Source: EIT Urban Mobility

Since January 2019, EIT Urban Mobility have been actively encouraging people to readdress the way in which they move around cities, with a vision to make our cities a better place to live. As an initiative of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), a significant amount of funding to support a new campaign named the Scale-up Programme is already in place.  

The Scale-Up Programme is a quest to identify the 12 most promising urban mobility startups.  The successful startups will receive funding and partnership opportunities to further progress their campaigns. This will include invites to notable European events where they can meet possible funders and secure partnership prospects.  Applications for the initiative are active until 12^th June 2022.

Two different paths are on offer from the EIT to benefit the startups. The aforementioned networking opportunities at prominent events are available to five of the successful startups, valued at 25.000€. The second route includes all of the first, plus pilot schemes with city partners with funding figures of 50.000€ by EIT Urban Mobility. In application for the second path, the startups will gain support from public authorities and organisations who have identified restrictive issues in top European cities.

The Scale-up Programme is led by CARNET in accordance with PowerHub, Fraunhofer Society for the Advancement of Applied Research, UnternehmerTUM, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Niedersächsisches Forschungszentrum Fahrzeugtechnik (NFF), Digital Hub Logistics Hamburg and the City of Hamburg, Xpreneurs and UnternehmerTUM Digital Hub Mobility.

The startups must conform to a few select guidelines, the most important of which is the product’s status. It requires technical readiness ((TRL) of 7-9) and maturity in order to be implemented into any pilot schemes. The cities are essentially used as workshops to demonstrate how people, cargo and waste can be moved around in a more ethical manner, so the products have a wonderful opportunity to be showcased.

More information on the Scale-up Programme, the challenges faced and programme applications can be found here: https://www.eiturbanmobility.eu/business-creation/scale-up-programme/