• As part of the European Union’s Horizon Europe Programme InnoBuyer, TMB is undertaking its first Public Procurement of Innovation process, which is looking for an innovative solution to bridge the space between the train and the platform of nine of its metro stations.
• TMB is the leading public transport operator of Barcelona and its metropolitan area. Thousands of citizens make daily use of its services. Apart from operating the city’s main bus and metro networks and its metropolitan area, TMB also offers various transport services for the visiting public.

Barcelona, October 2023 – Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona, TMB, responsible for managing public transportation in the metropolitan area of Barcelona, recognised the need for innovation in the face of growing urbanisation and the challenges posed by climate change. And the vision is clear: to leverage PPI as a catalyst for sustainable, efficient, and user-centric public transportation systems.

As part of the European Union’s Horizon Europe Programme InnoBuyer, TMB is undertaking its first Public Procurement of Innovation process, looking for an innovative solution to bridge the space between the train and the platform of nine of its metro stations. This gap makes access to the train difficult for all users. For people with reduced mobility, the distance may make it impossible to access the train. For other users, passengers may trip, fall or suffer injuries when getting on or off the train, which may also cause delays in the arrival and departure of trains.

Are you interested in this type of cooperation?
EIT Urban Mobility supports all stages of the PPI process, starting by identifying concrete needs and defining the scope of challenges. Additionally, we support scouting a solution and a demo host to test the solution in a real-life environment, facilitating engagement with key stakeholders in urban mobility within our European network. We provide expert advice to select the best innovative solution among all options available based on the needs of the challenger. Finally, we also guide the last stage of the public procurement process, which includes an accurate wording of the tender specifications.

If you have a solution that may fit this challenge, don’t miss the launching webinar of the TMB’s first Preliminary Market Consultation next 16 October at 12pm.

As an expert in urban mobility, EIT Urban Mobility has been supporting TMB through its first public procurement of innovation process. Given that we gather the significant European ecosystem in urban mobility, we facilitate access to potential solution providers, from public and private organizations to SMEs and start-ups.

• The primary outcome of IMMENSE is an integrated platform for city authorities to inform, implement and evaluate TDM schemes on urban roads by applying a demand-based pricing strategy
  
  
• During the two-month pilot, the system will be tested with users in Esplugues de Llobregat (Catalonia) and Munich (Germany), with an integrated system platform and end-user application capable of managing urban traffic demand through a dynamic pricing strategy.
  
  
• The pilot has been launched to coincide with the European Sustainable Mobility Week celebration.
  
  

Barcelona, 21 September 2023 – The Immense project enables the development of digital tools to simulate with test users an innovative pay-by-distance satellite toll system to be implemented in the low-emission zones of Esplugues de Llobregat (Barcelona) to promote smart and connected mobility, encouraging shared transport and active travel. 

The proposed solution, which will be tested for two months with the participation of citizen testers, will simulate a demand-based pricing strategy, where users will be informed about the payment defined by a fixed fee to access the low emission zone, and a variable fee depending on the number of kilometres travelled, the level of usage and the congestion at the time of access.

The project aims to help the municipality of Esplugues de Llobregat to support the efficiency of their Low Emission Zones (LEZs).

To achieve a final solution that could be scalable and useful to other cities, Immense has the active participation of Munich and Esplugues de Llobregat, as both have different consolidated management schemes, including low emission zones and vehicle access regulations. In addition, Immense will serve as a platform for city authorities to simulate, report, implement and evaluate these schemes.

About IMMENSE

IMMENSE proposes the creation of a TDM tool that can dynamically influence traffic demand on road ecosystems depending on congestion and pollution levels. By using a dynamic rate system with game design elements or “gamification” (such as automatically rewarding users with points for reducing travel time along congested routes if they choose an alternative one), the IMMENSE solution discourages users to access congested roads at times when high demand occurs. This way, pollution, and congestion levels will be reduced when it is more needed, also improving safety and helping the quality of life in surrounding areas. Moreover, users who access cities through more sustainable modes will get rewarded with discounts on active and greener solutions.

Project partners: CARNET, Abertis Mobility Services, UPC, City of Munich, Ajuntament d’Esplugues de Llobregat
CIMA Engineering & Environmental, S.L.

The Municipality of Braga has launched the “Reactivity Braga – Diversity and Sustainability” initiative to encourage Braga residents to embrace more sustainable, inclusive, and eco-friendly transportation options. In return, citizens can accrue points to exchange for discounts at local businesses.

