In today’s landscape, every industry, both in the public and private sectors, is rapidly “going digital”. Yet, the demand for employees with digital skills far exceeds the supply. The ERASMUS+ project Managing Digital Transformation Academy (MDTA) was conceived to respond to this pressing need.

The objective of MDTA project is to offer a programme tailored for both students and professionals. It encompasses six specialisations, strategically addressing the essential components of the “leadership skills triangle”: technology, business/commerce, and leadership. The final goal is to empower individuals to become digital leaders capable of driving and facilitating successful digital transformation. 

Today, we are pleased to introduce our newest initiative, the specialisation “Digital Transformation: A Changing Society”, composed by three MOOCs open now to registration.

This programme not only bridges the skills gap but also provides a unique solution to several essential requirements in today’s digital landscape by preparing professionals capable of formulating and executing strategies that address digital transformation challenges effectively. 

EIT Urban Mobility Academy Participation 

At the EIT Urban Mobility Academy, we are deeply committed to the critical needs and priorities of urban mobility, and digital transformation is a defining force today, reshaping industries and markets. By joining this project, we aimed to contribute to the development of a programme that would equip individuals and organisations with the tools and knowledge to navigate the digital technologies’ impact on urban mobility. 

Our participation also facilitated valuable collaborations with other prominent European institutions. These partnerships have further solidified our mission to enhance skills in individuals and organisations and expand our collective impact. The participant institutions were: 

• University of Twente (The Netherlands)   
• Universidade Nova de Lisboa (Portugal)  
• University of Applied Science Saxion (The Netherlands)  
• ACEEU (Germany)  
• Athens University of Economics and Business (Greece)  
• Fachhochschule Munster (Germany)  
• EIT Urban Mobility (Spain) 

Moreover, this initiative aligns with our objective to create engaging learning solutions in urban mobility. This specialisation allowed us to gain expertise by creating engaging digital learning experiences that align with one of our core missions. It’s an exciting opportunity to foster innovation and ensure that professionals are equipped with the skills they need to succeed in this digital era. 

The content of the specialisation:  “Digital Transformation: A Changing Society”  

The specialisation created by the EIT Urban Mobility Academy is a journey through the digital landscape and its profound impact on our society via three interconnected MOOCs. From understanding the historical factors that drive technological success and predicting future trends to mastering scenario planning, and the intricacies of business roles and partnerships in a digital environment, this specialisation offers a holistic exploration of digital transformation. By the end of this program, participants will have the capacity to drive innovation and make informed decisions in the urban mobility landscape. 

Learn more about our project here. 

You can register to the specialisation here.

If you have any questions, contact us: lorena.henriquez@eiturbanmobility.eu 

November 7 to 9, 2023 – Fira Gran Via, Barcelona, Spain

Tomorrow.Mobility World Congress (TMWC) is the global event that drives innovation and sustainability in urban transportation. This year, for its third edition TMWC is set to take place under the theme “Make your Move Matter.”

TMWC, jointly organised by Fira Barcelona and EIT Urban Mobility, an initiative of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology, a body of the EU, promises to shift gears towards sustainable urban mobility with a focus on real implementation. The congress will act as a platform for urban mobility experts and enthusiasts, featuring an extensive programme covering critical topics for the future of the sector.

Among the more than 100 speakers are Timothy Papandreou, former Chief Innovation Officer at San Francisco MTA and advisor for X Alphabet’s Moonshot Factory; Karima Delli, Chair of the Committee on Transport and Tourism at the European Parliament; Seleta Reynolds, Chief Innovation Officer at the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority; Jacob Bangsgaard, Secretary General for Automobile Mobility and Tourism at the FIA; and Jill Warren, CEO of the European Cyclists’ Federation.

Tomorrow.Mobility World Congress, held within the framework of Smart City Expo World Congress, will welcome more than 25,000 in-person attendees, more than 1,000 exhibitors, 600 speakers, 140 countries, for more than 150 conference and panel.

PRESS PROGRAMME 

The full programme is available here 

09:30 – 10:30 | Welcome & Opening by Maria Tsavachidis, CEO of EIT Urban Mobility and President of Tomorrow.Mobility. Auditorium

10:30 – 12:00 | All aboard! The future of transport is public. This session will also be presenting the results of first study on micro-incentives for mobility. Tomorrow.Mobility Room

12:00 – 13:30|Keynote: Tim Papandreou, CEO of Emerging Transport Advisors, on how the latest technological innovations will impact our mobility systems. Auditorium

12:30 – 13:30 | Public-private partnerships for impact-driven mobility innovation. Auditorium

13:45– 15:15 | Unlocking the potential of mobility data. Tomorrow.Mobility Room

Join this discussion examining the complex topic of data and the role cities can play in leading the way to making an EU-wide mobility data space a reality. The session will present the results of the new study conducted on the potential of a data-based mobility economy in Europe, in providing not only technical solutions, sovereignty but also creating new business and service models. 

