The MoU establishes an agreement to jointly work together in the development of standards and solutions to promote urban mobility and sustainable solutions in Spanish cities, and expresses the common intention to join forces to meet shared objectives.

Madrid, Spain, 5 May 2022 – EIT Urban Mobility and the Spanish Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda (MITMA, Ministerio de Transportes, Movilidad y Agenda Urbana) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). The collaboration among both entities will enable strong cooperation in a wide range of initiatives to solve the current (and future) urban mobility challenges of Spanish cities.

The signature took place in the Spanish Ministry of Transport during an event chaired by María José Rallo del Olmo Secretary General for Transport and Mobility at the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda and Ms. Rocío Baguena Rodríguez Director of the Division of Transport Studies and Technology at the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda. Daniel Serra, EIT Urban Mobility Innovation Hub South director, was responsible for signing the agreement on behalf of the entity.

This agreement formalises the mutual interaction and strengthens the existing relationship between both entities and creates a unique platform to identify synergies between key players of the Spanish urban mobility ecosystem from the public and private sectors and foster innovation projects across Spain. It will also allow the monitoring of initiatives, projects, developments, the application of innovative technologies and the dissemination of innovation through conferences, events, reports, and articles.

The memorandum reinforces the commitment made by the Spanish Government to take the lead in the decarbonization of the economy and strengthens the role of EIT Urban Mobility as an enabler in the implementation of the Safe, Sustainable and Connected Mobility Strategy 2030, conceived as a guiding document for MITMA’s mobility policies until 2030. The roadmap that will guide the actions of the Spanish Ministry of Transport, Mobility, and Urban Agenda (MITMA) in the field of transport and mobility over the next ten years.

Ms. María José Rallo del Olmo Secretary General for Transport and Mobility at the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda and Daniel Serra, EIT Urban Mobility Innovation Hub South director, during the signature of the agreement.  

EIT Urban Mobility innovation Hub South Partner, BGI, presents its two acceleration programmes dedicated to supporting tech startups in validating their business and scaling it.

BGI Accelerator: Acceleration programme of 10 months, dedicated to startups from all over the world in the areas of Medical Devices and Health Care; Smart Cities and Industry 4.0; Blockchain Applications and AI; and Water Economy. The startups benefit from two national boot camps, a mentorship programme and an immersion programme in Boston.

More information is available here.

Get in the Ring: Startup competition, sponsored by EIT Urban Mobility and Vodafone Portugal, dedicated to supporting startups from RIS Countries in the areas of smart mobility, big data, XR Solutions, and Automation and Gamification. Startups benefit from one physical event to pitch their idea, access to Vodafone Power Lab and an award of up to 20k€.
More information is available here

Citython 2022, a project funded by EIT UM and organised by CARNET, analyses mobility challenges faced by cities, where multi-disciplinary teams of students and professionals from different backgrounds and expertise (architecture, urban planning, data science, engineering, human science, and business creation) compete against each other to provide innovative solutions.

This hybrid (in person and online) Citython will be held in the city of Žilina, Slovakia, from 29 April to 1 May. The first edition of 2022 is focused on smart mobility, in the context of climate resilient cities, public engagement and extreme weather and humanitarian emergencies. The goal of this Citython is that young professionals search for innovative and creative solutions that can be applied in the city of Žilina to foster innovation. 

This hackathon will provide an opportunity for brilliant young talents to create their works with the help of mentors and experts, who will be at hand during the event, while also experiencing the unforgettable thrill of coming together with peers who share the same passion for digital technology and innovation. 

Citython 2022 is an international event focusing on urban challenges in RIS countries  in which the participating teams work on implementing their ideas from inception to presentable project or prototype in 54 hours. Next events are going to be held Neapolis-Sykies, Greece, and Kosice, Slovakia. Learn more here.

Urban Mobility went through unexpected and momentous changes in 2020 and 2021. COVID-19 ripped through our nations and cities bringing individual, community and societal upheaval and turmoil. Density and proximity, the very two things that make our cities the economic, cultural, intellectual, political, and innovative beating hearts of our society, were also the weakest points when faced with a new and deadly threat.

It has been an unforgettable couple of years that have shaped our thinking on where EIT Urban Mobility needs to go. We learned we could move fast and innovate at pace. We learned that the right thinkers and doers are out there – they just need to be found. We learned that innovation can be financially beneficial and contribute to sustainable growth.

