EIT Urban mobility

The EIT Urban Mobility Acceleration programme is designed to offer early stage startups from EU plus EIT participating countries: € 5.000 as grant for each participating startup € 30.000 worth of support services:

• Individualized business coaching and training Mentoring by industry experts and experienced founders,
• Validation of your market and technology with access to a network of living labs (in collaboration with City Club),
• Finding your product-market fit,
• Scaling your business, driving growth and internationalisation,
• Investor pitch coaching and potential contacts with investors and VC fund,
• Promotion of your startup at the Business Creation portfolio webpage, and through EIT Urban Mobility communication channels,
• Access to EIT Urban Mobility investment initiatives and funding instruments Startup must be incorporated in EU or EIT Urban Mobility participating countries.

Latest call

EIT Urban Mobility has just launched a powerful new €60 million call aimed at fast‑tracking innovative mobility solutions into European cities, making it a prime opportunity for startups, SMEs, cities and consortia working on clean, smart and user‑centric urban transport.

Key objectives and focus

• Support near‑to‑market solutions that can be piloted and demonstrated in real urban environments, with a clear path to commercialisation and scalability.
• Prioritise projects that cut emissions, reduce congestion, improve safety and accessibility, and contribute to climate‑neutral and liveable cities.
• Strong alignment with the EU Mission for Climate‑Neutral and Smart Cities and with European urban mobility policy priorities (e.g. sustainable urban logistics, public transport innovation, active mobility, data‑driven mobility services).

Funding and project profile

• Total call budget: €60 million in EIT funding. Individual projects can receive up to €2 million and up to roughly 65% of eligible project costs (co‑funding from beneficiaries is required).
• Typical project size: mid‑sized, multi‑partner projects with budgets that allow for real‑life pilots, business model validation and market entry activities.
• Focus on innovation + deployment: projects are expected to be at higher TRLs (solution already developed and ready to be tested/rolled out with users, not basic research).

Investment thesis

The call seeks innovative, ambitious and market‑critical projects that deliver impactful solutions to urban mobility challenges faced by cities, public authorities and mobility providers. It is designed to accelerate the deployment of such solutions, not just fund early research, and is clearly impact‑ and market‑oriented.

Who can apply

• Proposals must come from consortia of at least two independent legal entities from different EU Member States or associated countries.

• Eligible applicants include companies, universities, research organisations, cities and public authorities, and other innovation actors established in EU Member States or Horizon Europe associated countries (with some special provisions for certain countries).

• The initiative is European in scope, so strong cross‑border collaboration is expected and encouraged.

Evaluation Process

The described procedure is two‑stage:

1. Stage 1 – Expert evaluation:

   • Independent experts evaluate the proposals submitted via the NetSuite platform against the call’s criteria.

2. Stage 2 – Panel hearing and selection:

   • Shortlisted proposals are invited to a panel hearing, after which a Selection Committee makes the final funding recommendations.