15:00 – 15:30| Tour of latest innovative mobility start-ups. meeting at the EIT Urban Mobility Booth.

15:45 – 17:15 | Fair moves: towards just and accessible urban mobility for all. Tomorrow.Mobility Room

9:45 – 10:15 | Keynote: Seleta Reynolds’, Los Angeles Metro’s Chief Innovation Officer, on leadership and how practitioners can drive positive change for their communities with improved mobility options. Auditorium

10:15 – 11:00 | Extreme Weather events call for extreme action in the mobility sector. Auditorium

The panel will include high level representatives from the City of Leipzig, Union for the Mediterranean, WRI Ross Centre for sustainable cities, European Cyclists’ Federation, International Road Federation, City of Copenhagen. The panel will be headed by Akshat Rathi, Senior climate Editor at Bloomberg. 

11:30 – 12:15 | Press briefing by Maria Tsavachidis, CEO of EIT Urban Mobility and President of Tomorrow.Mobility on the state of play and future of mobility. Room 42 – Level 1 – Upstairs

12:30-13:30 | The power of cross-border journalism – networking lunch with Clean Energy Wire CLEW. Press room.

A chance to meet colleagues, to get to know the Clean Energy Wire CLEW and to learn about its opportunities to collaborate with journalists from across the globe. Big transformation challenges like fixing the climate crisis, building sustainable mobility and cities or creating an inclusive digital environment have one thing in common: solutions and problems go beyond national borders. During the networking lunch, CLEW will present its latest grant opportunity for journalists on the question of what a just green transition in Europe can look like.

13:30-14:00 | Demo zone presentation by Gareth Macnaughton, Director EIT Urban Mobility. Meeting at the demo zone.

13:00h – 14:30 | Powering the Electric Mobility Transition. Tomorrow.Mobility Room

15:00 – 16:15 | Venture capital crunch: a crisis for mobility start-ups? Tomorrow.Mobility Room

9:30 – 11:00 | Why we should care about autonomous mobility. Tomorrow.Mobility Room

11.00 – 12:00 | Networking Brunch at EIT Urban Mobility’s booth.

12:45 – 13:15 | Keynote: Tamira Snell, Senior Advisor at Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies on how evolving behaviours can be harnessed to shape a brighter mobility future. Auditorium

Press registration 

If you wish to cover Smart City Expo World Congress and Tomorrow.Mobility World Congress, you can apply for a press/analyst pass that will allow you to access the exhibition area, conferences, and side events. Press Registration | Tomorrow.Mobility World Congress  

PrepDSpace4Mobility has successfully completed its 12-month project period with the presentation of a comprehensive analysis report that lays out possible roadmaps for the common European mobility data space (EMDS). Built on extensive stakeholder engagement activities, workshops, and surveys, the report provides a detailed examination of foundational principles, technical developments, and business and governance models. The analyses reveal multiple pathways for the evolution of the future EMDS. In a collective effort, all stakeholders involved must collaboratively shape the EMDS’ future direction and roles within its expansive framework.

EIT Urban Mobility, an initiative by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), a body of the EU, was actively engagement in the project and will integrate its learning in other future projects on Mobility Data Space in which it is engaged in.

The full report is published here by next Monday:PrepDSpace4Mobility (mobilitydataspace-csa.eu)

Empowering Europe’s data economy

The new State of the Digital Decade report reveals that 75 % of Europeans emphasise the need for stronger cybersecurity, improved connectivity, and enhanced data protection. Currently, the EU relies on foreign sources for more than 80 % of its digital products, services, infrastructures, and intellectual property[1]. The EMDS will transform the way mobility connects Europe by unlocking the potential of mobility data with a cross-sectoral approach to data harmonisation and interoperability. Data-based decision-making will foster new use cases and innovations in addressing cross-border mobility and logistics challenges, empowering Europe’s businesses and citizens.

Bridging the knowledge and technology gap

The future EMDS must offer a technical infrastructure and governance mechanisms that meet the demands of the diverse European stakeholder landscape.  While the report acknowledges the transformative vision of the EMDS, it highlights stakeholders’ concerns about the clarity of the EMDS’ value proposition for the different parties involved. The business model of the EMDS must go beyond a one-size-fits-all approach but empower participants to create value tailored to unique use cases through innovative solutions.

Technical governance as the backbone of the EMDS

For data to flow seamlessly and securely across European data spaces, the report stresses the need for a robust technical governance framework. It is comprised of a multi-level and bi-directional structure that facilitates interoperability at a base level for all sectoral data spaces. This structure is to guarantee a harmonised approach to data sovereignty, trust, and discoverability throughout the European data sharing environment; they lay the groundwork for an equal and empowering data space approach, assuring that data remains under the control of its rightful owner, that only verified entities can engage in data exchanges, and that data can be accessed and found in a harmonised process throughout all data spaces.

Readers of the report can expect an in-depth analysis of the EMDS initiative, covering data gaps, business models, governance, legal considerations, technical aspects, data interoperability, trust, and data value creation. The report also underlines alignment with key EU initiatives and offers recommendations for creating an interoperable, secure, and value-driven mobility data sharing environment in Europe.

