Founded in 2019 as an initiative of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), a body of the European Union, EIT Urban Mobility is committed to accelerating the transition to sustainable mobility.
We accelerate the sustainable transition by providing established businesses, startups, universities, research institutes and the public sector with access to markets, talent, funding and knowledge. We empower our partners to develop and deploy new solutions that address the mobility challenges European cities face.
We work in partnership with over 250 organisations and collaborate with a wider network of more than 1,000 organisations across 35 countries. Our work supports our vision for sustainable and decarbonised urban mobility and more liveable urban spaces for all.
Why we do it
The world is in the midst of a climate emergency. Emissions need to be cut 55% by 2030, and net zero achieved by 2050 to meet the objectives of the European Green Deal. To make this happen we need to embrace a new paradigm that includes radically changing how we move and live in cities.
Many innovative solutions to achieve sustainable urban mobility already exist, yet their widespread adoption is often slow. Our role as Europe’s leading network for transport innovation in cities is to catalyse uptake and accelerate this transition.
We are committed to helping the EU accomplish its ambitious CO2 reduction goals. We align with EU priorities and contribute to key EU strategies and initiatives including the Green Deal, the Cities Mission for 100 climate-neutral and smart cities by 2030, Horizon Europe and the New European Bauhaus. We also collaborate with our partners on local projects and initiatives and establish strong relationships with regional and city governments.
What we do & how we do it
We enable our community to speed up the transition to a decarbonised urban transport system through activities in four focus areas: match and connect, talent to business, innovations to market, and startups to scale.
Match and connect
We match and connect key stakeholders – including public sector, students, research institutes, universities, large enterprises, SMEs, startups, and NGOs – to accelerate the transformation of the mobility sector across all our activities and geographies.
Events such as Tomorrow.Mobility World Congress enable our partners to connect, share insights and learn about the latest trends.
Through Horizon Lab we help partners access external funding and form consortia to bid on long-term, large-scale projects.
Innovations to market
We bring innovations to market by supporting partners to develop, deploy and commercialise mobility products and services. Our activities accelerate innovations’ time to market and further scale their impact in European cities.
We facilitate connections between the public sector, research institutes, established companies, startups and SMEs to implement agile pilots in European cities where market-ready solutions are tested in real-life. These pilots have led to longer-term partnerships, growth for private sector partners, and viable solutions for cities.
Talent to business
We elevate talent to business by fostering entrepreneurship and upskilling practitioners for the urban mobility challenges of tomorrow. We offer several master’s programmes, a Doctoral Training Network, tailored courses for students and professionals, and numerous incubator programmes to nurture entrepreneurship.
Additionally, we coordinate the EIT Campus, a one-stop shop for education resources produced by the EIT Community and supported by EIT and the European Commission.
Startups to scale
We grow startups to scale by providing access to funding, coaching, and concrete opportunities through our accelerator and scale-up programmes. We nurture entrepreneurs to create and scale new solutions by connecting them with a broader network of potential shareholders and customers.
As an impact investor we support startups that show positive social and environmental impact, as well as strong financial return on investment. We provide startups with access to grants and equity investments, networking opportunities and training through partner-led programmes. Equity startups can also be matched with city members to facilitate partnerships, and priority is given to gender-balanced startups.
In 2023, we were recognised as Europe’s most active investor in urban mobility startups.