EU-Propel [EU-Propulse]

EU-Propel (also known as EU-Propulse), led by the Agence de l’Innovation pour les Transports (AIT), brings together three graduate startups from the open innovation programme Propulse, along with innovation consultancy Bax & Company and a large network of EU cities, to tackle car-dependency issues in logistics, commuting and leisure. The project objective is threefold:

1. Facilitate collaboration between EIT Urban Mobility and AIT, and take AIT’s current open innovation programme to the next level
2. Address car-dependency-related city mobility challenges by demonstrating three innovative solutions to validate the concepts with feedback from end-users
3. Stimulate scaling and replicability of mobility solutions targeting persisting sustainable urban mobility challenges and the internationalisation of the startups by enhancing the solutions’ overall readiness levels
   
   AIT will support the three startups to propel their solutions from Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 7 to TRL9 and deploy them in Toulouse, Rouen, Saclay and Nevers for three months:

• Startup Deki optimises last mile delivery to enable urban logistics free from greenhouse gas emissions, congestion and pollutants in the metropolis of Rouen and Toulouse;
• Startup 1km à Pied reduces unnecessary car commutes by reallocating multisite employees closer to their home in the metropole of Rouen;
• Startup Ynstant fights low car occupancy by offering an instant carpooling solution in the urban agglomerations of Paris-Saclay and Nevers.
  These pilots will allow for involvement of clients/end-users and citizens to validate the concepts for scaling. Building on learnings from EU-Propel demonstrations and support from Bax & Company, the three startups will work on plans to replicate the demonstrations outside of France and explore new EU markets.