Looking ahead

While the report points to several requirements, the future governance structure of the EMDS is not yet finalised. PrepDSpace4Mobility’s analysis report highlights five potential approaches to the operational role of the EMDS, each offering a unique path forward with distinct opportunities and challenges. Possible options are to create a(n):

1. European Commission-led authority 
2. Member State led European Digital Infrastructure Consortium (EDIC) for mobility and logistics data
3. European Association of existing data spaces in mobility 
4. European-level regulatory or certification framework 
5. Expert Working Group defining and disseminating interoperability guidelines for various mobility and logistics data ecosystems. 

The final governance structure for the EMDS remains to be decided and needs careful consideration of the governance and technical options presented in the report. Further, the evolution of resources provided by the Data Spaces Support Centre (DSSC), the expanding set of horizontal data regulations, and the development of shared middleware for European data spaces require continuous assessment and flexibility. Future initiatives and projects supporting the EMDS require strong policy directions in order to provide a clear pathway. Finally, planning stability will be crucial for all stakeholders engaged in mobility data sharing initiatives.

About PrepDSpace4Mobility

Press releases of the project:

1/12/2022 17 partners across Europe to lay the foundation for a common European mobility data space – EIT Urban Mobility

30/04/2023 400 data sharing ecosystems exist within the EU in the mobility sector – EIT Urban Mobility

PrepDSpace4Mobility contributes to the European Commission’s Strategy for Data. By mapping existing mobility and transport data ecosystems, an extensive catalogue of European transport data ecosystems was created. Building on these activities, technical building blocks and suitable governance frameworks for securely sharing data and managing data exchange across Europe were identified. A consortium of 17 partners, kicked off the Preparatory Action for the Data Space for Mobility (PrepDSpace4Mobility) project in October 2022. Led and coordinated by acatech (Germany), activities were carried out by Amadeus SAS (France), EIT Urban Mobility,  an initiative of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology, a body of the European Union, (Spain), FIWARE (Germany), FhG (Germany), IDSA (Germany), iSHARE (Netherlands), TNO (Netherlands), USI (Germany), VTT (Finland), EMTA (France), Group ADP (France), KU Leuven (Belgium), ERTICO (Belgium), BAST (Germany), UIH (Hungary), and MDS (Germany). The European Commission has dedicated one million Euro to the 12-month project, funded under the Digital Europe Programme.

[1] Special Eurobarometer SP532: “The digital decade”, March 2023

• 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 EIT Community New European Bauhaus (NEB) has announced a new call for its pioneering Catalyse programme. The call, which has been launched by EIT Climate-KIC, EIT Food, EIT Manufacturing, and EIT Urban Mobility is looking for start-ups that view social innovation as the key to delivering systems change and new ways of living together. This year will be the programme’s largest ever cohort with 28 spots available for successful start-ups. 

European start-ups or scale-ups driving change in the areas of climate, cities, transport, industry and food are encouraged to apply. 

The winning 28 applicants will receive support services worth a total of €50,000. Within this, they will benefit from unique NEB-specific training, in addition to leadership coaching, business mentoring and access to one of the most prominent innovation communities in Europe.

Applicants must demonstrate the social and economic impact of their innovation and how it embodies the three core principles of the NEB: 

• Sustainability – achieving climate goals through circularity and biodiversity 
• Aesthetics – emphasising quality of experience and design beyond functionality
• Inclusion – championing diversity, securing accessibility and improving affordability 

The New European Bauhaus

Initially announced by President Von der Leyen in her State of the Union address and launched by the European Commission in early 2021, the NEB is best understood as a practical application of the European Green Deal, which aims to improve the health, wellbeing and daily lives of both citizens and future generations.

The EIT Community is ideally placed to support the implementation of the NEB as it has created Europe’s largest innovation ecosystem with over 2,000 partners (business, research, education, cities) cooperating in over 60 hubs across Europe. 

By engaging with European innovators and civil society at large, the community is promoting business through start-up creation and growth, as well as contributing to citizen education and engagement. 

Join the New European Bauhaus Catalyse programme and help shape a more sustainable, beautiful and inclusive future for Europe.  

Click here to learn more about the programme and find out how to apply.

Applications are open until 4 December 2023.

• Karos transforms empty car seats into a new mode of public transport
• Karos lands in Vitoria-Gasteiz with a pilot experience co-funded by EIT Urban Mobility

Vitoria-Gasteiz, September 2023 – Karos was born in 2014 in France and has services in Denmark, Germany, and Spain. It is a leading European app for car sharing between home and work, and since its launch, it has made 8 million journeys, avoiding around 13,600 tonnes of CO2.

The app is now coming to Vitoria-Gasteiz, thanks to a project developed by EIT Urban Mobility, to reduce the thousands of journeys from the city centre to the industrial estates every morning. The Mobility survey of industrial parks revealed that more than half of the workers would share a car to get to work. Until now, this was only possible with an acquaintance.