This represents an innovative intermodal urban mobility project supported and promoted by EIT Urban Mobility, in collaboration with Braga Urban Transport (TUB) and the Business Association of Braga. The project hinges on a reward and gamification system, where users are incentivised to choose public transportation, bicycles, electric scooters, or walking for their commutes.

This approach makes the mobility experience more appealing and enjoyable, motivating citizens to adopt more mindful and sustainable transportation practices.

The project began on 10 August and is slated to run for three months. To participate, Braga residents need to complete a specific form. Upon registration approval, users can access an online platform to track their performance, view accumulated points, and observe their contributions to promoting sustainable mobility in Braga.

During the project’s presentation press conference, Olga Pereira, Braga’s City Councillor and President of the Board of Directors of TUB, remarked that this initiative is part of ongoing efforts to transform the mobility habits of Braga residents toward sustainability: “Reactivity Braga follows the success of last year’s Bicification project, which inspired us to apply for this new project in partnership with TUB. Reactivity relies on buses as the core component but also encourages walking, cycling, and scooting.”

“The great thing about the REACTIVITY project is its intermodal approach, which combines different modes of transport to offer citizens flexible and convenient options for their daily journeys,” explained Olga Pereira, Braga City Council councillor. By integrating public transport with bicycles and electric scooters, the project extends the reach of public transport stops, providing citizens with more comprehensive and accessible mobility throughout the city. “The municipality remains committed to working in favour of more sustainable mobility in the municipality, which benefits everyone’s quality of life,” said the councillor.

REACTIVITY promotes sustainable mobility through a unique reward and gamification component. By participating in the project, users can accumulate points and achieve goals by opting for more sustainable modes of transport.  With the project’s rewards and gamification mechanism, users can win vouchers, which can be discounted at various commercial establishments that are partners of the initiative. Around 30 shops are already involved, but the aim is to extend this range to a more significant number of establishments. “We started out with around 30 shops, but given the extraordinary receptiveness of local businesses, the aim is to increase the number of shops involved significantly,” said Rui Marques, AEB’s director-general.

Local traders joining the REACTIVITY project represents a unique opportunity to boost their businesses and establishments. By joining the network of partners that accept vouchers generated by users, shops have access to greater visibility and attract customers. In this way, traders not only benefit from increased customer flow, but also contribute to a more sustainable and dynamic city.
Over the next three months, Braga’s people can participate in this pioneering initiative. Through the online platform dedicated to the project, citizens can monitor their performance, accumulate points and check their contribution to more sustainable mobility in Braga.

About REACTIVITY

The REACTIVITY project rewards public transport and active mobility to reduce emissions; backs data-driven urban; and traffic planning and engaging with citizens, thus helping cities promote sustainable mobility and intramodality while discouraging car dependence.

This project meets the needs of city managers for digital tools to enable urban multi-modal and multi-source mobility planning, providing a solution to support intermodal transport, including public transport, cycling, walking, kick-scooters, and car-pooling. The mobility monitoring support is achieved through an active mobility plugin integrated in a multi-data source web dashboard.

The solutions will be implemented and tested in Braga (Portugal) and Lecce (Italy) during the second half of 2023. The expected outcomes of REACTIVITY are an increased share of public transport (+6%) and active mobility (+ 15%) and the reduction of kilometres driven by private cars (-2.5 M) and of CO2 emissions (-320 tons) in each city.

Discover more: reactivity-eit.eu

EIT Urban Mobility, an initiative of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology, a body of the EU, announces its active participation in the upcoming European Mobility Week. This collaborative initiative by the European Commission brings together communities, cities, and organisations across Europe to drive the sustainable and inclusive transformation of urban transportation systems. With the urgent need to address climate change and expedite our journey towards “saving energy”, this week shines light on pressing topics. 

The European Green Deal, a cornerstone of Europe’s commitment to environmental sustainability, has set an ambitious target of achieving a 90% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from the transport sector. To realise this ambitious goal, it is essential to reimagine urban mobility, making it more sustainable, inclusive, and seamlessly integrated. Cities are the frontrunners of the green transition, with the power to make transformative changes such as cycling infrastructure, reallocation of public space, low emission zones, and parking regulations. During the European Mobility week, it is almost 3,000 towns and cities encourage behavioural change in favour of active mobility, public transport, and other clean, intelligent transport solutions by organising awareness-raising activities and events with local stakeholders. 

