Urban Mobility has gone through unexpected and momentous changes in 2020. 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. 

Wise medical advice led to lockdowns that inevitably saved millions of lives while freezing personal mobility. Who we are today, how we relate to each other, and how we perceive and move around our cities has changed. Maybe forever. EIT Urban Mobility was privileged to play a small role in Covid Response Initiatives. Inclusive logistics projects protecting the elderly and vulnerable were rolled out in Budapest touching thousands. New ruggedized rickshaws were designed for handicapped and reduced mobility passengers in the hilly cities of Bergamo and Bilbao. As road space was taken back for public space, citizens in 5 cities were able to design and manufacture their street furniture for their own public spaces. New nanotech sprays covered the surfaces of our buses and metros, to ensure we got home safely. In the RIS region, not just special projects have been done, but also our network has been strongly extended to be locally present in the RIS countries in this challenging time. 

It has been an unforgettable year that has shaped our thinking on where EIT Urban Mobility needs to go. We learned we could move fast and innovate at a pace. We learned that the right thinkers and doers are there – you just need to find them. We learned that innovation can be financially beneficial and contribute to sustainable growth. 

In 2021, we launch a call for the EIT RIS Programme 2022 focused on our City Challenge Areas. All activities of the RIS programme have the mission to connect all innovation talents in Europe and support them to work together. If the talents are working in more challenging innovation ecosystems of the RIS countries the RIS programme should help them to have the same chances for success. Accordingly, the RIS call is focusing on all activity areas of EIT Urban Mobility Innovation, Education, and Business Creation. 

In RIS Innovation we have a special programme to connect RIS and non-RIS stakeholders on everyday project activities, this is called RIS Innovation Twin Projects. Innovation projects on the four innovation focus areas: Active Mobility. Sustainable Logistics, Energy and Mobility and Future Mobility, can have twin projects with RSI stakeholders, who are working on the same topic. The RIS twin project must have a high added value to the innovation project. 

Besides the RIS Innovation Twin projects are projects focusing on the RIS specific innovation needs, education, and business creation also welcome. 

We expect great things from our own EIT Urban Mobility community and hubs. Moreover, having seen how our community responded to COVID with rapid, agile, and impactful projects – we expect more. Higher. Faster. Better. And as the saying goes “Don’t tell me how it cannot be done. Tell me how it can”. 

We look forward to receiving your applications for inclusion in the Business Plan 2022. 

Main features of the call (Aim and segments) 

The First Call for proposals for RIS for the BP2022 – 2024, the RIS programme will address the following main areas: 

1. RIS Innovation 

Looking for new products/services or business models developed in or for RIS countries. 

1.a) RIS Innovation Twin Projects are projects in strong link to projects of the Innovation call. The RIS twin project members (non-KIC member RIS stakeholder) are working for the same goal, with the same team, have clear added value to the innovation project, with which they are linked. RIS Innovation Twin Projects have a clear preference in the RIS innovation portfolio. 

RIS Innovation Twin Projects are working on the topics defined by the Innovation call: 

• Active Mobility 

Active mobility is regular physical activity undertaken as a means of transport. It includes travel by foot, bicycle and other vehicles which require physical effort to get moving. The expected outcome would be higher levels of use of active mobility in target demo cities. 

• Future Mobility 

The expected outcome would be new services and disruptive technologies which have the potential to reshape the way in which we will live and work and how we move within the city. 

• Sustainable city logistics 

The expected outcome would include new vehicles, new procurement/ purchasing models, new consolidation solutions, new hub services, new production models (e.g. so that goods are produced “close-to-home”), new software solutions for optimising freight, new solutions for managing loading/ unloading etc. 

• Mobility and Energy 

Increased use of cleaner fuelled vehicles in one or more European city. The measure implemented should have the potential for replication and scaling in other European contexts. 

1.b) RIS Innovation projects for specific RIS needs are innovations reacting on special needs of the RIS region. As result of the project an innovative product must be introduced on the market with high scale up potential. Pilots with city involvement are strongly preferred. 

2) RIS Education 

• Supporting cooperation in the RIS education activities,  
• Offering new courses or special professional education programs for RIS professionals,  

• University-city cooperation to raise awareness for new local challenges and connected possible innovative solutions of young talents 

3) RIS Business Creation 

• Systemic approach to integrate all RIS start-up support and other business creation activities to a harmonised international system for better efficiency,  
• introduce best practice of business creation activities to adapt them in the RIS regions,  
• cover uncovered RIS areas for urban mobility business creation with a long-term financial sustainability concept. 

4) RIS community building 

• Actions to support the integration of local RIS innovation communities in the innovation community, 
•  Actions for strengthening the local innovation community and local knowledge triangle integration. 

Call summary 

First call for proposals for RIS for BP2022 – 2024: Main Features 

Find all the information about this call below!

Supporting documents:

NEW! Additional document:

Contact details 

Events-Webinars 

You can find the calendar on the main events here