Carpooling solution for daily commuting in suburban areas

EIT Urban Mobility, in collaboration with the Basque city of Vitoria-Gasteiz, and our silver partner, Karos, we plan to create a carpooling network for commuters of the city who have no other option than driving a car, adapting our carpooling app to the Spanish market and involving local employers.

The aim of the project is helping hundreds of companies to reduce their carbon footprint: if fewer cars exist for the same workers, there will be less pollution. Car sharing is currently the most sustainable and efficient way to get to work: you reduce emissions, save time and spend less money.

What is Karos?

Karos lands in Vitoria-Gasteiz with a pilot experience co-funded by EIT Urban Mobility, an initiative of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), a body of the European Union, as a result of one of our “Small Calls“.
The project is aimed at companies to reduce the carbon footprint of their staff and offer them more comfortable journeys. The objective is to minimise overall commuting emissions and save time and money.

Drivers create the route in the app and wait for others to sign up. For each journey, the driver will receive at least €1.5 for each person they transport, and passengers select a route and travel to work for free. Each passenger saves time and pays nothing.

The app is available in Basque, Spanish, and English. It was launched in 2014 and is already present in European countries such as France, Germany, and Denmark.

Karos is Silver partner at EIT Urban Mobility Innovation Hub South.
More info available here: https://www.karos-mobility.com/

About the Prize

The Deep Tech Talent Training Prize celebrates the best-in-class organisations committed to upskilling, diversifying training partnerships and building inclusive training offerings in deep tech. The Deep Tech Talent Training prize aims to celebrate and reward organisations including training providers, universities, and industry partners for their exceptional contributions in tackling deep tech training challenges.

We encourage applications from a range of backgrounds and organisations. To be eligible for the prizes, applicants must meet the Deep Tech Talent Initiative pledger criteria and have successfully completed the pledge registration and quality check of the training.

Entry categories include:

• Partner Training: This celebrates the training providers that have come together to develop robust and comprehensive courses that complement one another supporting our goal of upskilling 1 million learners in deep tech. Entering as a partnership allows all partners to become part of our Pledger community. Entries to this category must be made up of a minimum of two entries. Read here to find out more.
• Targeted Training: This category is for individual training providers who have demonstrated excellence in a specific, targeted approach to address challenges in Deep Tech training. The target approach may address targeted audiences that are often underrepresented in Deep Tech fields(e.g., women, disadvantaged background, individuals re-entering the job market, etc.) or may address an immediate market or training need that is underdeveloped.

For more details on the eligibility criteria and how to apply, please check the Deep Tech Talent Initiative website.

Why enter?

• To have the chance to collect Prize funds up to up to a maximum of 60,000 EUR per entity.
• An opportunity to celebrate your excellence and be recognised as a leaderin the field of deep tech training in the EU.
• Entrants will be benefit by becoming part of the EIT Deep Tech Talent Pledger community with access to larger, Europe-wide exclusive events, and numerous networking opportunities with leaders in deep tech.
• Prize winners will get their hard work recognised and their training offer will get a quality seal by the EIT Deep Tech Talent Initiative.

One application per category – for evaluation and Prize criteria, please see www.eitdeeptechtalent.eu/calls-and-opportunities/training-prize

Deadline: 31 October 2023, 17hr CET

Supernovas, the leading women entrepreneurship support programme of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), a body of the European Union, and in which EIT Urban Mobility is part, is pleased to announce the exceptional 10 start-ups selected for its highly anticipated Rocket Up programme in 2023.

Addressing the unique challenges faced by women-led start-ups, the 15-week comprehensive programme offers tailored support from mentors with expertise in market expansion and strategy development, individualised guidance from industry experts, and valuable introductions to stakeholders.

Celeste Reglá, Rocket Up Programme Officer at EIT Urban Mobility: “For European start-ups, international expansion is vital due to the continent’s diverse countries. Yet, expanding internationally is not so easy, as it requires consideration of various regulations, languages, and cultures. Specially for women-led ventures, which are often held back by additional barriers. With the programme, start-ups will define a successful expansion strategy. The start-ups selected have showed a strong team, remarkable product innovation with a focus on sustainability, and the potential for international expansion.”

The selected 4 mobility start-ups for the Rocket Up programme are as follows: 

• Gaya Bike (France): French smart-electric bikes brand, dedicated to make urban families life brighter. 
• ProperGate (Poland): Smart logistics platform for construction sites, streamlining operations, optimizing resources, and driving sustainability.
• BitaGreen (Belgium): For healthier and happier cities, BitaGreen helps risk managers identify best locations for investment in climate-proof urban nature
• GoJauntly (UK): Free, award-winning, community-based app which promotes walking for leisure, active travel and nature connection.

The other selected start-ups of the programme are Ani Biome, Fermata, Corbiota, SCALED, Li-tech, Resourcly.