Within its activity to find sustainability solutions in the transport sector, EIT Urban Mobility is developing its activity as an impact venture investor. EIT Urban mobility has joined up the third annual report from European Women in Venture Capital (VC) and is publishing a new report on the Gender diversity in European Venture Capital Firms. Despite the fact that funds with a higher representation of female managers exhibit higher returns, gender gaps are still an issue in European VC firms. A combined desk and research survey of 558 European VC firms and 104 European VC, showed that in 2023 only 16% of general partners (GPs) are women, compared to 15% in 2022. Other key results can be consulted.  

As part of the European Mobility Week, EIT Urban Mobility will actively participate in a series of initiatives: 

• “Parking Day”: EIT Urban Mobility will organise and participate in various “Parking Day” events across Europe in cities including Barcelona, Spain; Siggiewi, Malta; Lisbon, Portugal, and Greece. A parking space is about 15m² large. This makes it bigger than many children’s rooms. The organisation of a day to reclaim the parking space or a car-free day, allows to raise awareness on street use and space cars take in European cities.  
• Events Across Europe: Join EIT Urban Mobility in various physical events across Europe, including the EIT Open Day in Norway, Urban Mobility Day at Slovakia Tech, and INVENTO MeetUp in Zagreb. 
• New Mobility Congress: EIT Urban Mobility will play a pivotal role as a key partner at the New Mobility Congress 2023, taking place from September 26 to 28 at the EXPO Lodz space in Poland. This is the fourth edition of the largest conference in Poland and Central-Eastern Europe dedicated to the development of the sustainable transportation market. 
• EIT Urban Mobility offers a range of online training courses to empower individuals and professionals to contribute to sustainable urban mobility solutions. 
  • EIT Urban Mobility Professional Training Catalogue (E-Courses): A range of e-courses are available online, free to complete (with certificates available at a nominal fee), covering various aspects of urban mobility. 
  • MASTERCOM Training Programme: Developed to prepare professionals of private and public companies to develop, manage, communicate, and implement effective travel plans, MASTERCOM provides up-to-date knowledge, expert guidance, best practices, and access to a practical ToolKit. 
  • Girls go Circular: project where 14–19-year-old girls are picking up digital and entrepreneurial skills. EIT Urban Mobility has coordinated the development of the module on “Sustainable Mobility for Circular and Inclusive Cities”, available for free at the Girls Go Circular platform. 20 000 girls will have completed the training by end of 2022. It is already available in 13 countries and now also available in Ukrainian. 
• Urban Mobility Explained (UMX): Since September 2022, UMX has been providing educational videos on the latest topics in urban mobility, offering thought-provoking perspectives and key competencies required for the successful delivery of urban mobility solutions. A new video is published every Tuesday. 

Every year, from 16 – 22 September, the European Commission’s flagship awareness-raising campaign European Mobility Week on sustainable urban mobility invites towns and cities from across Europe, and beyond, to participate in the EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK. The annual theme for 2023 is ‘Save energy’. For more information about EIT Urban Mobility and its initiatives during the European Mobility Week, please visit EUROPEAN MOBILITY WEEK |  Home. 

#ParkingDayBCN23 is back

Park(ing) Day is an annual event that takes place all over the world, when different environmental, architectural, artistic, social, local residents’ and citizens’ entities temporarily repurpose public parking places as parks, gardens and other types of public space. The initiative advocates the urgent need to rethink urban spaces and increase the number of green areas and public spaces for play and socialising, as well as an improvement in air quality, aiming to move towards lifestyles and scenarios that are more respectful our environment and of people.

The idea came into being in 2005 in San Francisco, where the Rebar art and design studio proposed a new way of showing and expressing these demands. More information on the event on an international scale is available at parkingday.org

In Barcelona, the event is organised by ISGlobal and Espai Ambiental Cooperativa in collaboration with EIT Urban Mobility and the support of the Barcelona City Council.

How can I take part?
The organising entities hope to bring this event to Barcelona for yet another year, and we would like to invite other people, organisations and groups to participate in it with us, in order to spread this message all over the city. The aim is to coordinate the different actions and publicise them jointly.
Parking spaces can be occupied with plants, notices, furniture and other objects in order to carry out different actions, such as talks, workshops, exhibitions or simply occupying a space in order to spend the day there. For inspiration, we suggest you visit the website and consult the programme and photos from previous years.
We want to create a network, and a different city model, couples with a collective vision!

