EIT Urban Mobility pledges to support the EU’s Transition Pathway for Mobility, driving greener, digital urban mobility through agile projects and backing start-ups and education to achieve strategic goals.
Why this matters: accelerating the green and digital transition
The European Union’s 2021 Industrial Strategy emphasises the urgent need for a green and digital transformation across various industrial ecosystems, including mobility. The Transition Pathway for the Mobility Industrial Ecosystem, launched by DG GROW of the European Commission in January 2024, is a crucial part of this vision.
“Transition Pathways” are strategic roadmaps by the European Commission that guide industries through major transformations, helping them adapt to challenges and opportunities in sustainability and digitalisation while ensuring competitiveness and contributing to societal goals. In the case of the Mobility Industrial Ecosystem, the roadmap aims at achieving a competitive, sustainable, and digitally integrated mobility sector that not only meets the challenges of today but also anticipates the needs of tomorrow.
The European Commission has called on stakeholders—cities, universities, industry, SMEs, and startups—to support the Transition Pathway for the Mobility Industrial Ecosystem by aligning their actions with the roadmap. To facilitate this, it has launched a Call for Pledges, inviting organizations to commit to specific actions, such as investing in green technologies, supporting startups, or developing sustainable infrastructure.
A “pledge” is a commitment by an organisation to take actions aimed at achieving broader societal or environmental goals. Pledges are powerful tools for driving change, as they represent a public declaration of intent and accountability.
EIT Urban Mobility’s Pledge: a catalyst for innovation
By stepping up to co-implement this vision, EIT Urban Mobility is showing how collective action can drive the systemic change needed to make this vision a reality. EIT Urban Mobility has laid out a comprehensive set of actions in support of the Transition Pathway and drive the digital and green transition. These reflect the organisation’s overarching goals of fostering innovation, supporting entrepreneurship, and promoting sustainable mobility solutions. Key elements of the pledge include:
- Accelerating market opportunities: EIT Urban Mobility is committed to supporting over 700 start-ups and scale-ups by 2027, with the goal of attracting 60 million EUR in investments and bringing 164 innovations to market. This initiative aims to create an entrepreneurial ecosystem that generates green jobs and innovative products, contributing directly to the twin transition of the mobility industrial ecosystem.
- Closing the knowledge gap: By 2027, EIT Urban Mobility plans to educate 42,500 individuals in sustainable mobility, with a focus on increasing women’s participation in the sector to 30%. We will develop 150 new courses and create 79 start-ups from EIT-labelled programmes, ensuring that the next generation of innovators is well-equipped to lead the green and digital transformation.
- Deploying green mobility solutions: EIT Urban Mobility aims to mobilise 75 million EUR for sustainable mobility infrastructure by 2027. We will scale 72 urban mobility solutions and test 215 innovations, with a focus on enhancing public transport, promoting active travel, and reducing emissions.
Fast-tracking innovative solutions with RAPTOR’s agile approach
EIT Urban Mobility’s RAPTOR (Rapid Applications for Transport) programme – acknowledged as good practice in the Transition pathway report, exemplifies our commitment to innovation. RAPTOR is designed to address specific mobility challenges identified by cities, providing a platform for rapid testing and technology adoption. With projects typically lasting between six months to a year, RAPTOR’s approach allows cities to quickly pilot high Technology Readiness Level (TRL) solutions and assess their effectiveness.
This agile methodology has already shown success in cities like Den Haag, Barcelona, Munich, and Helsingborg, where tailored solutions have addressed issues ranging from congestion and city logistics to mobility patterns and cycling culture. By focusing on the immediate needs of cities, RAPTOR ensures that what works in practice can be scaled up, driving widespread urban transformation.
Connecting EIT Urban Mobility to the broader mission of EIT
EIT Urban Mobility’s pledge is deeply rooted in the broader mission of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), which aims to drive innovation and entrepreneurship across Europe. By facilitating technology transfer, commercialisation, and the creation of sustainable urban mobility solutions, EIT Urban Mobility is playing a key role in realising EIT’s vision of a greener, more innovative Europe.
Join the Pledge!
We encourage our community – cities, universities, industry, SMEs, and startups – to participate in the Call for pledges: this is an opportunity to showcase how your actions are contributing to the green and digital transition for a more resilient mobility ecosystem. The call is open until 1 October, with the first publication planned for the end of 2024.