Last year’s edition of the Rocket Up programme was a resounding success, with all start-ups devising strategies to go abroad. Despite the financial crisis, at least 70% established fruitful relationships in their target markets and many successfully raised new financial rounds due to their international expansion efforts. Most start-ups maintained their collaboration with the EIT by becoming equity portfolio companies or participating in follow-on programmes, further fuelling their growth and impact on the innovation ecosystem.

A recent Supernovas studies identified that more than 600 European scale-ups are founded by women, representing around 8% of scale-ups in Europe.  Women-led start-ups face unique challenges, including limited access to funding and networks compared to their counterparts. Recognising these challenges, the Rocket Up programme offers a comprehensive 15-week initiative tailored to provide a roadmap for success. All the start-ups participating in Rocket Up are committed to the goals of EIT Urban Mobility, EIT Food, or EIT Manufacturing.

Participants will engage in insightful group sessions with mentors possessing exceptional expertise in market expansion and strategy development. Additionally, each start-up will receive personalised support from hand-picked business and industry experts and gain in-person introductions to potential stakeholders. This holistic approach will empower the participants to expand internationally with a structured and validated entry strategy. Furthermore, the Rocket Up programme provides access to the extensive resources of the EIT Community and facilitates the creation of a female-founders network.

BACKGROUND

About Supernovas Supernovas, an EIT Community initiative, focuses on improving gender balance in entrepreneurship and innovation. The programme works with start-ups founded by women who want to promote their arrival in new markets and boost their sales (Rocket Up) or seeks to train and incorporate women with high scientific and technological knowledge in venture capital funds and continue to support their professional growth (Women 2 Invest), among others. A new feature this year is its Investment Forums, where investors seeking to increase the presence of start-ups led by women in their investment portfolios will find start-ups looking for funding and with a women or mixed entrepreneurial team at the helm.

Multimodality, Inclusivity and Mobility Data among the key topics

The third edition of Tomorrow.Mobility World Congress (TMWC), the international event promoting the design and adoption of new sustainable urban mobility schemes, will bring a new drive to the global mobility stage. Held in Barcelona from November 7-9 under the theme Make your Move Matter, TMWC will bring together the leading international experts, companies, and public institutions in the field.

Jointly organized by Fira Barcelona and EIT Urban Mobility, an initiative of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology, a body of the European Union, the event will focus on eight key topics that are critical for the transformation of urban mobility: Mobility Data Spaces, Inclusivity, Affordability & Fairness, Connected, Cooperative & Automated Mobility, Sustainable Urban Logistics, Multimodality, Urban Air Mobility, Energy Transition, and Active Mobility. These themes will provide a comprehensive overview of the latest trends, technologies, and policies shaping the future of mobility.

Maria Tsavachidis, President of Tomorrow.Mobility World Congress and CEO of EIT Urban Mobility, said: “The upcoming edition of Tomorrow.Mobility will gather visionaries, dynamic start-ups, and industry leaders to shape the future of transportation. As cities strive for climate neutrality, Tomorrow.Mobility becomes more than an event; it’s a catalyst for change. With unwavering commitment, we drive smarter, cleaner, and connected solutions, propelling us towards a sustainable tomorrow”.

TMWC has also announced the first speakers who will take part in the conference program. The lineup includes Timothy Papandreou, CEO of Emerging Transport Advisors and former CIO of San Francisco MTA; Karima Delli, MEP and Chair of the Committee on Transport and Tourism at the European Parliament; Karen Vancluysen, Secretary General of the POLIS network; and Maria Tsavachidis, CEO of EIT Urban Mobility.

The event has also confirmed the participation of companies and institutions among which are AMB, B:SM, Deloitte, Equinsa, FGC, Flowbird, Funkwerk, Hayden, Moventia, RACC, Renfe, Sener, and TMB.

Innovation by land, sea and air

The event will be held alongside Smart City Expo World Congress, the leading tradeshow and congress on cities and smart urban solutions, that will include Tomorrow.Building, a forum focusing on the green and digital transition of buildings and urban infrastructures, and Tomorrow.BlueEconomy a new event dedicated the challenges and opportunities of coastal cities and the blue economy.

Altogether, the events are expected to gather over 1,000 exhibitors, including companies, cities, governments and institutions, more than 600 international experts, and over 25,000 attendees.

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.

In this article, you will understand:
– how we have the ability to address urban mobility professionals’ upskill needs and to guide them every step of the way, from discovering specific mobility challenges to overcoming them with industry experts and peers.
– how the pandemic taught us to tailor our online and on-site learning to fully benefit urban mobility professionals
– how we developed an extensive and diverse portfolio of courses and methodologies suitable for a variety of audiences.
– how we developed courses on a wide array of other urban mobility-related subjects, with perspectives ranging from social and tech to environmental. View our full catalogue here.

A high percentage of the urban mobility jobs we’ll do in 2030 haven’t been invented yet – does that fact excite and inspire you? Do you want to be a trailblazer, leading the way towards a better future in a career you love? Do you have an unquenchable thirst for knowledge?  We can help.