Registrations are open to all kinds of entities, collectives and individual citizens. You have until 5 June to register your car park using this form.

Friday 15 September 2023
This year Park(ing) Day will be held on Friday 15 September in all the city’s districts, coinciding with European Mobility Week. 

Do not miss any detail
To keep up on the news on Park(ing) Day 2023, you can go to our website: www.parkingdaybcn.org, or follow our Instagram site, Twitter and via the hashtag #ParkingDayBCN23.

You can also join the Park(ing)Day BCN participants’ WhatsApp group through this link

• Park(ing) Day is an international event, organised annually in cities around the world, that has one simple goal: to give the streets back to the citizen
• Its aim is to reclaim the streets from cars and instead use them to promote public activities, such as art, music, and recreational activities
• Park(ing) Day 2023 will be happening on 15 September. In Barcelona, the event is organised by ISGlobal, Espai Ambiental Cooperativa and EIT Urban Mobility

The Park(ing) Day movement was born out of a desire to reclaim the streets from cars and instead create a new public space that could be used for a variety of activities. The event was started by a group of San Francisco-based activists who wanted to create a space for public activities that were free from the constraints of cars. They hoped that reclaiming the streets for public activities could create a more vibrant urban space and encourage more people to engage with their city.
The event is celebrated annually in cities around the world.
Parking Day focuses on showing how cities belong to the citizens, not the cars. The idea is to encourage people to think differently about how they use public spaces and to create a sense of community among residents of a city.

EIT Urban Mobility organises Park(ing) Day 2023 in Barcelona

In Barcelona, Park(ing) Day is organised by ISGlobal, Espai Ambiental Cooperativa and EIT Urban Mobility, as part of our mission of putting the citizens at the centre of our activities. The event is designed to create an opportunity for citizens to come together and create a new vision for the city. Participants will be encouraged to think about how they can create a more sustainable and liveable city.

The event will also have a range of activities, such as workshops, music shows, workshops for kids and discussions.

Park(ing) Day is a fantastic opportunity for citizens to come together and reclaim their streets. It is also a reminder of how cities should be designed for people, not for cars. By joining this event, citizens can help create a better, more sustainable future for their city.

Participation at the event is free and open to all kinds of entities and groups. Individual citizens can also join a parklet. More information is available here: parkingdaybcn.org

At EIT Urban Mobility, our mission is to accelerate change towards a sustainable mobility model for liveable urban spaces. In the current context of climate emergency, our objective is to support our community of innovators to develop solutions that help mitigate and adapt to climate change and, at the same time, are able to improve the quality of life of our cities, create jobs and strengthen the European mobility sector.

To this end, the primary emphasis of our Innovation Programme for 2023-25 is to radically advance commercially viable solutions/services/products that support this mission and those goals.

Since 2020, we have a growing portfolio of projects to support agile and collaborative mobility projects across Europe. We work with innovators in city administrations, research organisations and businesses, to strengthen the urban mobility ecosystem.

The focus of our 2024 Call is on three Challenge Areas: Sustainable City Logistics, Energy and Mobility, and Future Mobility. Whilst addressing these challenges, we seek proposals that tackle the most pressing issues facing public, private or hybrid mass transit providers. Nonetheless, we remain open to excellent proposals from other providers within the urban mobility arena.

In this Call, we align with the aims and objectives of the Mission on Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities. The EU Mission challenges cities to accelerate their digital, energy and mobility transformations through urban mobility experimentation supporting the race to Net Zero. Moreover, we support active alignment with the European Technology Platform – ALICE in relation to the Sustainable City Logistics challenge area.

We look forward to broadening our partnership and our portfolio of entrepreneurial innovation projects.

Main features of the call (aim and challenges)

The overall purpose of the Innovation Programme is to resolve challenges facing European cities in improving citizens’ lives, by bringing innovations to market. We support projects that are close-to-market, capable of testing new solutions in real-life city demonstrations and that can attain commercial viability by the end of the project. 

The EIT Urban Mobility Business Plan 2023-2025 defines nine Challenge Areas that stem from over 250+ urban mobility challenges identified by cities across Europe. For this Call, three Challenge Areas are prioritised:

• Sustainable City Logistics
• Mobility & Energy
• Future Mobility

Within these Challenge Areas, we encourage the participation of public, private or hybrid mass transit providers to drive pan-European innovation, testing and validating of new transport services and improved operations.