In 2022, we want to provide momentum and support innovators further into the early stages of market uptake, and simultaneously help cities address their sustainability challenges in mobility with innovative approaches. Reducing the time-to-market of successfully piloted innovations and overcoming market-entry barriers is at the core of the objectives of this call for solutions. The post-covid urban mobility landscape leaves us limited time to reach our collective 2030 goals, and a true decade of action is needed to implement change in cities.

We look forward to receiving your applications!

Main features of the call (aim and challenges)

The overall purpose of the Factory programme is to resolve challenges facing European cities to improve citizens’ lives, by taking innovative ideas and putting them to the test in real life.

The Factory programmes helps all type and size of enterprises grow their successful business ventures and scale up their products and services. It does so by providing co-funding and opportunities for networking.

This #ChallengeMyCity call aims at resolving mobility-related challenges faced by European cities in their urban environment with market-ready innovative solutions. This year’s issue of the call is dedicated to the city of Madrid and project proposals are invited to address at least one of these 3 different Challenges:

• Challenge A – in Madrid: Logistics hub for green last mile delivery
• Challenge B – in Madrid: Safety for bicycle paths & monitoring of cyclist flows
• Challenge C – in Madrid: Monitoring active mobility flows in new urban spaces

Contact details

Events-Webinars

Here you can find the link to the Info Day webinar that will take place on the 6 May at 11:00 CEST: https://eiturbanmobility-eu.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_ha9T7730SPCdgz83IHRaRw

You can check here the presentation used in the Info Day webinar.

Call summary

EIT and EIC create synergies between their powerful entrepreneurship communities.

The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) is committed to build the presence of women in different roles within the entrepeneurship and innovation ecosystem. As part of our ongoing efforts in the field EIT has partnered with the European Innovation Council (EIC) to create synergies between their powerful entrepreneurship communities and enhance the participation of EIT alumni in the EIC Women Leadership Programme. 

The programme offers EIT community women access to a broad network, mentoring, coaching and training opportunities to take their managerial and leadership skills to the next level. Selected participants will be matched with mentor and experts to boost their potencial and expand the opportunities to engage with peers and key stakelholders for their development. 

The services of the programme will be offered jointly by EIC and EIT and are open to women leading startups and research teams.

The programme is curretly looking for members and coaches to support participants in the programme. If you are and experienced entrepreneur, investor, innovator or senior manager (M/F) motivated to make a lasting impact on the role of women in innovation and entrepreneurship, then we want you as a mentor or coach!

We are looking forward to working with you to achieve a better gender balanced entrepeneurship and innovation ecosystem. 

For more information visit the website!

The EIT Community invites applicants to develop and submit applications aligned with the New European Bauhaus initiative (hereinafter NEB) focused on the inhabited places and on our relationship with natural environments, beyond the built space. It is a practical approach to discover beautiful, sustainable, and inclusive ways of living and to use them to inspire our way forward.

The present EIT Community call for projects aims to resolve challenges that the cities, peri-urban and rural areas face, focusing on NEB challenges innovation and action in public spaces through citizen engagement in their re-designing. The call will identify inspirational, beautiful, sustainable and inclusive project proposals, demonstrating new solutions that boost the transformation of cities, peri-urban and rural areas by bringing individuals and communities closer to nature, bringing sense of belonging, addressing the needs of territories, communities that needed specific attention, and transforming value chains and life of materials towards circularity.

Further on all proposals need to embed and integrate all the three core New European Bauhaus values (sustainability, aesthetics, inclusion) and all the three key New European Bauhaus principles (multilevel, participatory, transdisciplinary approach) into their projects.

Supported activities

Given the objective, expected outcomes and impact of the 2022 projects, grants shall be awarded for the implementation of products and services (including rapid product prototypes), co-design of public realm and social and educational activities aiming to respond to the New European Bauhaus challenges:

• Re-connecting with nature
• Re-gaining sense of community and belonging
• Prioritising the places and people that need it the most
• The need for a long term, life cycle and integrated thinking in industrial ecosystem

An application must address at least one of the EIT Community NEB Challenges mentioned above; for further information including examples of specific types of activities please carefully read  Chapter 4 of the Call document.

Who can apply?

Applications must be consortia of a minimum 2 partners and a maximum of 4 partners.  One of these partners must be a City, region or an affiliated entity to a City or region located in an EU Member State or a Third Country associated to Horizon Europe. In case the consortium is made of 2 partners, the applicants must be independent organisations (there cannot be an affiliated link between them). One partner has to be presented as the Lead Partner.

