Open now: Call for Proposals #ChallengeMyCity 2023 – Braga

#ChallengeMyCity is a programme enabling European cities to tackle their most pressing urban challenges by testing market-ready innovative mobility solutions.  

#ChallengeMyCity´s objective is to test the best solutions through a six-month pilot and evaluates their social, economic, and environmental impact and estimate long-term integration into the city´s mobility strategy, to make mobility more sustainable and accessible for all. 

#ChallengeMyCity 2023

This year’s edition of #ChallengeMyCity is dedicated to the cities of Braga (Portugal), Larissa (Greece), Heraklion (Greece), and Vitoria-Gasteiz (Spain) and divided into 3 cut-off dates (see below Call Summary table). Each city has identified a set of mobility challenges and is seeking solutions from businesses and entrepreneurs who can provide innovative proposals to tackle them.  

#ChallengeMyCity provides enterprises of all types and sizes with a market-ready solutions with the opportunity to grow their successful business ventures and scale up their products and services.  

Benefits for selected solutions 

  • Up to €60 000 in funding to implement a six-month pilot in real conditions 
  • Support to implementation by EIT Urban Mobility and city officers  
  • Networking opportunities with public administration and other innovators  
  • Promotion through the Mobility Innovation Marketplace by EIT Urban Mobility 

Challenges in Braga (Portugal): brief description 

The Portuguese city of Braga and EIT Urban Mobility are looking for solutions to the following challenges: 

  • Challenge: Enhancing bike safety and monitoring cyclists´ flows 

The city is exploring ways to enhance bike safety and monitor bike flows on shared traffic lanes. By implementing additional safety measures, and better understanding cyclists’ behaviour and mobility patterns, Braga wants to create a more friendly environment for cyclists and reduce the risk of accidents. 

  • Challenge: Understanding and promoting active mobility in the city centre 

Braga is seeking innovative technological solutions that can help to collect information and provide data-based insights to inform urban planning, enhancing a holistic comprehension of pedestrian and cyclist flows in the city centre. Furthermore, solutions that can improve and encourage walking and promote active mobility are welcome, as well as proposals incorporating both aspects. 

  • Challenge: Improving monitoring and use of on-street parking spaces 

Finding a parking space in the city can often be a time-consuming and frustrating task for drivers, leading to increased congestion and pollution. To address these issues, the city of Braga aims to test solutions that can inform citizens how to find available on-street parking spaces while also helping the city to monitor, gain insights and manage limited-time paid parking zones.  

  • Challenge: Encouraging alternative transportation for school commuting to decrease private car usage 

The preferred mean of transport for school commuting in Braga is a private car, which results in traffic congestion during peak hours, and increased pollution in the city centre. The city is seeking solutions to improve, optimize and enhance the use of sustainable modes of transportation to go to school, reduce reliance on private cars and alleviate traffic congestion in the city centre. 

Find more details about each challenge in Call Manual (link below). 

Requirements

  • All types of companies located in a Member State of the European Union or from Third Country associated to Horizon Europe that can present solutions to the challenges mentioned below are invited to participate.  
  • The proposal shall be in line with the Vision and Mission of the EIT Urban Mobility Strategic Agenda. 
  • The solutions/product should bring novelty and being results-focused.  
  • The solution should propose a financial sustainability mechanism to the EIT UM.  
  • The solution shall be at least TRL-7 and present a letter of recommendation from a previous pilot implementation. 

We look forward to receiving your applications!  

Contact details 

Type of contact Email 
Legal, financial, administrative, and technical procedures pmo@eiturbanmobility.eu 
Content of the Call  market.development@eiturbanmobility.eu 

Online info session

The information session is offered to provide in-depth details on the call’s aim and objectives, local challenges, and the general procedure. The session will also include a Q&A for participants to address any queries. 

If you are interested in learning more about #ChallengeMyCity Braga, be sure to connect on March 21st at 9:30h CET. Sign up HERE  

Call summary 

Call for Proposals Main Features1  

  

Key dates of the call calendar  

Call opening: 7 March 2023  

  

3 cut-off dates   

Eligibility and admissibility check  

Evaluation of proposalsincl. Pitch day 

Communication of results  

Tentative projects start  

8 May 2023 at 17:00 CET (Braga)  

May 2023  

May-June 2023  

June 2023  

July 2023  

22 May 2023 at 17:00 CET (Larissa and Heraklion)  

May 2023  

June 2023  

June 2023  

July 2023  

15 June 2023 at 17:00 CET (Vitoria-Gasteiz)  

June 2023  

July 2023  

July 2023  

August 2023  

  

Total estimated EIT Funding allocated to this call   

3 cut-off dates:       

·        8 May 2023 at 17:00 CET 

·        22 May 2023 at 17:00 CET  

·        15 June 2023 at 17:00 CET 

 

Funding allocation: 

·        180,000EUR 

·        360,000 EUR 

·        180,000 EUR  

TOTAL max. allocation: 720,000 EUR (60,000EUR per challenge) 

Link to the submission portal   

The PLAZA platform will be available during by the end of March 2023  

List of documents to be submitted  

·                 Application form is available on the PLAZA platform  

List of documents to take into consideration  

·                 Call Manual   

·                 EIT Urban Mobility Strategic Agenda 2021-2027   

·                 List of KPIs   

·                 Guidelines for Applicants  

·                 Eligibility of expenditure   

·                 Appeal procedure   

·                 Project Implementation Handbook   

·                 Financial Support Agreement template   

·                 Horizon Europe Model Grant Agreement (Specifically Articles 16 and 17)  

Short summary of the topics to be addressed by each cut-off date  

The #ChallengeMyCity call provides the  opportunity to perform a pilot in a city’s urban environment in real conditions. The challenges of this call are located in the cities of Braga (PT), Vitoria-Gasteiz (SP), Larissa (GR), and Heraklion (GR). EIT Urban Mobility and the respective City Councils have defined multiple mobility challenges (up to 3 per city will be funded) that need to be solved and the cities will be hosting the pilots of solutions that tackle these challenges.   

The pilot implementation will be co-funded by EIT Urban Mobility and administratively supported by the city (and service providers, where applicable). The impact of the pilots will be evaluated to estimate the results of a long-term implementation of the tested solutions.   

For each cut-off date (3 cut-off dates in total), several independent challenges in alignment with the city procurement plans and focusing in either of the following general topics must be addressed: active mobility (walking and cycling), public transport, logistics or private vehicles.  

Evaluation criteria applicable to all the topics   

For the Quality evaluation:  

The expert evaluators will assess the excellence, the impact, and the implementation of the proposals.  

For the Pitch and Portfolio Selection:  

The Selection Committee members will assess the quality of the pitch presentation and select the proposals to be granted.