We also align with the  objectives of the EU Mission on Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities. As such any of the 112 cities committed to Net Zero climate neutrality by 2030 are encouraged to apply. Transport and mobility are one of the main sectors cities must address to reach climate neutrality. In alignment with the Cities Mission’s cross-sectoral and demand-led approach, we support citiesto act to deliver on their commitments and action plans laid out in their Climate City Contracts.

Contact details

Events-Webinars

EIT Urban Mobility hosted online information sessions from 17 to 20 of April 2023 focused on the Call content, the challenges, and requirements, as well as on the general procedures, such as the submission and evaluation process and the PLAZA submission tool:

• General info session
• Meet the cities
• Sustainable City Logistics
• Mobility & Energy
• Future Mobility
• Commercialisation and Financial Sustainability
• Guidance to applicants
• Proposal writing

Call summary

[1] Please note that this calendar is indicative. Dates might be subject to slight changes.

#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), and Heraklion (Greece), 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  

Brief description of the challenges: 

The Greek cities of Heraklion and Larissa are seeking solutions to the urban mobility challenges they face. The best solutions to three challenges per city will be awarded implementation of the pilots. Find below a brief description of each challenge: 

Heraklion (Greece)  

• Challenge: Creating micromobility hubs through secure bicycle parkings 

The city of Heraklion strives to implement safe and secured bicycle parking with the possibility of charging e-bikes, located in a strategic point where the users, after finishing their trips, can park their bike safely to walk or use the public transport. The ideal flexible modular solution could be spread around the city and accommodate (each one) a small number (10-30) of bikes and e-bikes for both spontaneous parking and charging during the day by the registered users of the scheme. 

• Challenge: Management and control of parking spaces for persons with reduced mobility (PRM) and logistics 

The desired solution should enable PRM residents and visitors, and truck drivers, to book a parking spot. It should also facilitate the movement of people with disabilities and encourage their integration and equal participation in the life of the city by informing them in real time about the next free parking spot. It should also facilitate the everyday work of the delivery companies and the shop owners, by avoiding illegal parking of trucks in random and not appropriate places for parking.  

• Challenge: Control of motorised vehicle access in the pedestrianised area of the city centre 

The city is looking for a technology solution through which it can control the city’s entry points and/or exit points of the central pedestrianised area. The solution implementing the Urban Vehicle Access Regulations (UVARs) should allow the city to grant the permissions to an authorized driver to enter the area during certain time slots. The control of the entry and exit points should not rely on the involvement of the police in the enforcement of the regulation. 

• Challenge: Electric-powered micro-vehicle for PRM passengers’ mobility in the pedestrianised city centre 

Heraklion is interested in piloting a new mobility option friendly both to people and the environment, operating in slow speed (up to 25 kilometres per hour) and allowing ride-hailing anywhere on the street. Smart or conventional telephone ordering should also be an option. This vehicle should be operated by a professional driver (city employee or employee of a private organisation, e.g. the Urban Public Transport Operator) and have capacity of 5 passengers without wheelchairs, or less passengers with wheelchairs. 

Larissa (Greece)  

• Challenge: Creating micromobility hubs through secure bicycle parkings 

The city of Larissa strives to implement safe and secured bicycle parking with the possibility of charging e-bikes, located in a strategic point where the users, after finishing their trips, can park their bike safely to walk or use the public transport. Safe bike parking facilities will encourage more cyclists to use e-bikes, which is expected to increase the number of cyclists for long peri-urban distance trips and trips to uphill destinations. 

• Challenge:  Collection of environmental and traffic data 

The city of Larissa is looking into the use of smart devices to be installed close to schools and hospitals and also less sensitive locations to measure and compare the level of environmental pollution (air and noise) and traffic flows. The collection of relevant environmental and traffic data by smart devices will enable the city to take informed decisions and to re-shape urban mobility based on minimizing the harmful effects. 

• Challenge:  Management and control of parking spaces for PRM  

Unauthorized parking causes major accessibility issues for PRM. The desired solution should enable holders of blue cards (PRM residents in Larissa) and visitors with reduced mobility to book a parking spot. It should furthermore facilitate the movement of people with disabilities and encourages their integration and equal participation in the life of the city by informing them in real time about the next free parking spot. 

Find more detail 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   

Online info session   

An information session was held on 19 April to offered to provide in-depth details on the call’s aim and objectives, local challenges, and the general procedure. It also included a Q&A for participants to address any queries.  

Watch here:

Call summary