Now more than ever, we are changing the way our cities and transport are planned: think breakthroughs in new technologies, digitalisation of the industry and championing zero-emission cities. Mobility professionals know the importance of delivering thriving and attractive living environments to citizens of the cities they work in. They also know that their line of work demands learning and implementing new skills and gaining a better understanding of the swift and sometimes abrupt changes this sector faces.

Here at EIT Urban Mobility, we want to be at the forefront of knowledge sharing for urban mobility professionals every step of the way. We are constantly developing state-of-the-art applied training courses that empower sector professionals, decision makers and businesses at every level across Europe to upskill in a way that suits them.

We offer courses perfect for a variety of different people, from local authorities and transport providers to those in the mobility industry, academia and beyond – so if you are looking to upskill, chances are we can help.

As Jim Moran once said, “The future belongs to those who prepare for it” – are you ready to own the future?

From Micro-Mobility and Electric Vehicles to Last Mile Logistics: What Will Become Your Specialisation?

We believe learning should happen in three steps:

1. Discovering – Your introduction to urban mobility, helping you to uncover the different aspects of this field and discover what you find most interesting
2. Understanding – Delving deeper into the topics you enjoy the most and developing an in-depth understanding
3. Overcoming – This final step takes your learning to the next level, bringing you together with experts and other industry peers to overcome specific mobility challenges

We have the ability to guide urban mobility professionals every step of the way, from discovery to implementation. Our Urban Mobility Explained initiative and our online courses facilitate keen students to learn at their own pace, allowing them to properly solidify their knowledge of urban mobility – they are the ideal for the discovery and understanding steps.

The overcoming step is where our applied courses come into play. They are a fantastic way to empower urban mobility professionals to overcome mobility challenges together with industry experts and peers. These courses bring people together, both online and on-site, allowing learners to take the knowledge they’ve gleaned and put it into action.

Our applied courses can take place on location (ideal for experiencing local infrastructure, workshops, networking), online (good for theory or to get together without having to travel) or a mixture of the two. They are the final step in truly and deeply understanding urban mobility while addressing your challenges at work.

The impact of the pandemic

We took away three key lessons from the pandemic:

1. The understanding part of learning can be done at home, at your own pace
2. Some of the overcoming step will always need to be done on-site, especially when we are looking at infrastructure and transportation – for example, each specific city will have its own unique features to discover
3. Parts of on-site courses can also be moved online, but they have to be completely re-thought to achieve the benefits and impact our students deserve – a ‘copy and paste’ approach just won’t work

All this means that we have been able to tailor our online and on-site learning to fully benefit urban mobility professionals like you. No matter where you are in the learning process, we understand exactly what you need – and how to give it to you.

Bridging an Educational Gap with Our Cycling Courses

One great example of how we’ve taken a learning opportunity from discovery to implementation is our cycling courses.

We know that there has been a rapid increase in cycling as of late, as individuals move towards more active mobility post-pandemic. Now is the time for cities to update their infrastructure to make it more inclusive and accessible for all types of travellers.

Cycling is of the utmost importance in urban mobility for a variety of economic, social and environmental reasons, and is changing cities and lives. By collaborating with leading European experts and organisations to develop impact-oriented courses, we are empowering a new generation of ambitious professionals to find the solutions we need to make our mobility greener and our cities more sustainable.

By researching what is important in the world of urban mobility today and discovering and bridging an educational gap, we’ve been able to give learners what they want and need: a proper understanding of cycling in relation to urban mobility.

The lifecycle of our cycling courses

We identified a need for cycling-friendly cities, which was exacerbated during the COVID pandemic. We wanted to empower urban mobility professionals of all levels, as well as spark a change in society, so we developed an extensive and diverse portfolio of courses and methodologies suitable for a variety of audiences.

Our goal? Easy – to make cycling a bigger part of city mobility.

Some of our cycling courses include:

• An online MOOC on cycling, disseminating the unique cycling experience and expertises of The Netherlands and Denmark; good for beginners
• A custom blended course for Transport Malta, taking the local infrastructure, mindset and current capabilities into careful consideration to ensure it was as beneficial for this city as possible; ideal for local professionals
• An open course on designing the cycling city in Rotterdam, based on the content from the original MOOC; excellent for design professionals and mobility students
• Two courses developed by other providers on the topic of cyclologistics: one in Belgium (next held in April 2023) and one in Italy (2023 date to be confirmed); great for urban mobility professionals
• A course based on the Danish experience/school of cycling, designed and run by the provider Copenhagenize: held in Copenhagen in English and Paris in French; generally for design and engineering professionals, graduate students and those with a personal or professional interest in bicycles
• The original MOOC on the cycling city offered to a Slovakian audience with online workshops, held over the summer; good for local professionals

And cycling is just the beginning! We’ve also developed courses on a wide array of other urban mobility-related subjects, with perspectives ranging from social and tech to environmental, such as:

• Planning for Autonomous Vehicles – Delving deep into how to plant or autonomous vehicles
• Mobility and Digitalisation – It’s key to understand the role new technologies play in an urban environment
• Virtual Reality – How does virtual reality fit into the world of urban mobility?
• And much, much more!