KICs partners and non-partners are eligible to apply. Applications from RIS countries are positively encouraged.

For further eligibility information please check chapter 9.1 of the Call document.

EIT funding allocation

The funding rate is 100% up to 45.000€ for each project.

Overall six selected projects (ideally minimum 1 proposal per EIT Community NEB Challenge) can be implemented in six regions/cities located in the European Union Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries from 1 of July to 31 December 2022.

How can you apply?

The process is organised in a one-step application procedure. Please read the Call document carefully and consult the EIT Community team if necessary. More information about the types of projects, the application process, you will find in the documents for download:

EIT_Community_NEB_2022_Call_Co-Creation of public space_Final.pdf

On 26 April 2022 at 10:30 CEST Online a Call info session and Matchmaking event will be organised.

For participation please fill in the online registration form until 21 April 2022. In the matchmaking session, registered participants can present in 4 minutes their organisation and their needs to form a consortium. If you wish to present, please send your ppt in advance (maximum 4 slides) to zita.dibaczi@eiturbanmobility.eu at the latest 21 April 2022.

You can check here the presentation used in the Call info session and review here the Q&A.

We are looking forward to receiving your applications not later than 29 May 2022 in a single pdf by mail to NEBcall4cities2022@eiturbanmobility.eu  

Selection criteria

The purpose of the evaluation is to assess the excellence, impact and implementation of each proposal that successfully passed the admissibility and eligibility criteria.

EIT Community invites applicants to develop and submit applications aligned with the New European Bauhaus initiative (hereinafter NEB) focused on developing long-term solutions in collaboration with citizens to deliver transformation that match the needs of a wider community.

The present EIT Community call for projects aims to work on activities where citizens and end-users are not only asked to identify relevant challenges of their city aligned with New European Bauhaus challenges, but also empowered to co-create together potential solutions in an ideation process. It is expected to encourage/incentivise the uptake of more sustainable habits, through co-creation of new products, services or solutions with citizens, empowering citizens to implement new solutions in their communities and triggering change by actively influencing local policies.

Further on all proposals need to embed and integrate all the three core New European Bauhaus values (sustainability, aesthetics, inclusion) and all the three key New European Bauhaus principles (multilevel, participatory, transdisciplinary approach) into their projects.

Supported activities

Given the objective, expected outcomes and impact of the 2022 projects, grants shall be awarded for the implementation of co-design of public realm and social and educational activities aiming to respond to the New European Bauhaus challenges:

• Re-connecting with nature
• Re-gaining sense of community and belonging
• Prioritising the places and people that need it the most
• The need for a long term, life cycle and integrated thinking in industrial ecosystem

An application must address at least one of the EIT Community NEB Challenges mentioned above; for further information including examples of specific types of activities please carefully read Chapter 4 of the Call document.

Who can apply?

Private or public legal entity may apply, consortia are not eligible.

KICs partners and non-partners are eligible to apply. Applications from RIS countries are positively encouraged.

For further eligibility information please check Chapter 9.1 of the Call document.

EIT funding allocation

The funding rate is 100% up to 15.000€ for each project.

Overall eight selected projects (ideally two proposals per EIT Community NEB Challenge) can be implemented in eight regions/cities located in the European Union Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries from 1 of July to 31 December 2022.

How can you apply?

The process is organised in a one-step application procedure. Please read the Call document carefully and consult the EIT Community team if necessary. More information about the types of projects, the application process, you will find in the documents for download:

EIT Community NEB 2022 Call Citizen Engagement Activities

On 26 April 2022 at 09:00 CEST Online the Call info session will be organised. For participation please fill in the online registration form until 21 April 2022.

You can check here the presentation used in the Call info session and review here the Q&A.

We are looking forward to receiving your applications not later than 29 May 2022 in a single pdf by mail to NEBcall4citizens2022@eiturbanmobility.eu

Selection criteria

The purpose of the evaluation is to assess the excellence, impact and implementation of each proposal that successfully passed the admissibility and eligibility criteria.

During 2021, the Climate Crisis and Covid-19 focused our attention on the pressing need for more action and less reflection on how we can create healthy, liveable, and sustainable cities. The Innovation Programme of 2022 is well placed to help us find practical ways to address these challenges. In 2022, our community will develop solutions and products driving the use of second life batteries, alternative energy, grid/micro-grid management, tackling last mile pollution and congestion, autonomous delivery, active mobility, sustainable logitsics, and creating dynamic shared spaces for both vehicles and pedestrians.

