including the United Kingdom and Switzerland.
- Startups and SMEs should not have previously received funding from EIT Urban Mobility S.L for the same product development.
- Applicants previously selected as beneficiaries under the EIT Urban Mobility 2025 RAPTOR Call or 2025 SME Market Expansion Call are not eligible for the 2026 RAPTOR Call.
For further information on applicant eligibility, please refer to the official RAPTOR Open Call 2026 page and manual.
Do I have to be from/based in the same city as the challenge?
No. You can be from and live anywhere, as long as your startup/SME is based in a European Union (EU) Member State or a Third Country Associated to Horizon Europe.
I am a startup/SME with a developed solution already that fits the challenge. Am I am eligible?
Yes, as long as you have plans to make some upgrades or modifications to your existing solution during the MVP development period and you participate fully in the in-situ testing.
What if I already have a solution but it does not connect to RAPTOR’s challenges?
If you are an early-stage startup, you may be interested in EIT Urban Mobility’s Accelerator.
Additionally, feel free to contact us and we will send you a reminder when any new RAPTOR Call is launched!
Can I apply if my startup/SME has non-EU equity ownership?
Applications are accepted if startups or SME’s are legally registered in an EU Member State or a Third Country associated to Horizon Europe.
How many winners will be selected?
There will be one winner (startup/SME) per city challenge.
How will the winners get announced?
Communication will be by email to the main contact given in the application platform.
How will the solutions be evaluated and selected?
Once applicants have submitted their proposals they will be checked for admissibility and eligibility.
The evaluation of applications is conducted in two phases:
First Phase – Quality Evaluation: The quality evaluation is carried out by an indepedent external expert evaluator to assess strategic fit, excellence, impact, and implementation.
The top five proposals for each city challenge ranked at or above the scoring threshold will be invited to the online panel hearing.
Second phase – Panel hearing: The final project portfolio will be selected through a panel hearing. The Selection Committee will be composed of a city representative, two members of EIT Urban Mobility (the Innovation Director or their respective representative/deputy), and a business specialist.
One winner will be selected for each challenge.
Check the official RAPTOR Open Call 2026 page and manual for more information.
Can I apply to more than one challenge?
Yes. You may propose a solution to multiple challenges and/or multiple solutions to one specific challenge. However, no applicant may be awarded for more than one RAPTOR project.
If my application is not a winner, can I appeal?
The applicant of a rejected proposal who disagrees with the decision may appeal only in the event that a comment in the evaluation report clearly contradicts the information provided in the proposal or during panel hearings (if any). In this case, the applicant will have 7 calendar days after receipt of the final evaluation results to submit an appeal to the evaluation.
See Appeal procedure document published on the official RAPTOR Open Call 2026 page for more information.
If I win, do I have to be based in the relevant RAPTOR challenge city during the solution development phase?
You can work from anywhere, as long as you attend virtual check-in meetings.
Note that for the in-situ demonstration of your solution, you will need to be present in the RAPTOR challenge city.
How much bureaucracy and workload will be involved for the winning startups/SMEs?
RAPTOR is designed to be as agile as possible and thus there is a simple monitoring process.
For more information on the monitoring and reporting requirements please see the official RAPTOR Open Call 2026 page and manual.
What do the winning startups/SMEs get?
The winning startups/SMEs will win an award package, advice, hosting, and cash.
EIT Urban Mobility funding is €60,000 per selected project.
Will winning startups/SMEs have to give shares of their company to EIT Urban Mobility?
To enable EIT Urban Mobility to become financially independent from EU funding, a financial sustainability strategy has been developed and is based on a combination of services and investments. All winning startups/SMEs must contribute towards achieving EIT Urban Mobility’s financial sustainability.
For specific information please check the official RAPTOR Open Call 2026 page and manual.
How long is the project?
The RAPTOR Open Call 2026 projects will run for 6 months from July – December 2026, with required minimum demonstration of 2 weeks.
Is there a minimum amount of time the in-situ demonstration must run for?
Each project must conduct an in-situ demonstration of the solution for a minimum of two weeks.
How can I get support to sell our solution?
Our Innovation Advisory Service can be supported during or after the commercial agreement negotiation. For more information please contact [email protected].
Can subcontracting costs be included in the project budget?
Costs of subcontracting are eligible, but as a rule of thumb should be no more than approximately 15% of the total budget, except in cases where this is necessary and duly justified.
Interested in finding out more?
Contact us with your questions