View our full catalogue here.

Take Learning to the Next Level with EIT Urban Mobility

Are you ready to take on the future and carve out the perfect role for yourself in the world of urban mobility? Take the first step today with EIT Urban Mobility.

If you are an individual looking to upskill, why not view our full selection of educational opportunities here? If you are looking for tailored training for your corporation or city, please get in touch with us to discuss how we can create the ideal course for you.

Translation: German / Spanish / Català / Slovak/ Hungarian

Twelve European cities from ten countries join the third edition of the competition Rapid Applications for Transport (RAPTOR) programme by EIT Urban Mobility, an initiative of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), a body of the European Union. RAPTOR is an agile, challenge-based programme that swiftly creates and tests solutions to answer niche urban mobility challenges identified by the cities. The competition sees start-ups and SMEs propose promising innovative and impactful solutions to answer these challenges. Winners are awarded funding (35 000 euros) and customised mentoring to develop and pilot their solution across the five-month project period in the city.

Each of the cities identified a unique challenge they face, ranging from freight pollution, access to electric vehicle charging and cycling safety.  The participating cities for the 2023 edition are: Akureyri (Iceland), Ankara (Türkiye), Ajka (Hungary), Barcelona Metropolitan Area (Spain), Capital Region of Denmark (Denmark), Debrecen (Hungary), Dubnicka nad Váhom (Slovakia), The Hague (Netherlands), Helsingborg (Sweden), Mechelen (Belgium), Munich (Germany), Stuttgart Region (Germany).

Gareth Macnaughton, Director of Innovation, EIT Urban Mobility: “RAPTOR uses agile, innovative solutions to solve concrete urban mobility challenges in European cities. The programme promotes innovative European start-ups and SMEs to partner with Cities to find and test solutions to their challenges.  RAPTOR brings innovation to a local level freeing cities up from their dependence on big consulting or technology multinationals companies. EIT Urban Mobility welcomes these twelve new cities in their active role as driving force and enablers of faster mobility innovation.”

EIT Urban Mobility and cities are launching the open competition next week, for European start-ups and SMEs to propose solutions that address these challenges. The niche mobility challenges for each of these cities will be explained and detailed during the call information day happening on 15 March 2023, to support the SMEs and Start-ups in getting ready for the competition.

• Akureyri – How can intermodality between public transport and micro-mobility solutions be optimised? 

Iceland’s current government has committed to cut emissions by 55% by 2030 (according to ESR 2005 numbers) and to become carbon-neutral by 2040. Today, the transport sector is a significant source of emissions, in 2021, it accounted for 31% of all emissions. The town of Akureyri is by far the largest urban area outside the capital area with just under 20.000 residents (about 8% of the population). In Akureyri, public transport is available via a free-of-charge bus system. However, most residents prefer to travel by private car and average ownership is more than 8 private vehicles for every 10 residents. Apart from the free public transportation, the town launched an app and a website which show the time it takes to walk or cycle from one location to another. Although it clearly reveals that cycling across town only takes about 15 minutes, the introduction of these measures has not yet proven fruitful. 

• Ankara – How to increase efficiency in e-bike field operations?

In the city of Ankara, Türkiye, the existing electric bike sharing system includes more than 500 bikes, 40 charging stations, management, and end-user mobile applications. Bicycle charging stations are located at the metro exits. The implemented free-floating e-bike sharing scheme provides the availability of bikes at various stations within the system. Compared to the station-based scheme, it represents the more flexible model by enabling users to pick up and drop off e-bikes at any desired station with available bikes or parking spaces. However, the system lacks a decision-support feature, making it incapable of automatically optimising field operations. Field operations consist of collecting, balancing, replacing batteries, on-site maintenance, returning to workshop etc. and these are done by carrying vehicles. Since such operations create the highest costs to the budget the route optimisation of the vehicles is important and required for an efficient and smart management. Therefore, the goal is to establish an optimisation system for the e-bikes field operations through an integrated software that includes parameters derived from the existing system such as location, charge status, availability of e-bikes.

• Ajka – How can we optimize public transport routes using the possibility of a new bridge? 

The city in Hungary, historically 6 villages that were merged, is today a central hub for work, health, and educational services. Today, more than 14 000 citizens commute to Ajka city centre every day. Over the last 10 years the number of cars in the city has increased by 24%. For this reason, Ajka has decided to re-organize and optimise the public transportation system to address the local and regional mobility issues that arise from high congestion rates and insufficient public transportation routes. The study of the possibility of the construction of a new bridge in the city is at the heart of this challenge as it will restructure the public transportation network and improve mobility flows in the city.

• Barcelona Metropolitan Area – How might we leverage data collected in loading/unloading zones to improve city logistics policies in the metropolitan area?