This year´s Call for Innovation will focus on the same four City Challenges as last year: Active Mobility, Sustainable City Logistics, Energy and Mobility, and Future Mobility. Retaining the same Challenge Areas was a decision made in consultation with our community, and in considering the exceptional strength of the proposals and the quality of the partnerships received last year.

We look forward to receiving your applications for inclusion in the Business Plan 2023-2025.

Main features of the call

The overall purpose of the Innovation Programme is to resolve challenges facing European cities to improve citizens’ lives, by taking innovative ideas and putting them to the test in real life.

Urban mobility challenges include issues such as equality of access, eco-efficiency, physical and digital safety, harnessing of new technologies, population growth, and air quality. Within our action orientated innovation, we also address the regulatory and behavioural changes needed to improve urban life quality.

The Innovation Programme co-creates ideas that lead to the proposal of projects, the demonstration of new solutions, the development of living labs, and the creation of commercial value.

Over 250 urban mobility challenges were identified by cities across Europe. These challenges were reworked into 9 wider ‘Challenge Areas’.

For the Call for Innovation, four challenge areas will be supported directly by the Innovation Programme: Active Mobility, Sustainable City Logistics, Future Mobility, and Mobility & Energy.

Contact details

Events-Webinars

To help applicants with the preparation and submission of their proposals, EIT Urban Mobility carry out a series of events before and after the call publication to ensure open, free and fair access to the wider mobility community.

You can find the calendar of events and information about the programme here.

Call summary

The EIT is proud to present a brand-new website dedicated to the EIT Global Outreach Programme – delivering the unique EIT Innovation model beyond Europe and boosting the competitiveness of European innovations.   

Innovation beyond Europe: EIT Global Outreach   

The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) is Europe’s innovation engine on a mission to create a healthier, greener and more digital Europe. By harnessing the power of innovation, the EIT helps to directly respond to some of the greatest global challenges of our time.  

Over the past decade, the EIT has established eight Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs), unique partnerships that connect more than 2900 partners, carving out Europe’s largest innovation ecosystem, connecting leading businesses, higher education and research organisations to turn Europe’s best ideas into cutting-edge products and services.  

In 2018, acknowledging the importance of international cooperation in tackling global challenges, the EIT together with its Innovation Communities established the EIT Global Outreach programme. Contributing to the EU’s Global Approach in Research & Innovation, it is the first EIT Community coordinated effort at global level. 

The EIT Global Outreach programme acts as a bridge linking the EIT’s innovation ecosystem with those of outreach locations, forging synergies with global innovation leaders. Currently two EIT Hubs exist under the Global Outreach programme, one in Silicon Valley, USA, and the other in Tel Aviv, Israel.  

The EIT Global outreach programme draws on the strength of the already established EIT model, built on the principle/foundation of knowledge triangle integration, bringing together research, academia, and business to spur innovation, increasing European competitiveness, while creating jobs and sustainable growth. By positioning the EIT’s innovation model at an international level, the EIT Community is able to offer tailor-made support to facilitate the internationalisation efforts of European entrepreneurs and innovators. In addition, with this programme, the EIT brings together knowledge and resources from across its innovation ecosystem to create a platform to share best practices and expertise from the selected outreach locations to tackle the most pressing global challenges and contribute to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. 

Stay tuned for updates on the new EIT Global Outreach website as the programme expands with more locations! Or get involved now with the EIT Global Outreach activities, including the  Disrupt Me innovation immersion programme that is currently accepting applicants, or other upcoming opportunities and events!  

For more information, sign up for the Global Outreach newsletter. 

Last June 2021, EIT Urban Mobility Hub South was selected by the Spanish Ministry of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation as one of the co-leading entities of the mobility group in Spain of the Gaia X project. More than 300 companies and public entities have submitted their manifestation of interest.

Being selected as co-leaders members of this working group allows the Innovation Hub South to participate actively in the initiative and offers us a unique opportunity to strengthen our technological commitment and the leadership of our community. The association is doing pioneering work in data infrastructure and digital ecosystems, and it will have an immense impact on Europe’s economic future.

