EIT Urban Mobility’s SME Market Expansion Open Call supports Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in bringing urban mobility solutions into new geographical markets, customer segments and sectors. Applications open on 9 October 2026.
Expanding into a new market requires more than a strong product. SMEs must understand a different operating environment, adapt to local needs and demonstrate value to prospective customers. The EIT Urban Mobility SME Market Expansion Open Call 2027 will support selected SMEs with up to €60,000 in funding to advance, deploy and test their solutions with committed end clients over seven months with a stronger focus on scalability.
“For an SME, a first project in a new market can make a real difference. The SME Market Expansion programme gives companies a local reference, a better understanding of what customers need and evidence to win further business. It also helps them refine their plans for international growth and commercialisation. By connecting innovators with new markets, partners and opportunities, we can help turn innovation into solutions that respond to real mobility challenges and create lasting value. This is what an ecosystem should enable: bringing the right people together so that innovation can grow, travel and make a difference where it is needed.” said Adriana Diaz, Director of Strategy and Innovation at EIT Urban Mobility.
The call is designed to promote business growth and market expansion, encouraging the replication and scaling of successful solutions in new regions or sectors. It offers a strategic platform for SMEs with ambitions to scale by opening subsidiaries or expanding into new markets. Applicants should clearly explain a clear plan for the project with strong end-client buy-in, in addition to what makes the target market valuable for their company, which barriers they need to overcome and how the project could lead to commercial adoption. The proposed activities should focus on adapting, deploying, validating and commercialising the existing solution, not developing its fundamental technology.
Who can apply?
The call is aimed at established SMEs with at least three full-time equivalent employees and a commercially mature urban mobility solution at TRL 7 or above. Applicants should demonstrate previous customers, deployments, pilots or sales, as well as a clear ambition to enter a new geographical market, customer segment or sector. They must also work with a committed end client and have the technical and commercial capacity to complete the project between April and October 2027.
What can market expansion look like?
Market expansion can take different forms. Previous projects demonstrate how SMEs can use a focused real-world deployment to enter a new country, apply their solution in a new industry or unlock a promising commercial opportunity.
Entering a new geographical market
Transcality (Switzerland) with Àrea Metropolitana de Barcelona (AMB) (Spain)
After developing a multimodal digital twin with the city of Munich through the RAPTOR Call 2023, Transcality worked with Àrea Metropolitana de Barcelona (AMB) within the SME Market Expansion Call 2025 to adapt its platform for metropolitan-scale planning. The project advanced the solution from TRL 7 to TRL 8 and reduced simulation-result loading times by 80%. Learn more about Transcality´s journey here.
Expanding into a new customer segment
BikeKey (Denmark) with First (Denmark)
BikeKey developed and tested new functionality to help insurers verify ownership, manage recovered bicycles and support their potential reuse, resale or donation. The pilot validated approximately 50 bicycles with more than 35 users and indicated a 20–25% improvement in insurance case-handling efficiency. The solution progressed from TRL 7 to TRL 9, and the collaboration with First is continuing beyond the project. Learn more about the project here.
Turning validation into market expansion
Waymap (UK) with Transport for London (UK)
Waymap tested its infrastructure-free navigation app in the London Underground within the SME Market Expansion Open Call 2025, providing precise step-by-step guidance for blind and visually impaired passengers. All participants said they would be more likely to travel independently if Waymap were deployed city-wide, with survey results indicating that visually impaired users are, on average, 84% more likely to use TfL services with Waymap deployed across the network. Learn more about the lessons learned here.
These examples show that the SME Market Expansion Open Call is not simply about demonstrating that a technology works. It is about proving that a mature solution can generate value in a new commercial context and creating the evidence, relationships and market understanding needed to grow beyond the initial project. We are essentially looking for solutions that are scalable and replicable, where participating in the SME Market Expansion Call can genuinely bridge that gap.
Ready to enter a new market?
The SME Market Expansion Open Call 2027 opens on 9 October 2026, with applications closing on 1 December 2026 at 17:00 CET.
Join the online infosession on 15 October 2026 to learn more about the call, eligibility requirements, evaluation process and application procedure.
Register to the info session here, and learn more about the call here.