AMB Barcelona is facing several challenges in getting the most value from the data collected by their own app (SPRO) to monitor loading/unloading zones. One of the major problems is the complexity and volume of the data collected. Another problem is the need to ensure the privacy and security of the data collected. This is particularly important when the data contains sensitive information such as personal information or business-critical data. Furthermore, AMB Barcelona needs to prioritise investments in the right technology and infrastructure to support the use of data collected through the app. This includes data storage and processing capabilities, as well as tools for data visualisation and analysis.

• Capital Region of Denmark – How can overpriced EV charging be avoided and price transparency be ensured for users? 

Denmark has a goal to electrify more than a million vehicles by 2030. For that, electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure and its accessibility and transparency is key for the EV driver to make the right decision. When using a private electric vehicle, charging can happen at home, at work or at public charging stations. The public and on-street charging infrastructure in Denmark is well developed and is frequently located throughout the Capital Region of Denmark in parking lots, along streets and at various other locations. The price of EV charging in the Capital Region of Denmark is regulated by charging operators themselves, rather than by the government. There are several different charging operators and providers in the Capital Region of Denmark and each has its own pricing policy. The consequence of this is that the price of charging an electric vehicle in the Capital Region of Denmark can vary a lot, depending on factors such as the time of day, the amount of energy used and the type of charging station, operator and roaming policies. There is currently no solution that provides a holistic, real-time overview of the price of charging of all different EV charging operators, and this often results in EV drivers paying too much.  

• Debrecen – How to connect citizens from low density areas to the public transport network through active mobility?

Debrecen, Hungary is quickly expanding which means even more pressure on urban travel and road congestion which makes everyone’s lives more difficult and frustrating. As excessive car usage and road congestion are key challenges for Debrecen, any useful and effective incentives are welcome, especially if they have worked well in other cities already. The city needs to support the citizens’ ability and options to use sustainable modes of travel instead of car rides. For these efforts relatively low cost and smart solutions come very useful.

• Dubnica nad Váhom – How to create safe bicycle parking possibilities for people from the housing estate? 

Dubnica nad Váhom is a city in central part of Slovakia, with a population of around 25 000 inhabitants. It is an industrial city. Conditions of the city are rather favourable for higher rate of active mobility and the city is currently building its first bicycle infrastructure while working on a more strategic and long-term approach to increase the bicycle modal share. Therefore, the challenge is to provide a safe and accessible bicycle parking infrastructure for people living in the wider city centre.

• The Hague – How do we improve the in-city customer journey to the main Scheveningen recreational area by modes of sustainable transport on peak days?

Scheveningen beach in the Netherlands is a highly popular recreational area, especially on nice weather and event days. On these peak days, large amounts of visitors can be a challenge (think of crowded public transportation and long traffic jams). On peak days, it is noticeable that most out-of-city visitors skip sustainable modes of transportation and last-mile solutions. The beach area has many different sustainable models of transport, like cycling highways, free bike parking, but it can also accommodate car drivers by having garages close to popular spots.

• Helsingborg – How can the city of Helsingborg establish a bicycle culture?

Despite substantial investments in infrastructure, the climate crisis and high fuel costs, the people of Helsingborg in Sweden are travelling by bicycle to a lesser extent than people in same-sized cities. The focus of this challenge is to understand the behaviours of citizens and be able to develop a “bicycle culture” in Helsingborg, including ways to define and measure it. 

• Mechelen – How to measure the CO2 emissions and its possible reduction for freight transport?  

The city of Mechelen in Belgium has signed a covenant with 33 logistics service providers and interest organisations to realise zero emission city logistics by 2030. Yet currently there is no collection or analysis on data levels of the goal of zero emission city logistics, so the transition isn’t being monitored. Therefore, the city is looking for a solution to be able to start with this monitoring, define a baseline and follow the evolution in CO2 emissions. 

• Munich – How can individual mobility patterns in a city like Munich be identified based on a data model?

The city of Munich with 1,5 million inhabitants is facing environmental and traffic challenges due to growing numbers of inhabitants and of private vehicles causing an increase in CO2 emissions. Approximately 400.000 commuters from surrounding areas come to Munich daily. The only data available that is collected from devices installed in public transport is the count of passengers getting on and off the subway/bus/tramway at the stations. There is no evaluation of other means of transport. Only 15-60% of all public transport vehicles are equipped with counting devices. Mobile providers can show streams of movement almost in real-time, but do not record short distances (under 1 km) and are not able to differentiate the means of transport. Whereas app-based solutions very often have the problem that there are not enough users and in addition to that, those users are not representative of the residential population and the tourists.

• Stuttgart Region – How can we change the arrival and departure culture to big events, what can be done to diversify transportation options, and relieve congestion on such events?  The Stuttgart Region with its 179 municipalities is an innovative business location and one of Germany’s top-ranking locations for labour, competitiveness, dynamism and quality of life. Stuttgart Region hosts many events throughout the year. Large events can have a significant environmental impact, especially if transportation options are not sustainable. By diversifying transportation options and promoting sustainable modes of transportation, we can reduce the environmental impact of large events.