About Gaia- X
Gaia-X is the next generation of digital data infrastructure: a trustworthy data ecosystem across Europe and beyond based on the European values of openness, transparency, and sovereignty. The international community of Gaia-X Hubs supports this unique pan-European idea on national levels to nurture a dynamic, grassroots ecosystem.

The Spanish Hub
The objective of the Hubs is to facilitate and support the creation of European Data Spaces. Hubs focus on developing these relevant spaces to the local region and interact with other areas to build cross-national data nets. The Spanish Gaia-X association aims to generate a stable and permanent collaboration framework to promote secure, transparent and practical data sharing and exploitation in Spain.

These initiatives are part of the Digital Spain 2025 agenda, which aims to promote the country’s digital transformation as a lever to relaunch economic growth, reduce inequality, increase productivity, and take advantage of the opportunities offered by new technologies.

In the run-up to the official launch of the first Call for Proposals for our Business Plan 2023-2025, we will hold a series on Innovation Days online, bringing urban mobility key players together to forge new collaborations. The event series takes place from 21 February to 4 March and will be hosted on the b2match platform.

The Innovation Days will have a one hour themed events to network, to pitch, to hold table discussions and to directly matchmake. After the formal launch of the first Call for Proposals for 2023-2025, additional support sessions will be held focusing on submission guidance, EIT rules, proposal writing, financial sustainability, and the evaluation process itself.

After the Innovation Days, the b2match platform will remain active for viewing potential project partners and for networking, until 1 May.

4 Challenge Areas build the thematic core of the event series:

• Active Mobility: 22 February, 10:00 – 11:00h
• Future Mobility: 22 February, 13:00 – 14:00h
• Sustainable City Logistics: 24 February, 10:00 – 11:00h
• Mobility and Energy: 24 February, 13:00 – 14:00h

There will be one hour events dedicated to each of these Challenge Areas, including idea pitches, breakout sessions and networking opportunities.

Beyond these four events, the following information sessions (info days) will take place:

• EIT Urban Mobility Pre-Call Innovation Day
• Innovation Call Info: RIS Support Session
• Official Call for Innovation Launch
• Innovation Call Info: Guidance, Rules and Evaluation Process on Innovation
• PLAZA Training: Introduction to the proposal submission tool
• Innovation Call Info: Making Financial Sustainability work for your proposal
• Innovation Call Info: Tips & Pointers for Proposal Writing

You can benefit from the event series in multiple ways:

• Publish and showcase your projects, ideas, services or needs to event participants
• Get inspired by idea pitches, identify matching organisations, skills and capabilities and find the missing puzzle piece for your project idea
• Initiate and arrange promising pre-scheduled 1:1 meetings at the event
• Exchange and meet new contacts and stay in touch with them beyond the event days
• Boost your visibility in the EIT Urban Mobility ecosystem

Fluctuo, founded in 2019, is an independent third-party data aggregator with a Software as a Service (SaaS) platform to collect, process, analyse and visualise the data of shared mobility services (bikes, scooters, mopeds and cars), helping public stakeholders and private companies to make data-driven decisions on mobility services & infrastructures.

EIT Urban Mobility portfolio company Fluctuo received a further €1.6 million investment to consolidate its position in the European market and expand into new mobility modes, such as transport on demand. This capital injection will also allow improving the product offering, adding types of data (e.g. urban infrastructure like mobility hubs and charging stations). Fluctuo, who graduated from EIT Urban Mobility’s accelerator programme, was also chosen for investment through the Startup Investment programme.

Since its creation in 2019, Fluctuo specialises in the collection, processing and distribution of data on shared mobility services, including bikes, scooters, mopeds and cars. The company has positioned itself as a facilitator between shared mobility operators, on the one hand, and the transport and tourism sectors on the other. Their SaaS (Software as a Service) platform helps public stakeholders and private companies to make data-driven decisions on mobility services and infrastructures. In Europe, Fluctuo already works with around thirty shared mobility operators (Cityscoot, TIER, Dott, Voi, Share Now, etc.), transport aggregators (Free Now, SNCF e-Voyageurs, Cogo, etc.) and public transit operators.

“Development of these new urban mobility services has accelerated since the start of the health crisis,” says Julien Chamussy, President of Fluctuo, adding: “At the end of 2021, there were over 500,000 shared vehicles available throughout Europe. At Fluctuo, we are proud to be helping players in this market make their services accessible to as many people as possible. We plan to use this latest round of financing to expand our product offering further, adding new capabilities and moving into new markets.”